AAPA Seaports
When it comes to Western Hemisphere ports, there are some that really stand out. They are the best survivors, the most innovative, the best at adapting, the tightest with their community, the bravest when it comes to incorporating cutting edge ideas, the most successful when trying new things, and the list goes on! While every port was tasked with solving some of the biggest supply chain quandaries to ever occur and most ports embarked on some kind of momentous project in 2021, these ports took on projects that required everyone to go an extra step – projects that really stood out. These ports came up with innovative ways to solve challenges and set new records. They inspired others with their trailblazing efforts. They encouraged others to make better environmental, social and governance (ESG) decisions and set higher diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals. And they excelled in their efforts. Here are some stories – straight from the ports themselves – that describe these achievements. They are the types of accomplishments that exemplify the backbone of strength that Western Hemisphere ports provide to our global supply chain.
Port of Baltimore
Following a two-month journey that included dramatic passage under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Francis Scott Key Bridge, four new, massive Neo-Panamax container cranes arrived at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal.
The new cranes are fully electric, and thus emit no diesel emissions. Each is 450 feet tall and weighs about 1,740 tons. The new cranes can each extend to reach 23 containers across on a ship and lift 187,500 pounds of cargo. Ports America Chesapeake expects them to be fully operational in early 2022.
The cranes are part of a significant expansion by Ports America Chesapeake at Seagirt to provide greater capacity and efficiency to handle anticipated increases in container volumes. The $166 million investment in terminal and yard upgrades includes a second, 50-foot-deep berth to accommodate mega-ships; new container handling equipment such as 15 hybrid-electric gantry cranes; and a new truck gate complex.
MDOT MPA and Ports America Chesapeake also recently secured two new container services, Maersk TP20 and Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) Indus 2. The Maersk TP20 service consists of a string of about 13 ships. The MSC Indus 2 is an Indian Subcontinent and Mediterranean service consisting of an eight-ship fleet.
Complementing the new Seagirt berth are plans to expand Baltimore’s Howard Street Tunnel, which will allow for double-stacked container rail cars to travel to and from the port. In June, the project received final federal environment approval under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Belledune Port Authority
The Belledune Port Authority and Pabineau First Nation, Eel River Bar First Nation, and Mi’gmawe’I Tplu’taqnn Inc. announced they have signed an Impact Assessment Agency (IAA) Protocol that marks an important milestone in moving forward together with First Nations. The IAA Protocol is the first of its kind in Canada and acts as a sister document to the Relationship, Engagement & Consultation Protocol, a previously signed historic agreement that is also the first of its kind in the country.
The IAA Protocol is the result of a sequence of events deriving from the Impact Assessment Act that first came into force in 2019. This new act changes many of the “determination” provisions that were included in the now repealed Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. One section of importance is what happens to projects on federal lands. The original legislation permits an authority, such as the Port of Belledune, to make the determination if there is an impact based on a number of factors, including any adverse impact on the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada and Indigenous knowledge provided with respect to the project.
The Belledune Port Authority and Mi’gmawe’I Tplu’taqnn Inc. mutually agreed that the language contained in section 82 was paternalistic and did not respect the engagement and input of First Nations, so together in partnership with the port, they came together to create the IAA Protocol. The creation of the IAA Protocol will ensure that the Belledune Port Authority works with the First Nations to determine the impacts of the projects on federal lands.
Port of Boston
The Port of Boston is now big ship ready with the completion of Conley Container Terminal’s expansion and modernization project, an $850 million investment in federal, state and Massport funding.
In June 2021, three new low-profile, Neo-Panamax cranes arrived at Conley from China. These cranes, along with a new 50-foot deep berth and a deepened harbor, enable the port to handle ships carrying 12,000-14,000 TEUs. This multi-year effort reclaimed a former Brownfield site, built a dedicated freight truck corridor, and expanded the container storage yard capacity to 650,000 TEUs.
The new cranes completed the commissioning process in fall 2021. Two of the cranes are 205 feet tall with a lifting height of 160 feet and can reach 22 containers wide. The third is 145 feet tall due to its proximity to the Boston Logan International Airport flight path, with a lifting height of 100 feet. These capital improvements will benefit the 2,500 New England businesses that rely on the port for greater access and connectivity to the global marketplace. These investments were made possible with bi-partisan support from Massachusetts’ state and federal officials.
Congestion-free and with truck turn times averaging 30 minutes or less for dual transactions, Boston is well-equipped to serve larger ships and add a direct South East Asia service.
Port Corpus Christi
As the gateway through which the majority of American energy moves, the Port of Corpus Christi (PCC) is committed to mitigating the impacts of our current energy paradigm while driving energy transition. The port upholds that cultivating hydrogen production at scale – coupled with a carbon capture and storage solution – is the most direct way to contribute to federal decarbonization, energy security and balance of trade objectives.
Geologic investigation by academic experts indicates that state-owned submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico are uniquely suited for deep injection and storage of CO2. PCC has engaged the Texas General Land Office to co-develop scalable, centralized carbon capture and offshore geologic storage to manage the emissions from the industries already operating in the region and to accommodate the production of blue hydrogen at scale for export.
PCC has established a Memoranda of Understanding with both the Port of Rotterdam and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to foster innovation in support of its energy transition objectives. Collaboration with Port of Rotterdam will foster development and deployment of technologies focused on environmental protection and navigational efficiency. NREL will leverage its unique capabilities in techno-economic-analysis and modeling to optimize project deployments at PCC.
Port of Everett
With the overnight drop in the aerospace business more than 20 months ago, the Port of Everett had to reset its business model and forge on with pivotal capital improvement projects.
In January 2021, the port celebrated completion of its $57 million South Terminal modernization, adding a new full-service berth to support the next generation of larger ships and heavier cargo. The project strengthened an existing 700-foot wharf, acquired and relocated two Post-Panamax container cranes from the Port of Los Angeles to the dock, and upgraded dock electrical to support future shore power.
In July 2021, another momentous occasion was celebrated as the port broke ground on its $36 million Norton Terminal development – the cornerstone of the port’s more than $100 million Mills to Maritime initiative to transform the former mill site adjacent to existing facilities into a new maritime hub. The project adds 40 acres of additional upland capacity. This new facility will come online in fall 2022.
These pandemic-laden accomplishments are already proving valuable. In October 2021, the port earned Strategic Seaport Designation by the Maritime Administration, becoming one of only 18 Strategic Seaports nationwide. And since opening the upgraded South Terminal, the port has more than doubled its ship calls over previous years and its container volumes have grown exponentially. The port is one of the few ports of its size that has post-Panamax container cranes.
Port Everglades
Port Everglades has completed construction of a new, five-story, 1,818-space parking garage built to serve two cruise passenger terminals, which includes an investment of $350,000 to install 360 photovoltaic (PV) panels to create a PV solar collection system on the top floor of the garage. The panels collect solar energy and convert it into electricity, which is sent directly to the local electric utility company grid where credits are assigned to the port via an electricity billing mechanism called net-metering.
This net metering allows the port – via this interconnected, approved renewable generation system – to provide electricity to its facility, rather than purchasing that energy. Port Everglades has a utility interconnection agreement that stipulates that when its system produces excess energy that amount is deducted from the monthly usage before they are billed. If the port produces more energy than it receives, the excess amount is applied to its next month’s electric bill. At the end of each calendar year, any remaining kWh in its reserve will be credited to its account at the annual average cost of generation.
The Port Everglades system is capable of producing 136 kilowatts (Kw) of electricity each day.
The port’s photovoltaic panels are steel rack mounted, which produces a stable, durable structure that can support the system and withstand wind, rain, saltwater spray and corrosion. The rack tilts the PV panels at a fixed angle, which is determined by the local latitude, orientation of the structure and electrical load requirements.
Port Everglades named this garage the Heron Garage as a part of its commitment to highlight Florida native species via public art. Italian artist PEETA, famous for his unique 3D graffiti style, has been commissioned to paint a 70-foot-tall heron mural with illusionary elements that will appear to morph and dissolve as this wading bird steps out of the corner of the garage.
Port Freeport
Over the years, Port Freeport has experienced exponential growth and is undertaking strategic initiatives to maintain the expansion and provide the surrounding community with jobs and economic benefits. One of these initiatives includes the Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project, which will deepen and partially widen the channel from its current 46 feet to depths ranging from 51 to 56 feet mean lower low water. Dredging began in April 2021 and the project will take roughly five years to complete.
Port Freeport serves its customers and stakeholders through state-of-the-art infrastructure, OEM processing and multimodal terminal services, and competitive expansion options while creating jobs as a leading economic catalyst for the region and state. A new container terminal was completed in 2014 and marked with the installation of two post-Panamax gantry cranes. Terminal expansion is scheduled for completion in 2022 and features an additional 928 feet of berth that will accommodate additional post-Panamax gantry cranes. In 2015, a vehicle storage and processing terminal was developed, and an expansion area was completed in 2020. The port’s project cargo terminal has continuously served the petrochemical industry through construction and expansions in the surrounding areas. In 2019, Port Freeport completed the initial phase of rail development to serve a future multimodal industrial park. As of 2015, more than $31 billion dollars of new projects have been or are being constructed in Brazoria County, and $18.5 billion dollars of those projects are along the Freeport Harbor Channel.
Port of Galveston
The Port of Galveston hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 14, to mark the start of construction of Royal Caribbean International’s new $125 million cruise terminal.
Slated for completion in fall 2022, the port’s third cruise terminal is being built by Royal Caribbean to homeport its award-winning Oasis Class ship, Allure of the Seas, which will sail starting November 2022. The construction project will generate an estimated 400 Texas construction jobs and 400 local operations jobs. The 161,300-square-foot terminal will cover 10 acres at Pier 10 in the easternmost area of the port on Galveston Island. The port will build and operate an 1,800-space cruise parking lot at the terminal.
Ceres Terminals Holdings LLC will operate the terminal and support cruise operations with services, including stevedoring, passenger luggage services and ship provisioning.
The port signed a long-term contract with Royal Caribbean for the new facility in December 2019. Through the public-private partnership, Royal Caribbean will build the terminal, then lease it from the port for the initial term of 20 years with four 10-year options.
The facility will feature state-of-the-art technology to enable mobile check-in and facial recognition to expedite guests’ arrival experience. The terminal is designed to meet global LEED health, efficiency and sustainability standards.
Georgia Ports Authority (Port of Savannah)
Over the past year, the Georgia Ports Authority has not only handled unprecedented cargo volumes, but has expedited capital improvements to ensure the free flow of cargo.
In FY2021, the port grew its trade 20%, for a record 5.3 million TEUs. To better accommodate demand, GPA brought new capacity online at its Ocean Terminal container operation in less than 12 months.
By February 2021, GPA had enhanced the docks and added 6,000 TEUs of new grounded container slots at Ocean Terminal, including space for dry and refrigerated containers. The Authority also commissioned six rubber-tired gantry cranes and installed a new container truck gate. Annual capacity at Ocean Terminal is now estimated at 250,000 TEUs.
Meanwhile, at Garden City, the first set of nine working tracks at the Mason Mega Rail Terminal are operational. When the project is complete, Savannah’s rail capacity will be 2 million TEUs annually.
The building continues, with an additional 300,000 TEUs of capacity slated to be commissioned at Garden City Terminal in December, reaching 1.6 million TEUs of new space by 2023.
Greater Lafourche Port Commission (Port Fourchon)
In a challenging year where Port Fourchon was only one year removed from being hit by Category Three Hurricane Zeta, the port found itself in harm’s way again becoming the official landfall location for Category Four Hurricane Ida on August 29.
Ida buffeted the port with winds in excess in of 200 mph as well as a storm surge of about 10 feet.
Following the storm’s passage, initial reports made one believe Port Fourchon had been crippled to the point of inoperability.
After returning from his first flight over Port Fourchon, GLPC Executive Director Chett Chiasson gathered members of his team in the port commission’s damaged administrative building in Cut Off and told them, “Don’t get me wrong, it’s bad. But the damage is not catastrophic. There is hope!”
This rallying cry led to an expedited recovery timeline. On August 31, the roadways leading to the port were cleared of debris. On September 2, tenant assessment teams were allowed to visit their facilities. One day later, the U.S. Coast Guard deemed Belle Pass (the main entry channel in and out of the Gulf of Mexico) safe to traverse with restrictions in place.
Then, only nine days following landfall, tenants began resuming operations in the port. Within five weeks of Ida’s landfall, all critical services had been restored to the port and its tenants.
As of today, the GLPC and the port continue to move forward repairing damaged buildings, while simultaneously pursuing construction projects like the Airport Bridge and Connector Road.
Phase 2 of the Elevated LA 1 Highway Connector Road also went to bid and its final notice to proceed is expected soon. This $460 million-plus elevated road to Port Fourchon is being funded by a federal INFRA grant as well as state dollars. Also contributing are the GLPC as well as Lafourche Parish Government and numerous company stakeholders.
Ports of Indiana
Burns Harbor
Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor celebrated its 50th year of operation in 2020, which was an exceptional year for the Lake Michigan port, completing a 77.5% YoY increase in international tonnage shipped. A total of 78 international vessels visited during the 2020 shipping season, including shipments for a $1 billion power plant – one of the largest shipments in the port’s 50-year history.
Jeffersonville
Ports of Indiana-Jeffersonville increased YoY barge volume by 62% due to the increased movement of grain and heavy cargo. Additionally, a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant initiated big changes in Jeffersonville a few years back is set for completion in Q2 2022. The grant provided partial funding for $24 million in infrastructure enhancements that is adding nearly four miles to the port’s existing 11-mile rail network. The project will enhance and overhaul the railroad infrastructure and intermodal capabilities throughout the entire port. The project scope includes construction of:
- Siding to accommodate unit train delivery to and from the port.
- Waterfront railroad infrastructure including two new rail loops.
- Waterfront intermodal facility that more than doubles the capacity of bulk commodities transferred from rail cars to barges.
- Rail yard that allows cargo to be transferred between trucks and rail cars.
- Mile+ of railroad extension toward the River Ridge Commerce Center.
Mount Vernon
Ports of Indiana-Mount Vernon completed a $2 million capital improvement project geared toward attracting more cargo to the southwest Indiana port. The 40-year-old general cargo terminal facility has a new concrete floor and an overhead gantry crane, making the terminal an asset for generations. The electric-powered crane spans 75 feet and has a 60-ton lifting capacity with twin, 30-ton hoists. It is used to load and unload general cargo between barge, rail, truck and warehouse. The new 53,000 square-foot transit shed floor can sustain load-bearing capacity to accommodate the maximum weights of any general cargo.
Port of Long Beach
Port of Long Beach is a trailblazer in innovative goods movement, environmental stewardship and award-winning community programs.
- Cargo Records. Amid the historic surge of import and export containers that began following the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Long Beach recorded the best year in its 110-year history, moving 8.1 million TEUs, a 6.3% increase over 2019. Moving into 2021, cargo records have been broken nearly every month, roaring into peak shipping season with another record year on the horizon.
- COVID-19 Response. Remote work locations and video conferencing and events became the norm. In addition to working to secure early vaccinations for longshore and other port workers, the port launched a COVID-19 web page to inform customers, vaccinated incoming seafarers, supported the community with drive-through testing sites and food distribution centers, reassigned staff to the city’s emergency information center, and much more.
- New Infrastructure. Construction on major infrastructure projects continued uninterrupted, culminating with the virtual grand opening of a spectacular new bridge in October 2020 to replace the aging Gerald Desmond Bridge, and the completion of the Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor. Both are centerpieces of the port’s multibillion-dollar capital improvement program. The new Long Beach Container Terminal is equipped with nearly all-electric and zero-emissions, pollution-reducing equipment and, with an annual capacity of 3.3 million TEUs, LBCT by itself would rank as America’s sixth-busiest seaport.
- Port Congestion. Long Beach was among the first to launch a pilot program to introduce 24/7 cargo operations in order to stay on top of the growth and collaborate with port stakeholders to find long-term solutions that further increase efficiency at the port.
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles is America’s Port® – the nation’s busiest container port and global model for sustainability, security and social responsibility. Nearly 40% of the nation’s cargo comes through the San Pedro Bay port complex and the Port of Los Angeles remains committed to ensuring these goods are delivered to the American people.
The port has remained open and operational throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic, a period defined by record cargo volume and benchmark accomplishments.
Since the second half of 2020, the Port of Los Angeles has eclipsed nine monthly records and had its two highest-performing quarters and top four individual months in its 114-year history.
“Much credit goes to our longshore workforce, truckers, terminal operators, ocean carriers, railroads and other stakeholders for scaling up to meet this extraordinary demand,” said Executive Director Gene Seroka.
The Port of Los Angeles set two new milestones for the Western Hemisphere in June 2021 as the first port to process 10 million TEUs in a 12-month period and the first port to process 1 million TEUs in a single month.
Port Montréal
In 2020, the Port of Montréal in partnership with CargoM, Termont, MGTP, Scale AI and Ivado Labs developed and launched CargO2ai – a logistics tool with a humanitarian calling. Designed to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, it uses artificial intelligence to quickly identify and prioritize the critical cargo that Canadians need. The purpose is to deliver medications, medical equipment, and food products as quickly as possible to avoid supply delays and stock shortages during precarious economic and public health situations.
“While 2020 was a year of upheaval and hurdles around the world, for the Port of Montréal it was also a time to mobilize unrivalled people power to overcome all the challenges of the turmoil and, as always, stay the course. As a port authority responsible for delivering essential goods to the public, our core mission as a public service proved to be more important than ever,” said Martin Imbleau, president and CEO of the Montréal Port Authority.
Trucking companies, freight forwarders, shipping lines, charterers and operators were invited to embark in large numbers to ensure maximum efficiency and to use the system to its full potential. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 5,000 containers of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies have been delivered to hospitals 50% faster.
Port of Oakland
As diesel fuel creates diesel particulate matter (DPM) and greenhouse gases (GHGs), the Port of Oakland has focused on reducing diesel emissions from maritime operations and equipment for decades. For example, diesel emissions from trucks serving the Oakland Seaport declined 98% between 2005 and 2017.
The Seaport Air Quality 2020 and Beyond Plan is the successor to the Port of Oakland’s Maritime Air Quality Plan adopted more than a decade ago. The 2020 plan incorporates strategies and actions proposed by stakeholders. Over two years, port staff and stakeholders met to develop a vision, strategies and goals to further reduce criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases.
One example of this plan being realized came when the port’s largest marine terminal cut diesel emissions from all 13 of its massive yard cranes (transtainers) by 95% after retrofitting them with hybrid electric engines. The announcement came in August 2020. Terminal operator Stevedoring Services of America (SSA Marine) said that the project eliminates about 1,200 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually from each crane.
Another example was in July 2021, when the port and its logistics partners launched a battery electric truck demonstration project on its path to zero emissions. The port debuted 10 new battery electric trucks at Shippers Transport Express (STE), a port-based trucking operation. The Peterbilt trucks cost a total of $5.1 million and are used to haul cargo within the port’s maritime area. Funding for the trucks comes from a ZANZEFF grant (Zero and Near-Zero-Emission Freight Facility program).
The port also invested $1.7 million to construct 10 electric charging stations at STE and built a new electrical substation and power line extension to connect to the charging stations.
Port of New Orleans
Port NOLA is nearing completion of its Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal expansion project, the highlight of which will be the addition of four new 100-foot-gauge container gantry cranes. The new cranes have departed Shanghai and are set to arrive in December 2021.
The ongoing work to expand the Napoleon Avenue Terminal consists of extending the landside crane rail and adding the cranes for a total of six 100-foot-gauge container gantry cranes. This expansion project will increase capacity to 1 million TEUs at the facility after completion.
“The conversion and crane rail extension project is part of our $100 million expansion at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. With this foundational infrastructure and the arrival of four new 100-foot-gauge gantry cranes, we will be able to handle ships in the 8,000 to 9,500-TEU range much more efficiently,” said Brandy D. Christian, president and CEO, Port NOLA. The cranes should be commissioned into operations in 2022.
“With just the first pair of new cranes, Port NOLA stands to gain 200,000 to 250,000 TEUs within five years. The impacts are estimated to be an increase of 1,147 total jobs and $3.6 million in Louisiana tax revenues,” said Christian.
The Port of New York and New Jersey
As one of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s most significant improvements, the raising of the 90-year-old Bayonne Bridge in 2017 has allowed the world’s largest ships to enter the port and spurred an unprecedented surge in cargo activity. In May 2021, just after the Port Authority marked its centennial as a bistate agency mandated by Congress to facilitate the movement of people and cargo between New York and New Jersey, the agency’s seaport welcomed the 16,000-TEU capacity CMA CGM Marco Polo to its marine facility in Elizabeth, N.J. Not only was the Marco Polo the largest ship to dock at the port, it was also the largest to serve the U.S. East Coast.
Adding to this milestone was the recent opening of the port’s fourth on-dock intermodal facility to the port’s rail network, which increased rail lift capacity to 1.5 million annually and completes a $600 million intermodal network connecting the seaport with two Class One railroad partners. The port aims to remove 1.5 million truckloads of cargo from roads, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance (Ports of Tacoma and Seattle)
The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) has made more than a half-billion dollars in strategic infrastructure investments in its gateway over the past five years. These investments enable the gateway to service the largest vessels in the transpacific trade, increasing job opportunities, expanding capacity for exports, and making the NWSA gateway competitive for decades to come.
In 2019, Husky Terminal in our Tacoma Harbor completed its pier reconfiguration and opened with eight Super-post Panamax cranes capable of serving two 18,000-TEU container ships. In our Seattle harbor, the NWSA is opening Phase One of Terminal 5 in January of 2022, which adds new capacity to our gateway at a critical time. Alongside private partners, the NWSA has invested in modernizing Terminal 5 in two phases. When complete, the terminal will boast 185 acres of terminal capacity, on-dock rail, 1,500 reefer plugs, and eight Super-post Panamax cranes.
As one of the top agricultural export gateways in North America, the NWSA continues to facilitate increased exports by partnering to establish inland rail ramps. The Minot Inland Rail facility launched more than a year ago alongside Rail Modal Group, the Minot Area Development Corporation, and BNSF Railway. This partnership is increasing international export capacity for agricultural producers in the Midwest. Additionally, earlier this year Savage Industries alongside the Union Pacific Railroad opened the Savage Railport in Pocatello, Idaho. This rail ramp supports increased agriculture exports from Idaho producers moving through the NWSA gateway.
Port of Redwood City
The Port of Redwood City, located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, has largely remained under the radar over its past 139 years of operation. As the only deep-water port in south San Francisco Bay, the port is a major conduit for the building industry in the Bay Area and a key component for regional emergency operations.
In 2020, the board of port commissioners adopted a strategic vision to expand economic development, transportation and government operations to enhance the community. This 25-year agenda includes the future development of a unique shoreline attraction that will reimagine the Redwood City waterfront with a visitor-serving destination.
One of the vision’s key strategies is to reintroduce the community to the recreational offerings along the port’s mile of waterfront. It invested in new public art along the waterfront and is working on the construction of a new fishing pier, which is set to be complete at the end of 2021.
In addition, the port will invest about $2.5 million of Port Security Grant Program funding to develop a new fire and police boat dock, which will serve as the home base for emergency vessels in the south San Francisco Bay. The development of the new boat dock further supports the port’s Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Staging Area designation. This key asset is the backbone to the region’s safety and emergency response so the port can act quickly to shift its day-to-day operations to accommodate emergency relief. The grant funding will also support the construction of a new interagency operations center; enhance training exercises; and fund security infrastructure such as cameras, lights and fencing.
Port Saint John
In partnership with the Huntsman Marine Science Center, Port Saint John installed eight rope collection bins on port property to collect and recycle unused marine rope that would normally end up in the landfill or ocean.
In 2021, the port recycled almost 9,000 pounds of rope, some of which has been repurposed by the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association into weaved rope mats and sold for charity. The Huntsman Marine Science Center also hosts workshops on how to weave the unwanted rope into wreaths and baskets.
The Debris Free Fundy initiative now has 24 bins at 20 different locations in southwest New Brunswick.
In 2020, Port Saint John launched its first Artist-In-Residence program with artist Sarah Sackville. The port sponsors the artist for a full year to create a new body of work capturing the port in all seasons and in different atmospheric conditions.
The aim of the residency, in partnership with the Saint John Arts Centre, is to support both an important community asset while elevating profiles and opportunities for New Brunswick artists. The port will continue this program every two years with a new artist.
Port Saint John began a port modernization and expansion project in 2018 with a completion date of 2023. This project will significantly increase capacity at the container terminal from 150,000 TEUs to 300,000 TEUs. The major milestones include:
- Eight massive caissons set in place to form a new pier. While caisson pier construction is a standard activity in port infrastructure, the extreme tidal range of the Bay of Fundy made this project unique.
- Infilling of the caissons from a floating barge.
Port of San Diego
The Port of San Diego is attracting new maritime cargo business thanks to the completion of an approximately $24 million public works project to modernize its Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal (TAMT).
Completed in fall 2020 and funded in part by a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the project supported the port’s specialty cargo advantage by providing more laydown space and flexibility for project cargo, such as windmill components as well as roll-on/roll-off and break-bulk cargo. In addition to securing new contracts, the modernization is also resulting in an increase in spot cargo opportunities from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The port was recently designated a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) at TAMT.
At National City Marine Terminal, Pasha Automotive Services completed a project with Porsche Cars North America in summer 2020. The “Pasha Porsche Project” renovated an existing warehouse facility to make it better suited for receiving, processing, repairing and holding automobiles. The improvements also include alterations to accommodate electrically powered vehicles.
Due to the pandemic, all 137 cruise calls scheduled for the 2020-2021 season were canceled. For the current season, the Port of San Diego is anticipating more than 100 calls between October and June. The port’s primary lines are Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Disney Cruise Line, though it also has Norwegian and smaller, expedition cruise lines like Viking and Windstar on the schedule.
South Jersey Port Corporation (Port of Paulsboro)
Ten years ago, South Jersey Port Corporation purchased a defunct petrochemical terminal in Paulsboro and invested more than $400 million to turn it into a deep water, general cargo marine terminal.
The Port of Paulsboro is now the lynchpin of New Jersey’s $1 billion investment to become a leader in the $100 billon wind energy industry along the Atlantic seaboard. EEW Group, with the support of Orsted, is now building a $250 million state-of-the-art plant at the Port of Paulsboro to manufacture the massive monopiles that support the offshore wind turbines – the first significant transfer of wind-energy technology to the United States. South Jersey Port Corporation expects to import hundreds of thousands of tons of steel plate to fabricate its monopiles, which is in addition to the millions of tons of steel slab that Holt Logistics, the tenant-operator of Paulsboro Marine Terminal, is already handling at the facility.
South Jersey Port Corporation is also making investments at its Salem Marine Terminal and Camden Marine Terminals to improve the infrastructure and capture the supply chain business for the offshore wind industry.
Port of South Louisiana
Port of South Louisiana announced at its April commission meeting the completion of a six-track rail yard in St. Charles Parish.
The rail yard, located at SoLaPort, a port-owned property on the west bank of the Mississippi River, is configured to accommodate between 250 and 350 rail cars exclusively for Dow Chemical, accessible via a rail spur designed and installed by Dow on the south side of the facility.
The project, which began construction in January 2020, was funded in part by $8.775 million from Louisiana’s Capital Outlay program. Designed by AECOM, the yard was laid out to comply with the standards of Union Pacific Railroad and Dow. The project required installation of a 2,000-square-yard two-track railcar storage and maintenance pad and related infrastructure, including an access road from LA Highway 18, over 27,000 feet of track connecting to the rail spur, switches to facilitate “cherry-picking” cars, security fencing along the perimeter of the leased property, and lighting.
Dow has entered into a 20-year lease agreement with the Port of South Louisiana, with an option to renew for an additional 10 years, to provide efficient, reliable and cost-advantageous services for its customers with opportunities for growth over time.
Port Tampa Bay
Throughout the past year, Port Tampa Bay has entered into several public and private partnerships. In March 2021, the Port Tampa Bay Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with Celadon Development Corp. to lease 37 acres for the construction and operation of a paper fiber manufacturing plant. The plant will have significant economic and sustainability benefits generating up to 20,000 export containers per year (40,000 TEUs), creating about 100 jobs and involving a capital investment of $160 million during Phase One of the project.
Phase Two of the project will see the addition of a second production line that will double the plant’s capacity, increasing the output to 40,000 export containers per year (80,000 TEUs), resulting in a total capital investment approaching $400 million.
Additionally, in July, Port Tampa Bay welcomed the announcement by Dole Fresh Fruit that it will include Tampa in a new containerized service between Central America and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Port Logistics Refrigerated Services (PLRS) will provide terminal and stevedoring for the service at Port Tampa Bay. The PLRS terminal facility includes a new state-of-the art 135,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse, 148 reefer plugs, and fumigation services, as well as an adjacent berth served by two dedicated mobile harbor cranes.
Finally, the University of South Florida’s College of Nursing has partnered with the port to create the first-of-its-kind, on-site nurse-managed clinical outreach to provide direct care for the thousands of seafarers whose global maritime routes bring them to the port each year. The USF College of Nursing has a strong collaboration with the port and helped to establish COVID-19 infection control mitigation standards at the port.
Port of Toledo
In 2021, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority purchased a new Liebherr 550 Mobile Harbor Crane with funds awarded through the Ohio Maritime Assistance Grant Program (MAP). The new crane will complement the Port of Toledo’s two existing Liebherr 280 Mobile Harbor Cranes, which were acquired in 2010. The Liebherr 550 will increase efficiency at the port and further modernize its handling capabilities with its capacity to facilitate heavy lifts as well as handle bulk, project cargo, break-bulk and containers. The crane has a maximum capacity of 154 tons per swing, and has a lift height maximum of 148 feet.
Port of Vancouver USA
During the summer of 2021, Port of Vancouver USA developed and implemented a Climate Action Plan (CAP) based on input from its board of commissioners, the public and outreach to its tenants. The plan provides direction for port staff to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions derived from port activities in line with state and federal reduction targets. Commissioners identified developing a CAP as a goal in the port’s 2018 Strategic Plan. The CAP aims to protect air quality through deliberate and proactive efforts in all aspects of the port’s operations.
With the plan completed, implementation work begins. The CAP provides a menu of different actions the port can take over the coming years to reduce GHG emissions and meet reduction goals. Currently, staff is developing the reduction recommendations for FY 2022 and will present these to port commissioners during the annual budget review and approval process, which is taking place in November 2021.
Virgin Islands Port Authority
At the Seatrade Cruise Global event held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in September, Virgin Islands Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe and Royal Caribbean Group’s Vice President of Destination Development Joshua Carroll signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations. The MOU is a recommitment from Royal Caribbean Group to extend its existing 10-year, pier-use agreement for preferential berthing at VIPA’s cruise facilities in Crown Bay, St. Thomas and Frederiksted, St. Croix. The existing agreement was executed in June 2016.
VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe also announced that in addition to guaranteed minimum revenues to VIPA and increased cruise visits to both St. Thomas and St. Croix, Royal Caribbean Group has expressed an interest in developing enhancements to the cruise facility in Crown Bay and making landside improvements in the Crown Bay District and St. Croix to enhance the island’s tourism products.
VIPA will align with Royal Caribbean Group to expand the Austin “Babe” Monsanto Marine Facility in Crown Bay to allow the berthing that includes Icon- and Quantum-class ships and the development of a third berth.
Royal Caribbean Group has also committed to partner with VIPA and the Government of the USVI to develop and enhance the overall visitor experience in St. Croix.
The U.S. Virgin Islands recently started receiving cruise visits to its islands following the halt of cruising in March 2020. Celebrity Edge was the first ship to call on St. Thomas on July 20, and on August 8 in St. Croix, Celebrity Equinox was the first ship to berth since the pandemic.
