The Port of Longview Board of Commissioners unanimously appointed Dan Stahl to lead the Port of Longview as chief executive officer. Stahl has served as the interim CEO since February. The appointment is subject to the terms of a written agreement to be approved by the Commission at a future meeting.

Import cargo volume increased for the third consecutive month at the Port of Oakland in August. The port said that containerized import volume jumped 9% in August compared to 2019 totals. Exports were also up 1.4% compared to August 2019.

The Port of Anacortes closed on its $8.185 million sale of Limited Tax General Obligation (LTGO) bonds to refinance existing debt and provide funding for future capital projects. The port’s strong “Aa3” LTGO bond rating and favorable market conditions at the time of the sale allowed the port to achieve a historically low true interest cost of 1.91% over the 20-year life of the bonds.

The AAPA 2020 Annual Convention and Expo, Together Apart, officially kicked off this week with the iconic bell ringing by AAPA President and CEO Chris Connor, on behalf of Chairman Gary Nelson, signaling the start of a much-anticipated event that took place September 21-23. A new virtual platform provided the stage and opening ceremonies showcased numerous ports, as they shared warm greetings from around the Western Hemisphere. AAPA would like to thank its generous sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and fellow port industry colleagues for participating and making this year’s event another spectacular conference.

Together Apart included informative governance meetings, engaging keynote speakers, networking events for “face-to-face” conversations and a gaming contest with some very exciting prizes! An awards ceremony recognized the many ports and organizations for their outstanding achievements this past year and the mystery of the missing historic bell used for the opening ceremonies was solved after a citywide search by the AAPA team. Attendees were also entertained with videos highlighting the 2021 and 2022 convention cities of Austin, Texas, and Orlando, Florida, respectively.

September is Green Port Month at the Port of San Diego, and this year, the port marks this annual tradition with a virtual environmental awards ceremony and environmental education events. Five port employees were honored with the Michelle White Environmental Award. Michelle, a former port employee, started the Green Port Month program 13 years ago. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2016. The port honors her environmental legacy with this annual awards ceremony.

The Port of Baltimore will receive a $10 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s BUILD grant program to assist the port’s $36.7 million Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Improvements project. Construction is scheduled to begin next week at the Port of Vancouver USA’s western portion of the Terminal 1 pier, known as Vancouver Landing. This initial renovation phase focuses on structural improvements that will provide the support needed to minimize impacts of a seismic event.

The Port of New Orleans recently reached a notable safety milestone marking zero incidents reported for a six-month period — the port’s lowest ever safety incident rate among its 250-plus employees. On the heels of reporting all-time record container volumes, the Port of Savannah welcomed the CMA CGM Brazil, the largest ship to ever call the U.S. East Coast with a capacity of 15,072 TEUs.

Has your port used social media or the press to promote a port project or initiative -- and the results were better than you hoped? In our next issue of Seaports, we are gathering some first-hand stories about how ports have benefited from media engagement. On the flip side, if you had media coverage backfire or social media posts that didn't get the right kind of attention, how did you handle damage control or turn the tables?

Reach out to us by OCTOBER 10 if you want to be included! Contact Pam Maher or Shani Calvo.

Port of New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Robert S. Hecker will be honored during Global Maritime Ministries Global Fest virtual auction as the award recipient of the Rev. John P. Vandercook Service Award, which celebrates the Maritime Humanitarian of the Year. The Port of Seattle recognizes 12 commercial and non-profit partners for outstanding leadership and sustainability efforts as part of the Environmental Excellence and Fly Quiet Awards, given annually to those supporting the port’s environmental goals. Winners this year include programs supporting local food banks, prevent and recycle waste, reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and more.

The Captain and crew of the COSCO Malaysia container ship received a distress call and rescued four sailors in the Gulf of Mexico. The container ship was headed to Port Tampa Bay from Mobile, Alabama, when it encountered a sailboat in distress as a result of the severe weather caused by Tropical Storm Sally.

Check out the AAPA Seaports Magazine 2021 editorial plan, which was just released. Join us as we explore, spotlight and research the port industry in the Western Hemisphere – and beyond – in 2021! Let us know if a topic catches your eye or is something you have encountered firsthand and you’d like to share your experiences. Reach out to Pam Maher or Shani Calvo.

Port Everglades is in the process of updating its Master/Vision Plan that identifies $3 billion in capital investments to improve productivity for cargo, cruise and petroleum businesses that operate at the South Florida seaport.

Finance Director, Old Saybrook, CT; Connecticut Port Authority

Director, Engineering Services, Kingston, Jamaica; Kingston Wharves Limited

Channel & DMPA Development Project Manager, Corpus Christi, TX; Port Corpus Christi Authority

Director of Business Development, Philadelphia, PA; PHILAPORT

Chief Financial Officer / Associate Director of Administration, Chauvin, LA; Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium