North American ports

The Port of Portland Commission on Feb. 12 will be asked to approve an agenda item that would result in a payment of up to $4 million to keep Hanjin Shipping Co., Hapag-Lloyd and other carriers calling at the port in 2014.

A chassis-shortage contagion that has plagued the three largest U.S. ports since late last year is a stark reminder to cargo interests, trucking companies and waterfront labor that the cozy world of ocean carrier-owned chassis has come to an end.

New York-New Jersey container terminals reopened on Feb. 10 to long truck queues as the terminals struggle with ice, congestion and delays that truckers say are causing cargo to be routed to other ports.

Although its channel depth is supposed to be 38 feet at the harbor entrance, Brunswick, Ga., currently has only 31 feet at low tide due to shoaling and inadequate funding for dredging, constraining shipping at one of the nation’s largest auto gateways.

Widespread severe winter storms and colder than typical weather are slowing deliveries and cutting into manufacturing activity — but a thaw is coming, eventually.

Container volumes moving through West Coast ports in 2013 increased 2 percent compared to 2012. Loaded import containers also increased 2 percent, as did loaded export containers, according to numbers posted on the website of the Pacific Maritime Association.

SEA ISLAND, Ga. — The port of Savannah is drawing closer to a moment deemed critical to the future of the United States’ fastest-growing port over the past decade and a half: commencement of construction of its 47-foot deepening project.

Prospects for East Coast ports are brightening, especially on the export side, as the global economic recovery fuels demand for everything from automobiles to grain and forest products. But a number of variables could disrupt the ports’ projections, on the upside and the downside.

The New Jersey Motor Truck Association is working with New York-New Jersey container terminals to ease problems that cause congestion and delays that have angered drayage drivers.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has organized a Port Performance Task Force to find ways to make things run more smoothly after labor shortages and volume spikes continue to cause intermittent delays at terminals.

The Port of Mobile, Ala., will remain closed today, but several other marine terminals planned to resume normal service after closing yesterday because of an ice storm that hit southern states from Virginia to Texas.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is considering selling the ExpressRail intermodal terminal operated by Maher and APM Terminals at Elizabeth, N.J., the Newark Star-Ledger reported.

Forecasts of freezing rain and icy roads and bridges forced the closure today of several U.S. Southeast ports, including Houston, New Orleans, Mobile and Charleston.

With global demand for huge earthmoving tires growing 20 percent over the last four years, Michelin needed to expand production at its seven existing earthmoving tire plants around the world. After a global search, it decided to invest $750 million in South Carolina, both to build a new plant, called US-10, in Anderson and expand its existing plant in Lexington.

The Georgia Ports Authority moved 235,311 TEUs in December, up 7.4 percent year-over-year, but down 3.3 percent month-over-month.

Truck flows and cargo handling at the Port of Portland were back to normal as the week was drawing to a close, but the residual effects of the latest disagreement between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and terminal operator ICTSI may continue to be felt in the days ahead.

Combined container volume at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma fell 7.6 percent in December from a year earlier to 278,163 TEUs, continuing a slide that began in February.

Container terminals in the ports of New York-New Jersey and Virginia keep truck gates open this weekend to tackle cargo backlogs that developed over the holidays and have worsened with this month’s cold weather.

The Port of Long Beach will spend $788 million this fiscal year to improve its infrastructure, green its operations and keep competing ports from taking any of its cargo.

South Carolina’s Port of Charleston handled more than 1.6 million TEUs for the full year of 2013...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill to eliminate a cargo facility charge that is being challenged before the Federal Maritime Commission. New York also must approve repeal legislation before it takes effect.

The Port of Los Angeles may face threats from the Panama and Suez canals and ports in Canada and Mexico, but in terms of its ability to make payments on more than $700 million in debt...

The Port of Virginia handled a record 2.22 million TEUs in the full year of 2013, resulting from increased import and export volumes...

Responding to intense competitive pressures in the maritime industry, the ports of Seattle and Tacoma today filed a discussion agreement with the Federal Maritime Commission that would allow them to gather and share information on operations, facilities and rates.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex’s total container volume in December was 1.24 million TEUs, increasing 7.6 percent from 1.14 million TEUs in December 2012.

New Jersey’s Assembly has joined the state senate in voting to repeal a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s cargo facility charge, which is under attack in a complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission.

Truckers at the Port of New York and New Jersey say the first days of 2014 have greeted them with congestion reminiscent of the gridlock that delayed cargo pickups and deliveries last summer.

California’s ports on Jan. 1 became the first in the world to require that container lines operate their vessels from shore-side electrical power while at berth, and this potentially industry-changing event is proceeding without any major problems.

New bridges, marine terminals and channel deepening get the headlines, but the key to ports’ success may lie in more mundane details such as better information flow and reduced delays for trucks.

A shortage of skilled labor hampered container handling in Los Angeles-Long Beach on Monday, although the problem was expected to dissipate during the next couple of days as terminals worked their way out of the log jam that built up over the holidays.

Armed with two new container services that launched last year and a new rail ramp opening later this year, Port Everglades is poised for a year of growth in its container throughput.

U.S. West Coast ports have arrived at a “crossroads” in 2014, according to the head of the Pacific Maritime Association.

Containerized exports from West Coast ports surged 15 percent year-over-year in November, and imports increased 12 percent...

Container terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey will be closed Friday because of a blizzard that’s forecast to hit the region with six to nine inches of snow and winds of up to 35 miles per hour.

What follows are our picks for the top 10 stories of 2013. Do you agree? Disagree?

Combined container volume at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma fell 4.3 percent in November from a year earlier to 274,016 20-foot-equivalent units...

Longshoremen at the Port of Portland on Tuesday were performing work on a Hanjin Shipping Co. vessel that could influence whether the South Korean carrier continues to call in Portland in the coming year.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex’s total container volume in November was 1.25 million 20-foot-equivalent units, increasing 10.1 percent from 1.14 million TEUs in November 2012.

Strong exports at South Carolina’s Port of Charleston drove a 6.1 percent year-over-year increase in container traffic in November.