FMT | News clippings and press releases

Port officials greeted Indiana's first international ship of 2012, Polsteam's Isadora. The vessel sailed from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands with 10,000 tons of steel coils to the port.

The port is home to 16 steel-related companies.

“Steel products remain a prominent cargo on the Great Lakes and at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor,” said Michel Tosini, executive vice president of Federal Marine Terminals, the stevedore handling the cargo. “After a major decline in the market in 2008 and 2009, we've seen a modest increase in the market the past couple of years. We're hopeful it will continue in 2012 and beyond.”

St. Lawrence Seaway management expects 2012 Seaway cargo shipments to increase 3 percent over last year's figures.

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By John Robbins Post-Tribune correspondent 

The first ocean going ship of the year, MV Isadora, docked at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on Friday night with a load of steel coils. To commemorate the start of the 2012 shipping season, Port Director Peter Laman presented ship Capt. Zdzislaw Iwanowski with a steel stein.

According to a statement issued by the port, the steel stein symbolizes the steel industry of Northwest Indiana. Sixteen steel-related companies are located at the port.

“The first ship signifies the start of the international shipping season,” said Laman. “We are looking forward to a solid shipping season in 2012.” The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. projects a 3 percent increase in shipments for 2012.

The port is open year-round to river barges and Great Lakes shipments but winter ice generally closes the St. Lawrence Seaway and upper Great Lakes to international shipments. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened for international shipping this year on March 22.

The Isadora traveled from the port of Ijmuiden, Netherlands, and called at Cleveland prior to arriving in Northwest Indiana. Because of the Easter holiday, unloading of the approximately 10,000 tons of steel coils began on Monday and continued on Tuesday, said Federal Marine Terminals general manager Victor Klancer, the stevedoring company conducting the unloading operations.

After unloading its steel cargo, the Isadora will travel to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior and take on a load of 22,000 tons of wheat destined for Italy, according to Iwanowski. And after that, it’s anybody’s guess; “We travel the whole world,” said Iwanowski.

The 35,600-ton MV Isadora is owned and operated by PZM (Polska Zegluga Morska) Polish Steamship Co. of Szczecin, Poland, and flagged in the Republic of Cyprus.

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On November 1, 2011, Moore McCleary Limited and Federal Marine Terminals (FMT) signed an extension of their operating agreement until March 31, 2015.

FMT will continue to operate the terminal and dock operations for Moore-McLeary Limited's facility of Thorold, Ontario, which is located between locks 7 and 8 in the Welland Canal.

The Thorold operation is an integral part of our overall strategic presence in the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes system and we are therefore very pleased with this extended agreement.

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–By Kevin Miller, BDN Staff

Federal agriculture officials have agreed to continue livestock inspections at the Eastport shipping terminal, thereby allowing the port to continue a new and growing export business that has handled roughly 20,000 head of cattle since last summer.

What began with an initial shipment of 500 pregnant cows from Maine to Turkey last July has grown into a substantial business for Eastport, which is the only port in New England authorized to export livestock. Since January, an estimated 17,000 cattle have passed through the Washington County community better known for its commercial fisheries.

But the international cattle shipments first must pass inspection from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And until this week, port officials and Maine’s congressional delegation were unsure whether the USDA would renew the inspection contracts before they expired on Nov. 15.

“I am very pleased that they have decided to renew the inspection contracts,” U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud said in a statement. “These exports have been critical to the economic viability of this port, which is so integral to the economy of this region.”

For years, the shipping terminal in Eastport has handled largely pulp and pulp-related products from the Woodland mill. But livestock exports have emerged as a growth area thanks to Eastport’s location as the closest U.S. port to Europe and Maine’s clean bill of health with regard to certain livestock diseases.

Cows from Maine, other New England states and as far away as Wisconsin have been transported to Eastport, where they were loaded onto ventilated, climate-controlled livestock containers for the trip overseas.

The port’s dominant livestock customer has been a Texas company called Sexing Technologies that uses technology to sort bull semen for farmers that specifically want either male or female calves. Heifers impregnated with semen from Sexing Technologies’ system are then loaded onto the livestock containers, often headed for Turkey.

Chris Gardner, executive director of the Eastport Port Authority, said the livestock exports have had a “huge impact” on the port, accounting for the majority of the new business at the facility in what could be a banner year.

The additional ships have allowed the port to offer employees more hours as well as hire extra staff, all of this in an area of Down East Maine with higher rates of unemployment.

But Gardner, who is also a Washington County commissioner, said the livestock export business doesn’t only benefit the shipping industry. It is also opening new international markets for farmers.

“And it doesn’t cost the taxpayer any money,” Gardner said. “These [USDA inspection] positions are paid fully by the shipper.”

Eastport had originally hoped to obtain a long-term certification from the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service as a livestock exportation facility. But Ed Gilman, spokesman for Michaud, said it actually made more sense to maintain the port’s status with a temporary certification.

“The livestock shipments are not full-time, around-the-clock operations, so what APHIS did was establish this temporary designation that allows them to be there on an as-needed basis,” Gilman said.

Gardner credited all four members of Maine’s congressional delegation — Michaud, Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and Rep. Chellie Pingree — with helping the port to obtain a new certification.

Al Day, general manager with Federal Marine Terminals, which operates the Eastport port, said Thursday that additional livestock shipments are scheduled for next week and the week after.

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MONTREAL, QC, Canada- Following a successful bidding process, Federal Marine Terminals, Inc. (FMT) and Gearbulk, Inc. have entered into an agreement under which FMT will provide stevedoring and terminal services in Lake Charles, LA.

As part of the Fednav Group, FMT has, for over four decades, operated stevedoring facilities in various ports in the US East Coast and Gulf Coast and in the Great Lakes, and is recognized as an industry leader in marine terminal operations, handling general and project cargoes.

This new expansion initiative is in line with FMT's strategic growth plan and will contribute to solidify its presence in the Gulf area to better serve its existing and future customers.

“Our presence in Lake Charles will enable the expansion of our services to fill the cargo handling needs in the Gulf region, thereby supporting our already established and long-standing terminal operations in Tampa and Port Manatee,” says Michel Tosini, FMT Executive Vice-President.

Federal Marine Terminals, Inc. is pleased to announce the opening of its FMT terminal in Lake Charles, LA on October 6, 2011.

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Contact:
Michel Tosini
Telephone: 514.878.6415
Fax : 514.878.9168

Contact:
Tony Develli
Telephone: 704.714.4644
Fax : 704.357.9111

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Ports of Indiana issued this news release today:

PORTAGE, Ind. (Sept. 8, 2011) – Indiana-made steel is headed from the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor to the Republic of Macedonia. The shipment – made up of 18,000 metric tons of hot-rolled steel coils – was produced at ArcelorMittal's Burns Harbor facility. The steel will ship to Thessaloniki, Greece, where it will be unloaded and transported to ArcelorMittal Skopje, a steel finishing facility in Macedonia's capital city.

"We are pleased to be exporting nearly 18,000 metric tons of steel – our most significant export from the U.S. in three years – from the Port of Indiana," said Ramana Venkat, managing director of ArcelorMittal International. "Opportunities to export steel from ArcelorMittal USA facilities can be very attractive when market conditions allow. Export projects always bring excitement to the teams involved and demonstrate the global competitiveness of our Northwest Indiana steel facilities."

Federal Marine Terminals, the port's general cargo stevedore, started loading the steel onto the Pacific Huron Thursday and expects the process to take two to three days. The vessel, built especially for carrying cargo between Europe and the Great Lakes, is making its fourth voyage into the Great Lakes. The trip is expected to take 23 days, with stops for fuel in Montreal and Gibraltar, arriving in Thessaloniki on Oct. 1.

"Northwest Indiana is the richest steel-producing region in the world and being able to access world markets through our port is vital for ArcelorMittal and many other companies," said Peter Laman, port director of the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. "Whether it's bringing in raw materials or shipping out finished products, steel companies can reduce their logistic costs substantially by shipping through our port. We have an experienced and aggressive terminal operator in Federal Marine Terminals, an extremely efficient workforce, and many port companies that provide steel-related services, which is why this facility handles more steel than any other Great Lakes port."

This is the first substantial steel export from the port since 2008. Year-to-date steel shipments through the port are up 40 percent over last year, with 2011 on target for having the highest steel shipments since 2007. Through August, the port has handled 25 percent more cargo than 2010, including a variety of project cargoes such as wind equipment and heavy machinery.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor recently posted the largest increase in international cargo of all the Great Lakes ports during the 2010 navigation season, earning it the prestigious Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

The Ports of Indiana is a statewide port authority that operates a system of three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan in Mount Vernon, Burns Harbor and Jeffersonville. The Ports of Indiana manages approximately 2,600 acres, which are home to 60 companies and 800 acres of available industrial sites. For more information, please visit www.portsofindiana.com.

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A manufacturer in Wisconsin sent the first of three large pieces to Federal Marine Terminals at the Port of Milwaukee this spring. The pieces were so large (17’ high and 46’ long) that Bennett Trucking needed to bring a 74-wheel, city block-long rig to Wisconsin to make the "high-wide" move to the Port. The three pieces were loaded to a Ceres Consulting barge headed for Houston, TX where it was loaded on to a ship bound for Namibia in Southern Africa.  The Port of Milwaukee is the northern most point the river barges can transit on Lake Michigan. The project will help convert waste to useable products.

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The MV Federal Yukina may look like any other ship as she slices through the water of the Great Lakes or the Pacific Ocean. She just burns a lot less fuel in the effort.

As much as 15 per cent less.

That, combined with the much smaller cloud of carbon dioxide coming out of her stacks, means the ship’s contribution to a cleaner environment is the equivalent of planting 5,000 new trees.

The vessel, barely seven months old, made her first call to a Great Lakes port in Hamilton Thursday, bringing a load of industrial slag. When she leaves, her holds will be filled with steel-making coke bound for Mobile, Alabama.

Owned and operated by Montreal-based Fednav Limited, Federal Yukina is being touted as the next generation of ocean-going ship to ply the Great Lakes — a vessel tricked out with the latest technology and ideas for reducing the environmental wake of shipping.

“The thing about this new generation of ships is the fact they’re built to be more fuel efficient,” explained Paul Pathy, president and co-CEO of Fednav. “She’s brand spanking new, built from scratch in Japan seven months ago.”

The Fednav Group includes Federal Marine Terminals, the largest terminal operator in the Port of Hamilton. Privately owned Fednav Group is the largest ocean-going user of the St. Lawrence Seaway, with an average of 100 trips each year. That means Federal Yukina could be a frequent visitor to the port.

In the cutthroat world of modern shipping, Pathy said companies that can reduce their costs through technology and other methods will be the ones with the advantage — an advantage he wants to keep for Fednav.

One of the Federal Yukina’s advantages is her hull design.

“Essentially she glides through the water better so you burn less fuel and less gas comes out of the stack,” Pathy said, adding the ship’s engine is also the latest design, emitting far less acid rain-causing nitrogen oxide. But the industry is reaching the limits of the efficiency gains that can be made from current technology.

“The basic engine of a ship has gone as far as it can. You can do some minor tweaking, but until we move to alternative fuels … we’re getting to the limits of what an internal combustion engine can do,” he said. “There’s really two ways to do it, limit the amount of fuel you burn or the type of fuel. We’re not there on the type of fuel, so we’re just doing our best to burn as little fuel as possible.”

Federal Yukina is the first of three new ships commissioned by Fednav, part of a $100-million investment to equipment the company with the most efficient vessels possible.

Like other bulk carriers, Federal Yukina will handle dry goods such as wheat, corn, grain, sugar and steel. In the Great Lakes, where the draught of ships is limited, she’ll carry 25,000 tons. For ocean voyages she’ll be able to carry up to 35,000 tons.

The ship flies the flag of Hong Kong while its crew of 22 are all from India. That’s a common twist in the marine business — by registering the ship in another country the owners don’t have to pay Canadian wages and benefits. The relatively small crew is another advantage brought to the company through technology.

“That would generally be the full complement for a ship like this. That’s the modern computerized ship. Everyone has a job to do and we get things done with the right amount of people,” he said.

Trips like Thursday’s port of call, loaded with one product and leaving with another, are a good example of what the ship will do over its average 25 year life span, says Pathy.

“We’ll bring a wide variety of industrial cargos from all over the world into the Great Lakes and Seaway,” he said. “She will carry out grains and wheat products mostly to every corner of the world.”

Hamilton Port Authority president Bruce Wood said the ship’s arrival in Hamilton is an important event for a facility that is becoming a real driver of the local economy.

“It’s very important for us to have new assets coming in that are more efficient, cost less and burn less fuel. That just helps the economic model for sure,” he said. “This is a very important event, no question about that.”

Drawing efficient ships like the Federal Yukina to handle grain from Hamilton, he added, is all part of a strategy to make Hamilton Canada’s top grain port.

“We are going to be the largest grain port on the Great Lakes, period, end of story,” he said. “It’s a good news story. We are happening like we haven’t been happening in the last 25 years.”

View the article and online video report at thespec.com

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MONTREAL, Qc. - Federal Marine Terminals (FMT), industry leader servicing breakbulk, bulk, specialized, and general cargo needs, launches today its new website. Informative and easy to navigate, this website was designed to enhance the viewer experience.

“We are excited to launch this new website with its distinctive branding and are very pleased with the latest improvements to our website. This new site allows customers to get at what they need most, as quickly as possible. Our new website is a good reflection of the quality of service we offer at FMT,” says Michel Tosini, FMT Executive Vice-President.

Since it first started handling cargo in 1960, FMT has been a solid presence in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River and along the East and Gulf coasts. Federal Marine Terminals is now recognized as an industry leader servicing breakbulk, bulk, specialized, and general cargo needs.

Visitors are encouraged to take a look at the site and explore. There is a page for each terminal operated by FMT along with its specifications. Toggling between the various terminals is a new feature, as is the interactive, contextual map on the main page. The site was designed to be viewed on various platforms and browsers, including mobile viewing capability.

With many new features and an attractive interface, we hope that customers and visitors enjoy our new site at http://www.fmtcargo.com/.

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Media Contacts:
Michel Tosini
Executive Vice-President, Federal Marine Terminals, Inc.
Telephone: 514.878.6415
Fax : 514.878.9168

Tony Develli,
Vice President Commercial Development, Federal Marine Terminals, Inc.
Telephone: 704.714.4644
Fax : 704.357.9111

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PORTAGE, Ind. - The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor celebrated the opening of its 41st international shipping season with the arrival of the "M/V Avonborg." Port and local officials boarded the vessel for a brief ceremony, presenting the ship's captain, Capt. Gert J.K. Mol, with gifts including an Indiana state flag and a vintage Port of Indiana South Shore poster. The first ship signifies the start of the shipping season, the arrival of vital materials for local business and the start of another work season for longshoremen, crane operators, truckers and businesses that depend on the port.

The Avonborg was the first ship through the St. Lambert lock in Québec, Canada, as the St. Lawrence Seaway opened its 53rd shipping season on March 22. The vessel carries 75 of the longest wind turbine blades in existence in North America on their journey from Esbjerg, Denmark to Payne, Ohio, where the turbines will be installed in Horizon Wind Energy's Timber Road project. Two more ships will move through the port in coming weeks carrying additional wind turbine components for the project. The blades were manufactured by Vestas in Denmark, transported to the U.S. by Wagenborg Shipping of the Netherlands and off-loaded by Federal Marine Terminals, the general cargo stevedore for the Port of Indiana.

"Federal Marine Terminals handled 15 shipments of wind cargo at the port last year and has made significant investments into specialized cargo-handling equipment," said Peter Laman, port director for the Port of Indiana. "Their experience, combined with our productive workforce, makes this port a premier Midwest distribution point for wind components and oversized cargo."

The Avonborg was built in 2009 at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, China, and weighs 12,000 tons. Flagged for the Netherlands, the Avonborg is manned by a crew from both the Netherlands and Philippines. Benchmark Marine Services served as the shipping agent.

Waterborne shipping generates more than 104,000 jobs and $14.2 billion in economic activity per year for the Indiana lakeshore economy. The Ports of Indiana is a statewide port authority that operates a system of three ports on the Ohio River and Lake Michigan in Mount Vernon, Burns Harbor and Jeffersonville. The Ports of Indiana manages approximately 2,600 acres, which are home to 60 companies and 800 acres of available industrial sites. For more information, please visit www.portsofindiana.com.

# # #

Media Contacts:
Jody Peacock – jpeacock@portsofindiana.com
(317) 435-1532

Liz Folkerts – lfolkerts@portsofindiana.com
(317) 232-9205

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Canadian brewer Molson Coors has taken delivery of six massive German-made brewing tanks at its site near Toronto airport, delivered after a 108 km overland movement from the port of Hamilton undertaking by Cambridge, Ontario-based Challenger Motor Freight.

Each 45 m, 43.5 tonne tank can hold the equivilant of around a million bottles of beer, with all six able to hold the equivilant of 5.86 million bottles of beer.

Unable to use the port of Toronto, the tanks were landed at Hamilton. This created a headache for traffic managers faced with organising the temporary removal of 250 traffic lights, manoeuvring around 1,614 service wires, and slowing down night time traffic for four nights for the 40-vehicle, 1 km-long convoy. The convoy included some 20 police vehicles.

The movement of the six tanks cost the brewer some USD24 million.

The tanks were manufactured in Bavaria, Germany from where they despatched in November 2010 by barge along the Main and Rhine rivers to Antwerp prior to being loaded on the 17,451 dwt Federal Pioneer heavy lift ship chartered by Canadian-based shipper Fednav International. The ship arrived safely, and on schedule, at the Federal Marine Terminal in Hamilton almost three weeks later.

The planned road route required some 70 expert surveys prior to transport. The convoy travelled at night, to avoid disrupting some of Canada’s busiest roads, using six flatbed trailers. It had to move at such a slow pace that one convoy organiser said a person walking the journey would beat the convoy.

In early January, the four-day journey was completed, though foul winter weather and complications with overhead cables delayed the eventual arrival at the brewery.

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Cleveland - The Port of Cleveland exports a two million pound machine on Sunday. The machine is designed to cut 3 inch thick by 86 inch wide steel, and was made by the Butech Bliss Company in Salem. Company vice president Anthony Nackino credits low shipping costs from the port of Cleveland for helping beat bids posted by overseas competitors. 

“We’re very proud and excited about winning this job in a very high stakes bidding contest for one of the biggest machines of this type ever built,” says Nackino. “We were able to put together a competitive cost structure, which included all-water transportation from the Port of Cleveland that helped us to beat the European companies.”

It took over a year to construct the huge mill shear, using $9 million worth of materials from Ohio, and other parts of the U.S. The 2 million pound monstrosity is being shipped from the Port of Cleveland to the ArcelorMittal plant in Bremen, Germany. 

Will Friedman, CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority says “this shipment really drives home that industrial goods manufactured in Ohio are competitive globally and that the Port of Cleveland helps these firms drive down transport cost. We are very focused helping exporters reach global markets.”

The work is being coordinated by Federal Marine Terminals and will be handled by the International Longshoreman’s Association.

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An international investment holding company that trades almost exclusively in hardwood pulp has bought the Domtar hardwood market pulp mill in Baileyville. The approximately 300 people who work at the mill have both a new corporate owner, International Grand Investment Corporation (IGIC), and a new mill name, Woodland Pulp LLC. Employment at the mill is expected to remain constant.

On October 1 Domtar Corporation announced that it had sold the mill, hydro-electric assets and related assets located in Baileyville and New Brunswick to IGIC. No timber lands were included in the sale. Domtar Vice President of Communications and Investor Relations Pascal Bossé says, "The buyer is committed to secure a supply of hardwood pulp. We were looking for a transaction that worked for everyone." Bossé explains that Domtar's strategy in the future is to focus more on softwood pulp and paper. "This is a good transaction for stakeholders, but it's also in the best interest of the men and women" who work at the mill.

IGIC Director Bert Martin says, "We bought the mill because it's a good mill. We'll operate it as it is with the same salary and benefits for employees." The long-term goal is to make it cost competitive, but Martin says that there are no plans at this time to invest in mill infrastructure or expand the operations. In a prepared statement, Domtar noted that IGIC is committed to maintaining and enhancing the Woodland mill's PEFC and FSC(R) certifications, to ensure sustainable and responsible fiber sourcing.

The mood at the Woodland plant is upbeat, says Scott Beal, spokesperson for the mill. "Folks that I've talked to are very encouraged. They recognize that this is a good decision on the part of Domtar. Now we're aligned with a business entity whose strategic purpose is pulp." Beal notes that the mill's general manager, Rick Polinski, will stay on during the transition and then return to his home state of Pennsylvania. The new general manager will be IGIC Director Bert Martin.

IGIC incorporated in Delaware in 2009 as a U.S. based holding company that represents international, individual investors in pulp trade and imports. According to Martin, IGIC is owned by a Chinese engineering and trading company whose principal, Mr. Chiu, trades in pulp. Martin says that Chiu trades over 700,000 tons per year and bought the Woodland mill because of the pulp production. "All the pulp will be shipped to China."

Federal Marine Terminals Manager Skip Rogers says the shipments through the Port of Eastport should remain close to the same. The smaller freight carriers that have been taking pulp to Europe will most likely be replaced with larger carriers going to China. He explains that if the volume to China "goes up, then I would hope that we would be released of the warehouse load more than once a month." These details, he says, get worked out between the carrier and the shipper, "but one ship every four weeks would be problematic." The larger ships are generally more efficient, he notes, so stevedore hours are not likely to increase, just scheduling may change.      "There are so many variables," he adds.

Three new large mills have been built in China, says Zeynep Turk, senior trade specialist and director of development at the Maine International Trade Center, "hence the increase in pulp demand especially for hardwood pulp, which they don't have and North America has. They are trying to develop a continuous supply chain." She notes that, for the months of 2010 through July, over 60% of Maine exports of pulp were to China at $121.7 million out of $199.6 million total pulp exports.

This is IGIC's second pulp mill acquisition in the United States. In February 2010 IGIC purchased Cascade Pacific Pulp, a mill located in Halsey, Ore. At the time of the sale the Halsey mill employed close to 170 people and annually produced approximately 180,000 tons of bleached and unbleached specialty kraft pulp. Martin says that the mill operation in Oregon is going well.

Domtar has been one of the top 10 producers of market grade pulp in the global market. Hardwood pulp production, which was not a primary company activity, was at 780,000 tons, or 2.8% of the global market. Numbers provided by Bossé show that the North American hardwood pulp market has a 2010 capacity of 2.975 million tons of hardwood pulp out of a worldwide capacity of 28.5 million tons. The Woodland mill has an annual production capacity of 400,000 tons. China's total capacity in 2010 for market pulp, hardwood and softwood, is at 1.065 million tons. Turk says that the Baileyville plant's annual production capacity "is pretty significant to IGIC's 700,000 tons."

The Woodland mill has been a part of the region's economic and cultural fabric since it was built in 1905 by St. Croix Pulp and Paper. In 1964 it was purchased by Georgia Pacific and sold by them in 2001 to Domtar. In 2007 Domtar stopped operating the one paper machine at the facility and continued with hardwood pulp manufacturing. In 2009 the mill shut down for six weeks because of economic conditions in the pulp market. The shutdown caused great concern in the Downeast region for the longterm prospects of mill employees, their families, the secondary industries affected by the shutdown and the Port of Eastport, which at the time had only the mill as its client. The mill reopened in June 2009, and sales of pulp have been robust.

The Woodland mill was Domtar's only non-integrated hardwood market pulp mill. Domtar President and CEO John D. Williams says, "The majority of our market pulp activities is in softwood and fluff pulp grades.... We concluded that this transaction was in the best interest of the company, in terms of strategy, and for the mill as it continues the employment of its dedicated workforce."

Senator Susan Collins said in a prepared statement, "During our conversation, Mr. Williams assured me that this sale would protect the jobs of the mill workers and, in his judgment, bring new market opportunities to the mill because the new owner has a greater knowledge of Asian markets than does Domtar."

Said Senator Olympia Snowe, "I am encouraged that International Grand Investment Corporation includes leadership with experience in our state and it is my sincere hope that this transition will ultimately provide stability for the region and to each and every person at the mill."

In a prepared statement, Governor Baldacci commented on the sale, "I have appreciated Domtar's commitment to the Woodland mill.... I also want to welcome International Grand Investment Corporation, the mill's new owners, to Maine."

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ALBANY, NY- Longshore workers are taking on new tasks at the Port of Albany in an innovative arrangement with Norfolk Southern Railway.

Since midsummer, they've been processing truckloads of cargo destined for intermodal trains. The truck traffic comes off area expressways and the trailers are stored at the port until they're shipped out by rail to the Midwest, said Robert Cross, chairman of the Albany Port District Commission. 

Norfolk Southern in the past stored its truck trailers at the Kenwood railyard operated by CP Rail. But CP needed the space, and Norfolk Southern sought a new arrangement. At the same time, the recession had reduced traffic at the port, cutting the number of hours for longshore workers.

"There's not a lot of work, but we've been picking up at least 100 hours a week of man-hours," said Richard Hendrick, the port General Manager.

The longshore workers take care of the paperwork and check the shipments in and out. The trucks arrive at the port at all hours, seven days a week. Hendrick, who arranged the deal, estimates the port has handled more than 1,000 trucks so far.

"We're doing 250 trucks a week," he said. "They're storing them here on an overnight basis."

The next day, they're taken to the Kenwood yard adjacent to the port and loaded onto trains. Norfolk Southern covers the cost of the labor. The longshore workers are employed by Federal Marine Terminals, Inc., which handles terminal operations at the port. It's not clear what the long-term outlook is for the arrangement. Norfolk Southern is partnering with Pan Am Railways on a new intermodal yard in Saratoga County.

"We may end up losing this" to the new yard, Hendrick said. "But they might find it works at both locations. (The Port of Albany) is a little better situated," he added.

Norfolk Southern officials couldn't be reached for comment.

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The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is handling one of the biggest single cargoes in the port's 40-year history.

A 388-tonne electrical transformer recently arrived on Beluga Recognition from Cordoba, Spain, and was transloaded at the port onto the largest railcar ever to enter the facility.

The transformer was loaded onto a 20-axle railcar for its trip to Ottawa, Ill., for installation at the Exelon Corp's LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station.

The combined weight of the railcar and transformer is over 650 tonnes and the transformer is currently being stored at the port until final delivery to the LaSalle County station in the near future.

The transformer was unloaded from the ship by the port's terminal operator, Federal Marine Terminals, and a 16-man crew from the International Longshoremen's Association. Specialized Rail Transport is handling the rail loading and transportation of the transformer to Illinois.

"We've seen a significant increase in project cargo shipments this year," said Peter Laman, port director at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. "This port has all the components a shipper would want to see for handling large cargoes - a world-class terminal operator, one of the most productive longshoremen labour units on the Great Lakes, sufficient draft for large ships, transload capabilities between rail, ship, truck and barge, and plenty of indoor and outdoor storage. Just take a look around our port today - we've got over 15 acres of wind turbine components, and more are on the way."

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TORONTO - Imbrium(TM) Systems announced today that its innovative Jellyfish(R) filtration system is being used to treat stormwater runoff at three new locations in North America.

This breakthrough stormwater filtration technology, which is known for its unique high surface area filtration tentacles and its small footprint, is now operating at a commercial redevelopment site in Newton, New Jersey; a high school in Westwood, New Jersey; and a stevedoring facility in Thorold, Ontario.

Since introducing Jellyfish into the marketplace, the membrane filtration system has seen a meteoric rise in popularity among environmentalists, civil engineers, environmental engineers and commercial developers who are committed to protecting the environment.

"The Jellyfish filtration system is the industry leader in capturing fine sediment," says Scott Perry, Imbrium System's Group Manager. "The Jellyfish membrane technology, light-weight cartridges, easy maintenance and small footprint means lower overall costs for any project - which is exactly what private developers and municipalities want."

Federal Marine Terminals, a major port cargo facility operator in the Great Lakes region, chose Jellyfish for its unique ability to filter neutrally-buoyant particles, its design flexibility, its low whole life costs, and its ease of installation and maintenance. The company installed Jellyfish as part of a "green initiative" designed to protect nearby waters from potential pollutants.

Jellyfish's state-of-the-art technology, which has been interim certified by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), is helping the Westwood Regional School District in New Jersey meet state stormwater management requirements. The Jellyfish is being used to protect groundwater from harmful contaminants in runoff from a high school parking lot.

Martin Realty Development & Construction Co. installed Jellyfish to treat stormwater at a commercial bank redevelopment site in New Jersey. The developer chose Jellyfish for its small size, its light weight and its superior treatment flow rate of 50 gallons per minute per cartridge. Cost was also an issue. "For us, using the Jellyfish system was more economical," says company president Steve Martin, "and it met NJDEP requirements."

Jellyfish is a remarkably compact system that allows three times the flow capacity with just one-third the footprint and one-fifth the weight of conventional filtration BMPs. Its signature membrane filtration tentacles trap over 80% of the total suspended solids (TSS), effortlessly capturing neutrally-buoyant particles, oils and saturated hydrocarbon-based particles.

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Federal Marine Terminals, Inc., a subsidiary of the Fednav Group that offers customized cargo management services at ports in Canada and the U.S., was incorporated on April 22, 1965.

Thank you to all FMT employees, customers, and partners past and present for contributing to our success for the past 45 years.

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We are pleased to announce the opening of our FMT Mobile (Calvert) operation, based at the Thyssen River Terminal in Calvert, AL.

Federal Marine Terminals (FMT) and ThyssenKrupp Steel USA & ThyssenKrupp Stainless USA (TKS&S) have entered into an agreement, effective January 15, 2010, whereby FMT will provide crane operations and stevedoring services.

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Federal Marine terminals (FMT), operating ten terminals across the Great Lakes and the Eastern Seaboard, has today unveiled its environmental policy on its website (www.fmtcargo.com). FMT is one of the first marine terminal operators to make its detailed environmental policy available to the public.

According to Paul M. Pathy, Chairman, FMT shows in this way its commitment to being a leader in the industry: "We are keenly aware of, and committed to, our responsibility to conduct our business in an ethical and sustainable manner." The objective of the FMT policy is to reduce its footprint at all terminals and to constantly improve environmental performance. The FMT policy goes over and beyond applicable rules and regulations demonstrating that protection of the environment is a constant concern. Additionally, FMT is a founding member of Green Marine, a voluntary environmental program of the marine industry in the United States and Canada.

In its environmental policy, FMT addresses the following issues: greenhouse gas and other air emissions; water and land pollution prevention, including spills, dust, and cargo residues; conflicts of use with neighbouring communities such as noise, dust, and light; and handling of hazardous materials.

FMT management believes that it is crucial for all stakeholders (employees, partners, clients, suppliers, governments, and the general population) to be informed of its environmental policy. "Only with transparency and accountability will we succeed in bettering our marine environment," affirms Paul Pathy.

Federal Marine Terminals is a subsidiary of Fednav Limited and has for over four decades operated stevedoring facilities at ports in the United States and Canada. With seven operations covering ten ports, FMT operates in the U.S. East Coast/Gulf Coast and in the Great Lakes. FMT is recognized as an industry leader in marine terminal operations, serving the needs of its customers in handling breakbulk, bulk, containerized, project, and general cargoes. The wide range of commodities handled includes cement, cocoa, containers, gypsum, machinery, steel, sugar, and wood pulp and forest products.

Fednav is a privately owned shipping company and is the largest international dry-bulk shipping group in Canada. The company employs 250 office staff worldwide—130 in its Montreal headquarters—and maintains commercial offices overseas in London, Hamburg, Antwerp, Brisbane, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo.

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For information:
Michel Tosini - Executive Vice-President
514.878.6415

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SUDBURY, ON – Mysteries of the Great Lakes, a $6-million dollar, Canadian-made, giant-screen film produced by Science North in 2008, has won the top Remi Award at the 42nd Annual WorldFest Houston International Film Festival; one of the oldest and largest film & video competitions in the world.

WorldFest Houston is one of the three original International film festivals in North America, after San Francisco and New York. Past Remi Award winners include Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, Ridley Scott, The Coen Brothers, David Lynch, Brian De Palma and many more.

With over 1,400 entries Mysteries of the Great Lakes won "Best of Show". The awards ceremony was held in Houston, Texas on Saturday April 25th where Brenda Tremblay, Science North's Director of Distribution, was on hand to receive the prestigious award on behalf of Science North and the film's Director, David Lickley, who has been working in New Zealand, on the development of Science North's next giant-screen film, and was unable to attend the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival in person.

"We are absolutely thrilled and honoured that Mysteries of the Great Lakes has been recognized as the top film among so many entries" said Lickley.

"Science North's leadership in the production of giant-screen films has become recognized worldwide," said Executive Producer and CEO Jim Marchbank.

"We are proud to boast that Science North is the only science centre in the world with an in-house giant screen film production unit, led by a very talented Director/Producer, David Lickley. We plan to continue producing educational, award-winning giant-screen films"

Mysteries of the Great Lakes has been seen by close to one million people to date, and will continue to entertain and educate millions more over the years to come.

Mysteries of the Great Lakes was also recently a finalist in the 32nd Annual International Wildlife Film Festival, held in Missoula, Montana, and at the 2009 Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards in Sudbury, Ontario. The film has also been nominated for a CINE Golden Eagle Award. That awards program is held annually in Washington, D.C.

Mysteries of the Great Lakes was produced and directed by David Lickley and executive produced by Jim Marchbank. The film is narrated by award-winning Canadian actor, Gordon Pinsent, and features the music of Canadian icon, Gordon Lightfoot. Mysteries of the Great Lakes is distributed by Science North (makers of the award-winning giant-screen film Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees).

Mysteries of the Great Lakes is presented by Fednav Limited, with major funding from Unilever Canada, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, Parks Canada and Ontario Power Generation.

For more information about Science North's giant-screen film Mysteries of the Great Lakes visit: mysteriesofthegreatlakes.com .

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Signal Mutual Indemnity Association Ltd. has awarded Federal Marine Terminals the Industry Leader Safety Award for 2007-2008 in the medium-size Stevedore category.

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