Funding the Flow: America’s Inland Waterways Need a Smarter Investment Strategy
The path toward funding the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) – and the critical inland infrastructure maintenance and construction of locks and dams that it does – is neither straight nor clear. Jen Armstrong, VP, Government Relations, Waterways Council, visited recently with Maritime Reporter TV to discuss in detail the historical context of how USACE funding has evolved in the past 50 years. A functional and efficient locks and dams system is not simply a matter of catering to inland waterway operators; rather it is a logistics imperative to fuel the U.S.
Cavotec MoorMaster Systems Operational at Iroquois Lock in Canada
Cavotec has successfully delivered and commissioned three MoorMaster automated mooring systems at the Iroquois Lock in Ontario, Canada. The systems were officially handed over to the Saint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) on June 30, 2025.With this latest installation, Cavotec’s MoorMaster systems support vessel transit at nearly all locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway, with only Lock 8 in the Welland Canal remaining to be equipped in 2026. The new systems at the Iroquois Lock will contribute to operational benefits…
Infrastructure Project in Focus: Montgomery Lock
Earlier this week Marine News was afforded – thanks to a ‘press tour’ organized by the Waterways Council – a behind the scenes look at the United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) effort to build new the Montgomery Locks, one part of a bigger picture project on the Upper Ohio River outside of Pittsburgh to ensure that three key lock and dam critical infrastructure facilities remain viable to facilitate critical tow and barge traffic. The facilities in focus include:Emsworth (placed in service 1922)Dashields (placed in service 1929)…
Inland Waterways System: Driver for the U.S. Economy
“In a global marketplace, supply and demand in one area of the world can greatly impact the agricultural production in another. American products are shipped worldwide …” is how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) describes the backdrop for international trade. The inland and coastwise waterway systems serving the United States (where agricultural cargoes are an important component) are sometimes regarded as insular highly specialized marketplaces. However, they are indeed elements of much larger trading networks that are influenced by global economic…
Steelpaint Inks Deal to Refurbish Emden Lock
Emden’s Great Sea Lock (Große Seeschleuse) is to be protected from corrosion with a Steelpaint coating system following a contract award by the Lower Saxony Port Authority (Niedersachsen Ports) as part of a refurbish and renewal project. The lock will remain operational throughout the upgrade, which will take about 10 years to complete.The $105m project will involve constructing new reinforcements to optimize flood defense, new transformer stations, a reserve gate and a cable pull system.Steelpaint will supply a comprehensive coating system for approximately 50,000 sq.
Lock Repairs Completed, Mosel River Reopens to Shipping
The Mosel river in west Germany has been reopened to cargo shipping after repairs to a damaged lock were completed faster than expected, navigation authorities said.The river, an important transit route for grains and rapeseed between Germany and France, was closed to inland waterways shipping in December after an accident which damaged a lock at Mueden south of Koblenz.New lock gates have now been installed and the river was reopened to commercial shipping over the weekend, said inland navigation agency WSA.
MEGA INFRASTRUCTURE: Inside the Chickamauga Lock Upgrade Project
This episode of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, delves into the critical importance of the inland waterways infrastructure in the U.S., focusing on the Chickamauga Lock Project on the Tennessee River. A trio of experts – Tracy Zea, President & CEO of WCI; Elizabeth Burks, USACE Nashville Division Chief; and Capt. Joe Cotton, Project Manager, Chickamauga Lock Project – discuss the current state of the inland waterways, the history and significance of the Chickamauga Lock…
U.S. House Committee Green-Lights Strong Funding - WCI
The House Committee on Appropriations approved by a vote of 34-24 the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Energy and Water Development (E&W) Appropriations Bill. Included in the bill are Community Project Funding (CPF) requests for Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) construction projects.Overall proposed funding for Corps’ Civil Works is $9.57 billion, an increase of $910 million above FY23’s appropriated level, and $2.16 billion above the President’s FY24 budget request.FY24 funding for construction projects on the inland waterways is $455.97 million…
Inland Waterways in Focus: Balancing Maintenance and Operational Requirements
The integrity of the marine transportation system as a key plank in a country's economic prosperity is in heightened focus today, with logistics snarls contributing to fast rising inflation. Maintaining the integrity of the vast U.S. inland waterway system - with more than 12,000 miles of inland and intracoastal waterways including 218 lock chambers at 176 sites - is the focus of the Maritime Risk Symposium 2022, a 2.5-day conference scheduled for November 15-17, hostd by Argonne National Laboraty's TCS Conference Center.On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, James P.
New Lock at the Soo: Unlocking the Great Lakes
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District works on unlocking the Great Lakes by providing a much-needed resiliency at the Soo Locks with the construction of the New Lock at the Soo. The New Lock at the Soo will be the same dimensions as the Poe Lock, 1,200 feet long, 110 feet wide and 30 feet deep.Often called the “linchpin” of the Great Lakes navigation system, the Soo Locks are located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan between the upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. The Soo Locks enable bulk carrier vessels to safely bypass the swift-moving St.
USACE to Perform Winter Maintenance at Six Locks
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is preparing for major repairs at six of its Mississippi River locks this winter to ensure they continue working as designed.Maintenance is scheduled at Lock and Dam 4, Alma, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 5A, near Fountain City, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 6, Trempealeau, Wisconsin; Lock and Dam 7, near La Crescent, Minnesota; Lock and Dam 8, near Genoa, Wisconsin; and Lock and Dam 10, Guttenberg, Iowa.The locks will be closed from Nov.
St. Louis Regional Freightway: Prepare now for Lock Closures
Lock Closures Starting on the Illinois Waterway This Summer May Result in More Freight Flowing Through St. Louis Region.Businesses that move or handle commodities on the Illinois Waterway system are being encouraged to start making alternative plans due the scheduled closure of locks on that inland waterway system. With a two-week closure planned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beginning as early as August 2019 and closures of 90 to 120 days expected in the summers of 2020 and 2023…
