Author Archives: kbuchanan

An Enterprising and Ambitious Approach to Sustainability

Ports Are Aggressively Pursuing Creative Solutions to Make Their Operations More Environmentally FriendlyBy Tom Gresham Seaports operate on the front line of climate change. Consequently, the port industry has proved ambitious in its attempts to take a leadership role on critical sustainability issues, often exceeding expectations and regulations while pushing for impactful and innovative new ways of operating. Through the ...

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Embracing the Digital Transformation Generation

Crucial Steps Are Being Made in the Exploration and Testing of Information Technology at PortsBy Sandy Smith Derrick Whalen, director of information and technology services for the Port of Halifax, has spent just a few months on the job and in the seaports industry. But he already sees opportunities to make an impact. “This is the challenge I was hoping ...

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Data-Informed Decision Making

By Mary Lou Jay Seaports have always used data – like the number of TEUs handled or passengers served – to measure their current success and to plan for the future. Now they have the potential to do even more. New methods of collecting information and the growth of computing power and cloud storage has made it possible for ports ...

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Not Your Father’s Cranes and Equipment

Revolutionary Strides Being Made with Cranes, Conveyors and Equipment Options for Ports Equating to Drastic Changes in Operations and AestheticsBy Lori Musser One of the few constants in the dynamic field of seaport operations is that cargo must move between ships and other modes. But the cranes, conveyors and other equipment that shift cargo from ship to shore-based mode of ...

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AAPA Slates 2020 Calendar of Seminars and Conferences

Overall 10 maritime industry conferences and training events slated In addition to its 2020 Annual Convention and Expo and its 2020 Latin American Congress of Ports events, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)— the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas—has slated eight maritime industry training seminars and conferences for 2020. These include the popular Shifting Trade workshop in Tampa, FL (Jan. ...

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Humanitarian Relief: Savannah, Tampa, Virginia

Immediate needs and long-term support to help in rebuilding the northern Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian continue to be a high priority for AAPA and its members. Efforts to help people in the Bahamas have included assistance from Georgia Ports Authority,which gathered disaster relief supplies and filled shipping containers; Port Tampa Bay, along with industry partners, that filled eight containers totaling 113,500 ...

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The Art of Business Development

“Business Development”…it’s a big name for something that, in its purest form, is really quite simple. Whether in the maritime sector or any other, business development is really just sales and marketing with a strategic vision and focus. It’s the allocation and use of personnel and resources to galvanize your port’s long-term vision and viability while maximizing its current and ...

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To Rehab or Reconstruct, that’s the Question

By Donald Brinkman, Director of Engineering, Port of Lake Charles As the Director of Engineering for the Port of Lake Charles, I spend a lot of my time contemplating the challenge of upgrading aging infrastructure. I am not alone in this regard.  I know that my colleagues feel the same way and often worry about the best way to tackle ...

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