North American ports

Breakbulk tonnage has risen at Port Houston’s City Docks facility after the global oil price shock linked to the Russia–Ukraine war prompted an increase in active oil rigs in Texas.

The anticipated Q4 slowdown in Savannah and Charleston follows a busy summer for the two ports, with combined laden imports rising 9 percent year over year in the third quarter.

Port of Wilmington operator GT USA saw a major shake-up of its board as insider directors were ousted amid rising operating costs and loss of a major lawsuit.

The Port of Houston is weighing whether to hit shippers with an additional fee if they let their import containers dwell for excessively long periods as terminal space remains tight.

The Port of New York and New Jersey is close to releasing a revamped tariff that recalculates how it will levy a $100-per-container fee on ocean carriers who let empty boxes linger.

Two retired US Navy admirals are recommending that the national security impact of the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal ballpark project be considered more seriously.

The ports of Tampa Bay and Jacksonville were closed to all vessel and truck moves as of midday Wednesday as major Hurricane Ian approached the west coast of Florida.

The Port of Portland is on pace to recover approximately half of the volume it once handled.

The Georgia Ports Authority is lowering the number of empties carriers can store at its terminals and increasing fees for storing empties that exceed those allotments.

The Port of New York and New Jersey has seen an uptick in empty container sweeps by ocean carriers after its decision to impose a tariff aimed at empty boxes lingering in the region.

While the security guard contract is separate from the coastwide longshore deal being negotiated, officials are working feverishly to avoid a strike, given the possibility that dockworkers would honor any picket lines, thus shutting down affected terminals.

Technology intended to help shippers and forwarders manage arrival notice information might be the solution that federal regulators are seeking to bridge data gaps from carriers and terminals.

Improving the flow of cargo through marine terminals is the primary focus of many who want to implement long-term changes to the US supply chain in the wake of the chaos wrought by the pandemic.

The July spike in imports from Asia arriving at US East and Gulf coast ports overwhelmed some of those gateways with vessel backlogs and congested marine terminals.

New White House port envoy Gen. Stephen Lyons tells JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi how transport providers and shippers can help accelerate the recovery of the US container shipping system as import pressures wane.

The Asia East Coast service will offer one of the fastest transits between the US Southeast and Asian ports, cutting a week of travel time for Jacksonville importers.

The US Surface Transportation Board has given CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Port of Mobile more time to reach an agreement with Amtrak over the restart of a Gulf Coast passenger service.

NY-NJ marine terminals have been almost constantly offering Saturday gates over the last two years to help move import volumes, but those gates have accounted for only about 5 percent of total truck transactions.

Shippers who move cargo through Houston say more needs to be done to address how exports are handled in the face of surging import volumes that have also sucked up truck, yard, and chassis capacity.

The dispute over job jurisdiction at Seattle's Terminal 5 (T5) was known to be one of the most contentious issues headed into negotiations between West Coast longshore labor and management, which began on May 10 and could continue well into the fall.

The South Carolina Ports Authority has started leasing new chassis from its Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal as it launches the first phase of its proprietary chassis pool program.

Year-over-year declines in import volumes amid weakening retail sales could help clear the queue of more than 30 vessels outside Savannah during the fourth quarter, according to the Georgia Ports Authority.

The US Department of Transportation has announced project grants designed to improve container handling at three ports, including the US’s largest gateway.

The Harbor Trucking Association says it will provide evidence to the FMC about the burdens that West Coast drayage carriers face in returning empties to Los Angeles–Long Beach marine terminals.

East Coast congestion continues to be a concern for carriers as more West Coast volumes are diverted, slowing cargo flow at East and Gulf coast ports.

The Port of New York and New Jersey saw a decline in rail volumes in the first half of 2022 as intermittent container embargoes at railroads and low trucking rates pushed shippers off the rails.

Ocean carriers serving the Port of New York and New Jersey should do more to sweep up empty containers, according to FMC chairman Daniel Maffei, as the agency announces a broader look into the issue.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it will start charging an export container dwell fee in a bid to prod ocean carriers to remove more containers than they drop off.

Shippers and motor carriers are urging the Federal Maritime Commission to address the growing problem of returning empty containers to New York and New Jersey marine terminals.

The Port of Savannah has more than 40 vessels anchored outside its harbor, but the Georgia Ports Authority said the terminal is more fluid today than last fall.

Port of New York and New Jersey drayage carriers say their ability to operate is being hamstrung by the need to find scarce appointments at marine terminals for returning empties.

West Coast port managers say their terminals could handle even more vessel capacity than trans-Pacific carriers are scheduled to deploy this peak season, but landside bottlenecks are limiting the effective terminal capacity that exists today.

Joseph Morris takes the helm of the Massachusetts Port Authority as Boston looks to continue a broad modernization of New England’s only full-service container terminal.

The Port of Philadelphia is prioritizing the densification of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal and looking to open new near-dock storage as it readies for post-Panamax ship calls.

Officials in Savannah and Charleston want carriers to stop changing port calls because unexpectedly discharging containers in the other’s port causes landside woes and disrupts the overall supply chain.

East and Gulf coast ports in the first six months of 2022 continued to benefit from cargo diversions as national retailers sought to mitigate risk with the West Coast labor contract expiring on July 1.

Optimism is growing that a deal can be struck for a new West Coast longshore labor contract within a month or two, but that sentiment is not shared by all observers given the number of difficult issues that need to be resolved.

The developer of a proposed container terminal at Oregon’s Coos Bay is hoping the ongoing supply chain disruption will demonstrate the need for infrastructure that would take billions of dollars and years to build.

US East Coast ports anticipate a busy third quarter and are bracing now to handle the volume with off-dock storage of long-dwelling imports and empty containers to keep cargo flowing smoothly.

With Friday’s expiration of the contract between the ILWU and West Coast marine terminal employers, negotiations for a new deal enter a new and more unpredictable phase that has shippers on edge.