John Roby, director of corporate affairs at the Port of Beaumont, will retire in February after a 36-year career with the port. Bellingham Port Commissioners elected officers for 2016 and welcomed a new member, Bobby Briscoe, at their first meeting of the New Year on January 5. Canaveral Port Authority Commissioners on January 8 agreed to the appointment of shipping line executive Capt. John W. Murray as the next chief executive officer of Port Canaveral.

Montreal Port Authority (MPA) President and CEO Sylvie Vachon on January 4 officially inaugurated the start of a new year of activity at the Port of Montreal by presenting the Gold-Headed Cane to the master of the first ocean-going vessel to reach the port without a stopover in 2016. M/V Spaarnegracht was the first ship to call this year at the Port of Sept-Îles, arriving in ballast from Savannah at 9:47 a.m. on Sunday, January 3.

Operational responsibility for the intermodal container service at the Port of Baltimore has been transferred from CSX Intermodal Terminals to Ports America Chesapeake under an agreement reached between the two companies. The 1,310-foot megaship CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin departed the Port of Oakland January 4 following a weekend visit and an earlier call at the Port of Los Angeles. With its 18,000-TEU capacity, "Big Ben" is the largest container vessel to call U.S. ports and is scheduled to return to the West Coast in February.

The Port of Palm Beach experienced increases in cargo tonnage, container volume and operating revenues during the fiscal year that ended September 30, 2015. The Trois-Rivières Port Authority recounts a prosperous 2015 in terms of cargo traffic, cruise activity, new development projects and community involvement.

The Port of Oakland’s Ben E. Nutter Marine terminal has re-opened follow two months of modernization. Operated by Everport Terminal Services, the facility serves all Evergreen Line ships calling Oakland.

Applications are now being accepted for the $100,000 Innovations in American Government Awards. Offered by Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the Innovations Award is the nation’s premier award for the public sector. It recognizes programs that demonstrate creative and effective government at its best.