MARAD Awards $4.85M to Improve Cargo Flow on Marine Highways
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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has awarded $4.85 million in grants to fund several marine highway projects including new cargo-handling equipment in Louisiana and Washington to improve water freight shipments.
“With the funding announced today, we’re further modernizing operations at our ports and waterways and strengthening supply chains, which will help lower costs of essential goods for American families,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Dec. 3.
The bipartisan infrastructure law has allocated $17 billion to improve U.S. waterways and ports. Buttigieg said federal expenditures in the U.S. Marine Highway Program are intended “to move goods more quickly and efficiently, which is especially important considering the current record demand for shipping.”
The five grants are to improve cargo transport on navigable waterways by expanding existing freight services in Louisiana, Washington, West Virginia and Puerto Rico.
Buttigieg
In one award, the Central Louisiana Regional Port in Alexandria, some 95 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, was awarded $2.5 million to add a 275-ton marine crane with an electric magnet and a 27.5-ton forklift to its operations. The new equipment will facilitate cargo handling and support the port’s military logistics. The port handles all imports coming off the Mississippi River into the Red River system.
“This modern and efficient cargo transloading equipment will enable the port to efficiently load and unload diverse cargoes including steel sheets, aluminum billets, military equipment, agricultural products, containerized goods and disaster-response supplies,” MARAD stated.
RELATED: MARAD awards grants for supply chain projects
Cargo will be shipped between the port site on Marine Highway Route M-49 and link to other marine highway routes in the Gulf of Mexico.
Central Louisiana Regional Port
Washington will receive two MARAD grants. Osprey Logistics was awarded $881,330 to purchase vital cargo-handling equipment such as a wheel loader and fork attachments. The company’s facility is near the Port of Everett, 3 miles from heavy-haul trucking on Interstate 5 and just over 30 miles from Interstate 90 access near the Port of Seattle.
The federal funds will pay to enlarge terminal capacity to include containers, heavy aggregates and lumber. The project also will improve the handling of logs at a privately owned facility in Everett. After completion, the project is expected to see a 50% improvement in loading speed with more capacity for marine route M-5 cargo in the Puget Sound area.
The other Washington grant is going to Tidewater Barge Line Inc. It was allocated $454,400 to support expanded barge service between its terminal in Vancouver and the Port of Morrow in Boardman, Ore. The federal dollars will be put towards obtaining a low-emission container for marine route M-84.
Phillips
West Virginia will benefit from a MARAD grant. Empire Diversified Industries was awarded $277,770 to devise a master plan for the Port of West Virginia in Follansbee to prioritize infrastructure projects and increase cargo transportation on marine highways M-70 and M-79.
“The USMHP is a tremendous opportunity to increase waterborne transport through expanding the use of America’s navigable waters, and through this expansion, to further integrate our waterways into the nation’s surface transportation system,” said Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips. “This is particularly important as water-based transport is the most efficient, effective and sustainable option.”
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