Port infrastructure

The union representing about 45,000 dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports says employers want to eliminate jobs by implementing semi-automated technology at marine terminals.

The Environmental Protection Agency will disburse nearly $3 billion in federal funds meant to offset the costs of upgrading thousands of pieces of yard equipment from diesel to electric power.

Beth Ann Branch is taking the reins as New Orleans develops the $1.8 billion Louisiana International Terminal, which will allow the port to service ultra-large container ships.

A report from the US Governmental Accountability Office shows the possible, but narrow, path for adoption of automation at US ports as maritime employers and longshore labor along the East and Gulf coasts attempt to hammer out a new master contract.

The US Department of Transportation’s latest round of infrastructure grants also target port-adjacent roadways, berth expansions and yard equipment electrification.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach registered their best year ever in reducing emissions, but they still face daunting challenges as they strive to reduce pollution that remains from vessel, cargo handling, truck and rail sources.

Port users are concerned that if the technology and infrastructure needed to support a zero-emission environment is not built out, the industry’s only recourse will be to cap cargo volumes at Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The contingency plans by the ports come as some ocean carriers are cutting off new export bookings ahead of the possible work stoppage and issuing surcharges for cargo en route to ports that may be closed on Oct. 1.

The shippers were joined this time by a group of House Republicans, who in a separate letter warned of the “dire impacts” to the US economy from a possible port strike.

The report aims to bolster the case for heightened cyber-security efforts at US ports, which the congressmen who authored the report say are vulnerable to Chinese espionage.

Cargo Services will expand the global port operator’s reach in Asia across a range of industry verticals.

The federal grants lean heavily on further electrification of heavy-duty trucks, but also look to other methods for reducing emissions.

Under a $136 million multi-year lease with Jaxport, Enstructure will also develop 200,000 square feet of on-terminal warehousing that’s expected to increase the port’s non-containerized cargo by 20%.

The dredging would be part of a multifaceted project to expand the terminal’s capacity from 500,000 TEUs to 2.5 million TEUs within the next decade and allow it to handle ships of any size.

Jonathan Daniels will take the port’s helm in early February, with construction of the Sparrows Point Container Terminal atop his list of priorities.

The service will be heavily focused on transporting refrigerated cargo but will also allow for dry cargoes coming out of Latin America to find a new path to the US.

The Water Resources Development Act, which provides funding for deepening and widening projects at US ports, has no set timeline to be implemented and stakeholders worry the delay will hinder critical work.

The facility sets up the Port of Wilmington to become a key point of entry for importers of refrigerated blueberries, grapes, apples, pears, citrus and a broad variety of organics.

The project, in coordination with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, is due to be completed in late 2024 and will help move cargo faster through Western Canada.

GPA's ability to handle growing volumes has attracted the likes of Rivian and Hyundai, both planting roots in Georgia to export vehicles from new facilities through Brunswick.

Given the current growth rate, Morrocco’s Tanger Med could reach its nominal annual container capacity of 9 million TEUs as early as next year.

SC Ports says the work will allow the terminal to attract growing volumes of cargo moving through the Suez Canal on large ships that are too big to call the facility now.

Deepening Savannah’s shipping channel, which would take about 10 years to complete, would put the port on par with other major Southeast ports such as Charleston and Norfolk.

While shippers say the situation — which could linger through mid-November — is less than ideal, many noted there have been no real impacts yet.

The cranes are part of overall improvements to update and expand Blount Island operations and double its current capacity to 500,000 TEU by 2025.

Familiar reminders of the disruptions to supply chains caused by climate change, such as low water levels on the Rhine River and in the Panama Canal and wildfires in North America, are becoming more frequent and intense.

The National Association of Waterfront Employees says terminal operators are potentially on the hook for “tens of billions of dollars” to upgrade their cargo handling equipment and allowing them to use tax-deferred funds would increase their purchasing power.

The Georgia Ports Authority has acknowledged the added berth capacity was sorely needed during the worst of the pandemic-driven port congestion when Savannah’s queue hit more than 30 ships in September 2021.

Brunswick’s growth comes amid rising automotive production, pent-up consumer demand and an easing of the semiconductor shortage that occurred during the pandemic.

The problems flared in recent weeks after Ocean Network Express shifted a vessel service out of Jacksonville’s other primary container terminal, Dames Point, causing a volume imbalance between the two terminals.

The US Department of Transportation is funding infrastructure projects that include carbon neutralization plans, updating miles of century-old rail and improving port access roads.

The funds will come from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with three separate grant opportunities soliciting applications under a single program called the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program.

The bipartisan legislation does not identify specific countries that manufacture the cranes that would be subject to inspection, but a statement from the co-sponsors specifically mentions China.

The Georgia Ports Authority expects to begin construction on the approximately $170 million terminal in early 2024, which will have a focus on manufacturing imports and poultry exports.

Jaxport is seeking a new tenant or tenants for a 79-acre parcel at the Talleyrand Marine Terminal in preparation for Toyota vacating the property in 2025.

Vancouver’s proposed Robert Banks Terminal 2 cleared a major federal environmental hurdle this week, putting the focus on who will construct and build the facility with a planned annual capacity of 2.4 million TEU.

The improvements are planned ahead of the Port of Virginia’s dredging project that will deepen Norfolk Harbor to 55 feet and widen its ship channels so the port can accommodate two-way vessel traffic.

APM said the new section of the terminal will operate with net-zero emissions and be fully automated and prepared for shore power installation.

Newly launched ocean carriers Kalypso and Ellerman are debuting trans-Atlantic services for US shippers that want to bypass the delays and congestion seen over most of 2022.

The award of two federal grants to the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) will help fund a dredging project that will allow the port to handle larger vessels.