Port News - The Maritime Executive

Steven M. Cernak Dies, Age Sixty-Three

By MarEx 2019-03-18 18:11:59

Port Everglades Chief Executive and Director Steven M. Cernak passed away over the weekend, following a long, valiant battle with cancer. He was the immediate past Chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and immediate past Chairman of the Florida Ports Council. Upon learning of Cernak’s passing, AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle said: “Today we mourn the loss of one of the greatest champions of the port industry, Steve Cernak, port director and CEO of Port Everglades....

Wilhelmsen and Airbus Trial Drone Deliveries to Singapore Anchorage

By MarEx 2019-03-16 17:21:54

Wilhelmsen Ship Service and Airbus completed a trial shore-to-ship drone deployment to a vessel at anchor in Singapore last week. Lifting off from Marina South Pier in Singapore with 3D printed consumables from Wilhelmsen’s onshore 3D printing micro-factory, the Airbus Skyways drone navigated autonomously along pre-determined aerial corridors in its 1.5 kilometer flight to Eastern Working Anchorage. The drone landed on the deck of the Swire Pacific Offshore anchor handling tug supply vessel, M/V Pacific Centurion and deposited its 1.5 kilogram...

Diversification Means Growth for DP World

By MarEx 2019-03-15 18:33:33

This week, DP World announced a year-over-year revenue increase that would be large for any sector, and perhaps exceptionally large for ports. Worldwide, the global terminal operator saw revenues rise by 20 percent. This was not because DP World was handling more containers: consolidated TEU throughput at its terminals was effectively flat. Instead, the company said in a statement, the growth came largely from acquisitions outside of terminal operations. DP World has recently spent about $2.5 billion on companies in related sectors, acquiring...

Authorities Seize 3,200 Pounds of Cocaine at Port Newark

By MarEx 2019-03-14 20:02:00

On February 28, a joint federal and state task force seized 1.5 tons of cocaine at the Port of New York and New Jersey's Port Newark terminals. It was a small amount relative to the multi-ton hauls the Coast Guard confiscates in interdictions at sea, but it was still a success, marking the largest seizure of its kind at Port Newark in 25 years. According to the New York Times, the find occurred by chance when inspectors were examining containers from...

SEA\LNG Welcomes First North American Port Member

By MarEx 2019-03-14 18:59:46

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has joined SEA\LNG, the multi-sector industry coalition aiming to accelerate the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency of the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, and the fourth port member to join the coalition, alongside Port of Rotterdam, Yokohama-Kawasaki International Port Corporation (YKIP), and most recently the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). SEA\LNG’s vision of a competitive global LNG...

White House Budget Proposes Cuts at Corps of Engineers

By MarEx 2019-03-14 18:30:41

In a detailed budget released this week, the Trump administration proposed to cut the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' overall budget by nearly one third, including a 29 percent reduction in its coastal navigation program. At $4.75 trillion, the Trump administration's proposed federal budget for FY2020 would be the largest in history if it were enacted. However, it includes significant cuts for non-defense programs, including civil works like dredging and waterways maintenance. The detailed plan would reduce overall Corps of...

AAPA Selects 2019 Port Person of the Year

By MarEx 2019-03-14 17:43:49

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has selected U.S. Congressman and House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee Ranking Member Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) as 2019’s “Port Person of the Year” for his stalwart advocacy of the port industry. “In his more than 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Díaz-Balart has consistently championed legislation to benefit our nation’s ports,” said Kurt Nagle, AAPA’s president and CEO. “Through both words and deeds, he’s demonstrated a keen understanding of...

Malaysia and Singapore De-Escalate Port Dispute

By MarEx 2019-03-14 17:29:00

Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to a diplomatic ceasefire in their dispute over the national boundary between the ports of Johor Baru and Tuas. On March 14, they announced that they would temporarily set aside their competing claims and use the previously accepted boundary as the working demarcation line. Under the agreement, government vessels will not anchor in the disputed area, ending the quasi-occupation of the zone by Malaysian maritime agency ships. The presence of these vessels became a particular...

Port of Long Beach Balances Rapid Growth with Sustainability

By MarEx 2019-03-14 17:22:00

The Port of Long Beach, California is booming, and it is preparing for even more growth despite trade tensions between the U.S. and China. It is also putting serious funding and effort into reducing its environmental footprint, striking a careful balance between rapid growth, competitiveness and community responsibility. Rapid growth Long Beach is the second-largest container port in the U.S., right behind its next-door neighbor, the Port of Los Angeles. Long Beach had its busiest year ever in 2018, with...

Photos: Tacoma Gets New Cranes, Seattle Removes Old Cranes

By MarEx 2019-03-14 11:13:07

Last week, four super-post-Panamax container cranes arrived in Tacoma, Washington, and four older STS cranes were removed at the Port of Seattle - a sign of the ever-increasing size of today's container vessels. Tacoma's new cranes have an outreach of 24 containers and a lift height of 165 feet above the pier deck, putting them among the largest on the West Coast. They are identical to four others that arrived in Tacoma last year, and are capable of serving vessels up to...