Intragora

US Ports in the money

Ports benefit from US$220M in discretionary grant funding

Grants include $21.8M towards the reconstruction and modernisation of Crown Bay Terminal in the Virgin Islands
Grants include $21.8M towards the reconstruction and modernisation of Crown Bay Terminal in the Virgin Islands
The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) is lauding the announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) that it has awarded $220 million in discretionary grant funding to improve port facilities in 16 states and territories through MARAD’s FY 2020 Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).

“AAPA and our member U.S. ports are extremely appreciative and grateful to MARAD and Congress for ensuring continued investment in our nation’s multimodal port infrastructure through the Port Infrastructure Development Program,” said Christopher J. Connor, AAPA’s president and CEO. “These awards represent a significant step toward investing in one of our country’s most precious and important assets … our seaports.”

The full list of grants is available at this link. A brief summary follows:

Seward, Alaska: berth extension and roadway work ($19.79M).
Los Angeles, California: Vincent Thomas Bridge & Harbour Boulevard-Front Street Interchange Improvement Project ($9.8M)
Palm Beach, Florida: On-dock Rail Facility Development ($13.2M)
Burns Harbour, Indiana: Burns Harbour Bulk Storage Facility ($4M)
Avondale, Louisiana: Avondale Dock Conversion Project, converting a shipyard wharf into a dry bulk and breakbulk facility ($9.8M)
Baltimore, Maryland - Sparrows Point Bulk Expansion Rail Modernization and Berth Rehabilitation Mid-Atlantic Multi-Modal Transportation Hub ($9.8M).
Portland, Maine: Linking Intermodal Needs and Rural Freight Knowledge - LINK Project (44.09M). Modernisation of gates and scales at bulk transfer facility.
Kansas City, Missouri: Missouri River Terminal Intermodal Facility ($9.8M)
Wilmington, North Carolina: Container Gate Innovation & Access ($16M). Includes gate automation and weigh-in-motion scales.
Conneaut, Ohio: Port of Conneaut Connector ($19M). Connecting road and rail links to the Port of Conneaut, a Great Lakes port on the shores of Lake Erie.
Coos Bay, Oregon: Coos Bay Rail Line Phase II Tie and Surfacing Program $9.8M)
North Kingstown, Rhode Island: Reconstructing the South Berth at Pier 1 to support automotive ro ro cargo ($11.4M).
Brownsville, Texas - Grain & Bulk Handling Facility expansion and upgrade ($14.5M).
Port Arthur, Texas - New all weather truck and rail loading shed ($9.7M).
Norfolk, Virginia - NIT rail yard expansion - eight new working tracks and container stacking area ($20.1M).
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: Reconstruction and modernization of Crown Bay Terminal ($21.8M)
Bellingham, Washington: Bellingham Shipping Terminal Rehabilitation Project, dry dock access improvement ($6.8M).
Seattle, Washington: Terminal 5 Uplands Modernisation and Rehabilitation Project, includes additional re**er lug capacity and on-dock rail improvements ($10.6M).
The $220 million could be followed by a much larger investment of $1.3 billion if the draft Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (THUD) funding bill is passed in its current form. “Should it be appropriated, the $1.3 billion in the FY’21 THUD bill for the Port Infrastructure Development Program more closely resembles the current unmet infrastructure needs of America’s ports, based on the large number of PIDP grant requests this year that went unfunded,” said Connor

Source: worldcargonews.com

Virginia volume drops 22.6%
News by WCN Editorial

May saw the Port of Virginia experience its biggest one-month volume drop since COVID-19 began slowing the global economy.

Container numbers at the Port of Virginia fell by 59,000 TEU in May 2020 compared with May 2019. “The decline is reflected in almost every area of the operation: truck moves, rail volume, breakbulk tonnage and the amount of cargo being handled at Virginia Inland Port. The amount of cargo the port is moving by barge and volumes at Richmond Marine Terminal, however, grew, 3.4 percent and 24 percent, respectively,” the port said.

“It is a significant loss in volume that is being felt throughout the organization and the situation is similar across the entire maritime industry,” said John F. Reinhart CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “We are forecasting that this trend will continue through the end of summer because our customers are telling us that the blank sailings will continue into early September. The blank sailings were supposed to subside in early August, but the ocean carriers are telling us the volume just isn’t there yet. Our economy is reawakening and we are optimistic about the future, but the recovery is going to take time and patience.”

During the pandemic the port has continued to operate with protective measures including the use of face masks, social distancing and working from home where possible, and “has been very fortunate and come through this largely healthy and intact,” Reinhart said. Meanwhile work continues on infrastructure projects, including the expansion of NIT’s south-side container stack yard, the 55-foot channel project and Orsted’s offshore-wind project at Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT).

In May, the final shipment of Konecranes ASCs arrived at Norfolk International Terminals, “successfully ending just over two years of constant deliveries of the machines that are the centerpieces of the expansion at that terminal; NIT’s expansion will be complete this fall,” the port said.

“Our focus is on building a modern, efficient port that serves as an economic engine for all of Virginia and provides long-term value for our customers and the cargo owners that choose The Port of Virginia,” Reinhart said.

The port added that it is also “supporting the effort to confront the realities of the systemic racist practices and injustice that have been part of the daily lives of Black Americans”. It joined the ILA and US ports from Maine to Texas in an “hour of reflection” on the tragic death of George Floyd.

“This effort is as important as anything we are doing right now,” Reinhart said. “We must show one another and our communities that we are steadfast in confronting the realities of our system and we are committed to our values and to each other. We stand in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against a centuries- old pattern of violence and suppression. There is a significant amount of work that lies ahead, but we cannot be deterred by that. Open, honest, and compassionate dialogue with each other and the willingness to listen and learn are the beginnings of positive change.”

May Cargo Snapshot (Data from the VPA)

Total TEUs – 201, 837, down, 22. 6%
Loaded Export TEUs – 72, 160, down 18. 1%
Loaded Import TEUs – 87, 669 down, 26. 7%
Total Containers – 112, 913, down, 22. 7%
Virginia Inland Port Containers – 2, 117, down 24. 7%
Total Rail Containers – 37,205, down 27.4%
Total Truck Containers – 71,117, down 21.3%
Total Barge Containers – 4,591, up 3.4%
Richmond Marine Terminal Containers – 3,413, up 24%