REBUILD THE UNITED STATES!

BY STAS MARGARONIS, RBTUS The “Storms Flooding and Sea Level Defense 2022” conference, produced by the Propeller Club of Northern California and the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), heard that coastal protections will cost for: 1) Louisiana  $50 billion; and 2) for Texas $34 billion. In one instance, the cost of storm surge barriers to protect Texas’ Galveston Bay rose from $12...

PHOTO: GOVERNMENT OF GUAM BY KEVIN POLICARPO As tensions between China and Taiwan continue to grow, the United States is preparing for a major conflict. Among these preparations is improving the defenses of Guam, one of America’s overseas territories. EVOLVING THREATS TO GUAM Vice Admiral Jon Hill, Director of the Missile Defense Agency, has warned that Guam faces an “evolved threat” from China...

Illustrations: Big River Coalition BY STAS MARGARONIS The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New Orleans District began construction of an underwater sill on October 11, 2022, across the bed of the Mississippi River channel to prevent further upriver progression of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico, according to an October 12th news release.[1] New rainfall impacting the region will relieve...

  Illustration of Parallel Systems autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles at a microterminal By Stas Margaronis Parallel Systems, a company founded by former SpaceX engineers to create autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles, says it can relieve truck congestion at ports and increase short-haul rail with its zero-emission container carriers. The company showcased its rail vehicles to...

PHOTO: U.S. NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD BY STAS MARGARONIS & KEVIN POLICARPO China has been waging a campaign of increased intensity against Taiwan, warning of military action and engaging in tactics that appear to be aimed at grinding down resistance. These tactics consist of intimidating military exercises, patrols and surveillance that so far falls short of armed conflict. As the two nations...

FIRE FIGHTERS EVACUATE 'HOSTAGE VICTIM" By Stas Margaronis The Port of Redwood City hosted its annual full-scale emergency preparedness exercise on Thursday, Oct. 13. During the briefing to preparedness participants, Kristine Zortman, Executive Director, Port of Redwood City explained that: * Due to the pandemic, this year’s full-scale exercise was the first operation since 2019. * The...

By Stas Margaronis The lack of a paid sick leave provision in the tentative labor agreement between U.S. railroads and railroad unions may be causing some unions to reject the agreement, according to Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO. Regan who spoke to the Propeller Club of Northern California on October 11th said: “I think if there had been a...

  BY STAS MARGARONIS American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) reported on October 6th that Mississippi river vessels are experiencing: “Historic low water conditions” and that “River levels continue to fall on the Mississippi River with severe impacts to navigation not seen since 1988.” ACBL reported: “Industry is expecting catastrophic impacts to boat capacity, which will in turn drastically...

BY STAS MARGARONIS The 96th Annual Propeller Club convention, held in Athens, Greece between September 20th and 22nd , demonstrated the continued power of Greek shipping. The  convention was produced by the Propeller Club of Piraeus under the leadership of President Costis Frangoulis and General Secretary Danae Bezantakou. INTERNATIONAL PROPELLER CLUB The International Propeller Club of the...

  PHOTO XINHUA:  LAUNCHING OF CHINESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER FUJIAN BY STAS MARGARONIS INTRODUCTION: U.S.-LIBERTY SHIPS HELP WIN WORLD WAR II During World War Two, the mass-production of Liberty and Victory ships at U.S. shipyards pioneered modular construction and the new use of welding of steel plates, resulting in lower costs and faster construction times. New shipyards built by Henry Kaiser...