Exciting economic development and job creation news out of Kansas City: the city's barge-shipping terminal, which has been closed since 2007, is reopening at the confluence of the Missouri and Kaw rivers.
From The Virginian-Pilot..."Supplying merchant ships with the vast amounts of fuel they need to travel the globe is neither quick nor easy. And it's done on the water, from oil barges such as the one pushed by Meekins' tug. The barge crews work around the clock ferrying fuel to ships around Hampton Roads - a journey most people never see. This little-known corner of the East Coast maritime trade rests with one company: Vane Brothers, which began in Baltimore in 1898 as a ship chandler, ferrying supplies to anchored ships. Today, it owns a fleet of 66barges and 48 tugs.
On the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, America’s tugboat, towboat and barge industry pauses to remember the nearly 3,000 Americans who lost their lives, and also to acknowledge the inspiring bravery shown by first responders and everyday citizens on that tragic day. One of the most notable acts of valor was the maritime evacuation of Lower Manhattan – the largest water evacuation in American history – in which 500,000 people were transported to safety by hundreds of vessels which answered a call from the U.S.
The U.S. House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation today heard first hand about America’s booming domestic maritime industry from Mark Tabbutt, Chairman of the Board of Saltchuk, one of the country’s most recognized transportation and distribution companies, who was testifying on behalf of the American Maritime Partnership (AMP). Tabbutt told Subcommittee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) that American maritime, supported by the Jones Act, is strong, vibrant, and growing.
