U.S. seaports and their private-sector partners plan to invest $46 billion over the next five years in capital improvements to their marine operations and other port properties, said a recent survey initiated by the American Association of Port Authorities. Meanwhile, it said the intermodal links such as roads, bridges, tunnels and federal navigation channels to access the ports get scant attention by state and federal agencies, resulting in traffic bottlenecks. AAPA said it continues to advocate for a national freight infrastructure strategy and for the U.S. Congress to quickly pass a reauthorized multi-year transportation bill that targets federal dollars toward economically strategic freight transportation infrastructure of national and regional significance. Planned capital investments by ports for the 2012-2016 period, by region, include: North Atlantic, $3.3 billion. South Atlantic, $4.3 billion. Gulf, $22.1 billion. Great Lakes, $360 million. North Pacific, $7.7 billion.
The South Carolina Ports Authority board approved what it called the most aggressive investment plan in the agency's 70-year history June 18, it said. It said the plan is based on the anticipated growth of South Carolina's ports from big ship traffic, the expansion of the Panama Canal and increased exports from the region. The board approved a budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which begins July 1, that includes $146.9 million in capital spending on major investments such as the construction of the new Navy Base Terminal and upgrades to facility infrastructure and information systems. The budget anticipates an eight percent increase in container volume and a six percent planned increase in breakbulk and non-containerized cargo at South Carolina's public seaports. It calls for the addition of nine jobs in the operations and maintenance areas during the next 12 months. May's container volume of 132,498 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) was a nearly 10 percent gain over the same month last year, the board was told. In the 2012 fiscal year to date (from July 2011 to May 2012), TEU volume in the Port of Charleston was up 3.4 percent from the previous year while pier tons of non-containerized cargo in Charleston and Georgetown climbed 43.1 percent. The SCPA board also approved a $2 million paving and container yard improvement project for North Charleston Terminal, to be completed by Banks Construction Co. It also approved a resolution authorizing the SCPA, as Grantee, to apply to reorganize Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) No. 21 under an alternative site framework. This reorganization would increase the FTZ service area along the coast and broaden the benefits to both new and existing companies using the program. The SCPA serves as Grantee of the FTZ program for FTZ No. 21 along the South Carolina coast and FTZ No. 38 in the Upstate.
The American Association of Port Authorities will recognize 22 seaports for exemplary communications projects and programs at its annual convention Oct. 21-25 in Mobile, Ala., it said. The list is (here).
The Port of Virginia handled 12.6% more cargo in May than a year ago, growing to 178,584 TEUs. The breakbulk tonnage total was 25,161, up 59 percent over last May, it said. Total rail containers handled in May were 33,221, up 21.6%.
Supermaritime of the Netherlands plans to build a breakbulk terminal in the Scaldiahaven in Vlissingen, it said, creating increased capacity for handling general and project cargo or the Zeeland ports. The new terminal is to become operational in the autumn on a 9-hectare site in the Scaldiahaven. Supermaritime will gain access to 375 metres of quay, suitable for ships with a draught of up to 14 metres, it said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, and the Port of Los Angeles completed a Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Berths 302-306 American Presidents Line (APL) Container Terminal Project, they said in a Federal Register notice. They gave the 30-day Notice of Availability for the Final EIS/EIR for the project, which will conclude on July 16, 2012.
Jacobs Engineering Group said that it received a contract from the Port of Houston Authority for engineering services for the rehabilitation of Wharves 1 and 2 at the Barbours Cut Terminal in Morgans Point, Texas. The project is to allow the wharves to accommodate larger ship-to-shore cranes. Officials estimate construction to cost in excess of $50 million, with a design contract value of $4.9 million. Construction is expected to be complete by fall 2014.
The West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA) announced a 2.5 percent increase in the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, effective Aug. 1, in order to address labor cost increases scheduled to take effect July 1. The TMF will be increased by $1.50 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) to $61.50 per twenty-foot container or $123 per forty-foot container. The fee helps pay for the night and Saturday marine terminal shifts created by the PierPass OffPeak program to relieve daytime congestion in and around the ports, the ports said, and provides a financial incentive to move cargo during less congested times.
Fitch Ratings gave a 'AA' rating to the Massachusetts Port Authority's $285 million in series 2012-A and 2012-B revenue bonds. It also affirmed other Massport ratings, citing the port's "very strong operational profile." Fitch said "strong economic underpinnings of the service area supports healthy demand for Massport's transportation and commerce related business lines."
The Federal Maritime Commission "should produce a thorough, transparent, and credible evaluation of relevant information available to us" about whether the Harbor Maintenance Tax is diverting U.S. cargo through Canadian and Mexican ports, said FMC Commissioner Rebecca Dye, speaking at the Canadian American Business Council June 7. The evaluation was requested last year by members of the Washington State congressional delegation (see ITT's Online Archives 11110364).