The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded US$12.6 million in grants to nine marine highway projects across the country under America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP) to ease supply chain difficulties, enhance the movement of goods along US waterways, and expand existing waterborne freight services in several regions.
“These investments through America’s Marine Highway Program will help us move more goods, more quickly and more efficiently,” said US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “In this moment of record demand for goods and shipping, this is an important piece of the Administration’s Port Action Plan to strengthen supply chains, modernise port operations, and lower the cost of goods for American families.”
According to a statement, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides an additional US$25 million to support marine highway projects and to increase the use of the country’s waterways.
The funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Port Infrastructure Development Program is roughly the same amount that has been invested in port infrastructure in total from all DOT-administered grant programs since federal investments in ports began.
“America’s Marine Highway Program is an innovative program that encourages the use of America’s navigable waterways for the movement of freight and people as an alternative to land-based transportation,” commented Acting Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley.
The AMHP has designated a total of 52 Marine Highway Projects, while since 2016, MARAD has received US$44.6 million in funding for grants under the AMHP.
Among the projects receiving funding will be Baton Rouge-New Orleans Shuttle Service, North Carolina Container on Barge Shuttle Operation, New York Harbor Container and Trailer-on-Barge Service, Chambers County-Houston Container on Barge Expansion Service and James River Container Expansion Project.
Baton Rouge-New Orleans Shuttle Service project will be awarded US$847,500. Sponsored by SEACOR AMH, this grant will fund the purchase of 100 container chassis; support modification to the towboat wheelhouse; and enable one bareboat lease of a new 2520 horsepower Z-Drive towboat with Tier 3 engines.
Sponsored by Stevens Towing of North Carolina, grant funds of more than US$1 million on North Carolina Container on Barge Shuttle Operation project will be used for the upgrade of equipment, which includes the purchase of a crawler crane, two spreader bars, and a forklift.
Additionally, New York Harbor Container and Trailer-on-Barge Service project will be awarded US$1,470,000 and sponsored by Red Hook Container Terminal, LLC., this project will be used to modify a deck barge to begin the Trailer-on-Barge Package Delivery Service of the New York Harbor Container & Trailer on Barge Service. Upon completion of these modifications, the trailer-on-barge portion of this designation will begin transporting up to 36 trailers between Brooklyn and Newark on one round trip per day, 260 days per year.
Sponsored by Chamber County Improvement District #1, a grant of US$3 million on the project “Chambers County-Houston Container on Barge Expansion Service” will support the purchase of two purpose-built barges. Funding this project will enable the applicant to transport up to 56,000 containers annually to and from the surrounding ports.
Last but not least, the James River Container Expansion Project will receive US$3,048,363. Sponsored by the Virginia Port Authority, the grant will be used to improve lighting within the perimeter of the Richmond Marine Terminal (RMT) through the installation of high mast light poles with Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures and the retrofitting of existing light poles and LED fixtures. Expanding the operational capacity at the terminal with improved lighting within the facility will allow for barge operations beyond daylight hours.
All the projects that will receive funding have been listed below:
- Delaware and New Jersey: Cape May – Lewes Ferry (US$600,000)
- Hawaii: Hawaii Commercial Harbors System Shipping Service (US$200,475)
- India and Kentucky: M-70 Barge Service in the Ports of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and beyond (US$1,408,000)
- Louisiana and Tennessee: Baton Rouge-New Orleans Shuttle Service (US$847,500)
- North Carolina: North Carolina Container on Barge Shuttle Operation (US$1,015,000)
- New Jersey: Mid Atlantic Barge Service (US$1,010,800)
- New York and New Jersey: New York Harbor Container and Trailer-on-Barge Service (US$1,470,000)
- Texas: Chambers County-Houston Container on Barge Expansion Service (US$3,000,000)
- Virginia: James River Container Expansion Project (US$3,048,363)
