Dr. Noel Hacegaba, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the Port of Long Beach, is on the list of 30 State and Local Government IT Influencers Worth a Follow in 2022. State Tech presents its annual list of IT leaders and other officials who are at the forefront of IT infrastructure, including broadband expansion, data analysis, data center optimization, hybrid work environments, and identity and access management.

The Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council (FSTED) announced it has elected a new slate of officers for the 2022-2024 cycle. Paul Anderson, President and CEO of Port Tampa Bay, was elected chair. Alex King, Executive Director of Port Panama City, and Clark Merritt, Port of Pensacola Port Director, were elected vice chair and secretary, respectively.

AAPA reiterates the Port of Brownsville’s sentiment and thanks the hard-working truck drivers who continue to safely move cargo across the nation’s highways to ensure our store shelves are stocked. Read the Port of Brownsville’s news release celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week and recognizing the efforts of professional truck drivers and the impact of trucking-related activity to the region, state and throughout the country.

• Harold Rickenbacker, Ph.D., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Transportation and Climate Division, Ports Initiative
• Ed Washburn, Senior Vice President, Fleet Operations, Pasha Hawaii, The Pasha Group
• Anthony Kane, President and CEO, Institute of Sustainability Infrastructure

AAPA welcomes its newest members of the government relations team, Jen Armstrong and Matt Wiggins, who will manage AAPA's navigation policy and infrastructure portfolios, respectively.

Armstrong oversees seaport waterside infrastructure issues, including the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) and AAPA’s Quality Partnership Initiative (QPI) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). She also serves as staff liaison to the Harbors and Navigation Committee, composed of experts across the industry, including port employees, regulators, and users of the waterway system. Armstrong comes to AAPA from the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. She has extensive USACE experience and cements AAPA’s leadership in the areas of HMTF, regulatory policies across National Marine Fisheries, the U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and many more.

Armstrong served as the Republican Staff Director/Clerk of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, which provides $53 billion in funding to the USACE, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Energy, and several independent agencies. Armstrong’s expertise is the water portfolio, which includes USACE’s Civil Works mission. Prior to her work on the subcommittee, Armstrong worked with USACE as a water resources planner, project manager, and government affairs liaison specializing in navigation, coastal storm damage reduction, and ecosystem restoration.

Matt Wiggins has assumed the role of freight and infrastructure policy associate, to shoulder the responsibilities of advocating for effective landside port policy, including cargo and freight infrastructure, and supply chain fluidity. Wiggins’ background is in transportation policy; he joins AAPA from the RV Industry Association where he served as a policy analyst for supply chain, and vehicle electrification.

Billions of dollars in Federal funding are earmarked for port infrastructure due to the combination of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Reform. AAPA’s growing team is laser-focused on cutting red tape for the disbursement of the money to strengthen America’s ports. AAPA also advocates for long-term, sustainable funding to meet the challenge of growing freight volumes.

The Port of Galveston issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for State Advocacy and Legislative Services. Sealed proposals, an original and five copies, will be received at the main office of the Port of Galveston until Friday, September 30, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. CT and then publicly opened and read aloud. Information on obtaining proposal packages can be found on the Port of Galveston website in the Business section under Bids, or through this link: www.portofgalveston.com/bids.aspx.

The Alabama Port Authority announced container volumes at APM Terminals are on track for a record year. With 364,687 TEUs moved year-to-date, the container terminal is tracking more than 10% above its 2021 numbers, the terminal’s busiest full year to date. In addition to strong container numbers, intermodal rail moves in August were up 125% over 2021 and refrigerated cargo was up 15.9% over the same period.

More than $2.7 million in funding from the Port of Long Beach Community Grants Program has been awarded to projects in 2021. A community orchard in Paramount, carbon-capturing landscaping at Long Beach parks, and several solar power projects were among the projects awarded.

The Port of Los Angeles has awarded a record $1.3 million in grants to support 36 nonprofit organizations undertaking initiatives benefiting the communities of the Los Angeles Harbor area. Funding for the Fiscal Year 2022/23 grants is provided through the Port’s Community Investment Grant Program, which ties grant funding to annual port shipping and lease revenues.

The Port of San Diego is set to begin its busiest cruise season since 2010 with 140 cruises scheduled, up 45% from last year, with all sailings at or near full capacity, bringing approximately 460,000 passengers. The port’s new cruise season officially begins September 19 with the arrival of Silversea Cruises’ Star Breeze, which will be cruising to Papeete, Tahiti on a 13-day voyage.

A critical channel deepening project that will help move cargo more efficiently to and from the U.S. advanced Monday after the Long Beach Harbor Commission concluded an extensive environmental review process and greenlit the endeavor. The work will also allow the Port of Long Beach to welcome newer, cleaner, and more efficient cargo vessels.

Moody's Investors Service (Moody’s) has affirmed the Port of Oakland's A1 senior lien and A2 intermediate lien credit ratings. According to Moody’s, the ratings reflect the port's strong financial flexibility, robust liquidity, comfortable debt service coverage, manageable capital spending, and significant long-term debt capacity.

The Port of Monroe recently commissioned a new Manitowoc crawler crane, which was purchased with funds through the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Marine Highway program. The crane’s first job was to load approximately 400 tons of special bar quality (SBQ) steel onto Interlake Steamship Company’s M/V Paul R. Tregurtha, the largest ship sailing the Great Lakes.

Assistant Professor in Supply Chain and Operations Management – Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, Hong Kong, China; Hong Kong Polytechnic University