AAPA’s inaugural POWERS Summit and Expo will convene port executives, energy leaders, environmental experts and other key stakeholders January 24-26, 2023, in Tampa, Fla., for in-depth discussions on emerging sustainability solutions in the port industry. The draft agenda includes a robust  lineup of sustainability topics that will focus on solutions for expanding energy export capacity, electrification, carbon capture, offshore wind, coastal and energy resilience, federal permitting for infrastructure projects and more.

According to an AAPA survey, ports are poised to build nearly $50 billion in green infrastructure over the next decade. This summit will drive conversations on the industry’s plans for the future. Invited speakers include policymakers, government officials, energy suppliers, supply chain partners, and environmental experts. In addition, tabletop exhibits will showcase the latest technologies and innovations in this arena.

AAPA will begin announcing speakers in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out. Early bird registration ends November 25, 2022. Register today!

With decades of maritime industry experience, Charles Tillotson joins the Port of Plaquemines team as executive director, effective December 1, 2022. He brings broad leadership experience in port business development and operations. His expertise includes handling vessels carrying liquid bulk, dry bulk, containers, breakbulk, military explosives and hazardous materials, and RoRo in over 45 marine terminals in the U.S. and Asia. Tillotson’s previous positions include chief commercial officer for SeaPort Manatee; senior vice president for Carver Maritime Manatee, Florida; chief commercial officer for Diversified Port Holdings in Jacksonville, Florida; director of business development for Metro Ports, Galveston, Texas; vice president of military business development for Ports America/Marine Terminals Corp in multiple ports.

AAPA will be joining the industry-wide celebration of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), which will take place November 14-18, 2022. As the steward of a $6 million “Closing the Skills Gap” apprenticeship grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to AAPA, the ACCELerate Apprenticeships initiative (ACCELerate) is focused on helping employers develop sustainable apprenticeship-based training programs.

 

ACCELerate’s executive director Barbara Murray will be participating in several events during NAW. On November 14-15, Murray has been invited to The Seafarers Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship (SHLSS), a premier industry partner and member of ACCELerate, where she will be working on a DEI initiative to produce and film a recruitment video for SHLSS. Murray is also a key speaker on November 17, addressing apprenticeship as a workforce solution for skills-based jobs in maritime, ports and manufacturing. She has also assembled a panel of industry experts to moderate in addition to a roundtable. ACCELerate will be celebrating NAW on social media channels with the official hashtag #NAW2022. For a list of events and more information visit the NAW website. 

 

In addition, ACCELerate partnered with The Port of Virginia (POV) and Tidewater Community College (TCC) to develop and cosponsor a WindsDays event on October 24 that attracted more than 70 young “tradespersons in training” from the Hampton Roads area in Virginia. The students were transported to the POV Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) and TCC in Portsmouth for lunch and to hear from leaders in education, energy, maritime and local government sectors. Students and faculty learned about apprenticeships, ports and maritime careers. ACCELerate’s Barbara Murray was one of the key speakers. WindsDays is a community organization that promotes the power of wind, clean energy and a green environment.

DIX Shipping Company-Shipping Agents and Stevedores at the Port of Brownsville celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. DIX Shipping, the oldest full-service stevedoring company in the Port of Brownsville, saw the cargo trends at the port evolve from agricultural exports like fruits in the 1940s and  cotton in the 1950s, to steel products, wind energy components, and project cargo for the space industry.

The Port of Oakland hosted a congressional supply chain stakeholder meeting last week in Jack London Square. The event was designed to address constituent business and trade industry stakeholder concerns about congestion and supply chain issues at the port.

The Belledune Port Authority (BPA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Port of Dalhousie to work collaboratively to pursue economic development opportunities for the northern region of New Brunswick. BPA also has signed an agreement in principle with Cross River Infrastructure Partners to develop a green hydrogen production facility at the northern New Brunswick port.

The Port of Hueneme welcomed another electric-hybrid crane – an investment made by Ports America stevedoring. The crane’s arrival marked another important step in the port’s partners continued investment in zero-emissions technology and focus on operational reliability.

 

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach and C40 Cities have begun discussions to establish a green and digital shipping corridor between Singapore and the San Pedro Bay port complex. The corridor will focus on low- and zero-carbon fuels for bunkering, as well as digital tools to support deployment of low- and zero-carbon ships. The Northwest Seaport Alliance is partnering with the Republic of Korea, the Busan Port Authority, and the U.S. Government to study the feasibility of creating a green cargo shipping corridor between the NWSA and Busan Port Authority’s cargo gateways.

The Port of Long Beach’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship was on display Saturday during the Green Port Fair, where community members got an up-close look at the trailblazing programs and modern equipment that will reduce emissions for the next decade and beyond.

The Port of Oakland’s total loaded container volume declined by 7.9% in September compared to September 2021. The port handled 132,599 loaded TEUs in September compared to 143,991 in September 2021. Loaded imports dropped by 4.9%.

The Galveston Wharves, together with Carnival Corporation, CenterPoint Energy, Royal Caribbean Group, Shell Trading (US) Company and Texas A&M University at Galveston, will work toward potential solutions to develop environmentally beneficial shore power at the Port of Galveston through a non-binding memorandum of understanding. The agreement outlines a project timeline, specifications, cost estimates and proposed agreements for a system to deliver shore power to vessels docked at the port.

The Northwest Seaport Alliance and Advent eModal announced the launch of the online Trucker Appointment Capacity Dashboard. The dashboard was created to provide trucking companies and port stakeholders with real-time access to aggregated capacity data at terminals in the NWSA Gateway.