AAPA wrapped its 2023 Smart Ports Seminar and Expo at the Revere Hotel Boston Common on July 21, where more than 40 ports from across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America were represented.

 

Smart Ports brought public and private sector maritime leaders together in Boston to discuss the latest industry trends and insights. Programming featured robust discussions about evolving cybersecurity threats and new developments in operational technology. AAPA's Security, Facilities Engineering, and Information Technology Committees also met in person to conduct association business.

 

Find our full press release here. The 2024 Smart Ports Seminar and Expo is scheduled for July 9-12, in Seattle, WA. Registration opens in December. 

AAPA is pleased to announce that Charissa Meikle will join AAPA as Vice President of Finance and Administration effective August 16, 2023.

 

Charissa will lead the Finance and Administration team, overseeing financial accounting, reporting, and benefits administration. Reporting to Charissa will be Larrinda Shields, Senior Manager, Accounting and Finance, and Holden Haley, Administrative Operations Associate. Additionally, Charissa will serve as the primary liaison with Lindsey Business Systems/EVOLVHR and manage AAPA's relationship with them.

 

Charissa joins AAPA with a wealth of experience and expertise in financial management, cost accounting, forecasting, budgeting, P&L analysis, government contracting, regulatory compliance, and project management. Her background includes significant achievements during her tenure as Director of Finance at Lurn, Inc., and as Director of Revenue Operations, HR, and Business Operations & Finance at ADF Solutions, Inc.

 

Please join AAPA in warmly welcoming Charissa. The AAPA staff team is here to serve and is working together to continue propelling the association to new heights. To see the full organizational chart, click here.

 

On the heels of the historic state funding for the Port of Hueneme earlier this month, Port of Hueneme CEO Kristin Decas, alongside California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin and CA Port leaders, were in Washington, D.C., last week to meet with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to discuss leveraging California state funding with federal infrastructure investment grants. California ports play a vital role in the United States economy and supply chain with 11 trade ports providing critical pathways for goods. An increase in federal funding will significantly impact the future success of U.S. trade.

 

The request to leverage funds was based on the $80 million grant to the Port in July from Governor Newsom’s 2023/24 fiscal budget. At the meetings on Capitol Hill, Decas highlighted how the funding is crucial to the Port’s success as a hub for fresh produce and cars. The requested federal support will help fund projects to create new green jobs while uplifting the Ventura County community with workforce development opportunities, equity, and environmental sustainability projects.

 

 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released its funding allocations for the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) awards, which will be distributed to 40 port authorities along with numerous terminal operators, municipalities, and policing entities for enhancing and protecting critical port infrastructure.

 

Though port authorities did not receive the full amount requested, they did receive a markedly greater share of funding this year — $35.2 million, or over 35 percent of this year’s awards — compared to 30.5 percent last year. This follows an upward trend starting in FY2021.

 

"FEMA's Port Security Grant Program is a critical source of funds for ongoing efforts to harden and protect our nation's seaports from increasingly more sophisticated threats from bad actors," stated AAPA President and CEO Chris Connor. "AAPA thanks FEMA, Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Katie Britt (R-AL), and Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) for prioritizing and supporting the security of our nation's seaport," referring to the relevant appropriators.

 

The world’s biggest shipping companies are plowing their pandemic windfalls into orders for new vessels on an unprecedented scale, making an industry known for hair-raising cycles of boom and bust more vulnerable in the latest downturn.

Electronics Officer, U.S. Merchant Marine, Nationwide; American Radio Association