FMT | News clippings and press releases

By: Jon Wells

For as long as there have been ships and ports, they have unloaded goods on the docks.
They have been known by many names: longshoremen, wharfies, dockers, and in Spanish estibadors — the phonetic spelling of which evolved to "stevedores."

"Tough chicks" wasn't traditionally on that list, but then the occupation is changing and Kristina Ernst is not beholden to tradition.

Ernst, who works at the FMT stevedoring terminal on Hamilton Harbour, jokes that she can be a softy in her home life, and not always "the tough chick at the dock."

At that dock, Pier 12, she's also the boss: FMT (Federal Marine Terminals) operations manager. She says that while there are women who do stevedoring work, "it's not a female environment."
Still, while never imagining it would become her career, she loves it and has been with FMT 14 years, recently joining management.

"You have to be a little rugged. It's not for a princess."

She observes a crew on the pier unload massive steel plates and coils with a crane.
"We have a great team," she says, and gestures to operations supervisor Jeremy Rodgers. "Like Jeremy. He's what I like to describe as my right arm."

Rodgers enjoys the work: "Every day is different, a challenge, it keeps you coming back. Plus, I get to work with big stuff. It's like a big sandbox for an adult."

Later, Ernst chats over beef and fries with gravy at the rare restaurant on Burlington Street East, called Two Cougars & A Cafe. It has kitschy marine decor, and sign on the door asking customers to "wipe your feet if appropriate."

She greets a worker with FMT, a cargo checker, who is eating at the lunch counter wearing a fluorescent orange vest.

Ernst has no family roots in the business, but her husband used to work for McKeil Marine, which is where she got her start. He's a crane operator.

"The guys, the longshoremen, a lot of them have family ties," she says. "Fathers and brothers and uncles ... it's a long-standing brotherhood."

That goes for Bob Smith, who has worked 46 years stevedoring, just like his father, David, before he passed away. Bob took his father's place in the union, the ILA (International Longshoremen's Association.)

"It's a challenging job and a rewarding one," Smith says. "You take off a 400-ton lift and it lands perfectly and no one got hurt and nothing got damaged; it's a good feeling."

Each day, stevedores that work the harbour report to a labour hall on Burlington Street East. When workers are needed to unload or load a ship, a "gang" from this pool of stevedores — there are about 70 in total and seven are women from two union locals — is called in.

Overnight, the Lake St. Clair arrived with the load of steel coils and steel sheets from Turkey and Greece. Ernst received a call about the delivery, she in turn ordered up two gangs of a dozen stevedores each to begin unloading at daybreak.

"The hatch hours will be a couple of days," she says — meaning the time it takes to unload each hatch on the ship, which dictates how many gangs from the labour pool she needs to hire.
Some of the work, such as loading/unloading at the grain terminals, doesn't require much manpower, but steel loads, for example, require larger gangs.

Stevedoring is an occupation that depends on the ships; sometimes the work comes fast and furious, followed by a few days of nothing.

Decades ago, cargo unloaded by longshoremen down gangplanks in Hamilton Harbour included goods ranging from rum and watches to furniture. 

But shipping container technology after the Second World War changed the nature of the work, meaning stevedores eventually handling mostly heavy bulk cargo, which in turn dramatically reduced the number of longshore workers required.

The harbour has one other longshore operation: Great Lakes Stevedoring Co. Ltd.

Back in 2000, the Great Lakes terminal was on Pier 8. But not for long, after the pier was obtained by the city for west harbour redevelopment.

Their current home is a squat modular structure on the other side of the harbour, at Pier 26.
Bruce Graham, vice-president of the company, says today's stevedore is health and safety conscious and can navigate machinery necessary for bulk cargo.

"It's not a shovel job today," he says. "Now you need expertise to run cranes, heavy equipment. And warehousing is a big component, hours-wise; the vessel tends to come in and leave quickly, but the product left here generates the majority of the work."

A worker pokes his head in the office door.

"The bridge is up, the ship is coming in," he says.

It's a load of salt from Goderich. 

Graham's longest-serving employee is Tim Tyo: a gear man, responsible for ensuring they have the best equipment for each load, and that it's up to safety code standards.

Tyo's "office" looks like a home den, cluttered with stuff: a variety of company hats, T-shirts including a Superman and a Deadpool, and until recently wall-to-wall Hot Wheels cars, before the guys had ribbed him about it a few too many times.

A Hamilton native, Tyo, 56, had four uncles who were ILA bosses.

"They told me, 'If you want a job for life, as long as the water is here, you'll have a job.' I've been here ever since."

The skin on his face is sun-soaked and windblown from 22 years working on the pier. He is animated talking gear; chains, Kevlar straps. He keeps notebooks with information on the topic.

"Some say I go overboard with the gear," he says, well aware he's not about to change.

"They take a lot of pride in their work," Graham says, and then he tells a story.”

Stevedores are rarely told anything specific about where a shipment they handle is headed, or for what purpose.

But just over 18 years ago, some of Graham's longshoremen in Sorel, near Montreal, loaded steel for a project in New York City.

The project was erecting a new tower in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"The client let us know what the steel was being used for," he says. "It was emotional for everyone to be a small part of that process, of rebuilding."

His voice catches.

"A little piece of Canada going in there.""

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By: Robin K. Cooper | Reporter, Albany Business Review

General Electric shipped a record 944,000-pound generator from its Schenectady factory through the Port of Albany this weekend, a move officials say cements the port's stature as the premier destination for heavy-lift cargo in the Northeast.

"This is the beginning of the future that everybody here has been working toward," said port general manager Rich Hendrick.

The 900-megawatt generator was designed and manufactured in Schenectady over the past year and loaded aboard the 500-foot BBC Sapphire Sunday evening. The ship is scheduled to leave the Hudson River port Tuesday morning to make the 9,000-mile trip to Thailand where it will be installed in a power plant. The generator is capable of producing enough electricity to power a city the size of Boston.

Known as a W86, the generator is designed to save space, time and money for power plants with land-use constraints, said Ryan LeClair, a mechanical engineer and product line leader at GE Power.

The units are the same size but much heavier than other generators because they are designed to be shipped fully assembled, eliminating the need for field work and a second generator.

It was the heaviest single piece of equipment that has moved through the Port of Albany since Bill Ring III became general manager of port operating company Federal Marine Terminals 24 years ago. Previously, FMT and the port's longshoremen have moved equipment weighing a little more than 800,000 pounds, Ring said.

Preparing to handle cargo approaching 1 million pounds is something the Port of Albany and heavy cargo hauler Dagen Trucking started focusing on more than two years ago.

The port invested $16.6 million to replace an 840-foot section of dock last year. It spent another $8 million to construct a 45,000-square-foot warehouse that was designed to store cargo weighing in excess of 1 million pounds.

"We are beginning to see a return on our investments ... We are showing that to all of the people that supported us," Hendrick said, referring to state and federal grants that helped the port pay for the warehouse construction and wharf upgrades.

Another key to being able to handle large cargo was private investments made by Jeff Dagen, owner of Dagen Trucking in Schodack, Hendrick said.

Dagen spent close to $3 million over the past two years to purchase a gantry crane with the capacity to lift 2 million pounds and two self-propelled, 18-axle trailers capable of moving 1 million pounds apiece. Then Dagen signed a 10-year lease with the port in October, agreeing to pay $450,000 a year to occupy the new heavy-lift warehouse at the port.

"Doing this job proves to GE that we can move anything they ask us to," Dagen said.

The heavy-lift capability at the port also helps reduce GE's transportation costs, because it no longer needs to bring in heavy equipment haulers from New Jersey or Virginia, Dagen said. It also will help Dagen Trucking win more jobs moving parts that weigh in excess of 900,000 pounds.

Moving the W86 generator required a lot of coordination said Erik VandenBerg, senior logistics manager for GE Power.

The piece was so heavy it took two months just to get permits to ship the generator by rail from Schenectady to the port.

Once it arrived, Dagen and his crew used their new gantry crane to lift the generator off the rail car and place it on to a self-propelled trailer so the unit could be stored in Dagen's warehouse until the BBC Sapphire arrived.

The milestone shipment is a welcome sign for the port, which has counted GE as one of its biggest customers for decades. The port's investments were geared to help give GE (NYSE: GE) a reason to maintain a strong presence in Schenectady at a time when the company is in the midst of a reset.

CEO Larry Culp is rebuilding GE's balance sheet as the company navigates its way through one of the worst slumps since the business was founded 127 years ago.

The ability to transport heavy cargo out of Schenectady could be one small piece to help GE and the port, Hendrick said.

"They are one of our most important customers," Hendrick said. "We have to do everything we can to keep them."

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By: Alex Brown | Multimedia Journalist

PORTAGE - The Port of Indiana Burns-Harbor has extended a partnership with its longtime stevedore and marine terminal operating company, Federal Marine Terminals. The Ports of Indiana says the deal will run through at least 2023.

FMT is responsible for loading and unloading cargoes to and from ships that come into the port. Some of the commodities it handles at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor include steel, breakbulk cargoes, forest products, and heavy lift/project cargo such as wind turbine components and massive beer tanks.

Matthew McPhail, vice president of sales and marketing for FMT, says the company is solidifying its commitment to the port by investing in its fleet of equipment at Burns Harbor.

"FMT has recently ordered a new crane and we are bringing in a second crane to accompany it," said McPhail. "FMT strives to meet the needs of all its customers, regardless of shipment size. Our ability to handle large-dimensional cargo is due to our safety-conscious staff, our modern equipment and the facilities the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor provides."

The announcement comes weeks after the Ports of Indiana reported record shipments in 2018. The state's three ports handled 14.8 million tons of cargo last year, a 21 percent increase over the previous record in 2015.

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By: Leo Ryan | Issue #678 | Nov 12 2018 at 08:03 AM | Channel(s): Ports & Terminals Terminals

During an interview with AJOT, Michel Tosini, executive vice-president of Federal Marine Terminals (FMT) appeared to be trying to catch his breath, and it was not from doing something arduous like running up stairs! No, he was just sparing a few moments like someone navigating through a hectic business schedule.

"Things are going gangbusters, it's as simple as that," said Tosini, who oversees the extensive network of 12 FMT facilities in the Great Lakes, the US East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Exceptionally robust steel demand (accompanied by high prices), despite the Trump Administration tariffs on imported metals from Canada and the European Union, has been a major contributing factor.

"Our 2018 global tonnage should show an increase of between 12% and 15% over 2017," he predicted.

"As far as 2019 is concerned," Tosini indicated, "we would be happy to maintain our 2018 tonnage. Looking back, there has been an abnormal growth of volume this year – higher than expected."

A subsidiary of Montreal-based Fednav Limited, FMT has for over 50 years been operating stevedoring facilities at ports in the United States and Canada, serving the needs of customers in handling breakbulk, bulk, containerized and general cargoes. The wide range of commodities handled includes steel, cement, cocoa, containers, gypsum. machinery, sugar, wood pulp, forest products and various agricultural products.

FMT terminals are located at Albany, Burns Harbor, Cleveland, Eastport, Hamilton, Lake Charles, Milwaukee, Port Manatee, Tampa and Thorold (Ontario).

Hamilton, which is Canada's leading Great Lakes port and home to the country's largest steel complex, is a major center of activity for FMT.

"At Hamilton," Tosini said, "we are on track to run 10% above 2017. It's notably steel coils and slabs (chiefly from Europe) plus a good chunk of bulk cargo, mostly salt, alloys and fertilizers."

Robust Steel Demand

Regarding the Trump 25% tariffs on imported steel, Tosini said "some cargo may be on hold in Canada, but the overall impact seems to have been minimal. Frankly, it's overseas cargo that has been affected to some limited extent. But steel production in the U.S. has not been able to keep up with demand, so they don't have a choice but to import."

In fact, Tosini suggested the 2018 steel demand environment came as somewhat of a surprise. "We were expecting a steel decrease that has not happened. The demand was still there and somebody is paying."

Steel, general cargo and project cargo are all showing similar volume this year to 2017 for FMT at the U.S. Great Lakes ports of Cleveland, Milwaukee and Burns Harbor.

At Port Manatee, Tosini said there has been strength in forest products, aluminum and containers from Mexico to U.S. markets.

Bagged Rice from Lake Charles to Iraq

And at Lake Charles, Louisiana, there has been a nice surprise in agricultural products.

"We have seen a sudden surge of agricultural products, mostly bagged rice, going to Iraq," Tosini disclosed. "There are a lot of rice producers in southwest Louisiana. Between now and the end of January, we estimate there will be about 120,000 tons of bagged rice going to Iraq from Lake Charles."

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By: Peter Buxbaum | Issue #667 | Apr 09 2018 at 07:13 AM | Channel(s): Ports & Terminals Ports

The port commission also eyes future, allocating resources to explore logistics hub scenarios.

Thanks to its proximity to manufacturers like GE Energy, in Schenectady, New York, project cargo has been a mainstay for the Port of Albany for some time. In fact, “We call ourselves the premier heavy lift and project port in the northeast,” said Tony Vasil, the business development and marketing manager at the Albany Port District Commission.

And that’s why the port is investing in improving and expanding its heavy and oversize cargo capabilities, with a number of projects in progress.

The BBC Aquamarine sails through New York Harbor on its way up the Hudson River to the Port of Albany. The BBC Aquamarine sails through New York Harbor on its way up the Hudson River to the Port of Albany. Although project cargo makes up a hefty proportion of Albany’s volume, it’s not the only kind of cargo that it handles. The port took a hit in the last year when Cargill announced it would no longer export grains through Albany. But another company, Ardent Mills, saved the day when it announced it would take over the Cargill facility and repurpose it to handle grain imports, in a deal finalized within the last few days.

New Warehouse and Wharf Reconstruction

A big lift warehouse at the port is currently under construction and should be completed by the end of June of this year. The new, 45,000 square-foot climate controlled facility will have a 2,000-pound per square foot load factor, enabling it to handle heavy cargo from shippers like GE Energy.

The warehouse project is tied in with a wharf reconstruction project on the south end of the Port of Albany. “We anticipate receiving barges of GE products that are too large to move by rail, from a height rather than weight basis,” said Vasil. “They will come down the Mohawk River and through the locks to be offloaded at a new ro/ro slip.” From there, the big pieces will be loaded on 18-wheel articulated trailers, which will move them to the new project cargo warehouse, located at the north end of the port. The roll-on/roll-off ramp is expected to come online in 2019.

Power plant components are becoming larger, noted Bill Ring, general manager Federal Marine Terminal in the Port of Albany, meaning that fewer can move by rail and making ro/ro options critical for a port like Albany that specializes in project cargo. “It’s easier to handle project cargo when it can roll on and off,” he said. “The ro/ro slip will also avoid the costs of some of the heavier barge cranes. There is a definite interest in this kind of expansion throughout the project industry.”

The facility is not for GE’s exclusive use, however, and Vasil noted that the port, and FMT, specifically, have handled project cargo from many other companies, including Siemens, Bechtel, Ericsson, Babcock & Wilcox, and others. “In the last year and half, many coal-fired electric plants in the northeast have been phased out and older gas plants are being refurbished,” he said, “so we are seeing a good amount of cargo related to those projects.”

These improvements are going to benefit the operations of FMT, which handles much of the project cargo traffic at the port. “The new warehouse was originally built for GE’s use,” said Ring. “This will give GE the opportunity to store generators and turbines at the port. If they are produced ahead of schedule, the new warehouse will give them a local option for storage so we will get the work when it comes time for exporting.” Without the new facility, GE would ship its components for storage to another port with the required capabilities in advance of shipping.

FMT Lease

In November of last year, the Albany Port District Commission signed a new 10-year agreement with FMT to provide longshore and other cargo handling services at the port. FMT has provided those services at the port for over 10 years. The new contract, with three five-year renewal options, means FMT could operate in Albany for another quarter century.

In 2017, the Port of Albany handled components for steam generation plants in Lordstown, Ohio, and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Vasil expects that this year, similar work will come through for the port for a plant near Poughkeepsie, New York. These kinds of projects are massive, noted Ring, with total volume for each, to include generators, turbines, and other components, reaching tens of thousands of cubic meters.

Cargill, Incorporated, the massive food and agricultural products company headquartered in Minneapolis, was one of the initial companies to operate at the Port of Albany when it opened in 1932. However, in recent years, the Fortune 500 company has decided to funnel their export product form the Midwest through ports on the US gulf and west coasts, to the detriment of Albany.

“We used to handle a quarter of a million tons a year for Cargill,” said Vasil.

Ardent Mills, which is owned in part by Cargill, and is based in Denver, will be taking over the lease on the Cargill facility. Instead of using the facility for exporting, it will be receiving imports from places like Turkey, Egypt, Argentina, and Brazil. The facility will become active under the aegis of its new operator “within a couple of years,” according to Vasil.

Another project at the port will see an existing old warehouse, referred to as Shed Number One, which is not cost-effective to refurbish, torn down to be replaced by a new structure. The port received some funding for that project from the US Maritime Administration.

Ring expects more import project cargo this year and next through the Port of Albany to make up for a shortfall in exports seen since the beginning of this year. He has also seen upticks in the handling of scrap and wood pulp and expects some inbound wind energy projects this year and into 2019.

No question, the port will continue to focus on heavy lift and project cargo. “We’re always looking for that type of opportunity,” said Vasil, “and we have an excellent reputation in that area.”

Meanwhile the port commission is looking to expand the port’s horizons. Its 2018 budget includes resources to retain firms for engineering and consulting work “on possible expansion opportunities.” Some of that activity could include land acquisition, through which the port “could position itself to meet warehousing/distribution facility/logistics hub demand.”

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Holcomb and Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger met with Quebec Minister for Maritime Affairs Jean D'Amour in an effort to, according to governor's office, reinforce each region's commitment to economic development, research and innovation, specifically through their maritime connections.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. says Indiana and Quebec share "robust maritime economies and trade connections."

"As the gateway to the St. Lawrence Seaway, Quebec is a critical maritime partner of Indiana," Holcomb said in a news release. "The opportunity to explore increased investment and job opportunities with Quebec businesses and government leaders was the perfect capstone to our first economic development mission to Canada."

The delegation, which included Ports of Indiana Chief Executive Officer Rich Cooper, met with Paul Pathy, CEO of Montreal-based Fednav. The company is the largest dry-bulk shipping company in Canada and the parent of Federal Marine Terminals, the general cargo terminal operator at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor and the Port of Indiana's largest customer.

The group also met with officials from the Port of Montreal, which is the last port of call before ocean vessels travel to Indiana.

The stop in Quebec ended the trade mission, which included meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft on Monday. The second day of the trip featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to strengthen the economic relationship between Indiana and the province.

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“We had a strong year in part because our world-class companies continue to drive new business through our port,” said Port Director Ian Hirt. “Going forward, we plan to build on this success and make sure this port is well positioned for the future. The continued growth of general cargo shipments managed by our partners at Federal Marine Terminals, the addition of Metro Ports taking over our bulk cargo operations and our strong labor force are all critical elements in this port’s success.”

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor handled 2.8 million tons in 2017 completing the highest four-year total in the port’s history, a 27 percent increase over the previous four-year period. Cargoes contributing to the 2017 increase included limestone, steel-related products and heavy lift/project cargoes, such as refinery tanks, laboratory equipment and windmill components.

The most valuable shipment ever to cross the port’s dock was called “ICARUS” - the world’s largest liquid argon particle hunter - which was unloaded from an ocean vessel in July by Federal Marine Terminals (FMT). Hundreds of Twitter users followed the device via #IcarusTrip as it was shipped in two semi-truck sized containers from Switzerland to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (“Fermilab”) in Batavia, Ill. The port is a preferred hub for oversized cargoes being shipped by ocean vessels into the Midwest.

“FMT strives to meet the needs of all its customers, regardless of shipment size,” said Matthew McPhail, FMT’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Our ability to handle large-dimensional cargo is due to our safety-conscious staff, our modern equipment and the facilities the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor provides.”

In 2017, the port was awarded a $9.85 million grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation that will supplement an approximately $20 million expansion, which includes the construction of two rail yards, a new shipping berth, a truck marshalling yard, a 1,200-foot dock expansion, and a new bulk cargo terminal with multimodal connections for handling transfers between ships, barges, rail cars, and trucks.

“This expansion will allow our current companies to continue to grow and help us attract new business for our port and the Northwest Indiana economy,” Hirt said.

Source: https://www.ajot.com/news/port-of-indiana-burns-harbor-plans-for-major-growth-after-landmark-year

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PORTAGE, Ind., (February 19, 2018) - The Port of Indiana Burns Harbor welcomes a unique visitor today. Big Hope 1, a bright pink barge owned by Ceres Barge Line, makes its first appearance at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor travelling from the Tulsa Port of Catoosa up the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to reach the port. The barge's cargo - a large storage tank measuring 171 feet in length and 342,000 pounds bound for a refinery in the Midwest - is being unloaded by port stevedore Federal Marine Terminals (FMT).

Big Hope 1 has generated more than $861,000 in donations to Mary Crowley Cancer Research since its launch in 2012. The mission of Mary Crowley Cancer Research is to expand treatment options for all cancer patients through investigational vaccine, gene, and cellular therapies. Ceres Barge Line employee, Vince Schu and his wife Julie, conceived Big Hope 1 to bring cancer awareness to the shipping industry as they both have family members affected by cancer.

Big Hope 1 was built by Ceres Barge and painted pink for cancer awareness," said Vince Schu. "She launched in 2012 from Jeff Boat in Jeffersonville, Ind., after she received her pink paint, which was donated by Sherwin Williams. Since then, the barge has been traveling the inland waterways raising funds and awareness for cancer research.

"The money is used to help offset costs for patients receiving clinical testing," he added. "The name Big Hope was selected as most of the patients at Mary Crowley have some type of stage 4 cancer and this is their last hope for treatment. Mary Crowley Cancer Research creates a medicine based on patients' individual DNA and cancer type. They have made great strides and with continued support may someday find a cure."

Both FMT and the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor contributed a portion of the revenues generated by the shipment to Mary Crowley Cancer Research.

"It's an honor to have Big Hope 1 at our port," said Burns Harbor Port Director Ian Hirt. "We are proud to help promote awareness and support for this important cancer research effort."

About the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor: The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor opened in 1970 and is operated by Ports of Indiana, a statewide port authority operating three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan. Established in 1961, the Ports of Indiana is a self-funded enterprise dedicated to growing Indiana's economy by developing and maintaining a world-class port system. Information: portsofindiana.com. Follow us on Twitter: @PortsofIndiana

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By Eric Anderson

The Albany Port District Commission signed a new 10-year agreement with Federal Marine Terminals to provide longshore and other cargo handling services at the port. FMT has provided such services for the past 11 years, and the new contract, with three five-year renewal options, could see it operate there for another quarter century, port officials said.

Montreal-based FMT provides services to a dozen ports, nine in the United States, said Michel Tosini, the company's executive vice president. The length of the new contract should offer stability to the local longshore workers and shippers who use the port, he said.

Tosini said the goal at Albany is to continue to increase business, tonnage and labor hours at the port.

One concern: The impact the Trump administration might have on the shipping business. The administration is in the midst of renegotiating terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, something that hasn't gone smoothly.* "We are concerned because we're not sure what changes (Trump) really wants," said Tosini after the Thursday morning contract signing ceremony. "Until then we can't determine what impact that will have on imports to America."

The Port of Albany's business includes a considerable amount of international shipments, from scrap metal to Asia to heavy-lift cargoes from Schenectady's General Electric power generation factory to customers in the Mideast and elsewhere.

"Will there be barriers? Tariffs? Fees? Duties? That can have a serious impact," Tosini said.

Tosini and Richard Hendrick, the port's general manager, said the port has expertise in handling such project cargoes as the power generation equipment from GE and commodities from several shippers at the port.

"We bill ourselves as a premier heavy lift and project cargo port," Hendrick said.

The Port of Albany handles wind turbine equipment for wind farms throughout the Northeast. The wind blades have grown larger, adding logistical challenges to shipping them to construction sites.

"We're moving a lot of wires underground" at the port to increase clearances, Hendrick said.

FMT will pay $200,000 a year in rent to the port commission, with additional payments for additional work that comes in.

"FMT recognizes the economic value of being here," Hendrick said.

*Correction: Mr. Tosini was not referring to NAFTA, but rather that FMT is still waiting to see what trade barriers (with Europe/ Asia), if any, the current US administration would put in place before being able to determine whether there would be any impact of import/export activities at the Port of Albany

Source: Times Union

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The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor landed a $9.85 million grant that will let it move more cargo, including more multimodal containers.

The U.S. Department of Transportation signed off on partial federal funding for a $19.7 million expansion that will boost the port's cargo handling capacity. The Indianapolis-based Ports of Indiana, a quasi-government agency that's run like an independent business, would fund the other half of the cost.

“Indiana’s ports are critical hubs for jobs and economic growth and this expansion will help our state attract even more business to Northwest Indiana,” Governor Eric Holcomb said. “This new investment will not only improve the region’s economic vitality, but also the international competitiveness of our entire state.”

The planned expansion would include a new 2.3-acre cargo terminal for transfers of multimodal containers, 4.4 miles of rail, and two new rail yards that could store 165 rail cars, accommodate a 90-car train and switch trains onto other tracks. Other projects would include the addition of 1,200 feet of usable dock space, a new 6-acre truck marshaling yard, the extension of a retaining wall on the west dock and the repaving of a dock apron.

“With these investments, companies using water to move cargo will have new options for their inbound raw materials, outbound finished products and transferring shipments between ships and barges, rail cars and trucks,” Ports of Indiana CEO Rich Cooper said. “Strategic investments in port infrastructure produce a foundation for long-term growth, bring a positive economic impact to the area and support trade throughout the state.” The work is expected to relieve congestion along port roads and increase operating efficiency for post companies, such as the stevedores Federal Marine Terminals and Metro Ports.

“I was proud to support the Ports of Indiana application, because this major federal grant will allow Burns Harbor to move forward with an expanded, increasingly-efficient operation," Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, said. "I’m looking forward to seeing these upgrades in action because we know it will bring more economic opportunities to the region and our state.”

The international deepwater port on Lake Michigan, which is home to many steel and grain companies, is coming off the highest three-year total volume of cargoes such as steel, coal, limestone, fertilizer and grain in its 47-year history, and is on pace for a near-record year so far in 2017. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, said the investment could help boost business even more.

“Improving infrastructure is one of the best ways we can foster growth, and our federal and state governments continue to make investments to attract new business and help existing businesses expand,” Young said. “Our ability to move raw materials and finished products is critical for economic success and this FASTLANE Grant will help our Lake Michigan port strengthen the Hoosier economy.”

The port in Portage and Burns Harbor, which handles everything from river barges to international ships that pass through the St. Lawrence Seaway into the Great Lakes, managed to secure one of just 10 FASTLANE small project grants for 2017.

“This port is an essential component of a strong and growing northwest Indiana economy and these federal funds will help improve its ability to create jobs and generate additional economic activity throughout our region and our state,” Congressman Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, said.

Source: http://www.nwitimes.com/

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World Direct Shipping (WDS) recently extended FMT Port Manatee's terminal and stevedoring operations agreement for an additional two years. WDS offers a weekly container service between Mexico and Florida.

FMT continues to seek higher levels of operational efficiency and security while reducing its environmental impact by continuing to invest in modern equipment. In recent months, the terminal has acquired new reach stackers, spreader bars, and additional container chassis.

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PORTAGE – ICARUS, the world’s largest liquid argon particle hunter, arrived at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on the ocean vessel M/V Frieda earlier this week, successfully completing the maritime portion of its trip from Europe. The instrument, the size of two semi-trucks, used by particle physicists to study neutrinos, among the smallest building blocks in nature and by far the most abundant particles in the universe, will be used for some of the most advanced science experiments in the world. ICARUS’ final destination is the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Ill.

“The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is a major hub for large-dimensional and mega project cargo shipments,” said Port Director Ian Hirt. “The port’s facilities and location allow companies to ship cargoes by water directly into the Midwest, which can significantly reduce the transportation costs and permitting requirements for moving large loads over the highway. Because of the experience of Federal Marine Terminals, our general cargo terminal operator, this port has developed an enviable track record for handling large cargoes and established a world-wide reputation as a port-of-choice for specialty shipments.”

ICARUS was separated into two identical pieces before being loaded onto the Frieda in Antwerp, Belgium. When the two containers, each 66-ft. long and weighing 63 tons, arrived at Burns Harbor, they were transloaded by the ship’s cranes directly onto waiting over-sized truck trailers. A neutrino detector, ICARUS’ job is to observe and record the results of neutrino collisions with particles of matter set in motion by another scientific instrument, an accelerator. By studying how neutrinos interact, scientists hope to understand more about the universe at the smallest scales. When reassembled at Fermilab and filled with 760 tons of liquid argon, ICARUS will be the world’s largest particle hunter of its kind and will also be the biggest of three neutrino detectors at the facility.

Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association unloaded the ICARUS and have been especially busy this shipping season handling over-sized cargoes. From January through May, project cargoes at the port are up more than 225 percent over the same period last year. Most of the large dimensional shipments this season have been wind tower sections, blades and other wind energy-related components from Spain and Brazil.

Since leaving Geneva, Switzerland on June 10, ICARUS’ journey has been tracked via an interactive map on Fermilab’s website, icarustrip.fnal.gov, as well as on Twitter, hashtag #IcarusTrip. The detector will depart from the port by truck and arrive at Fermilab on July 26.

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Long Beach, California-based Metro Ports is setting up shop as the new bulk terminal operator at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, and the company hopes to double cargo volumes there in the next two years.

Ports of Indiana Chief Executive Officer Rich Cooper said the presence of Metro Ports, the country’s oldest stevedoring company, could be a "game-changer" that will make the already bustling port even busier.

"We now have a world-class stevedore at the port with such a national presence — they operate on the West Coast, the East Coast and the Gulf Coast," Cooper said. "They see the same tremendous opportunity we do up here in Northwest Indiana. I think we were very successful in selecting a business partner who has a common interest with us in growing this business."

Metro Ports President Michael Ferguson said the 165-year-old company saw the Great Lakes as a potential growth market 18 months ago, and ended up choosing the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. "We've got 27 operations around the United States, but nothing on the Great Lakes," he said. "We've got some pretty strong growth plans."

He said Metro Ports could double cargoes by increasing volumes, finding opportunities with its current client list, and bringing back shipments that once arrived at the deepwater Lake Michigan port but no longer do. The company will load and unload bulk cargoes such as steelmaking, agricultural, manufacturing, energy and construction products on the port's East Harbor.

Federal Marine Terminals serves as the stevedore on the port's West Harbor, where dock workers largely handle steel imports for the cluster of steel-processing plants based at the port that's in both Portage and Burns Harbor.

Last year, the port handled nearly 2.6 million tons of cargo, capping the highest three-year total in its 52-year history.

Metro Ports is well-positioned to bring even more cargo in because it's got a lengthy list of clients who are interested in getting products from the manufacturer to the consumer as quickly and efficiently as possible, Ferguson said. The company handles a slew of different cargoes across the country, including aggregates, potash, coke, coal, cement, fertilizer, borax, bauxite, vehicles, machinery, military hardware, steel products, wind turbine blades, yachts and project cargo.

"This is a great opportunity to add a great company that will bring greater capacity to the market," Northwest Indiana Forum President and Chief Executive Officer Heather Ennis said. "That means being able to attract more businesses, and an exciting future for the community."

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Icarus famously flew too close to the sun, but ICARUS, the world's largest liquid argon particle hunter, is safe and secure in Portage.

The ocean vessel M/V Frieda brought the massive scientific instrument, called ICARUS, from Europe to the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor last week. It's headed for the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, where particle physicists will use it to study neutrinos, elementary particles that help make up the universe.

"The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is a major hub for large-dimensional and mega project cargo shipments," said Ian Hirt, port director.

"The port's facilities and location allow companies to ship cargoes by water directly into the Midwest, which can significantly reduce the transportation costs and permitting requirements for moving large loads over the highway. Because of the experience of Federal Marine Terminals, our general cargo terminal operator, this port has developed an enviable track record for handling large cargoes and established a worldwide reputation as a port-of-choice for specialty shipments."

Fermilab, the nation's premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research, will use the liquid argon particle-hunter in some of the world's most advanced scientific experiments as it tries "to solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space and time for the benefit of all."

The national laboratory said on its website researchers will use the ICARUS, or Imaging Cosmic and Rare Underground Signals, detector to seek evidence of a fourth type of neutrino that scientists previously have not been able to detect.

"As neutrino detector, ICARUS' job is to observe and record the results of neutrino collisions with particles of matter set in motion by another scientific instrument, an accelerator," the Ports of Indiana said in a press release.

"By studying how neutrinos interact, scientists hope to understand more about the universe at the smallest scales. When reassembled at Fermilab and filled with 760 tons of liquid argon, ICARUS will be the world's largest particle-hunter of its kind and will also be the biggest of three neutrino detectors at the facility."

ICARUS, which is the size of two semi-trucks, had to be divided into two containers, each 66-feet long and 63 tons, as it began its journey in Geneva, Switzerland last month. It was trucked to a port at Antwerp, Belgium, where it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, through the St. Lawrence Seaway, into Lake Michigan and onto Northwest Indiana.

The particle-hunter, which records collisions on neutrinos, will soon be loaded onto semi-trucks and is slated to arrive at Fermilab on July 26.

Its trip has been tracked at icarustrip.fnal.gov and on Twitter with the hashtag #IcarusTrip.

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Signet Maritime Corporation is currently wrapping up an important phase of a major project at the Federal Marine Terminal in Port Manatee, Florida. FMT’s attention to detail, its cargo handling experience, and the company’s safe work practices played a substantial role in the project’s success. Several thousand work hours were accumulated during the mat transport phase of the operation without incident or injury. The Assistant Manager, Subsea Business Development, Operations & Logistics, Marine • LNG • Shipbuilding & Repair sector of Signet Maritime, Captain Alexander L. Babbin, had this to say: “I would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at Federal Marine Terminals, who we look forward to working with in the near future.”

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Long Beach, California-based Metro Ports was hired as the new bulk terminal operator at the deepwater port on Lake Michigan, replacing Lakes and River Transfer after its contract expires at the end of June. Metro Ports will load and unload bulk cargoes, including shipments of steelmaking, agricultural, manufacturing, energy and construction products.

Montreal-based Federal Marine Terminals, which has invested millions of dollars in the port over the years, will remain on as the port’s general cargo stevedore for freight such as steel and heavy equipment. Metro Ports is the country’s oldest stevedoring company, and it has a long established presence on the west, east and gulf coasts.

“We’re honored to be selected as the bulk terminal operator at the Port of Indiana,” Metro Ports President Michael Ferguson said. “We see tremendous potential here to leverage the port’s connections to ocean ships, Great Lakes vessels, river barges and multiple rail carriers, as well as the region’s powerful industrial base located within sight of downtown Chicago. Indiana was the obvious choice for us to expand our business into the Midwest and establish a Great Lakes presence. We could not have asked for a better business partner than the Ports of Indiana and are already working together with their team to develop new shipments that could significantly grow business in this region.”

Metro Ports is expected to invest in bulk terminal upgrade that increase throughput capacity at the port, which handled 2.6 million tons of cargo like steel and beer tanks last year. Get breaking news sent instantly to your inbox

“Having a 165-year-old company like Metro Ports select Indiana to launch its Great Lakes operations is a tribute to our state’s business climate and our extremely successful port system,” Ports of Indiana Chief Executive Officer Rich Cooper said. “Indiana’s robust maritime economy leverages shipping connections to domestic and international markets through the Great Lakes and the inland river systems to support 155,000 Hoosier jobs and generate $21.5 billion in annual economic activity. We’re happy to see Metro Ports recognizes tremendous economic opportunity in establishing a port terminal at the ‘Crossroads’ and ‘Cross-waterways’ of America.”

About 30 companies, like Cargill, Feralloy Processing and Carmeuse Lime & Stone, operate at the 47-year-old port in Burns Harbor and Portage. It largely receives internationally shipped industrial products like steel coil that pass through the St. Lawrence Seaway into the Great Lakes, and ships out grain to foreign markets. Source: NWI”

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