The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced it has awarded more than $280 million in discretionary grant funding through the new Port Infrastructure Development Program. This funding is designed to improve port facilities at or near coastal seaports. The Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) Notice of Funding Opportunity was announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency. The total funding level for FY 2020 is $100 million. Application forms and instructions are available on Grants.gov. The deadline to submit PSGP applications is 5:00 p.m. ET, April 15.  AAPA has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Labor as among 28 U.S. entities to administer nearly $100 million being awarded through the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grant program.

AAPA has chosen Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Rickey “R.D.” James to receive the 2020 Port Person of the Year for his dedication in leading the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) civil works mission to streamline processes for maintaining and improving the nation’s infrastructure, including its deep-draft shipping channels. AAPA will present Mr. James his “Port Person” award at the 2020 AAPA Spring Conference in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 18, where he will also present remarks. Mr. James’ presentation will follow a luncheon and keynote address by Axios Co-Founder and Executive Editor Mike Allen, who will discuss his predictions for the 2020 U.S. elections.

The diverse slate of speakers for this year's Spring Conference include Chris J. Baldwin, Executive Chairman of BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Chairman of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, will deliver the afternoon keynote address on Tuesday, March 17. Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States, will join the program on Wednesday, March 18 to share his insights on the impacts of trade policy on European Nations.

Register Today!  To be an Exhibitor or Sponsor, contact Ed O’Connell at eoconnell@aapa-ports.org or (703) 706-4709 for more information.

Port Lázaro Cárdenas was the Mexican national leader in the handling of bulk mineral cargo in 2019 by moving 16,732,202 tons, 5% more than last year. The figure represents 53% of total port cargo. The port also registered 483,364 cars transferred last year, positioning it as the leader in the Mexican Pacific. The Port of Santos led the ranking of cargo handled by Brazilian ports in 2019, moving 106.2 million tons, according to a 2019 annual report published by the National Agency for Waterway Transport of Brazil (ANTAQ). The Brazilian port sector moved 1.104 billion tons last year, a decrease of 1.6% compared to 2018. Decreases in the movement of iron (-10%) and soy (-10%) contributed to the drop in total tonnage. The Port of Santa Marta moved 5,636,008 tons of cargo in 2019. The port also reported that vehicle transshipment traffic through Santa Marta grew 30% in 12 months, from 43,000 units handled in 2018 to 57,000 in 2019.

Cruise ship companies are looking for locally authentic on-shore experiences for their passengers, and the Port of Nanaimo is taking extra steps to help support the local business community to create them. The Port of Valparaiso welcomed the cruise ship MSC Magnifica for the first time. With more than 3,000 visitors, including passengers and crew, the ship is the second largest vessel to arrive at the port as part of the 2019-2020 cruise season.

The Port of El Salvador, managed by The Company of Docks of the State of Bahia (CODEBA), exported a new shipment of wind equipment to the Port of Pensacola to establish a wind power generation park in the city. The Port of Palm Beach unveiled new electric vehicle charging stations in its parking lot to encourage employees and port tenants to commute to work in plug-in vehicles.

The Port of Long Beach invites nonprofit organizations to apply for its Community Sponsorship Program, which funds community events and activities that help inform residents about the port. The Port of Oakland has joined the International Maritime Center (IMC) to unveil a tribute to mariners. The new, abstract sculpture titled “Sea Remembrance” was installed in January next to the IMC facility at Port View Park. The Port of San Diego has rescheduled the “Circus in the Park: A South Bay Arts Event,” which was originally scheduled for February 22. It was rescheduled to February 29 due to weather predictions. The Executive Committee of Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) has named WCI Senior Vice President Deb Calhoun as WCI Interim President/CEO, effective February 18, 2020. WCI President/CEO Michael J. Toohey recently announced his retirement. To begin the process to select a permanent president/CEO, an executive search firm will be retained and later announced.

The Connecticut Port Authority announced an agreement has been finalized to redevelop State Pier into a state-of-the-art port facility through a combined public-private investment of $157 million. The Port Authority of Curaçao received two new ship-to-shore gantry cranes for the container terminal on board the heavy-lift vessel Wish Way. Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther provided the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority with an update on progress toward federal authorization of Project 11, the planned widening and deepening of the Houston Ship Channel. The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the Port of Cleveland will receive $27 million in two U.S. Department of Transportation grants. The grants will help the two ports carry out infrastructure projects at each location. Santos Port Authority presented to the press the new zoning of the Port of Santos. The zoning plan for 2020 forecasts a 50% capacity increase until 2040.

Director of Communications, Vancouver, Washington; Port of Vancouver USA

Director of Operations, Redwood City, California; Port of Redwood City

Director of Operations, Broward County, Florida; Port Everglades

Chief Executive Officer, Longview, Washington; Port of Longview

Chief Engineer, Camden, New Jersey; South Jersey Port Corporation

Risk Claims Specialist, Seattle, Washington; Port of Seattle

Executive Director, Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA), Hanover, Maryland; Maryland Department of Transportation

Director of Business Development, Riviera Beach, Florida; Port of Palm Beach

Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Maritime Academy