Ports Must be Ready for Expanded Panama Canal
Panamanian Ambassador to the U.S. Federico Humbert addresses workshop attendees. Briefing a crowd of nearly 200 U.S. port and shipping officials at a Panama Canal expansion workshop last week in Tampa, FL, Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Vice President of Research and Market Analysis Rodolfo Sabonge highlighted the Canal project’s progress and its effect on global trade. The forum also emphasized the benefits and importance of U.S. port development in meeting the anticipated demands of an expanded waterway. Co-sponsored by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and the U.S.
Hearing on Implementation of SAFE Port Act
On April 26, the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime & Global Counterterrorism of the House Committee on Homeland Security conducted an oversight hearing on implementation of the SAFE Port Act. In his opening statement, Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) complained about the continual missing of deadlines in the port security program. RDML Craig Bone (US Coast Guard), Mr. Jayson Ahern (US Customs and Border Protection), and Ms. Maurine Fanguy (Transportation Security Administration) presented a joint statement summarizing the status of various maritime security programs. In her oral testimony, Ms. Maurine Fanguy discussed some of the complexities of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). She also released the list of TWIC Fixed Enrollment Sites. Mr.
Hearing on Implementation of SAFE Port Act
On April 26, the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime & Global Counterterrorism of the House Committee on Homeland Security will conduct an oversight hearing on implementation of the SAFE Port Act. Witnesses consist of: RDML Craig Bone, US Coast Guard; Mr. Jayson Ahern, US Customs and Border Protection; Ms. Maurine Fanguy, Transportation Security Administration; Mr. Stephen Caldwell, Government Accountability Office; Mr. George Cummings, Port of Los Angeles; Mr. Richard Wainio, Tampa Port Authority; Mr. Leal Sundet, Longshore and Warehouse Union; and Mr. Manny Aschemeyer, Marine Exchange of Southern California. Source: HK Law
NOAA Study Shows Value of Ports Program
The Tampa Bay economy receives more than $7 million a year in savings and direct income from the operation of the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS), according a new NOAA sponsored study. The report details the first study of the navigational aid, which is in operation at 13 major ports across the United States. Tampa's PORTS system provides accurate real-time oceanographic information tailored to the specific needs of the 6,700 commercial vessels transiting Tampa Bay each year. "The PORTS system is a good example of how research and observing system development expertise can be applied to support safe, efficient and environmentally sound marine transportation," said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C.
