Port infrastructure

US ports and support infrastructure such as warehouses and rail connections aren’t better equipped to handle import surges than they were during the pandemic when record volumes drove congestion to historic highs, carrier executives said this week.

A deal between the Northwest Seaport Alliance and the Native American Puyallup Tribe will result in a 22-acre, two-berth terminal completed by the end of the decade.

The long-term agreement calls for the ocean carrier to add seven services with 10 weekly calls to Brazil’s largest port over the next two years.

The carrier’s investment, announced while its chief executive met at the White House with President Donald Trump, comes amid heightened political sensitivities in the US as far as the container shipping industry is concerned.

Cargo tracking shows no clear advantage for Chinese-based ocean carriers transiting the critical waterway, throwing doubt on the US president’s claims of China’s influence, according to a report from the visibility data provider.

The provincial government is looking to reignite the long-delayed Contrecoeur project, saying Montreal needs more capacity and new trade partners.

The port’s recently approved five-year strategic plan details infrastructure, transloading and maritime support activities that it hopes will spur cargo growth by making the Northern California gateway more attractive to importers.

As the new US administration looks to strengthen its regional sphere of influence, bipartisan political support is building to boost US shipbuilding, and thus, the country’s ability to project power in the Arctic and reduce dependence on foreign carriers.

The proposed Edgemoor container terminal was slated for groundbreaking in January, but the project timeline is now uncertain after a federal judge ruled its permit was unlawful in a case brought by the nearby Port of Philadelphia.

The planned development in Eastern Canada marks the latest stage in a nearly two-year-old partnership between the company and the Class I railroad.

The comments by Louis Sola during a Senate hearing come amid rising US scrutiny of Chinese influence over the crucial waterway.

Officials at Los Angeles and Long Beach say they are prepared to do what is necessary should the new administration target green policies at the ports.

With the president-elect looking to unwind some Biden administration policies, US port operators want to ensure that maritime transportation funding will not be unduly affected.

Advent eModal, a three-decade landmark provider of fee collection and appointment scheduling at container terminals, has been sold by private equity group Blackstone to air cargo software specialist CargoSprint.

The union representing 45,000 longshore workers along the East and Gulf coasts is seeking to block technology that management says is critical for land-constrained ports to handle larger ships.

The use cases for sensor-enabled container fleets could expand if shipping lines see such hardware as a legitimate tool to combat the threat of illicit goods movement.

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.