Comments from the Executive Director

Welcome to the web site of the United States Great Lakes Shipping Association. I hope you will find this to be a source of information about our organization as well as have it serve as a useful informational tool for our membership and other interested parties.

August 1, 2010 

All of us in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway industry have at some time or even frequently bemoaned that for some reason, there seems to always be a general lack of public and media awareness of the advantages of water transportation and the benefits that this important mode brings our nation’s security and economy.  “They just don’t understand.”  Sound familiar?

That’s not to say that over the years, many have not tried to advance the positive information and positive point of view.  There is not enough room on this page or many other pages to list the number of associations, communications initiatives or other groupings of marine stakeholders, some which have come and gone, all sharing the objective of raising the profile of marine transportation and having its voice heard.  Indeed, several years ago, we even took it to another level by establishing a group which calls itself the National Association of Maritime Organizations (NAMO). Our organization belongs to NAMO and it is one of the very effective voices coming from the industry.  But think of it…an organization of organizations?  We surely have it covered from the organizational side!  

The problem has not been the willingness or desire to form and join groups to speak with a unified voice and have industry members participate and support initiatives. But early momentum often fades.  One point is that it seems that how the messages are delivered is as important as the messages themselves.   

It may be that at least the beginning of an answer has been introduced.  It is called MARINE DELIVERS.  Marine Delivers is a joint US/Canadian enterprise supported by the industry stakeholders as well as the Seaway Development and Seaway Management Corporations, which will provide advocacy and a growing data base of statistics and information about the industry.  Marine Delivers will have a permanent staff in Washington and Ottawa to provide a dedicated and consistent source of information for the industry and will communicate to legislators, the general public and media with a focus which maybe has been missing before.  Seaway Development Corporation Administrator Terry Johnson recently wrote about Marine Delivers in “Seaway Review” (Vol.38 No. 4 at page 31). He states in part, “Marine Delivers is being created to provide responsible, consistent and relevant information both to preempt and respond to these issues.  Public surveys have shown that when people hear about the positive benefits of the marine industry, they have significantly increased positive perceptions of the industry.”  Check out Terry’s article and see the website at www.marinedelivers.com. 

While paging through the same issue of “Seaway Review,” I also came across a terrific article which I am pleased to see finally begins to more widely tell the story of another US/Canadian enterprise which has the introduction of aquatic invasive species through the Seaway virtually down to zero if not in fact zero.  It really is an amazing accomplishment our two countries have achieved, but until now it appears that there has been hardly any notice at all. Ballast water exchange at sea coupled with testing for salinity levels in the tanks prior to a vessel’s entry into the Seaway System has proven to be a simple yet effective approach to the control of this well known problem.  

Good work and thanks,“Seaway Review!”

Mr. Theis, who has served as Executive Director since April 2007, is an attorney and businessman with prior associations at Cleveland, Ohio based M. A. Hanna Company and Oglebay Norton Company. At Hanna, he held a variety of legal/operational positions including Corporate Vice President with responsibilities for Hanna’s Great Lakes/St Lawrence Seaway and Ocean Marine vessel and dock operations in the U. S. and Canada. While at Oglebay Norton, Mr. Theis served as President of the Company’s Great Lakes fleet and dock operations. Most recently, he served as an independent consultant to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority with oversight responsibility for a feasibility study examining the possibility of a Trans Lake Erie ferry service between Cleveland and Port Stanley, Ontario.