Key Topics

Guest Article By Jason Atwell, Mandiant, Inc. During World War II, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Naval Intelligence (in)famously enlisted the support of the mafia to protect the docks of New York from German and Italian saboteurs. The threat from sabotage was deemed great enough, and the situation was so dire in the early years of ...

AAPA extends its congratulations to U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on his plans for retirement in 2022. Chairman DeFazio has proven instrumental to seaports in his advocacy over the course of his time in this role. He was key to the restoration of Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) legislation in every Congressional session from 2014 ...

Members of AAPA’s Government Relations team were honored to attend the 2021 Connie Award ceremony in Newark, N.J., this week where Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, was awarded this year’s Connie, and Bill Mongelluzzo, senior editor of the Journal of Commerce, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. AAPA heartily congratulates both Gene and Bill on their outstanding achievements.

November was a busy month for AAPA’s Government Relations team, with the federal enactment of the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, the passage of the Build Back Better Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, and new federal legislation in the works, as well as plans for upcoming events in San Diego and Tampa. For awareness, the current Continuing Resolution Act ...

PortVision50 is a U.S. based non-profit dedicated to assisting ports and maritime stakeholders learn more about the solutions available to ships to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) goals. AAPA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with PortVision50 to support these efforts. PortVision50 is in the midst of creating a dashboard to help North American ...

AAPA is hosting an information briefing on provisions in both the newly-enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) and the Build Back Better Act that Congress is expected to take up soon. Join AAPA on Monday, November 22, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Pacific) for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: What’s In It For You? virtual briefing. To participate, contact Derek ...

Last Friday night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes over $5 billion exclusively for port programs and an additional $27 billion of funds eligible to ports. Funding in this bill is spread over five years. AAPA is thankful for the hard work of lawmakers, port leaders and ...

As Congressional Democrats continue to negotiate the contours of their budget reconciliation bill, AAPA’s Government Relations team is doing all it can to ensure funding for the port industry is included in the bill. In the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s reconciliation draft, offshore wind is listed as one of several priorities for the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). AAPA ...

On the afternoon of Oct. 13, port and other supply chain leaders met with President Biden to discuss challenges currently faced by global logistics networks. Mario Cordero, AAPA chairman and executive director of the Port of Long Beach, and Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, attended the meeting along with executives from Wal-Mart, FedEx and UPS. ...

During the 2021 AAPA Annual Convention in Austin, AAPA and Lamar University’s Center for Port Management renewed their Memorandum of Understanding to reinforce their mutual interest in advanced and continuing education for current and prospective port industry leaders. Led by Erik Stromberg, former AAPA and North Carolina Ports CEO, Lamar’s Center for Port Management offers a unique, 12-course, fully online ...