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Last week, to drive positive narratives to Capitol Hill surrounding seaports’ needs and role in handling supply chain challenges, AAPA President and CEO Chris Connor published an op-ed in The Hill titled “On the Supply Chain and Freight Fluidity: Enforcement, Not Reformation.” In this piece, Connor argues new regulations curtailing freight fluidity charges do not serve the public interest and that a strengthened FMC will effectively regulate the U.S. international ocean transportation system for the benefit of U.S. exporters, importers and consumers. He also discusses the supplemental appropriations in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), formerly known as (and sometimes still called) the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and how these appropriations will both aid freight movement and be used to create a more fluid and resilient port system, including improvements to intermodal connectivity. Importantly, the piece praises decisions in the past year ports have made to ensure capacity and speed are increased. Read the piece here.
Despite all reports to the contrary over several months, the National Retail Federation published an article where they called 2021 “the best holiday season ever,” with holiday sales rising 11.5% above 2020. AAPA President and CEO Chris Connor, who was invited by President Biden to attend the Supply Chain Task Force and CEOs meeting with the president two weeks ago, reiterated this and updated President Biden on the extraordinary efforts by the nation’s ports to keep freight moving and ease congestion while handling record container volume leading up to the holiday season. Connor gave a recap of the supply chain progress in an interview with Fox and Friends ahead of Christmas. View the interview here.
On December 23, the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced $241 million in grant awards for the FY2021 Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). The awards will fund 25 projects in 19 states and one territory. View MARAD's press release here and the full list of project awards here.
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AAPA’s goal is to provide exceptional seminars and events while also keeping the health and safety of attendees a priority. Due to COVID-19 omicron cases on the rise, AAPA is rescheduling the Shifting Trade Seminar, originally slated for the end of this month, to June 15-16, 2022. Over these new dates, this seminar will continue to take place at The Westin Tampa Waterside in Tampa, Fla. The Shifting Trade Seminar examines global economic trends that affect the port industry in the U.S. and Western Hemisphere and is attended by port executives and industry leaders from across the region. For those who have already signed up for this event, registration and hotel reservations will be transferred to the new dates. If pre-registered individuals are unable to participate June 15-16, please contact Renita Gross for assistance.
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Renewable Energy Group produces and distributes biodiesel and renewable diesel in North America and Europe. Renewable Energy Group is leading the energy and transportation industries’ transition to sustainability by converting renewable resources into high-quality, sustainable fuels that significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions to immediately reduce carbon impact. Renewable Energy Group utilizes a global integrated procurement, distribution and logistics network to operate 11 biorefineries in the U.S. and Europe to meet the growing global demand for lower-carbon fuels and lead the way to a more sustainable future.
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The Port of Benton Commission appointed Christy Rasmussen District 2 Commissioner and will complete the remaining two years of the six-year term recently vacated by Commissioner Robert D. Larson, who retired after 27 years of serving as port commissioner. Rasmussen holds a master’s degree in educational administration, has spent the majority of her career in education, and currently works as a training specialist at the Hanford Site. The Port of Vancouver USA welcomes environmental specialist Mark Tauscher to the port’s Environmental Team. For the past 15 years, Tauscher has worked as an environmental professional with a love for working and recreating outdoors in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to the port, he worked as an environmental scientist and safety professional with consulting firm AECOM.
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The Northwest Seaport Alliance saw a 7.8% increase year over year from November 2020, handling a total of 325,604 TEUs. Full imports grew 7.5%, while full exports decreased 18.4%. Year-to-date volumes improved 15.4% to 3,482,104 TEUs, with full imports growing 20.9% and full exports declining 10.5%. Phase one of the two-phase modernization project at Terminal 5 in the Seattle Harbor is scheduled to open January 2022. When complete, the 185-acre terminal with on dock rail will handle the largest vessels in the transpacific trade.
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A new study commissioned by Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District (LCH&TD) shows that the Calcasieu Ship Channel drives $39 billion of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and two-thirds of the Gross Domestic Product of Calcasieu and Cameron parishes. Among these findings, the study also states LCH&TD and the ship channel are substantial sources of jobs and tax revenue, which will increase with the $46 million in planned projects over the next five years.
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The Board of Harbor Commissioners unanimously approved Port Milwaukee’s new ‘StewardSHIP’ sustainability initiative for vessels that have implemented emission reduction measures and other environmental improvements. The port’s newly-approved 2022 Tariff created the program, which will benefit Milwaukee’s harbor by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, deploying clean energy solutions, and supporting climate adaptation activities at the port.
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For the 187th consecutive year, the Québec Port Authority (QPA) awarded the prestigious Gold-Headed Cane to the captain of the first ocean-going vessel from a foreign port to dock at the Port of Québec. Mario Girard, president and CEO of QPA, was on hand to present the award to Kandangama Deniyegedara, captain of the vessel Federal Hunter.
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On Monday at the Port of Savannah, representatives from Gateway Terminals, the International Longshoremen’s Association and the Georgia Ports Authority joined to mark the first container moved under the direction of Gateway, a new joint venture company combining locally the three legacies of Ports America, Ceres Marine Terminals and SSA Atlantic.
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Last month, the M/V ZHONG GU FU JIAN berthed at Port Freeport’s Velasco Container Terminal. The arrival of the 902-foot long 4,963 TEU vessel marks another milestone for Port Freeport as the first container vessel to offer all-water service from Asia into Port Freeport. Phyllis Saathoff, executive director/CEO of the port, stated “... the Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project and the ongoing expansion of the Velasco Container Terminal has garnered the attention of the steamship lines.”
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The Belledune Port Authority (BPA) announced that it is mapping a long-term vision for the future of the Port of Belledune with the launch of a Master Development Plan. The plan will assess the future use of the port’s facilities, the size and inter-connectivity of the region, employment, and opportunities for local businesses to provide a strong and stable economic future for New Brunswick with environmental sustainability and competitiveness at the forefront.
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