On the heels of an informative Virginia Port Authority tour for media, Congressional and U.S. Department of Transportation staff (including Bureau of Transportation Statistics and Maritime Administration) on Aug. 3, the Port of Houston Authority (on Aug. 17) and Port Corpus Christi (on Aug. 18) each held a freight industry influencer’s roundtable and media tour last week, titled "Freight: Keep it Moving." Marking the fourth year in a row that AAPA has co-hosted these types of freight infrastructure-related programs, the back-to-back port meetings in Houston and Corpus Christi called on key thought-leaders throughout the transportation industry to explore critical issues facing U.S. seaports. 

A softened global economy, the weakened Canadian dollar, and some containerized cargo shifting back to United States ports following an extended labor disruption on the U.S. West Coast last year are primary factors contributing to lighter than usual traffic through the Port of Vancouver, according to the port authority’s 2016 mid-year statistics report released last week. The Port of Virginia through July handled 1.5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), which is an increase of 1.1 percent when compared with the same period last year.

JAXPORT’s ongoing investment in building the port of the future was on display last week as three state-of-the-art 100-gauge electric container cranes arrived at the port via the St. Johns River. The cranes arrived at the Blount Island Marine Terminal aboard the specialty vessel Zhen Hua 14, which departed from Shanghai, China in early June. They are being offloaded at the newly reconstructed Berth 35 and will be fully-operational by the end of the year.

Liberty Global Logistics has announced a new export service via the Port of Brunswick for general cargo destined to the Eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea and Persian Gulf.

Over the weekend, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey conducted an emergency response exercise at New Jersey Marine Terminals at the Red Hook Terminal Pier Area in Port Newark. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson observed the exercise.

This week, Fednav Limited brought new ballast water treatment technology to the Port of Milwaukee and the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor. The 2015 Inventory of Air Emissions released last week shows the Port of Los Angeles has largely continued to preserve clean air gains that have reduced key pollutants, lowered health risk in surrounding communities and improved the quality of life in the greater Los Angeles area.

AAPA is in the process of assembling a new Work Group under the auspices of the Maritime Economic Development (MED) Committee. Called the Planning Work Group, (formerly known as the Planning and Research Committee) it will be co-chaired by Dr. Natacha Yacinthe, PPM, AICP Seaport Planning Manager for Port Everglades, and Paula Reeves, Senior Manager-Planning for the Northwest Seaport Alliance. If you are interested in serving on this Work Group, please contact Jean Godwin to have your name added to the list.  If you want to join the Work Group, you must either be a member of the MED Committee or agree to join since it will be part of the MED Committee.

Port Manatee has signed an agreement to keep Del Monte fruit coming into the Florida Gulf Coast port for as many as 20 more years. Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc., which has imported fruit into the port since 1989, is now signed to a lease extension with Port Manatee through Aug. 30, 2021, with options for three additional extensions of five years each.