Port News

Terminal operator DP World said it will lock out dockworkers at Australia’s Port of Fremantle for 24 hours next week in the latest move in an increasingly bitter labor dispute.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., has joined a New Jersey state senator in calling for abolition of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor.

A former International Longshoremen’s Association local president and an ex-pier supervisor were sentenced to prison this week for their roles in a long-running extortion racket that funneled workers’ “Christmas tribute” to the mob.

The number of containers handled at major ports in India climbed 8.32 percent year-over-year from April through November, the first eight fiscal months, continuing an accelerating growth trend that leaves state-owned port authorities on track to meet annual throughput targets.

A model for improving truck turn times is emerging at ports on the West Coast of North America, involving a coordinated effort by marine terminals to open their gates at night and on weekends, and to spread out truck traffic through appointment systems with predictive analytics.

The relentless drive by container lines to reduce their per unit carrying costs through deployment of modern mega-ships means that the automation of marine terminals is inevitable. But each automated terminal will be tailored to the individual needs of the operator based on cost, volume and type of operation.

GCT Bayonne expects to pilot the Port of New York and New Jersey’s first truck appointment system in the first half of 2015, a terminal executive said at the 2nd annual JOC Port Performance-North America conference.

Moody's Investor Service today upgraded its outlook for U.S. ports from negative to stable for the first time in five years, on the back of rising U.S. container volumes.

U.S. port congestion delays are starting to cost shippers money — and customers in some cases.

David Adam, chief negotiator for U.S. East and Gulf Coast waterfront management, challenged employers and the International Longshoremen’s Association to consider changes to their bargaining process before their next contract expires in 2018.

The likelihood that truck drivers will have different hours of service rules next year is increasing, as Congress wraps language that will change suspend some 2013 HOS changes into its $1 trillion spending bill.

The Brazilian port of Manaus will invest R$97 million (US 37.4 million) in automation at one container terminal and at a general cargo facility and buy new equipment after receiving private use status, exempting it from certain labor rules.

NEWARK, New Jersey — Container dwell times at the Port of New York-New Jersey are down to 4.1 days this year from 6.5 days in 2013, and truck turn times have improved by 11 percent, but the port complex expects even better productivity in 2015.

With ships being the largest source of port-related air pollution at the Port of Long Beach, the port said it on Tuesday that it will implement an incentive to reward shipping lines for testing new air pollution-control technology.

Larger ships and rising volume will force West Coast ports to jump to a new level of technology by investing in automated yard stacking cranes, says Larry Nye, vice president of port engineering and planning firm Moffatt and Nichol.

As a port with one of the largest surpluses of empty containers in the U.S., New York-New Jersey is attractive to agricultural and industrial exporters needing containers but who often have a hard time getting access to them in the non-urban areas where their cargo typically originates.

With its larger, consolidated terminals handling larger volumes from bigger ship calls, the Port of Oakland is considering officially expanding its gate hours for the first time, its head said today.

Beneficial cargo owners are still navigating the perils of U.S. West Coast port congestion, as they attempt to bring inventory in for the spring season.

The continuing congestion and delays affecting West Coast ports are reaching the point where it may leave the type of lasting negative impression that followed the 10-day work stoppage in 2002.

The Port of New York and New Jersey is under the gun to improve productivity and truck turn times before the mid-2016 raising of the Bayonne Bridge “almost instantaneously” brings a new generation of larger ships to East Coast ports.

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission will launch a website soon that will serve as a clearinghouse for port congestion surcharges, following industry confusion over planned U.S. West Coast surcharges, Commissioner Michael A. Khouri said today.

Part of the reason South Atlantic ports haven’t seen as much congestion as their Northeast and Southern California counterparts is because the operating port model is more prevalent there, Federal Maritime Commissioner Michael Khouri said today.

Almost half the container vessels arriving at the Asian ports of Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Nhava Sheva between Oct. 15 and Nov. 15 were delayed more than 12 hours, and one third of the arriving ships faced delays of more than 24 hours, CargoSmart has found.

Hong Kong’s long-discussed container terminal 10 may finally be axed after the latest port master plan study found that throughput growth had slowed to such a degree that it was not financially or economically viable.

New revenues would be needed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to fund a proposed cross-harbor barge or rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey, Fitch Ratings said on Monday.

For some shippers, the Los Angeles-Long Beach ports provided the ultimate fake-out this year. They diverted cargo away from the largest container complex in the Americas in the spring, and then brought back imports through the ports after months of seeing no disruption— only to get slammed by the worst congestion in years.

The Nigerian Ports Authority will turn to a task force to help identify root causes of congestion at the Lagos port complex as volumes continue to grow.

Russian has tapped Vladivostok as the country’s first “free” port, in an attempt to boost the Russian economy besieged by lower oil prices and sanctions from Western countries.

Foreign container throughput at Pearl River Delta ports grew 12.8 percent in November, the highest monthly growth in more than two years and putting, according to data reported by Citi Research on Monday.

Congress could greatly reduce the threat of labor slowdowns and lockouts at the nation’s ports by putting longshore worker labor agreements under the purview of the Railway Labor Act, an economist and former Congressional Budget Office director said.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. has lifted its congestion surcharge of $100 per TEU imposed earlier on shipments moving from Europe to Sohar, saying congestion at Oman's largest port is easing.

Stopping at the congested Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex in October made container ships an average of 3.4 days late at the next port of call, industry analysis has shown.

Negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association were held on Sunday as the two parties completed a weekend of face-to-face talks.

The congestion that crippled Los Angeles and Long Beach this year and tarnished the reputation of the largest U.S. port complex will linger for awhile longer, but the ports’ chief executives are confident Southern California will once again be the gateway of choice for trade with Asia.

Contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association were underway today and are expected to continue through Sunday as negotiators look ahead to the ILWU caucus that is scheduled for Dec. 15.

Contract negotiations were held Friday between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, and talks would most likely continue into the weekend, according to a PMA spokesman.

This week’s top 10 stories on JOC.com makes one thing abundantly clear: All eyes are on the U.S. West Coast labor negotiation. The top three stories all centered around negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Several other stories stayed on the familiar topic of West Coast port congestion and the shakeups it has caused in supply chains. Several other business news items also crept into the list.

A $9 million rehabilitation of the Port of Tacoma's main road will replace over 1.4 miles of the port’s main drive this spring, aimed at smoothing the port’s traffic patterns and boosting safety.

The heads of the two largest U.S. ports said it is time for President Obama to pressure the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association to end the contract impasse that is crippling West Coast ports and is threatening the nation’s economy.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Federal Highway Administration are seeking public comments on their draft environmental impact statement on a cross-harbor barge or tunnel for the movement of trucks, containers or railcars.