Key Topics

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE! U.S. Trade Policy: Which Doors Will Remain Open?

With White House trade policies under review and recent announcements regarding tariffs and exemptions, the topic of trade is swelling into every board room, port and business involved in the supply chain. * By Bridget Gorman Wendling * With White House trade policies under review and recent announcements regarding tariffs and exemptions, the topic of trade is swelling into every ...

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Tracking Excellence

For port directors and administrators, pursuing excellence is heavy lifting. Tracking progress is even more difficult. * By Lori Musser * Excellence starts with establishing a clear vision of a goal, and relentlessly pursuing it. Excellence requires a bias for action, doing things well and constantly digging for information and refining solutions as you go. Excellence is about accepting only ...

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Strong Safety Practices Require Holistic Approach

Ensuring a safe work environment means far more than creating a plan and practicing it once in a while. It means taking a holistic approach that encompasses everyone.  * By Sandy Smith * Natural disasters. Chemical releases. Transport accidents. Most ports have plans in place to deal with these situations. But ensuring a safe work environment means far more than ...

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Keeping the Waterside Secure

Ports enhance their security capabilities through resource and information-sharing collaborations with government agencies and private organizations.  * By Mary Lou Jay * When it comes to waterside security at U.S. ports, small boats pose some of the biggest problems, according to Jeffrey Brown, senior vice president of critical infrastructure and public safety  at ARES Security (ASC). Suicide bombers, like those ...

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Certifications: Going Above and Beyond

Seaports and the vehicles and vessels that serve them are embracing the network of overlapping environmental standards that apply to their operations, and some are even voluntarily taking it to the next level. * By Sarah B. Hood *  Poised at the intersection of land, sea and sky, seaports touch every aspect of their environment, so it makes sense that ...

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EcoPort Certification

Marrón Cabrera, ecology coordinator at Port of Ensenada, shares insights related to the port’s experience in becoming certified as an EcoPort, a European-based initiative that recognizes excellence in environmental management and port sustainability.  * By Tom Hranac * The Port of Ensenada’s commitment to environmentally sustainable best practices has allowed it to become certified as an EcoPort. This certification, awarded ...

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PORTS + POLITICS: Maritime Infrastructure Needs Regular Investment

In many ways, our nation’s 300+ ports – from the largest ports in Seattle, Long Beach and Savannah, to small ports in rural communities up and down our coastlines and along our rivers – are the workhorses of the infrastructure world. * By Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) * When people hear the phrase “infrastructure investment,” they may think of a ...

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Business Boom: Ports Report Record-Setting 2017

Anyone wondering if U.S. and Canadian ports have finally recovered from the 2007-2009 recession has only to look at the record-setting numbers for 2017 that many have posted. By Mary Lou Jay—  Anyone wondering if U.S. and Canadian ports have finally recovered from the 2007-2009 recession has only to look at the record-setting numbers for 2017 that many have posted. ...

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One-Sided Investments – U.S. Ports Call for Federal Support of Long-Term Infrastructure Development

AAPA estimates that, without sufficient investment from federal sources, the nation risks the loss of $4 trillion in potential GDP loss and $575 billion in cost to American businesses and households by 2025. By Sarah B. Hood—  Last January 10, Port of Cleveland President and CEO William Friedman spoke on behalf of AAPA before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment ...

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Ship Shape: Ports Navigate Their Niches to Find Their Areas of Expertise

When it comes to handling a certain type of cargo, some ports immediately spring to mind as industry leaders. It may be the luck of location, years of honing expertise or a willingness to support shippers as they expand. By Sandy Smith—  When it comes to handling a certain type of cargo, some ports immediately spring to mind as industry ...

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