For those more visually analytical people out there, I know I’m one myself, these 11 sheer plans illustrate what MARAD is considering for options for their “grand plan” on intermodal transport and short-sea shipping. They call it “America’s Marine Highway Program” I especially like the one ATB idea, but then I’m biased being a limited tonnage guy, so what do I know!?
I could only do 6 per post!
This is a good idea and the infrastructure could be paid for by instituting a heavy toll for trucks that insist on using coastwise highways.
Reducing traffic should convince most voters but we also need to tie this to a public safety issue to get voter support. Luckily the safety concern is clear… our nation’s highway bridges are in a terrible state and getting worse each year. Now only if we had some big $ lobbyist to press the issue the next time a bridge collapses.
Picketing the ILA might end with a few of us in either the hospital or jail, so I don’t think this option is smart but… I think picketing MARAD is an excellent idea but we would have to limit our demands to a realistic goal and short sea shipping is not realistic (c.captain: nor is closing down KP!). What would be realistic is replacing one administrator…
This has already been tried. The environmentalists are not our solution because, sadly, a majority of voters don’t care about air pollution and the green groups are either too crazy (sea Shepard) or already too focused on issues the, incorrectly, think will have a bigger impact.
And we must stop using the word intermodal. No one outside the transportation industry has a clue what it means and even most of us (or at least I am) are confused by it’s full meaning. We must also stop using phrases like “America’s Marine Highway” and other dumb catch phrases which center the attention on us because… This is can’t be about us, it has to be about “them”.
Who is “them”. Well they are:
Mothers who drive their children across rusting bridges.
Fathers sitting in traffic for hours during their commute.
Children suffering from asthma in port cities.
Businesses loosing time and money dealing with the ILA.
Truck drivers not getting enough sleep or pay.
Small coastal cities that would benefit from thousands of new jobs.
We need straight talking, Fox News style, with videos and photos of bridge collapses the general public can understand… not spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations that put people to sleep.
And we would need a plan to align our interests with someone (the teamsters?) willing and able to play hardball with the ILA. And, for the record, I’m not suggesting anyone steamrolls the ILA… Just someone that can talk man-to-man with ILA leadership and make it clear to them that supporting this idea is in their best interest (which also happens to be the truth).
The bottom line is this is a win-win situation for ALL parties… so we need to stop talking to and amongst ourselves and start talking to and about them!
Thank you Rob! Listening to truckers (and even longshoreman) is exactly what is needed!
After a long nights sleep I think the biggest problem is… Short Sea Shipping is currently (and has always been) a maritime industry circle jerk. This needs to end… posting to this forum alone is useless, it’s preaching to the choir, everyone here - from the ordinary seaman to the shipping executives - are already sold on the idea.
The first step in any campaign is information… we need more posts like Rob’s plus information from railroad workers, warehouse workers, logistics experts, commuters and coastal cities. We should be posting to those forums and calling our friends in those industries first then formulate a plan our their needs.
You’re right, no one in shipping has ignored the problem. What they have done is wasted millions on spreadsheets and PowerPoints to convince each other how much this will benefit shipping. gCaptain gets press releases and interested parties every week from all corners of this industry telling us about how a new idea or intermodal plan will benefit shipping. I usually delete these but what I want to say in reply is “No Shit Sherlock!”
I don’t publish articles about this because hearing about it would do nothing but make us all more frustrated and nobody outside this industry reads gCaptain or care about intermodal anything.
But maybe I should start writing articles about it… But if I do I promise much less photos like this:
[ATTACH]3413[/ATTACH]
And many more photos like this:
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And this:
[ATTACH]3415[/ATTACH]
And I promise not to use the word “intermodal” once because, frankly, I’m tired of hearing it and gCaptain is not in the business of boring it’s readers… We are in the business of publishing graphic photos and compelling information that engages our readers and incites change… not, like most of our competitors, putting them to sleep!
Excellent point Paddy but you are dead wrong about one thing. The worst thing we can do is NOT be indifferent… The worst thing we can do is waste our time and energy petitioning MARAD, the ILA, industry leaders or our fellow mariners to change. The solution is not Matsuda, he doesn’t have the power. It’s not in Obama or writing congressman, they are busy with bigger issues. It’s not in the current ILA leadership who are deaf, dumb and blind.
No our time needs to be spent outside official channels. Don’t write your congressmen about short sea shipping write Fox News about how frustrated you are sitting in I-95 traffic, and get your wife to write about how the rust on your bridge scares the sh!t out of her every time she crosses it with the kids. Don’t write ILA offices or yell at your linehandlers about heir incompetence, instead go down to the dock during coffee break and talk to the longshoreman about why he can’t get his son in the union (because this idea will create lots of new jobs). Don’t cry to the city council about a lack of intermodal subsidies causing air pollution, tell the PTA to send asthmatic kids to go to the city council themselves and say, in weasing voices “you’re kickbacks for the ILA and teamsters is the reason I can’t play soccer”
I think organizing a picket of MARAD or creating a superfund to lobby maritime interests are good ideas but a better one many be a superfund for parents of Asthma sufferers in port cities to fund a picket at Fox News and the Today Show.
The bottom line is no one cares about us except ourselves and MARAD has no power to help us, so let’s stop the circle jerk and start talking to people who do have power about why this issue meets THEIR needs.
And as a first step I propose that we spread the word to stop yelling at longshoreman and start being their best friends… then, and only then, will they trust us enough to listen when we say that, by blocking progress, THIER leaders are the reason THIER are never any jobs on the board for THIER sons.
You’re wrong Jeff, it’s not the dozens of crane operators who are at fault, it’s less than a half dozen short sighted leaders that are hurting millions (including the crane operators!!) by dragging their feet.
The crane operators are NOT the problem, they are the only solution because only they have the power/ability to vote out their leaders and vote in someone who understands that a smaller percentage of a pie triple the size of the one they are currently being served (2 more crane lifts per load servicing feeder ships) results in a bigger slice of cake.
But they will continue to cut their noses off despite the face as long as we remain jealousy (of their salaries) and angry each time we communicate with them in port.
Agreed, but here’s a small step forward, at least on the left coast.
http://sf-port.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=4495
Arthur B’s skipper didn’t sound too thrilled with his job, (Kinda windy) , but this thing is working now… (Or was a couple months ago…)
Maybe ILS should get a raise, say a buck a box, they might move a little faster…
Cheers
The first step is to get Matsuda replaced with a straight shooter who gets shit done and isn’t in the pocket of the Lahood mafia union syndicate.
My vote is for Admiral Thad Allen
[QUOTE=domer;108649]The first step is to get Matsuda replaced with a straight shooter who gets shit done and isn’t in the pocket of the Lahood mafia union syndicate.
My vote is for Admiral Thad Allen[/QUOTE]
I vote for UniBlab!
[QUOTE=c.captain;108672]I vote for UniBlab![/QUOTE]
Silly sailor, you don’t have a vote.
And I doubt you have enough money to buy one that counts either. Silly sailor.
It may not be the mode of choice for shippers that require just-in-time delivery, but short-sea shipping can deliver goods in a timely, reliable manner and at a good price. It also offers a relatively cost-effective, safe, and low-emission alternative for transporting goods between coastal cities.
As far as the high cost of Jones Act Vessels…I read an article in one of those magazines they keep in the bridge about a possible solution. The article was saying that MSC’s fleet is continuing to age and is continually needing to be replaced. With the current budget “issues” (to put it lightly), MSC can’t afford to build new vessels and park them waiting for the next war. SO…let’s have a joint venture between MSC and private industry to share the construction cost, then the private company gets to use and maintain the vessel in Jones Act trade until the event that it is needed for a wartime sealift. Any thoughts?
I’ll give you three reasons why that idea won’t fly:
[QUOTE=Hawespiper;111143]As far as the high cost of Jones Act Vessels…I read an article in one of those magazines they keep in the bridge about a possible solution. The article was saying that MSC’s fleet is continuing to age and is continually needing to be replaced. With the current budget “issues” (to put it lightly), MSC can’t afford to build new vessels and park them waiting for the next war. SO…let’s have a joint venture between MSC and private industry to share the construction cost, then the private company gets to use and maintain the vessel in Jones Act trade until the event that it is needed for a wartime sealift. Any thoughts?[/QUOTE]
I’d be down for that. I mean they’ll never do it, but I wouldn’t argue with it.
[QUOTE=Hawespiper;111143]As far as the high cost of Jones Act Vessels…I read an article in one of those magazines they keep in the bridge about a possible solution. The article was saying that MSC’s fleet is continuing to age and is continually needing to be replaced. With the current budget “issues” (to put it lightly), MSC can’t afford to build new vessels and park them waiting for the next war. SO…let’s have a joint venture between MSC and private industry to share the construction cost, then the private company gets to use and maintain the vessel in Jones Act trade until the event that it is needed for a wartime sealift. Any thoughts?[/QUOTE]
back in the 50’s MarAd had build and charter program with the MARINER class breakbulk ships. Don’t know if the government got all their capital back but considering some of those vessels were still going in the early 80’s makes me think they did.
but that was once upon a time in a nation that was flush with cash and which cared about having the most modern cargo ships and best looking cargo ships in the world!
I had a dream last night that I won the $590 million powerball. I bought myself a yacht and a private plane and things but then I felt guilty for not doing anything for the common good so I started a sting operation and wrote a $10 million check to gCaptain with the express purpose of having every member of MARAD, every house transportation committee member and every USCG admiral investigated by a team of crack journalist.
Then I got on my jet and flew to my yacht but this time with a huge smile on my face 
That’s funny because last night I had a dream that someone gave gCaptain $10 million to be put to “good use” and I absconded with the money on a new private yacht… but I don’t remember feeling guilty about it 
(P.s. Just kidding… I can think of nothing more fun or productive as harassing MARAD and co, so we’d happily put your money to good use, I promise.
P.p.s How much of the $590M did you donate to Fort Schuyler?)