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Philadelphia Regional Port Authority News

06 Aug 2016

First “Neo-Panamax” Calls Port of Philadelphia

The first of a new class of “Neo-Panamax” shipping vessels called the Port of Philadelphia to begin a new phase of transport along the Delaware River. The MSC Sofia Celeste, an 8,800 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) vessel operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, docked at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia for the first time, making it the largest ship to ever call the Port of Philadelphia. “This new service comes as a direct result of the opening of the Panama Canal Expansion,” said David Whene, President of Greenwich Terminals LLC, operator of the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. The MSC Sofia Celeste was completed in 2014 and has an on-board capacity of 8…

13 Nov 2014

FMC Commissioner Doyle Weighs In

FMC Commissioner William P. Doyle

Commissioner William P. Doyle's remarks at the Commission Briefing on Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Port Congestion Forum, November 13 2014 in Baltimore, MD. On October 1, 2014, Commissioner Lidinsky and I hosted the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Port Congestion Forum at the World Trade Center in Baltimore, Maryland. I want to thank all the FMC staff for their participation in setting up and managing the day’s event. David Tubman and Jewel Jennings-Wright worked tirelessly for weeks helping to locate attendees and participants. Thank you both.

26 Jun 2014

US Dredging Needs Growth as Army Corps’ Budget Shrinks

USACE photo: NY/NJ Harbor dredging action.

Spend dollars up on dredging, cubic yards moved down. Combined with a reduction in the USACE federal budget, the situation threatens a perfect storm for domestic requirements. U.S. dredging this decade, measured in cubic yards, is only half as active as it was in the early 1960s, with maintenance down slightly since then and new work off considerably, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or USACE. The nation’s spending on dredging in unadjusted dollars has swelled tenfold since the 1960’s, however.

25 Mar 2014

Maersk Line Art-Box Arrives in Philadelphia

Photo: Maersk Line

Maersk Line, an ocean transportation company and a unit of the Maersk Group, announced today the arrival of the Maersk Line Reefer Art-Box, a 40’ high-cube, at the Port of Philadelphia marking the first voyage of the container designed to promote container shipping. The Art-Box’s inaugural shipment contains frozen OP Columbia’s Coromandel Greenshell mussels from New Zealand. The mussel shipment is destined for Mark Foods, New York. Maersk Line and the Port of Auckland, New Zealand co-commissioned two famous…

25 Oct 2013

The Importance and Value of Marine Industry Training

Figure 1

The Coast Guard Marine Industry Training Program offers incredible opportunities for Coast Guard employees to intimately learn specific facets of the marine industry. Participants of the program work directly for industry partners for up to 1 year. In addition to building superior government/industry working relationships, the program affords industry sponsors an opportunity to share detailed business considerations and limitations, so that Coast Guard regulatory activities most effectively promote safety, while limiting undue burden on the maritime industry.

07 Aug 2012

Dredging Works to Bring Post-Panamax Ships to US East Coast Port

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett announces signature of third Delaware River dredging contract. Governor Tom Corbett was joined by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority and other dignitaries to announce signature of the third Delaware River dredging contract needed to continue deepening the channel from just south of the Philadelphia International Airport to the Walt Whitman Bridge. "This continuation will allow the Port of Philadelphia to compete with deep-water ports up and down the East Coast," said Corbett. The third contract was awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for $14.55 million and was signed on July 31. Approximately $1 million of commonwealth funds along with $13.55 million of federal funds were used to make this award.

26 Jun 2012

Industry Looks to RAMP Act to Meet Dredging Needs

hopper dredge McFarland dredging Southwest Pass in 2010.

Silt accumulation and dredging that's been postponed for years have prevented the full use of U.S. waterways and ports, maritime industry leaders said last month. Hundreds of U.S. ports and harbors are meant to be maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to foster navigation. But many of the country's channels are not kept at their authorized depths, and last year the backlog of needed dredging projects swelled. Meanwhile, just over half the fees charged to shippers through the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund are spent on maintenance and operations…

08 Jun 2009

Rendell Announces Investment in Southport

Governor Edward G. Rendell announced the investment of up to $25 million dollars in commonwealth capital funds to advance the Southport Marine Terminal project at the Port of Philadelphia. The investment will fund pre-construction activities critical to the project's success. Teams qualified to bid for the right to develop and operate the Southport terminal were notified earlier today that the competitive bid process has been temporarily suspended to allow capital and financial market conditions to improve. Initial development proposals from qualified teams, received on May 15 after a months-long competitive process, reflected the detrimental impact of the global recession and international credit crisis on the shipping lines…

14 Apr 2009

Moffatt & Nichol Assesses Philadelphia Port

Moffatt & Nichol announced that the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) has selected the firm to perform a strategic assessment of the Port’s facilities by identifying, evaluating and prioritizing the Port’s capital improvement needs. Work on the study will be performed by Moffatt & Nichol’s Baltimore and New York offices. The objective of this study is to perform a condition inspection of the facilities owned by the PRPA to determine whether these facilities need to be rehabilitated, reconstructed or replaced over the next 10 years. The study will establish a program of phased capital improvements geared to meet both system preservation and market driven needs.

26 Jun 2008

PA Governor Calls Delaware River Dredging Project a Milestone

Governor Edward G. Rendell hailed the signing of a historic agreement that will officially begin a five-year, $379 million project to deepen the ’s shipping channel, calling it a major milestone in ongoing efforts to expand commerce and enhance economic development in the region. The partnership agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) represents a significant step forward in a 15-year effort to deepen the river’s shipping channel. The agreement was signed by Assistant Secretary of the Army John Paul Woodley Jr. and PRPA Chairman John H. Estey. “I consider this to be the most important project in the history of the ,” said Governor Rendell.

27 Sep 2007

Philadelphia Maritime Interests File Lawsuit

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has granted a request for an expedited hearing requested by major maritime interests in the Delaware River area in a lawsuit questioning the jurisdiction of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. The hearing, scheduled presently for October 3, 2007, is based on a complaint filed by the International Longshoremen's Association District Council of Philadelphia and Wilmington (DE), the Philadelphia Marine Trade Association (PMTA) and the Maritime Stakeholders Group (MSG). The three organizations, which collectively represent more than 300 maritime-related entities, claim that the PRPA is overstepping its jurisdiction by preparing to convey maritime land to a non-maritime related use.

17 May 2007

Rochford Lauds Decision to Move Ahead on Channel Deepening Project

Governors Ed Rendell and Jon Corzine are to be commended for reaching an agreement to move forward on the Delaware River Main Channel (45-ft.) Deepening Project. This accomplishment is expected to propel regional port development and allow all Delaware River port facilities to competitively attract the emerging class of larger cargo vessels. Because of growing congestion problems experienced by West Coast ports, the reality today is that ocean carriers operating in the trans-pacific route are diverting larger cargo vessels through the Suez Canal to East Coast ports. The proposed Philadelphia Regional Port Authority Southport Project…

11 May 2007

PA Gets $8.6m Federal Grant

Governor Edward G. operate them are receiving $8.6 million worth of grants. awarded through the U.S. grant program. state agency. Regional Port Authority. within four months. Philadelphia area. the Port of Philadelphia area. effectiveness by adding sophisticated sensor equipment to CAP aircraft.

22 Mar 2007

Philadelphia Port Development Plan

A plan is underway to develop the Port of Philadelphia into a major best-in-class East Coast container facility with the potential of employing some 175,000 people and handling more than 3.5 million containers annually. Two major American terminal operators and an investment firm have already expressed interest in developing and operating container handling facilities under the new port development plan. However, the entire development is being jeopardized by the proposed relocation of a 1,100-employee Food Distribution Center (FDC) on prime waterfront real estate. Maritime and port interests are lobbying politicians and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority to relocate the FDC away from the area.

24 Oct 2002

Port of Philadelphia Designated as Military Seaport

Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker today accepted the formal orders from the Department of Defense designating the Port of Philadelphia as a Strategic Military Seaport. "This designation is yet another historic moment for Pennsylvania and the Port of Philadelphia," Gov. Schweiker said. "The port has played a vital role in our nation's security since the days of the Revolutionary War, and it will do so again as America faces new challenges in a post-Sept. The designation was made by the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) and the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). Strategic Military Seaports are designated to support major force deployments during the times of national security needs under one or more national defense contingency plans.