Listen to the full Maritime Matters: The MarinelinkPodcast featuring Randall Crutchfield, Chairman & CEO, Colonna’s Shipyard, the fifth-generation, family leader of this medium-sized shipbuilder. Founded in 1875 with a $2,000 loan from his brother, 26-year-old ship carpenter Charles J. Colonna, created a company that has not only withstood thetest of time, but today stands ready as a multi-faceted ‘blue collar industrial complex’ to help in the effort to effectively rebuild the U.S. shipbuilding base, and more specifically to help rebuild the U.S. Navy and U.S. government-owned fleet of ships. 

Propane is a fossil fuel, but it is a clean fuel that is more easily adaptable to port and maritime operations as compared to most other non-conventional future fuel. Jim Bunsey, Senior Manager, Business Development, Propane Education Research Council (PERC), discusses with Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, the operational value and environmental benefits of switching to propane. Specifically, takes a deep dive into the West Basin Container Terminal (WBCT) at the Port of Los Angeles and its 20+ years of experience in working with propane as a fuel for its fleet of port vehicles, logging a 50% savings on fuel and a 99% lower emissions by switching to propane across its fleet of 75 propane-powered port tractors.

With a 160+ year history and 18% of the world fleet under the DNV classification banner, DNV is one of the world’s leading classification societies. Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, DNV’s long-tenured CEO Maritime, weighs in on the most pressing matters of the day, from risk mitigation during a time of geopolitical upheaval, to the core technical issues driving maritime’s future, from decarbonization and fuel transition to digitalization and cyber security.

The maritime and energy industries are at a crossroads. Driven by regulation to decarbonize, the industries cumulatively search for new and emerging technologies to meet increasingly strict emission guidelines. As Cristian Corotto, President, Digital Division, Accelleron emphasizes time and again, this is will be accomplished in a series of small steps versus one giant leap. While there are many ‘tools’ in the decarbonization tool box, fully leveraging digital solutions is central to both the present and the future. Today, Accelleron is helping maritime companies to cut emission – while simultaneously helping to accelerate decarbonization efforts – via turbocharging, fuel injection and digital solutions.

Crowley—a legacy U.S. maritime and logistics powerhouse—is making waves with an innovative, people-first approach to workforce development. In a wide-ranging conversation on the Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, two of Crowley’s senior leaders — Megan Davidson, Chief People and Regulatory Officer, and Jim Bender, Program Manager of Workforce Development — unpacked how this 133-year-old company is not only adapting to change but leading the charge toward a more sustainable, inclusive and future-ready maritime workforce.

Manson Construction is a U.S. Jones Act dredging and marine construction firm, founded in 1905 and family owned until converting to an employee-owned company in 2012. Fred Paup, Chairman of the Board, EVP, discussed with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, to drivers for this multi-billion dollar company in 2025 and beyond, from finding and retaining the best crews, to the construction of the $200 million+ 15,000 cu. yd. hopper dredge in Brownsville, Texas – the Frederick Paup – a dredge that Paup says will be “the Cookie Monster of beach replenishment,” and including too its work with C-Job to design a next generation Cutter Suction Dredge.

This episode of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, delves into the critical importance of the inland waterways infrastructure in the U.S., focusing on the Chickamauga Lock Project on the Tennessee River. A trio of experts discusses with MarineNews magazine the current state of the inland waterways, the history and significance of the Chickamauga Lock, and the ongoing efforts to modernize this essential infrastructure. The conversation highlights the economic impacts, efficiency gains, and recreational benefits associated with the project, as well as the broader implications for national infrastructure improvements and lessons learned from the initiative. Join host Eric Haun, former editor of MarineNews and Tracy Zea, President & CEO of WCI,Elizabeth Burks, USACE Nashville Division Chief, and Capt. Joe Cotton, Project Manager, Chickamauga Lock Project for insights and updates on this critical inland waterways infrastructure project

Takeaways

• There are 12,000 navigable miles of inland waterways in the U.S.

• 80% of locks are past their 50-year design life, increasing failure risk.

• Chickamauga Lock is a major civil works project of national importance.

• The new lock will significantly increase efficiency for barge traffic.

• Barge transportation is the cleanest mode of surface transportation.

• The Chickamauga Lock Project is expected to be operational by 2027.

• The project will have a significant economic impact on the local community.

• Recreational traffic through Chickamauga Lock is substantial, with 3,500 vessels annually.

• The partnership between TVA and the Corps is crucial for navigation and flood control.

• Increased funding for the Corps of Engineers is essential for modernizing infrastructure.