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www.marinelink.com MN39PEOPLE & COMPANY NEWS labors have sig- nificantlyenrichedAmerica?s water- ways. A crowd of 335 joined SCI?s River Bell Awards commit- tee in commend-ing the work of Joseph H. Pyne, Chairman & CEO of Kirby Corporation; Eddie Conrad; and RADM Mary E. Landry (ret), former Commander of the United States Coast Guard 8th District. SCI awarded RADM Mary E. Landry (ret), former Commander of the 8th USCG District, with the Distinguished Service Award. Landry retired this year after more than 30 years of service with the United States Coast Guard. She was the first woman to serve as Commander of the 8th District, a command covering twenty-six states, more than 1,200 miles of coastline and 10,300 miles ofinland waterways. Sea Floor Surveys Support Texas Maritime Trade This winter, NOAA will begin a year-long survey of the sea floor in the Port of Houston and Galveston Bay navigational areas, to aid efforts to bring more trade, more cargo, more jobs, and more econom- ic benefits to the Houston area. The survey project, part of NOAA's map- ping and charting mission, is man- aged by NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, which produces and main- tains the nation's navigational charts. The Port of Houston plays a key economic role for Texas, and for the United States. A 2007 study showed that 785,000 jobs throughout the U.S. and $118 billion in annualregional economic impact are related to business activities at the Port of Houston. Cummins, Mercury Marine to Transition from Joint Venture Mercury Marine and Cummins will transition from its Cummins MerCruiser Diesel Marine (CMD) joint venture to a strategic supply arrangement between the two compa- nies to more effectively and efficient- ly serve customers in the global diesel marine market. All business activities will move from CMD to the parent companies, with completion of thetransition anticipated by mid-2012. CMD will conduct business as usualthrough the transition. Cummins will continue to use Mercury Marine drives and control systems in conjunction with its exten-sive offering of mid-range and heavy- duty marine engines. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 2011 Great Lakes-Seaway Shipping Season Closes U.S. ports continued to post pos- itive tonnage numbers in November. The Seaway?s year-to-date total cargo shipments from March 22 to November 30 were 33 million metric tons, up 1.23 percent from the same period last year. The Port of Cleveland experienced a 60 percent jump in project cargo volume during the first 11 months of the year, large- ly as a result of the increase in move- ment of imported and exported machinery, and the Port?s first-time handling of a wind turbine from Europe. Meanwhile, the Toledo Port Authority saw an increase in iron ore shipments for the month. Tonnage at the CSX Iron Ore dock was up 28 percent over the same period in 2010. The terminal handled over 4 million metric tons to date, marking its best season since 2008. Increases in ship- ments of petroleum products and general cargo, up 118 percent and 30 percent respectively over the same time last year, were also noted. Coal shipments, down at most Great Lakes ports, showed an uptick in Indiana. And, St. Lawrence Seaway shipments of iron ore and coke were up at 55 percent and 14 percent respectively compared to November 2010. Coal shipments totaled410,000 metric tons in November, a 9 percent decrease from the same month last year. Total grain ship- ments for November were 1.4 million metric tons, down 13 percent from 2010.WCI Announces Dates for 2012Washington Meetings & Seminars Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) has announced thedates of its 2012Washington Meetings, February 14-16, 2012, which include the Waterways Seminar and the Leadership Service Award Dinner. All events will take place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 1330 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC. Registration and additional details are available online at www.waterwayscouncil.org. For questions contact Medina Moran, 703-373-2261 or mmoran@vesselal- liance.com. Waterways Council, Inc. is the national public policy organiza-tion advocating a modern and well- maintained national system of ports and inland waterways. The group is supported by waterways carriers, shippers, port authorities, shipping associations and waterways advocacy groups from all regions of the coun- try. On the Web: www.waterwayscouncil.org LandryMN#1 (32-42):MN 2011 Layouts 1/5/2012 1:42 PM Page 39