Grain
importers
The Northern
Crops Institute's annual Grain Procurement Management for Importers
group paid a fall visit to the Port. This year's participants represented
Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Philippines, Taiwan, Korea, Estonia
and Pakistan. All participants were either directly involved with
or responsible for their national grain imports and represent grain
export opportunities for the Port of Duluth-Superior.
U.S.-flag vessel operators on the Great Lakes represented by the Lake Carriers' Association began complying with the requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act well in advance of the July 2004 deadline. An LCA-developed Alternative Security Program for Great Lakes Dry-Bulk Carriers was approved by the U.S. Coast Guard in later December, and LCA members have begun training personnel in the requirements of the program. "Virtually every large U.S.-flag freighter on the Great Lakes is a member of Lake Carriers' Association," said LCA President James H.I. Weakley. "Therefore, shipboard security measures will be consistent throughout the region. There are also discussions between the United States Coast Guard and Transport Canada regarding the bi-national aspects of Great Lakes shipping," he said. LCA represents 14 operators of U.S.-flag self-propelled vessels on the Great Lakes. Their combined vessel roster totals 53 ships with an annual carrying capacity of approximately 115 million tons.
The Duluth Seaway Port Authority was notified in December that it is receiving a Port Security Grant of $400,000 to help offset the costs of meeting new Maritime Transportation Security Act requirements. The funds are part of the Transportation Security Administration's Port Security Funding Grant Program in the FY '04 Homeland Security Appropriations bill and will be administered through the Maritime Administration. "Although the Duluth Seaway Port Authority took immediate and dramatic steps after the September 11, 2001, attacks to tighten Port security at its own expense, the Coast Guard's final regulations regarding port facility security set forth requirements beyond the scope of normal operations," said Port Director Adolph Ojard. "We will now be able to comply with the July 1 deadline for Port facility security improvements, but it should be noted that this in no way will bear the full expense of Port security requirements," he said.
The opening of the 2004 navigation season is scheduled to take place on the following dates:
The
Welland Canal will open on March 23.
The
Montreal/Lake Ontario section of the Seaway will open on March 25.
The
U.S. Soo Locks will open on March 25.
Vessel transits will be subject to weather and ice conditions and navigation may be restricted to daylight hours in some areas until lighted navigation aids are installed.
While pre-launch ceremonies for the U.S.Coast Guard Cutter Alder took center stage on February 7 at Marinette, Wisconsin, components of the icebreaker Mackinaw rested quietly in the background. Launch for the new Mac is expected in early 2005. Photo by Larry Fortner