Office of Naval Research - National Transportation Library

The above list of COB carriers does not include other SSS operators operating feeder servicewith small containerships/LoLo vessels, RoRo vessels and ferries, described in this section.The following is an overview of the SSS services that have been provided in the past or arecurrently in effect.Columbia Coastal TransportColumbia Coastal Transport provides COB service on the Atlantic coast, from Portland,Maine to Miami, as well as several Gulf and Caribbean ports. On the Norfolk to Baltimoreroute, according to MARAD, the service currently moves 1,800 containers per week bybarge. 14 The Columbia Coastal fleet of COB has capacities of 450 to 912 TEUs (5,300 to10,267 tons), including some refrigeration service (Figure 12.) 15Figure 12 – Columbia Coastal Transport Barge TowSource: Columbia Coastal Transport website.Their privately owned and operated tug-and-barge firm began operating the Albany ExpressBarge service in 2003, as part of an initiative to help alleviate port capacity problems at thePort Authority New York/New Jersey (PANY/NJ) and relieve congestion on crowdedroadways in the New York City area. This service moved containerized cargo up and downthe Hudson River between the PANYNJ and the Port of Albany and was part of a proposedPort Inland Distribution Network (PIDN) that would include multiple rail and short seashipping services between the PANY/NJ in the south and the Port of Albany in the north(approx. 150 miles). The service received a public subsidy to allow the service to charge arate 10 percent below the truck rate to compensate for the slower speed of moving containersby barge. The regional planning groups had hoped that within 15 years some 18 percent ofthe containerized cargo could move into and out of the PANY/NY by barge. However, evenwith a discount, the cargo volumes did not meet expectations during the operational period,and the twice-weekly Albany Express service has since been terminated.Detroit-Windsor Truck FerryThe Detroit-Windsor truck ferry has been operating since 1990 as a freight ferry on theDetroit River, carrying hazardous materials, oversized/overweight cargo (e.g., house trailersand industrial equipment), and some time sensitive shipments on a barge. The companyoperates a scheduled service on a reservation basis. During the 20-minute crossing, the14 As reported in the MARAD Marine Highway video, reporting that the carrier moves the equivalent of 3 lanesof traffic 8 miles long, at 1/8 th of the fuel consumption of trucks.15 Columbia Coastal transport website, http://www.columbia-coastal.com/CCTransport_New_Site_1_2004/index10B.html.ONR SSS Final Report 23