Community Involvement

These maritime-related jobs are somewhat unusual, but it’s hard to imagine how we could live without them.

Starting in Q4 2019, we added a new section to Seaports Magazine. Called "Behind the Scenes," this section will pass along quick, easy-to-read insights on what is going on both at your association and with your fellow members.

As a major driver of jobs, economy and natural resources, ports play an important role in community life. Sharing that importance with the community isn’t always easy, especially since much of what happens does so outside the public eye.

Some ports and companies are taking superlatives to a new level. Inspiring and intriguing, it isn’t hard to imagine how they caught our eye as some of the cleanest, largest, grandest, fastest, handiest, deepest and busiest operations around. These information-packed snapshots show how changes in technology and transportation are fueling powerful, attention-grabbing stories and ideas at ports around the world. ...

API Puerto Vallarta caters solely to cruise ships and tourists, but manages to make it work – partially due to its relationships with other ports on the cruise ship routes. By Tom Hranac As a port that completely relies on tourism, Administración Portuaria Integral de Puerto Vallarta´s business model seems to run contrary to the old saying “Don’t put all ...

As much as individual ports may differ, major changes in the world shipping market have required changes in how all ports view themselves and their competitive positions.  By Richard Steinke, Moffatt & Nichol For many of us in the maritime industry, the old adage, “When you’ve seen one port, you’ve seen one port!” is certainly true. As delegates come to ...

Maintaining coastal property for maritime activities is critical to ports’ success and requires ports to find allies and partners in other levels of government, the community and the private sector to succeed. By Candace Gibson It’s a delicate balance to maintain a working waterfront and nurture relationships with parties who want a piece of valuable maritime real estate. Ports are ...

By Sandy Smith PORTS’ POWER AS CONVENERS: SUPPLY CHAIN LEADERSHIP ROLE IS A NATURAL FIT The world of shipping is undergoing a sea change with consolidation, larger ships and economic pressures. And that’s just the water side. On land, the same financial pressures await. So what role can a port play in solving these broader supply chain issues? A lot. Take ...

Success can be interpreted in all kinds of ways. It doesn’t just pertain to bottom lines or TEUs or crane capacity. In this article, AAPA member ports answered the questions: What is the biggest success of your port since the recession? What obstacles did your port overcome to achieve this success? The answers prove that the definition of success is ...

Ports Strengthen Partnerships Via Community Outreach By Kathy A. Smith Ports are involving local communities in several ways that help educate and engage stakeholders. This involvement not only acts as a way to bridge ports to their communities, it can encourage acceptance, involvement and even partnerships. “How we achieve outreach is with open communication,” says Manuel Almira, executive director for ...