TRB is cosponsoring a symposium on Climate Change and Ships: Increased Energy Efficiency on February 16-17, 2010, in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. The symposium is designed to explore greenhouse gases and the energy efficiency design index, technical and operations measures to increase energy efficiency, and maritime economics and market-based mechanisms. For additional information contact Joedy Cambridge of TRB.

The Marine Board held its 2009 Spring Meeting at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA on May 11-12, 2009.  Members and guests shared presentations and discussed a range of topics, including: naval engineering in the 21st century, vessel incident investigations, integrated ocean observing systems, maritime domain awareness, offshore facilities inspection programs, piracy, and risk assessment frameworks.  At the May 11 dinner event, the Board was honored to have the opportunity to prese...

At its June 12-13 meeting in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, the TRB Executive Committee hosted a Policy (Red Meat) Session titled “ Issues and Perspectives on Water Transportation ”.  The speakers in this session included two former Marine Board members, Craig Philip of Ingram Barge and Gene Pentimonti, formerly with Maersk/SeaLand.   Presentations made during this session are available on  Executive Committee informational website  (click on “Policy Session Presentations” unde...

TRB held its 34th Annual Summer Ports, Waterways, Freight, and International Conference in Irvine, California, on May 4-6, 2009.  The conference focused on critical research issues in freight and marine transportation; and presentations examined various perspectives, including environmental and regulatory, warehousing and motor carrier, railroad, inland waterways, and more.  Links to selected presentations made during the meeting are available online.

11th Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference: Conference Recording View and listen to presentations given at the 11th Annual Harbor Safety Committee in Tampa, Florida, on May 27-29, 2009, as part of the TRB e-Session series.  Presentations are grouped by session number. The TRB e-Session series is designed to bring information presented at TRB conferences and meetings to those who were not able to attend.

June 2009: 34th Annual TRB Ports, Waterways, Freight & International Conference (PWFIT) The 34th Annual TRB PWFIT Conference was held at the Beckman Center of the National Academies in Irvine, California on May 4-6, 2009. The overall theme of the conference was "Critical Research Issues in Freight and Marine Transportation: Meeting the Challenges".  Prominent public & private sector speakers “challenged” the audience by outlining critical research issues and needs.  Eight of the nine p...

May 2009: 11th Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference The 11th Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference was held at the Marriott Tampa Waterside Hotel in Tampa, FL on May 27-29, 2009. Hosted by the Tampa Bay Harbor Safety and Security Committee and co-sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this year’s theme was “Critical Path to Safe and Secure Harbors: Communication, Collaboration, and Coordination”.  The program featured a Keynote Address fr...

April 2009: Naval Engineering in the 21st Century The National Research Council (NRC) and the Marine Board are initiating a 20-month policy study, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, to evaluate the current state of U.S. naval engineering science and technology (S&T) activities, and to propose improvements in innovation, research and educational capabilities for future needs of the Navy. The NRC will appoint a committee of experts with appropriate disciplinary backgrounds and experience to co...

TRB Conference Proceedings 45: U.S. Marine Salvage Assets and Capabilities in a Maritime Disaster is the proceedings of a September 2008 workshop that focused on a scenario involving an incident that shuts down the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  The proceedings examine the threat and explore key issues relating to an efficient, effective, and coordinated U.S. salvage industry response to a worst-case marine casualty scenario.

March 2009: Maritime Disaster Workshop Proceedings The prepublication version of the Proceedings from the September 2008 Maritime Disaster Workshop is now available on-line . The final printed report will be available in early May.

TRB’s Marine Board held its 2008 Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., on November 19-21, 2008.  Issues explored during the meeting included managing risks of vessel operations, alternative vessel propulsion systems, maritime security, and more.  Links to selected presentations made during the meeting are available online.

November 2008: Marine Board Fall Meeting Presentations The Marine Board held its 2008 Fall Meeting at the Keck Center in Washington, D.C. The Board welcomed seven (7) new members to the Board. Martha Grabowski, outgoing Board Chair passed the gavel to RADM Malcolm MacKinnon and Michael Bruno assumed the position of Board Vice Chair. Selected presentations and photos are available from the meeting.

The Ocean Studies Board of the National Academies’ Division on Earth and Life Studies has released a report that identifies ways to reduce waste, improve waste disposal at ports, and strengthen the regulatory framework toward a goal of zero waste discharge into the marine environment.  DELS, like TRB, is a division of the National Academies, which include the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council.

The July-August 2008 issue of TR News includes the following articles: Building the 21st Century Workforce: Creating a National Strategy The Louisiana Model for Transportation Workforce Development: Integrating Technical Assistance, Structured Training, Continuing Education, and Technology Transfer The Kentucky Engineering Exposure Network: State Program KEEN to Inspire and Guide Students Building an Education Infrastructure for Railway Transportation Engineering: Renewed Partnerships on New Tracks Deve...

September 2008: Marine Board Appoints Seven New Members Effective November 1, 2008, seven (7) new members will join the Marine Board, filling slots vacated by members who have served two 3-year terms. At the same time, RADM Malcolm MacKinnon III (USN Ret.) and NAE member will begin a 2-year term as Marine Board Chair and Dr. Michael S. Bruno , Dean of the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Director of the Center for Maritime Systems and the Davidson Laboratory at the Stevens Institute of...

September 2008: Maritime Disaster Workshop: Response to and Recovery from Channel Closures at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach On September 4-5, 2008, the Marine Board hosted a Maritime Disaster Workshop: Response to and Recovery from Channel Closures at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach at the Beckman Center in Irvine, CA. At this workshop, a scenario focused on the shutdown of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a result of a catastrophic event (natural disaster, accident, terroris...

September 2008: Harbor Safety Committee (HSC) Conference Updates The summary proceedings from the 2008 Harbor Safety Committee Conference held in Seattle, Washington in May 2008 is now available. Planning is underway for the 2009 HSC Conference , scheduled to be held in Tampa, FL on May 27-29, 2009.

August 2008: Maritime Disaster Workshop The Marine Board, at the request of the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving of the Naval Sea Systems Command, is hosting a workshop relating to the nation's marine salvage assets and response capabilities, with a specific focus on a scenario involving an incident that shuts down the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It is a follow-on to an earlier workshop held in August 2003 in Washington, D.C. The proceedings from this earlier workshop, Marine Salvage Capabiliti...

TRB Special Report 293, Risk of Vessel Accidents and Spills in the Aleutian Islands: Designing a Comprehensive Risk Assessment provides guidance for a comprehensive risk assessment of vessel accidents and spills in the Aleutian Islands.  The report examines data related to the risk of oil, chemical, and other hazardous cargo spills from vessel traffic through the Aleutian Islands and identifies key information needed to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment.

TRB and the Division on Earth and Life Studies (DELS) have released TRB Special Report 291: Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species, which reviews existing research and efforts to date to reduce aquatic invasive species introductions into the Great Lakes and identifies ways that these efforts could be strengthened toward an effective solution.  Since its opening in 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway has provided a route into the Great Lakes not only for trade, but also unfortunately fo...

July 2008 Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species The pre-publication version of TRB Special Report 291: Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species has been released. The report reviews existing research and efforts to date to reduce aquatic invasive species introductions into the Great Lakes and identifies ways that these efforts could be strengthened toward an effective solution. Since its opening in 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway has provided a route into the Great Lak...

July 2008: Risk of Vessel Accidents and Spills in the Aleutian Islands: Designing a Comprehensive Risk Assessment The prepublication version of  TRB Special Report 293, Risk of Vessel Accidents and Spills in the Aleutian Islands: Designing a Comprehensive Risk Assessment has been released. The report provides guidance for a comprehensive risk assessment of vessel accidents and spills in the Aleutian Islands. The report examines data related to the risk of oil, chemical, and other hazardous cargo sp...

June 2008: TRB Summer Conference The 33rd Annual TRB Summer Ports, Waterways, Freight & International Trade Conference was held in Baltimore, Maryland on June 18-20. The overall theme of the conference, held in conjunction with TRB’s Joint Summer Meeting, was the Impact of Globalization on Transportation. Selected presentations from the conference are now posted to the TRB calendar website.

June 2008: Marine Board Fall Meeting The Marine Board’s 2008 Fall Meeting will be held at the National Academies Keck Center in Washington, D.C. on November 19-21, 2008. At this meeting, the Board will welcome new members and offer appreciation to outgoing members. The Board had a record number of nominations for its 2008 membership rotations. Final selections will be announced in July.

June 2008: Former Marine Board Chair Honored by TRB Dr. Geraldine Knatz, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles and past Chair of the Marine Board has been honored by the Transportation Research Board as the Deen Distinguished Lecturer for 2009. Dr. Knatz will deliver her lecture on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 during TRB’s 88th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Dr. Knatz was also prominently featured in the recent 8-part series titled “America’s Port” that aired on the National Geographic Channel....

May 2008: Marine Board Spring Meeting The Marine Board held its Spring Meeting at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, where Board member Bob Portiss, Executive Director of the Port, planned an informative and most enjoyable program that included a focus session on the importance of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River navigation system to the nation. The session featured presentations from ports, carriers, and users of the system, as well as the US Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard. Members and agenc...

May 2008: 9th Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference The Marine Board and TRB again co-sponsored the Annual HSC Conference, held in Seattle, Washington on May 12-14, 2008. The conference theme of “Plan – Prevent – Protect – Recover” included a full schedule of sessions on current challenges, best practices, case, studies, and lessons learned and included a Keynote Address from former Marine Board member, Steve Scalzo, Chief Operating Officer of Marine Resources Group. The conference proceedings will ...

April 2008: New Marine Board Committee The Committee for U.S. Marine Salvage Assets and Capabilities: A Workshop was appointed in April to plan and conduct a public workshop that will examine the legal, regulatory, economic, transportation, and political issues likely to pose hurdles to an effective and timely marine salvage response to a major marine disaster affecting the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. RADM Malcolm MacKinnon chairs the committee, which has as members Judith Harris, Ron Kiss, Reg...

TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2033 includes eight papers that explore quadrimaran ferries, analysis of container port competition, interaction between transport, infrastructure, and institutional management of a port system, optimization of internal transport cycle in a marine container terminal, drayage operations at the Port of Houston, Texas, a waterways curriculum for introducing the marine industry to youth, inland water transport in I...

January 2008: Call for Nominations The Marine Board is seeking nominations for new members to be appointed to 3-year terms that would commence on 1 November 2008. There will be up to six (6) vacancies on the Board in 2008 and there is particular interest in candidates with expertise in the following areas: Human Factors and Marine Safety, Inland Waterways, Marine Environment and Policy, Maritime Economics, Maritime Law, and Shipbuilding. If you wish to nominate individuals for consideration by the selec...

TRB’s Marine Board held its 2007 Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., on November 7-9, 2007.  Issues explored during the meeting included the Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment study, the U.S. Coast Guard’s safety and environmental mission, renewable ocean energy, and more.  Links to select presentations made during the meeting are available online.

November 2007: New Members Appointed to Marine Board On November 1, 2007, two new members joined the Marine Board for a 3-year term: Michael S. Bruno is Dean of the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Director of the Center for Maritime Systems and the Davidson Laboratory at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He currently teaches courses in coastal engineering, design of coastal structures, port planning and development, hydrodynamics, dynamics of ocean waves, and fluid mechanics. As di...

November 2007: Marine Board Fall Meeting The Marine Board held its 2007 Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C. on November 7-9, 2007. Members and guests discussed a number of projects underway or in development, including the Aleutian Islands RIsk Assessment study being carried out by a committee that held its initial meeting in Anchorage and Dutch Harbor, Alaska in late October. There were presentations and discussion on topics ranging from the U.S. Coast Guard safety and environmental mission and aids to na...

July 2007: The US Coast Guard released the summer 2007 edition of the Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council . The focus of this edition is waterways management and it includes an article on the Marine Board, found on pp. 23-26.

June 2007: Marine Board 2007 Spring Meeting The Marine Board held its 2007 Spring Meeting in Portland, Maine on May 30 - June 1. Topics covered in the business meeting included risk assessment, national maritime salvage policy, marine resources in response recovery, short sea shipping, aids to navigation, safety management in offshore operations, and alternative energy. The Board identified 16 action items covering a range of topics and activities. Selected presentations from the meeting are available. ...

The Polar Research Board, part of the National Academies’ Division on Earth and Life Studies (DELS), and the Marine Board, part of the Academies’ Transportation Research Board, have released a report that explores the current and future needs for icebreaking ship capabilities of the United States.  The Committee that produced the report concluded that the nation continues to require a polar icebreaking fleet that includes a minimum of three multi-mission ships and one single-mission ship.  The...

March 2007: 9th Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference The Marine Board and the Marine Group committees of TRB are co-sponsors of the 9th Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference to be held in Chicago, IL on May 9-11, 2007. Marine Board member Bob North is among the scheduled speakers at this event.

March 2007: Polar Icebreaker Study Available The final report Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World: An Assessment of U.S. Needs, a USCG-funded study prepared by a committee of the Polar Research Board and the Marine Board, is now available from National Academies Press. Marine Board members Ron Kiss, Bob North and past member Steve Scalzo, all served on the study committee.

February 2007 Former Marine Board Member Honored Billy L. Edge, former Marine Board member and head of the Coastal and Ocean Division in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, received the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal for his work on ASCE's External Review Panel. The ERP peer-reviewed the work of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force, which assessed the performance of the hurricane protection system in New Orleans and southeastern Louisiana.

TRB’s Marine Board held its 2006 Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., on November 29-30, 2006, at the National Academy of Sciences of Building. Links to presentations by members of the Marine Board and invited guests are now available.

November 2006: Marine Board 2006 Fall Meeting The Marine Board held its 2006 Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C. on November 29-30 at the National Academy of Sciences of Building. Links to presentations by Board members and invited guests are now available. For additional information, please contact Brie Schwartz .

The September-October 2006 issue of TR News includes the following articles: Toward More Golden Anniversaries: Securing Transportation’s Place in the National Policy Agenda Freight Transportation Industry Roundtable: Fostering a Dialogue with Federal Policy Makers The Containership Revolution: Malcom McLean’s 1956 Innovation Goes Global Container Shipping and the Economy: Stimulating Trade and Transformations Worldwide The 40-Foot Container: Industry Standard Faces Challenges and Change Can ...

October 2006: Four New Members Appointed to Marine Board On November 1, 2006, four new members will join the Marine Board: John Headland is a Senior Vice President responsible for Moffatt & Nichol (M&N) Engineers’ northeastern operations. For over 26 years, he has specialized in the planning/design of port and waterfront infrastructure projects. William E. (Will) Jenkins is a senior executive leading ExxonMobil marine transportation affiliates. He is president of SeaRiver Maritime, Inc., an Exxo...

September 2006: Marine Board members organized a session for the California & The World Ocean '06 Conference held in Long Beach, CA in mid-September. The title of the session was "The Nation’s Maritime Industries: A Glorious Past, An Uncertain Future" and was moderated by Board member Jerry Schubel . There were presentations by current Marine Board chair Geraldine Knatz , past Marine Board chair Keith Michel , Board member Patrick O'Connor , past Board member Judy Kildow , and by Ed Ueber and Norman...

September 2006: Polar Icebreakers in a Changing World: An Assessment of U.S. Needs The Polar Research Board, part of the National Academies’ Division on Earth and Life Studies (DELS), and the Marine Board, part of the Academies’ Transportation Research Board, have released a report that explores the current and future needs for icebreaking ship capabilities of the United States. The Committee that produced the report concluded that the nation continues to require a polar icebreaking fleet that includes ...

The Marine Board's 2005 Annual Report describes the organization, membership, and program scope of TRB’s Marine Board, which provides a forum for the exchange of information relating to maritime transportation and related economic, environmental, and technology issues in a broader context. The report also highlights recent activities and publications of the Marine Board. To receive a printed copy of the report contact Joedy Cambridge .

Selected presentations from plenary sessions at the TRB-sponsored 31st Annual Summer Ports, Waterways, Freight, and International Trade Conference are now available electronically.  The conference was held on July 9-11, 2006, in La Jolla, California.  The topics of plenary sessions in this collection include alternative (non-highway) ways to move freight, now and in the future; developments in goods movement, marine transportation, and port operations; solutions to reduced environmental health...

July 2006: Marine Board 2005 Report The Marine Board's 2005 Annual Report describes the organization, membership, and program scope of TRB’s Marine Board, which provides a forum for the exchange of information relating to maritime transportation and related economic, environmental, and technology issues in a broader context. The report also highlights recent activities and publications of the Marine Board. To receive a printed copy of the report contact Brie Schwartz .

June 2006: Conference Proceedings The Eighth Annual Harbor Safety Committee Conference Proceedings are now online.

View and listen to select presentations given at TRB’s 85th Annual Meeting as part of TRB’s e-Session series.  The TRB e-Session series is designed to bring information presented at TRB conferences and meetings to those who were not able to attend.  Sessions available in this year’s Annual Meeting e-Session series--sorted by subject areas--include the following. Just Added * Session 225: Brave New World for Transportation Infrastructure Investment? Dealing with Fuel Taxes, Ch...

The Division on Earth and Life Studies (DELS’) Polar Research Board and TRB’s Marine Board Committee on the Assessment of U.S. Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Roles and Future Needs has released an interim report that highlights the most urgent and time-dependent issues associated with its continuing assessment of the current and future roles of U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers in supporting U.S. operations in the Antarctic and the Arctic.  The interim report examines present and expected future use...

TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1909 examines short-run grain movements of the inland waterway system, long-term forecasting of world grain trade by gulf exports, measuring the nontraditional benefits and costs of inland navigation, European transport policy and the Danube River, rural water transport and development, geographical characterization of ship traffic and emissions, and oil spills in maritime transit. Individual TRR Journals, which are ...

View and listen to presentations given at TRB’s 2005 Joint Summer Conference held July 10-12, 2005, in Boston, Massachusetts.  This year’s conference combined the annual TRB Summer Ports, Waterways, Freight, and International Trade Conference with the Joint Summer Meeting of the TRB Planning, Data, Finance, Administration, Freight, and Management Committees.

TRB’s Marine Board held its 2005 Spring Meeting on April 12-14, 2005, in Memphis, Tennessee.  The meeting focused on issues relating to inland waterways but also included presentations on the U.S. Navy's sea basing initiative, and safety and security implications of liquefied natural gas transport.  Selected presentations from the meeting are available online.

The Marine Board's 2004 Annual Report describes the organization, membership, and program scope of TRB’s Marine Board, which provides a forum for the exchange of information relating to maritime transportation and related economic, environmental, and technology issues in a broader context. The report also highlights recent activities and publications of the Marine Board.  To receive a printed copy of the report contact Mary Kissi .

TRB’s Marine Board hosted the 7th Marine Transportation System (MTS) Research & Technology Coordination Conference in Washington, D.C., on November 15-17, 2004. The theme of the conference was "Securing the Future Vitality of the MTS through Cooperative Research."  Conference sessions focused on the federal role in the MTS, security, economics, port operations and intermodalism, capacity, environmental issues, safe and efficient navigation, maritime domain awareness, advanced te...

TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1871 examines the economic foundations of the Ohio River Navigation Investment Model, the development of container barge services on small waterways, the role of technology in achieving environmental policy for maritime transportation systems, and inland sulfate deposition from marine emissions in North America. Individual TRR Journals, which are published on an irregular basis throughout the year, consist of collec...

TRB’s Marine Board co-hosted the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Workshop on The Economics of Domestic Short Sea Shipping on September 27, 2004, in Washington, D.C.  Links to selected presentations from that workshop are now available.

TRB Conference Proceedings 30: Marine Salvage Capabilities: Responding to Terrorist Attacks in U.S. Ports—Actions to Improve Readiness is the report of the TRB Marine Board Workshop on Marine Salvage Response Capability held on August 5-6, 2003, in Washington, DC.  The workshop addressed economic, legal, forensic, environmental, and human casualty issues related to salvage. The report contains a summary of workshop discussions and committee recommendations highlighting important topics and is...

TRB Special Report 279 - The Marine Transportation System and the Federal Role: Measuring Performance, Targeting Improvement calls upon the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to take the lead in assessing the performance of and improving the nation's entire marine transportation system. In particular, the report recommends that the DOT should begin immediately to develop reports on the condition, performance, and use of the marine transportation system and seek a mandate from Congress to produce su...

To improve its study on the feasibility of improving or expanding barge transportation on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should revamp the models it is using to estimate future waterway traffic demands, says a new report from the National Academies' Water Science and Technology Board and Transportation Research Board. This is the first of three reports expected to be produced by the National Academies on this issue.

TRB's Marine Board held its 2003 Fall Meeting in New York City on October 30-31, 2003. Included on the agenda were focus sessions on the topics of (a) Air Emissions from Ships and (b) Potential Impact of Planned and Forecast Liquefied Natural Gas Activities in the Gulf of Mexico on Continued Outer Continental Shelf Oil & Gas Development. Presentations by invited speakers and agency liaisons are available.

The Marine Board's 2002-2003 Annual Report describes the organization, membership, and program scope of TRB’s Marine Board, which provides a forum for the exchange of information relating to maritime transportation and related economic, environmental, and technology issues in a broader context. The report also highlights recent activities and publications of the Marine Board.

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 497: Financing and Improving Land Access to U.S. Intermodal Cargo Hubs offers guidance on strategies for financing improvements to cargo hub and intermodal freight facilities. These strategies focus on existing and emerging funding sources and on developing partnerships between government agencies, cargo hub operators and users, and local communities.

TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis Report 320: Integrating Freight Facilities and Operations with Community Goals identifies practices that have been or are being used by private-sector freight companies and public transportation agencies in citing their facilities, modifying their operations, and managing their community relations. “Good neighbor initiatives” and balancing practices employed by metropolitan planning and economic development organizations, local governm...

A summary of the October 25, 2002, National Symposium on Transportation, International Trade, and Economic Competitiveness is now available on-line. The symposium was funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program and organized by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officers and the National Center for Metropolitan Transportation Research.

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board 1820 examines diverse developments in water transportation and international trade in California, Florida, South America, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Issues examined include evaluation of the design and operational costs of intermodal rail systems; ways to improve cost-quality features of barge transport; analysis of transportation system access to port areas; the feasibility of linking routes and services b...

Links are now available to selected presentations made during TRB's Marine Board 2003 Spring Meeting, May 20-21, 2003, covering such issues as short sea shipping, homeland security, and planning for an integrated ocean observing system.

TRB Special Report 273 - Shipboard Automatic Identification System Displays: Meeting the Needs of Mariners assesses the state of the art in Automatic Identification System (AIS) display technologies, evaluates current system designs and their capabilities, and reviews the relevant human factors aspects associated with operating these systems. View report summary as published in TR News 232 May-June 2004

The usefulness of Commodity Flow Survey data is being undermined by reductions in the sample size, which shrank from 200,000 firms in 1993 to 50,000 firms in 2002, according to a letter report released by a National Academies committee, covered by TRB and the Committee on National Statistics, reviewing the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' survey programs.

According to Oil in the Sea III: Inputs, Fates, and Effects, a report by the National Academies' Ocean Studies Board and TRB's Marine Board, nearly 85 percent of the 29 million gallons of petroleum that enter North American ocean waters each year as a result of human activities comes from land-based runoff, polluted rivers, airplanes, and small boats and jet skis, while less than 8 percent comes from tanker or pipeline spills.

Marine Transportation and Port Operations (No. 1782), the second volume of the 2002 series of Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. Abstracts of papers that make up this TRR are available through TRB's Publication Index. In the Series field type "Record & 1782" (without the quotes). After reviewing the abstracts you will need to use your browser's "back" button to return to this screen in order to purchase the publication.

"Just About Everything You Need To Know About Transportation You Can Learn on the Erie Canal," "Measuring the Service Levels of Inland Waterways: Alternative Approaches for Budget Decision Making," "River Efficiency, Fuel Taxes, and Modal Shifts: Tennessee Valley Authority Model Assists Policy Makers," and "Safety Statistics That Make a Difference: U.S. Coast Guard, American Waterways Operators Partner for Results" are among the articles in the July-August 2002 is...

Selected presentations from TRB's 27th Annual Summer Ports, Waterways, Freight, and International Trade Conference are available.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should use independent scientific reviewers for its most costly, complex, and controversial planning studies, says a new report from the National Academies' Water Science and Technology Board.

Of the 29 million gallons of petroleum spilled in North American ocean waters each year as a result of human activities, nearly 85 percent comes from land-based runoff, polluted rivers, airplanes, and small boats and jet skis, and less than 8 percent comes from tanker or pipeline spills, according to a report produced by the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council's Division on Earth and Life Studies and TRB's Marine Board.

TRB Special Report 266: Naval Engineering: Alternative Approaches for Organizing Cooperative Research evaluates alternative approaches for organizing and managing cooperative research programs in naval engineering. At the request of the Office of Naval Research (ONR), TRB/the Marine Board convened a committee to investigate and evaluate alternative approaches for structuring cooperative research programs in naval engineering. ONR is concerned about having both research products in “total ship design” and...

TRB Special Report 262: A Process for Setting, Managing, and Monitoring Environmental Windows for Dredging Projects concludes that scientific information about risks to resources and technical options for reducing those risks was not being systematically incorporated into the dredging process. The process itself is complex and time-consuming because of the numerous federal and state agencies and interest groups involved. The committee recommended use of a broad-based decisionmaking process designed to e...

TRB Special Report 259 - Environmental Performance of Tanker Designs in Collision and Grounding: Method for Comparison describes a modeling process for evaluating alternative designs. The process encompasses consideration of the structural deformations from collisions and grounding and the environmental consequences of spills of different sizes, and uses a riskbased approach for comparing designs. Since passage of the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 and subsequent decisions of the International Maritime...

The 2000-2001 Annual Report describes the organization, membership, and program scope of TRB’s Marine Board, which provides a forum for the exchange of information relating to maritime transportation and related economic, environmental, and technology issues in a broader context. The report also highlights recent activities and publications of the Marine Board.

This book is part of an evolving body of work conducted by the National Research Council to help inform debate and decision-making regarding the ecological consequences of releases associated with the widespread use of fossil fuels. It attempts to understand the chemical, physical, and biological behavior of a complex mix of compounds that make up various petroleum hydrocarbon-based fuels. Among the alternatives being considered as fuel for power generators are a group of multi-component fuels referred t...

With support from the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Marine Board hosted a symposium in March 1999 on the application of risk management in the marine transportation system. The symposium brought together risk assessment experts, port representatives, and marine transportation managers to examine ways to integrate risk assessment methodologies into the practical world of waterways management given current data limitations. The proceedings includes an overview,...

The goal of the symposium was to promote discussion of the issues raised and recommendations presented in the National Research Council (NRC) report "Contaminated Marine Sediments in Ports and Waterways: Cleanup Strategies and Technologies," released in March 1997. Appendix D of the proceedings provides an Executive Summary of this NRC report. Although there are no simple solutions to the problems created by contaminated marine sediments, the problems can be managed effectively using a systematic, risk-b...

In the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996, the U.S. Coast Guard was directed by Congress to assess the risk of spills for oils that may sink or be negatively buoyant, to evaluate existing cleanup technologies, and to identify and appraise technological and financial barriers that could impede a prompt response to such spills. At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Marine Board Committee on Marine Transportation of Heavy Oils was established to conduct the study. Based on the findings and conclus...

The safety of maritime transportation in the United States depends heavily on the quality of port and waterways information system. In this report, the Committee on Maritime Advanced Information System concentrates on maritime information systems that promote safety and outlines a strategy for overcoming the major barriers and deficiencies in providing a minimum level of maritime safety information nationwide. The report accomplished three major tasks: first, it identifies ways in which advanced maritime...

The aim of the study was to examine present and anticipated national needs in coastal engineering research and education and assess the adequacy and effectiveness of existing institutions in meeting those needs. The following specific tasks were undertaken: determination of the role of coastal engineering research and education; assessment of the capabilities of coastal engineering research and facilities; evaluation of programs and facilities for educating coastal engineers; and, assessment of the adeq...

This report is divided into seven chapters and a series of appendices. Chapter 1 provides an overview of oil demand and supply factors that determine the need for maritime oil transportation and describes the hull design characteristics of the world tanker fleet. Chapters 2 and 3, respectively, address the safety and protection of the marine environment and the operational makeup of the marine oil transportation industry. The economic impact of OPA 90, Section 4115 on the world tanker fleet and on the do...

Lightering safety became a topic of national interest in recent years because of public concerns about oil spills in general. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996 required that the U.S. Coast Guard coordinate with the Marine Board to study the risks of oil spills from lightering off the U.S. coasts. The Marine Board committee evaluated current lightering practices and trends, analyzed the safety record, assessed the regulatory and standards-setting framework, analyzed accident and risk reduction mea...

Following discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Navy, the National Research Council convened a committee under the auspices of the Marine Board to assess the nation's capability for remediating contaminated marine sediments and to chart a course for the development of management strategies. The committee determined that the effectiveness of contaminated sediment management practices and rem...

The National Research Council's Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, under the auspices of the Marine Board, assembled a committee of 15 members to design and recommend ways to improve the management and governance of the nation's marine areas and resources. The Committee on Marine Area Governance and Management conducted a study, including three in-depth case studies, and presented their findings in this report. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the importance of marine areas and resources t...

The U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Office of Naval Research asked the National Research Council (NRC), through the NRC's Marine Board, to assess: the current state of research and technology application in the U.S. shipbuilding industry; current and proposed programs that invest in ship design and production-related research; and the current state of U.S. education in naval architecture and marine engineering. This report presents the results of the Marine Board stud...

The Marine Board's Committee on Ship Bridge Simulation Training assessed the state of practice and potential role of ship-bridge simulation for mariner education and training, licensing, skills development and maintenance, and professional competency determination. The Committee also considered issues related to the role of simulation training in remission of required sea time and requirements for development and validation of ship-bridge simulators and simulations. The Committee concluded that simulatio...

Many coastal communities have built structures at their beaches and added quantities of sand in contoured designs to combat erosion. Are such beach nourishment projects technically and economically sound? Or are they nothing more than building sand castles, as critics claim? Beach Nourishment and Protection provides a sound technical basis for decisionmaking, with recommendations regarding the utility of beach nourishment, the appropriate role of federal agencies, responsibility for cost, design methodo...

The National Research Council (NRC) Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems assembled a committee under the auspices of the Marine Board to conduct a comprehensive assessment of U.S. implementation of Annex V (Garbage) of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (1973) and its 1978 Protocol, known jointly as MARPOL 73/78. The task of the Committee on Shipborne Wastes was to focus on the preparations the federal government must make after accepting an international ...

Tremendous changes have occurred this century in the nation's coastal habitats, in the way society views them, and in the way they are managed. This volume offers a complete, highly readable assessment of how scientific knowledge and coastal engineering capabilities can be more effectively used to protect and restore marine habitat. It addresses traditional and innovative uses of technology to protect remaining natural marine habitats, to enhance or restore those that have been altered, and to create ma...

The National Research Council convened the Committee on Advances in Navigation and Piloting under the auspices of the Marine Board of the Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems for the purpose of (1) conducting a multidisciplinary assessment of the state of practice of ship navigation and piloting in the United States, with emphasis on navigation while entering and leaving ports, (2) identifying advances in public policies, planning guidance, operational procedures, standards, training, and inno...

TRB Special Report 236 - Intermodal Marine Container Transportation: Impediments and Opportunities examines where and how government action might assist in overcoming impediments and fostering efficiency in intermodal marine container transportation, especially through technological or institutional innovation. The report analyzes 10 key issues on which government in the United States affects or can affect the intermodal marine container transportation industry. The issues are: ship procurement restricti...

This study, prompted by the March 1989 grounding of the EXXON VALDEZ in Prince William Sound, Alaska, focused on how alternative tank vessel (tanker and barge) designs might influence the safety of personnel, property, and the environment, and at what cost. Conducted by the Marine Board's Committee on Tank Vessel Design, the assessment included reviews of existing studies and data on accidents and tank vessel design, and new investigations of the theoretical effects of collisions and groundings, the pol...

In the United States, over $133 million is spent annually on marine environmental modeling. Officials, however, still do not have enough accurate data to make decisions about water protection. This book presents a comprehensive overview of marine monitoring and provides practical information and a model for revamping the nation's marine monitoring system. It explores current monitoring programs and evaluates whether they do or do not work; examines the benefits and limitations of monitoring, with case st...

The National Research Council undertook a comprehensive study addressing all aspects related to manning reduction and shipboard safety of U.S.-flag, oceangoing vessels. The study gathered relevant information from shipping companies, maritime labor organizations, national ship safety administrations, and international ship classification societies all over the world. The collected data were then utilized for an analytical discussion of several major topics, including: safety experience with smaller crews...