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June 2006 37 SCHOTTEL for the Shipping World The Drive You Deserve SCHOTTEL, Inc. 5804 River Oaks Road South · Harahan, LA 70123, U.S.A. Phone: (+1) 504 / 729 4110 · Fax: (+1) 504 / 729-4120 E-Mail: nmoerkeseth@schottel.com · www.schottel.com Innovators in propulsion technology Our product range embraces 360° steerable propulsion systems, maneuvering and take-home devices, and also complete conventional propulsion packages rated at up to 30 MW. Through our worldwide sales and service network we offer economical and reliable solutions for vessels of all kinds and sizes. So we can provide the right thrust for your vessel. ¦ Outstanding maneuvering characteristics ¦ Compact construction ¦ Low-noise and low-vibration operation ¦ Superb smoothness and comfort ¦ High efficiency and reliability, even in arctic and tropical conditions ¦ Simple maintenance ¦ Worldwide sales and service network Elmar A. Sperry Award 2004 Circle 287 on Reader Service CardCircle 258 on Reader Service Card carriers. Figures are available from six companies only, but aside from delay costs, costs to the shipping community were estimated at $28.7m. Delay costs were estimated to be about $13.2 mil- lion. The total costs associated with the Greenup main chamber closure event for these six companies alone were estimat- ed to be about $41.9m. And those costs are ultimately passed to the consumer, who will begin to see higher costs for electricity, chemical products, gasoline and food. McAlpine Lock and Dam's unsched- uled closure in Summer 2004 took only 10 days to repair, but severed navigation on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville/Louisville, KY. Towing companies experienced traffic delays and idled equipment that cost an esti- mated $2.7m, while shippers incurred $1.1m in additional costs and lost sales of $665,000. Funding for O&M has remained flat for more than two decades. And while lock and dam facilities continue to age as we apply a band-aid approach to infrastructure problems, additional expenditures are needed to make the cur- rent system more reliable. We must commit to this issue now and stay the course to realize the many benefits of waterborne transportation and com- merce. Our Nation's inland waterways indus- try and inland rivers network is a world- class system and the envy of all nations. The river and its system of locks and dams - constructed in the 1930s and 1950s - are an economic generator that has attracted and will continue to attract billions of dollars in public and private investment in plant and equipment. This investment creates and maintains posi- tive economic growth and sustains fam- ily-wage jobs. The river system is a crit- ical energy supply line, a facilitator of exports, and an environmentally superi- or mode of transport. For every dollar of investment in waterways priority proj- ects, between $7 and $13 is returned in transportation benefits to the United States. In 2004 more than 607 million tons of "building block" commodities moved on America's inland navigational system. These commodities keep America strong and feed the world. Interestingly, though, in a $765b U.S. transportation market-with 87.7 percent of that spent on the trucking industry- with only 1 percent of the total trans- portation dollars is spent on water trans- portation, even though we move 16.5 percent of the total commodities. Our industry - and waterborne trans- portation - is generally out of sight, out of mind. But the inland waterways transporta- tion system is truly what binds us togeth- er in this country and allows us to turn on a light, eat our cereal in the morning, and drive our car to work. It deserves our support and our commitment to nur- ture it, not neglect it. Waterways Council, Inc. is the nation- al public policy organization advocating a modern and well-maintained national system of ports and inland waterways. The group is supported by more than 250 waterways carriers, shippers, port authorities, shipping associations and waterways advocacy groups from all regions of the country. 2006WorldYearbook2006WorldYearbook2006WorldYearbook2006WorldY MR JUNE2006 #5 (33-40).qxd 6/2/2006 11:15 AM Page 37
