Port of Philadelphia Handles Sizable Military Cargo in October, Second Big Military Outload in 45 Days
Philadelphia, PA, October 14, 2009- This past weekend and continuing into this week, the Port of Philadelphia is handling its second shipment of important military cargo in 45 days, again demonstrating the agility of its two largest terminals, said John H. Estey, Chairman of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA). The cargo that arrived in Philadelphia this past weekend is heading back from Iraq to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard facilities at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA. The Guard needs to have this equipment returned quickly so it can be repaired and be available for training and other state emergencies.
The added benefit of using the Port of Philadelphia for this latest cargo is that the soldiers supervising its movement, who have been deployed overseas for over a year, can remain close to their homes instead of traveling to out-of-state locations away from their families, Chairman Estey said.
The two shipments are estimated to contribute more than $2 million to the region’s economy. U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and Congressman Bob Brady have worked closely with the Department of Defense (DOD) to make Philadelphia a distribution hub for military cargo moving between the United States and theaters of operations around the world. Senator Specter and Congressman Brady have praised the Port of Philadelphia for working in conjunction with DOD to ensure that the Port’s workforce, facilities and technologies are available to move equipment back from Iraq to waiting repair facilities located throughout Pennsylvania and the greater Northeast and Midwest. In a letter to U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Army Material Command, they highlighted the economic and logistical benefits of shortening the distance cargo must travel to return to its home unit or to a military depot to be reset.
The Port of Philadelphia, along with Pennsylvania-based commercial and military repair facilities, have been preparing to be a major player in the movement, storage and refurbishing of the thousands of pieces of equipment that must be returned from Iraq, repaired, and quickly made available for use again. Noted Senator Specter and Congressman Brady, “As DOD draws down forces in Iraq it will be a major challenge to get this equipment repositioned and repaired. In the past this has been a major pitfall for DOD and we are hopeful that we here in Philadelphia can play a leading role to insure that this effort happens more efficiently than it has in the past.”
The two lawmakers worked closely with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, PA Gov. Edward G. Rendell, State Rep. William F. Keller as well as port officials and the military to make Philadelphia a Strategic Military Seaport and/or optimize that designation. Several commonwealth agencies, including PRPA, have invested in workforce training and facility improvements in the years since the designation. The Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council (DRMEC) has collaborated with DOD and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and has successfully deployed new next generation virtual information-sharing services to move cargo more rapidly and securely through complex global DOD and commercial supply chains.
The first military shipment this year, in September, was handled by Holt Logistics LLC, operators of PRPA’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia. It supported deployment needs of the 10th Mountain Division, headquartered at Ft. Drum New York, to Southwest Asia.
The current Pennsylvania National Guard operation is being handled by Delaware River Stevedores, operators of the Tioga Marine Terminal in Port Richmond. It includes equipment and vehicles assigned to the 56th Combat STRYKER Brigade of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard returning from its deployment to Iraq.
“The port has handled 27 military shipments since it was designated a strategic military seaport in 2002”, said James T. McDermott, Executive Director of PRPA. Referring to the current Tioga operation, he continued, “This most recent military cargo, utilizing a different terminal than usual, as well as- for the first time- commercial carrier and trucking concerns, demonstrates our flexibility and adaptability. Delaware River Stevedores, Central Gulf Lines, Landstar Trucking, the Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council, the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command are working together to deliver a job well done.”
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with the management, maintenance, marketing, and promotion of publicly owned port facilities along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, as well as strategic planning in the port district. PRPA works with its terminal operators to modernize, expand, and improve its facilities, and to market those facilities to prospective port users. Port cargoes and the activities they generate are responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area and throughout Pennsylvania, as well as numerous other economic benefits.
The Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council’s (DRMEC) mission is to serve as a catalyst and facilitator of collaborative efforts that advance and promote the growth and development of the Delaware Regional Marine Transportation System, enable and promote rapid technology transfer and collaboration between commercial, government, military and academic institutions for high speed time sensitive commercial and military shippers and transporters on a regional and national basis and leverage commercial transport and logistics assets to improve strategic mobility and informational capabilities for federal, state, and local law enforcement and other agencies. DRMEC is a Pennsylvania not-for-profit organization that has received funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as the Federal government, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Transportation.
The added benefit of using the Port of Philadelphia for this latest cargo is that the soldiers supervising its movement, who have been deployed overseas for over a year, can remain close to their homes instead of traveling to out-of-state locations away from their families, Chairman Estey said.
The two shipments are estimated to contribute more than $2 million to the region’s economy. U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and Congressman Bob Brady have worked closely with the Department of Defense (DOD) to make Philadelphia a distribution hub for military cargo moving between the United States and theaters of operations around the world. Senator Specter and Congressman Brady have praised the Port of Philadelphia for working in conjunction with DOD to ensure that the Port’s workforce, facilities and technologies are available to move equipment back from Iraq to waiting repair facilities located throughout Pennsylvania and the greater Northeast and Midwest. In a letter to U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Army Material Command, they highlighted the economic and logistical benefits of shortening the distance cargo must travel to return to its home unit or to a military depot to be reset.
The Port of Philadelphia, along with Pennsylvania-based commercial and military repair facilities, have been preparing to be a major player in the movement, storage and refurbishing of the thousands of pieces of equipment that must be returned from Iraq, repaired, and quickly made available for use again. Noted Senator Specter and Congressman Brady, “As DOD draws down forces in Iraq it will be a major challenge to get this equipment repositioned and repaired. In the past this has been a major pitfall for DOD and we are hopeful that we here in Philadelphia can play a leading role to insure that this effort happens more efficiently than it has in the past.”
The two lawmakers worked closely with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, PA Gov. Edward G. Rendell, State Rep. William F. Keller as well as port officials and the military to make Philadelphia a Strategic Military Seaport and/or optimize that designation. Several commonwealth agencies, including PRPA, have invested in workforce training and facility improvements in the years since the designation. The Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council (DRMEC) has collaborated with DOD and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and has successfully deployed new next generation virtual information-sharing services to move cargo more rapidly and securely through complex global DOD and commercial supply chains.
The first military shipment this year, in September, was handled by Holt Logistics LLC, operators of PRPA’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia. It supported deployment needs of the 10th Mountain Division, headquartered at Ft. Drum New York, to Southwest Asia.
The current Pennsylvania National Guard operation is being handled by Delaware River Stevedores, operators of the Tioga Marine Terminal in Port Richmond. It includes equipment and vehicles assigned to the 56th Combat STRYKER Brigade of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard returning from its deployment to Iraq.
“The port has handled 27 military shipments since it was designated a strategic military seaport in 2002”, said James T. McDermott, Executive Director of PRPA. Referring to the current Tioga operation, he continued, “This most recent military cargo, utilizing a different terminal than usual, as well as- for the first time- commercial carrier and trucking concerns, demonstrates our flexibility and adaptability. Delaware River Stevedores, Central Gulf Lines, Landstar Trucking, the Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council, the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command are working together to deliver a job well done.”
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with the management, maintenance, marketing, and promotion of publicly owned port facilities along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, as well as strategic planning in the port district. PRPA works with its terminal operators to modernize, expand, and improve its facilities, and to market those facilities to prospective port users. Port cargoes and the activities they generate are responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area and throughout Pennsylvania, as well as numerous other economic benefits.
The Delaware River Maritime Enterprise Council’s (DRMEC) mission is to serve as a catalyst and facilitator of collaborative efforts that advance and promote the growth and development of the Delaware Regional Marine Transportation System, enable and promote rapid technology transfer and collaboration between commercial, government, military and academic institutions for high speed time sensitive commercial and military shippers and transporters on a regional and national basis and leverage commercial transport and logistics assets to improve strategic mobility and informational capabilities for federal, state, and local law enforcement and other agencies. DRMEC is a Pennsylvania not-for-profit organization that has received funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as the Federal government, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Transportation.