North American ports

This summer’s delays at the Port of New York and New Jersey have resulted from labor shortages and low productivity at container terminals, not from a shortage of trucking capacity, a leader in the port drayage community said.

Maher Terminals said it “has turned the corner” on the troubled implementation of a new operating system, and that the Port of New York and New Jersey’s largest container terminal will be ready when its volume returns to normal levels.

The Port of Baltimore is gaining market share on its big rival to the north, the Port of New York and New Jersey.

The Georgia Ports Authority handled record tonnage in fiscal year 2013, and a record volume of freight moved by intermodal rail.

NEW YORK — The executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey defended the agency’s bridge and tunnel toll increases and said toll revenue is not being diverted to the over-budget World Trade Center rebuilding or other port authority real estate projects.

The Port of Vancouver USA’s board of commissioners has unanimously approved a 10-year lease with the Tesoro-Savage Joint Venture for a crude oil handling facility at the port.

The New York Shipping Association said per-container assessments on cargo moving through the Port of New York and New Jersey will be lowered on Aug. 1, reflecting reduced operational costs.

The Port of Hueneme’s board of harbor commissioners has approved a contract amendment with California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District that furthers the port’s plans to build a shore power infrastructure system, as part of its Shoreside Power Project.

The Alabama State Port Authority has approved a concession agreement with Alabama Steel Terminals to develop a new $36 million steel coil handling facility...

New York Container Terminal and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have agreed on a plan to offset the impact of bridge toll increases that have raised truckers’ costs and reduced cargo volume at the Staten Island terminal.

Drayage industry leaders say the Port of New York and New Jersey faces the loss of cargo to rival gateways unless it can end delays that have produced seven consecutive weeks of long truck lines outside container terminals.

By this time next year, the Port of New York and New Jersey's Global Container Terminals will leapfrog Virginia International Terminals’ Portsmouth facility as the East Coast’s most technologically advanced container terminal.

Oregon’s Port of Portland reported total container traffic totaled 13,934 20-foot-equivalent units in June, rising 21.5 percent year-over-year from 11,473 TEUs and 7.1 percent month-over-month from 13,014 TEUs.

The first shipment of imported Fiat cars from Italy has arrived at the Port of San Diego’s National City Marine Terminal.

The Port of Philadelphia handled 168,820 20-foot-equivalent units in the first half of 2013, jumping 24 percent from 135,656 TEUs handled during the first half of 2012.

The Port of Tacoma reported its container volume in the first six months of 2013 was 930,794 20-foot-equivalent units, increasing 29 percent year-over-year.

The Port of Oakland’s board of commissioners has approved a resolution that officially ratifies the election of new board officers.

The Port of Tampa and AMPORTS have signed a letter of intent to develop a new terminal dedicated to the import and export of automobiles and rolling stock.

The Port of San Diego’s board of port commissioners has adopted a $180 million budget for fiscal year 2013-2014.

The U.S. economic recovery has not brought as much container volume growth as expected, according to an Asian transportation report by Jeffries, a global investment banking firm.

Christiansen Enterprises has moved into a 10,500-square-foot facility at Washington’s Port of Kalama to meet increasing demand from the forest products industry for its dry kilns, parts and services.

The Port of Hueneme has hired John Demers as chief operations officer, according to Kristen Decas, the California port’s CEO and director.

The Port of Charleston’s container traffic in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, totaled 1.56 million 20-foot-equivalent units, increasing 9 percent over the previous year.

The Port of Long Beach reported June container volume totaled 565,476 20-foot-equivalent units, up 1.8 percent compared with the same month last year.

Construction is progressing on the $1 billion Gerald Desmond Bridge at California’s Port of Long Beach.

The Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest container port, reported a 7.2 percent year-over-year decline in June cargo volume.

The Port of Oakland’s board of commissioners has unanimously approved a lawsuit settlement that could produce the port’s first super-sized terminal.

Officials from Port of Hueneme in California and Ports America have formally christened the stevedoring company’s new Liebherr LHM 420 Litronic mobile harbor crane.

Georgia’s Gov. Nathan Deal, the Georgia Ports Authority and Cordele Intermodal Services today signed an inland port agreement to ensure a direct 200-mile rail route to and from...

The Port of Virginia handled 175,864 20-foot-equivalent units in June, increasing 4.4 percent or 7,434 units compared to June 2012, wrapping up the port’s best fiscal year ever.

Container terminal officials in the Port of New York and New Jersey said they’re sensitive to port truckers’ problems and are working to eliminate delays and congestion aggravated by volume shifts and seasonal labor shortages at the East Coast’s busiest port.

Port of Long Beach Executive Director Chris Lytle will leave Southern California this month to assume the Port of Oakland’s top position. Although the ports are only 400 miles apart, the culture, location and leadership needs in Northern California are so different from the Long Beach scene that Lytle might as well be moving to another state.

Thomas Fields, who is taking over as president of the Long Beach Harbor Commission, believes the commissioners have worked out their internal differences and are ready to move forward as a united commission.

Container volumes at West Coast ports edged up 1 percent in May compared to May 2012, according to statistics published on the Pacific Maritime Association’s Web site.

The Port of New York and New Jersey today reported that traffic congestion throughout the port roadway system has affected the entire New Jersey port complex, particularly the southern Port Elizabeth entrance.

The opportunity for East Coast container ports to gain significant market share from their West Coast counterparts is over and unlikely to appear again, despite their growth expectations tied to the expansion of the Panama Canal, an outspoken supply chain analyst said Friday.

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report on the proposed deepening of Florida’s Port Everglades has said the project would improve safety and lessen delays...

Newly appointed Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero spoke with The Journal of Commerce, explaining how he envisions the agency potentially overhauling ocean transportation intermediary rules, promoting exports and assisting port authorities.

Hydrogen fuel cells may be technically feasible and commercially attractive as a “clean, quiet and efficient” power source for ships at berth, replacing onboard diesel generators.