North American ports

A move of three unassembled air cooling condensers to three different construction sites added layers of complexity to an international logistics solution.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance argues the market share loss is due to cheaper intermodal rail rates, but Prince Rupert says that is not the case — that two other factors are driving its value proposition.

The latest expansion in South Carolina provides yet another data point concerning one vessel trend in North America.

New York City and the Port of New York and New Jersey are preparing for a future of strong growth and more demanding supply chains.

Growth at the Port of Baltimore is driving up truck turn times and forcing operational changes.

A gray chassis pool is not off the agenda, stakeholders say, but as of mid-2018 it appears to be a solution in search of a problem, for several reasons.

It took the new management team at APL’s Pier 300 in Los Angeles only three months to improve truck turn times from the worst in the harbor to the fourth best among the 12 terminals. And they accomplished it by deploying a "customer focus/consumer focus" strategy.

Shippers that use the Port of New York and New Jersey may find that Syracuse offers an attractive option once a rail-linked inland port is built. But will its lower rent offset higher logistics costs?

The port is attracting new business — aided by two infrastructure improvements and stronger international demand. But the situation, like so many trade sectors, is fluid: a trade war would likely affect the bullish trend.

US ports can follow the lead of West Coast ports, which have developed a smart strategy to prepare several weeks in advance for sudden surges or drops in cargo volumes.

Yusen Terminals in Los Angeles, where Union Pacific is adjusting to a consolidation of shipments from the three former lines that formed the Ocean Network, is a major focus of the railroad’s attention.

There are still differences of opinion among stakeholders regarding the equity of the proposed system for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Beneficial cargo owners and truckers in Southern California have experienced only spot chassis shortages, and given current import projections, this condition should continue through the peak season. However, store-door contracts that designate the use of specific intermodal equipment provider chassis are still an issue, and this condition could worsen if non-vessel operating common carriers expand their use of door contracts with chassis clauses.

The two port authorities believe the pool will solve two chassis problems — eliminate the chassis shortage and provide the highest-quality chassis. But they also warn beneficial cargo owners that this won’t be an overnight fix.

Two proposals moving forward at the Port of New York and New Jersey to cut truck moves and curb pollution would provide alternative routes for shippers moving cargo to or from Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island by rail.

Despite concerns that the intense bursts of cargo exchange triggered by mega-ship calls could stress port resources and systems, the port has seen no notable increase in congestion, terminal-gate truck backups, or chassis access problems after the raising of the Bayonne Bridge.

Keeping these projects funded and on schedule is important because beneficial cargo owners want to put their supply chains in markets ready for the future of ocean transportation — and that means being ready for mega-ships.

The Port of Los Angeles’ fiscal 2018-2019 budget emphasizes the expansion of marine terminals and supporting infrastructure, as well as technology advancements to improve cargo-handling efficiency.

The Port of Charleston received $49 million for dredging this year, less than the $90 million it sought. However, beneficial cargo owners do not have to worry because South Carolina will provide a $50 million bridge loan, and the $558 million project is still on track to be complete in early 2021.

Via frequent outreach to truckers, beneficial cargo owners, and railroads — including a culture change — Total Terminals International has gone from having the worst truck turn times at the ports of Los Angeles-Long Beach to becoming one of the more efficient terminals.

As with many other consumer industries, it’s not that the toy industry pie is shrinking, it’s merely being split differently.

After a robust 2017, another strong year for electronics imports to the United States is likely in 2018, given the iPhone/smartphone era and the utility of apps. And only an all-out China/US trade war would slow that trend.

The Oakland Portal that the Northern California port launched Thursday will help beneficial cargo owners, terminal operators, truckers, and other port users share shipment information on a single platform rather than having to access dozens of different websites.

Importers who pick up cargo during the day favor the prospective flat fee structure, as they would pay less. Importers who pick up cargo at night, who currently don’t pay the traffic mitigation fee (TMF), and would pay more, oppose the new PierPass 2.0 program. Meanwhile, terminals argue they can’t operate extended gates without compensation, and beneficial cargo owners and truckers want greater terminal TMF transparency.

The Port of Virginia has been experiencing glitches with its new Navis N4 software in the Virginia International Gateway terminal. Fortunately, there has not been a major disruption for beneficial cargo owners but it is creating an inconvenience for truckers.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has been battling non-ILA competition at Delaware River terminals for more than two decades. Jim Paylor, president of Local 1566, said non-ILA unions have kept down wages, among other ramifications.

Shippers that send cargo through the Port of New York and New Jersey may want to monitor the outcome of the debate over how a truck driver is defined — as an independent contractor or an employee — to determine whether a trucking group is correct that a change in the regulations could diminish the drayage service at the port.

A new marine terminal could serve as the catalyst for the creation of a regional barge trade in the US Northeast.

Retailers are rushing to import merchandise from China before potential Trump Administration tariffs kick in.

BCOs fear imposing indirect source pollution restrictions on warehouses and distribution centers on top of LA-LB clean-air restrictions will raise the cost of shipping through the Southern California gateway.

A key US retailer group asked the Federal Maritime Commission to turn down the new fee structure with a mandatory appointment system, or at least delay a decision, and it offered several reasons for its stance.

The system's “interoperability,” which proponents argue will improve equipment utilization and allow a trucker to use any chassis between any start and stop location in the port area, is designed to aid terminal fluidity — a pivotal performance metric, as mega-ship calls pressure the gateway.

The goal of the 12 terminal operators at LA-LB is to promote uniformity for drayage operators and more efficient service for beneficial cargo owners in PierPass 2.0 via a common set of rules for trucker appointments and peel-off operations.

The system would provide the association and other port stakeholders with a key metric that can be used to analyze the performance of terminals over time and compare turn times at different terminals to encourage more efficient practices.

Chassis support facilities are part of a larger trend, certainly on the US West Coast, to repurpose properties that may not be suitable for marine terminals for ancillary functions. Moreover, the ultimate goal, if achieved, would represent a business model advance for the sector.

Consistently good truck turn times and container dwell times since peak season 2017 have beneficial cargo owners who ship through Los Angeles-Long Beach optimistic that most of the dozen terminals will handle their shipments with a minimum of congestion issues this summer and autumn.

Shippers and logistics providers seeking warehouse space in the Port of New York and New Jersey area amid rising rents and declining vacancy rates are unlikely to see near-term relief, even as more than a dozen projects will add more than 12 million square feet to the market, real estate brokers say.

Despite being 75 miles from open sea, the Port of Stockton ranked fourth among Californian ports with 4.7 million tons of cargo last year, including 360,000 tons of breakbulk shipments.

Shippers looking for an alternative East Coast terminal through which to send container cargo may soon have the option of an expanded facility in Wilmington, Delaware, which is 30 miles closer to the sea than Philadelphia.

Auto manufacturers and shippers should find capacity increasing on the Europe-to-East Coast route, as Grimaldi Lines launches 10 new roll-on, roll-off ships, in a move triggered by growth in auto cargo volumes passing through East Coast ports.