Port News

The rapidly changing shipping environment and the lengthy list of problems faced by marine terminal operators mean supply chain stakeholders need to get comfortable with sharing information and data, according to the head of APM Terminals in North America.

Container volumes handled by Indian ports fell 10 percent in November, as data showed the country’s minor, private gateways have begun to show declines that had been borne exclusively by their major, public counterparts.

Container volumes at big US ports rose in November ahead of the next round of US tariffs on Chinese imports, according to a major retail group, who nonetheless warned the ongoing trade war will continue to put a drag on the US economy.

México está avanzando con un nuevo programa de cabotaje para permitir a los cargadores mover la carga sobre el agua dentro de las fronteras del país, proporcionando una alternativa al transporte por camión. Esta traducción al español de una historia de JOC es parte de nuestra cobertura mejorada de México.

James Lyons’ successor as head of the Alabama State Port Authority will have plenty on their plate as the Port of Mobile looks to expand its container handling capacity and attract new shipping services amid growing volumes.

November data shows the cargo loss from India’s major public ports is accelerating, putting even more pressure on stakeholders to stop the bleeding.

The Port of Baltimore has moved a step closer to sending double-stacked trains to the Midwest through the Howard Street Tunnel, securing the last portion of the $466 million needed to fund the project.

The Maryland Port Authority and Port of Baltimore are looking for a new leader after 18-year veteran James J. White announced he would step down as executive director of the authority at year’s end.

The Port of Montreal has the funding to advance construction of a fifth container terminal after the Canada Infrastructure Bank committed financing of up to $300 million (US$230 million).

The Alabama State Port Authority is preparing to search for a new director and CEO after James K. Lyons, who has held the job for 20 years, said Tuesday he would retire at the end of 2020.

The chief commercial officer of the North Carolina Ports Authority will retire in January 2020.

The Port of Virginia will extend the hours of mandatory appointments by one hour to 3 p.m. during the week, a move supported by the trucking community.

Technology, data-sharing, and process improvements such as container dray-offs are mitigating marine terminal congestion in LA-LB, with further improvements likely as long as terminal operators and truckers continue to collaborate.

An online petition posted by truckers in the Port of New York and New Jersey has collected 7,000 names in opposition to a bill in the New Jersey legislature that would redefine how state officials determine whether a driver is an owner-operator or an employee. The bill is advancing nonetheless.

Austin-based technology company Shipwell has in the past been dubbed a freight marketplace, a broker, and a software provider, but bolstered by a large funding round in October, the company is focusing on automation and connectivity for shippers.

Truckers agree that improvements made by terminal operators and facilitated by PierPass Inc. over the past year have contributed to improved turn times in Los Angeles-Long Beach, but the Harbor Trucking Association called for more uniformity among the 12 terminals in the harbor.

Ports have undergone a “digital transformation” in recent years in order to meet new challenges and develop new capabilities, but that has come hand-in-hand with growing cyber-related risks, according to a new EU study.

An analysis of new Indian container data shows importers and exporters are increasingly shifting cargo to private, minor terminals, and Adani Group is the beneficiary of much of that diversion.

The extent to which US retailers rebuild their inventories post-Christmas will provide a hint as to how consumers will respond to mixed economic signals and higher prices on some Chinese goods.

A 30-year shipping industry veteran who heads up Modern Terminals in the Port of Hong Kong will become president of Ports America in February.

The Port of Halifax will meet its self-imposed deadline to handle two mega vessels simultaneously by March, when the extension of a berth at one of the port’s two container terminals is completed.

Mexico is moving ahead with a plan to create a cabotage program in the first quarter of 2020 to enable shippers to move cargo over water within the country’s borders, providing an alternative to trucking.

JAXPORT expects terminal upgrades and a dredging project will attract larger vessels and more volumes when work is complete in 2023.

East and Gulf Coast ports in the first 10 months of 2019 were largely unaffected by US-China trade war, but West Coast ports, which are heavily dependent upon imports from China, registered a 3.2 percent decline in total imports from Asia.

Asset-monitoring technology will help Canadian Pacific and intermodal shippers to locate and better utilize the railroad’s chassis pool.

Shippers and truckers can now use chassis from Milestone Equipment Holdings when they move cargo in or out of the GCT New York terminal in the Port of New York and New Jersey, expanding the number of chassis options available at the terminal and increasing the number of suppliers.

The acquisition of Emergent Cold gives US-based Lineage Logistics greater access to Asian markets and facilities at three US ports.

SM Line will bring direct liner service back to Portland after a two-year absence even as the ILWU deals with a recent $93 million judgment against the union for damages the terminal operator incurred during five years of work slowdowns at the Oregon port.

Using technology to correct documentation errors before trucker appointments are made and the terminals’ use of appointment systems to meter gate traffic reduced turn times in in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to a six-year low in October.

The Port of New York and New Jersey has been a beneficiary of the nearly two-decade shift in container cargo from the West Coast to East and Gulf coasts, but its growth has not kept pace with its competitors in the Southeast, particularly with regard to discretionary cargo moving inland via rail.

Trucking companies that employ owner operator drivers in the Port of New York and New Jersey are again battling an attempt to change the rules that determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee, while unions are pushing for the legislation to become law.

Abu Dhabi Ports officials will initiate talks with Indian counterparts to draw up a roadmap for establishing integration links between their respective digital logistics portals.

Danny Wan has been named executive director of the Port of Oakland, replacing Chris Lytle, who retired in July after six years in the top spot.

West Coast employers are somewhat hopeful the ILWU will view the unprecedented $93 million judgment in Portland as a wakeup call to improve labor relations and stop the bleed of cargo to ports on other coasts.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam unveiled an international trade plan to boost exports by 50 percent in the next 15 years, a key initiative since laden exports fell between January and August for the second consecutive year.

The increasing cargo and vessel size at the Port of New York and New Jersey will present a major test to the port’s new leadership as the port seeks to consolidate its dominance on the East Coast container market while improving fluidity.

A New Jersey law that reshapes the way the state assesses whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee has triggered opposition from truckers who say it will damage the Port of New York and New Jersey’s drayage fleet.

If AB5 becomes law on Jan. 1, the ability of more than 70,000 truckers in California to provide services as independent owner-operators will be severely compromised, the head of the California Trucking Association warned Tuesday.

The ongoing upgrade of the sole container terminal at the Port of Boston will get a $20 million boost from the US Department of Transportation to help pay for a yard expansion and a new connecting road.

The Port of Los Angeles anticipates a very soft fourth quarter due to US tariffs on Chinese imports, which a new report said threatens 1.5 million US jobs and more than $186 billion in economic activity.