Port Of Wilmington News

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).The investments—part of the largest dedicated funding for ports and waterways in history, nearly $17 billion through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—are intended to help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports and inland…

A fire broke out on board a refrigerated cargo ship at the Port of Wilmington, in Delaware, late Monday evening.The crew aboard the Dole containerized fruit carrier contacted U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay at approximately midnight, reporting that an engine fire erupted shortly after leaving port.The vessel quickly activated its firefighting system, energizing a carbon dioxide system to flood the engine room and rob the fire of oxygen, and safely moored back to the pier.

Brian E. Clark will take over as Executive Director of the North Carolina State Ports Authority following the retirement of Paul J. Cozza at the end of this year.Clark will continue to serve as North Carolina Ports' Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Executive Director, and Cozza as Executive Director, through December 31.Prior to joining NC Ports in June 2017, Clark served in various senior level positions throughout the maritime industry, including a role as Managing Director for APM Terminals at Port Elizabeth, N.J.

North Carolina Ports made history Monday by welcoming its first-ever 12,000 TEU vessel to the Port of Wilmington.The ship, Kota Pekarang, is the largest capacity-wise to call the port. The Kota Pekarang is operated by ZIM in partnership with the 2M Alliance which links Asia to Wilmington.“This is a monumental milestone for North Carolina Ports and the Port of Wilmington,” said Paul J. Cozza, Executive Director, North Carolina Ports. “This is proof of concept that we are big ship…

North Carolina Ports’ terminals in Wilmington and Morehead City resumed full commercial truck operations on Monday following Hurricane Florence which forced the terminals to close on Thursday, September 13.Both the Ports of Wilmington and Morehead City reopened to employees and vessel operations late last week.“North Carolina Ports’ facilities in Wilmington and Morehead City suffered some damage during Hurricane Florence. Our employees along with local, state and federal agencies worked around the clock to get our waterside terminals up and running as quickly and safely as possible. We cannot thank them enough for their hard work throughout the recovery process,” said NC Ports Executive Director Paul J. Cozza.The Port of Wilmington accepted its first vessel post-storm last Thursday.

Gulftainer, the world’s largest privately-owned independent port operator and logistics company based in the United Arab Emirates, finalized a 50-year concession agreement with the state of Delaware to operate and develop the Port of Wilmington, significantly expanding the company’s global footprint and reach.The agreement, signed by Gulftainer’s subsidiary GT USA, will see an expected investment of up to $600 million in the port to upgrade and expand the terminal and to turn it into one of the largest facilities of its kind on the Eastern Seaboard.The port deal represents the largest operation ever run by a UAE company in the United States, as well as the largest investment ever by a private UAE company in the country.At a public signing ceremony held in Wilmington, Gov.

The North Carolina State Ports Authority continues to closely monitor Hurricane Florence. The Port of Wilmington and the Port of Morehead City are currently at Condition Zulu and closed to all vessel traffic.NC State Ports Authority continues its Hurricane Preparation Plan and is taking all necessary steps to protect cargo, facilities and equipment.NC Ports' terminals in Wilmington and Morehead City are CLOSED to commercial truck traffic Wednesday, September 12, however, tenants have access to both Ports but must complete any storm preparations by 5:00 pm. Access will only be granted through Wilmington's South Gate (Container Gate).

Hurricane Florence is forecast to be a major hurricane when it nears the U.S. coast on Thursday, bringing life-threatening storm surge and rainfall to portions of the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory on Wednesday morning.The extremely dangerous hurricane, currently a category 4, is located about 530 miles southeast of Cape Fear, N.C. packing maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour, it said in an advisory issued…

Two Greek shipping companies were sentenced to pay corporate penalties totaling $2.7 million after being convicted for obstructing justice, violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), tampering with witnesses and conspiracy. Each company was ordered to pay part of its penalty to Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary in recognition of the threat posed by illegal discharges of oily waste to the marine environment. The case stems from an inspection of the M/V Ocean Hope, a large cargo ship, conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard at the Port of Wilmington, N.C. in July 2015. During that inspection, senior engineers for the companies tried to hide that the vessel had been dumping oily wastes into the ocean for months.

Cassius Samson, 52, and Rustico Ignacio, 66, both of the Philippines, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Malcolm Howard for the Eastern District of North Carolina to serve jail time for obstructing a U.S. Coast Guard inspection that took place in July 2015 aboard the cargo ship Ocean Hope at the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina. Samson was sentenced to a term of 12 months in prison followed by a year of supervised release and Ignacio to a term of nine months followed by a year of supervised release. Ignacio was the chief engineer and Samson the second engineer of the Ocean Hope. In September 2016, both were convicted of conspiracy, violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, obstruction of justice and witness tampering, by a federal jury in Greenville, North Carolina.

1777 - During the American Revolution, the Continental lugger Surprise, led by Capt. Gustavus conyngham, captures the British mail packet Prince of Orange and the brig Joseph in the North Sea. 1898 - During the Spanish-American War, U.S. Marines from cruisers Baltimore and Raleigh (C 8), raise US flag over Cavite, Philippines. 1942 - USS Spearfish (SS 190) evacuates naval and military officers, including nurses, from Corregidor before surrendering island to Japan. 1944 - USS Flasher (SS 249) sinks the Japanese freighter…

A shipwreck discovered off the coast of North Carolina is likely one of three Confederate blockade runners known to have been lost in the area, archaeologists said on Monday. The remains of the iron-hulled steamer were located on Feb. 27 near Oak Island. It would be the first Civil War-era vessel found in the area in decades, said the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology. Billy Ray Morris, director of the state's underwater archaeology branch, said he expected to be able to positively identify the 225-foot-long (68-metre) vessel when he leads a dive team to examine it on Wednesday. "To turn up a new wreck is a pretty big deal," he said in a telephone interview, adding sonar images showed the vessel to be largely intact.

Two cargoes of Argentine wheat were scheduled to arrive at port in Wilmington, North Carolina, shipping data showed on Friday, indicating a rare situation where U.S. buyers actually find it cheaper to purchase imported grain than abundant domestic supplies. Argentina's wheat prices tumbled last month after the country devalued its peso and scrapped export taxes. The South American country also sold large volumes to top global wheat importer Egypt for the first time in years. Chatter circulated that hog producers in the southeastern United States were buying feed-quality Argentine wheat that was priced at a discount both to U.S. corn and U.S. wheat. North Carolina port data showed vessel Nord Capella with an estimated U.S. arrival of Feb. 5 and the vessel due on Feb. 14.

Florida-based transportation giant CSX Corp. is planning a $272 million intermodal rail terminal in North Carolina serving the Raleigh region that it envisions as a major transportation hub to make the state’s ports more competitive. The major freight rail infrastructure project in the Triangle project will spur economic development and help position the region as a major transportation logistics hub, says the company. Wilmington could reap significant benefits if the intermodal freight rail hub is built in Johnston County, state transportation officials said Thursday. The railroad operator is committed to spending $150 million for the project, which will be located in Johnston County and depends on receiving $100 million state transportation funds.

A ship carrying corn was scheduled to leave Brazil for the United States on Monday, three shipping agents said, as a strong dollar and plentiful South American supply makes importing corn attractive to U.S. buyers. The ship owned by Bunge Ltd, carrying 54,000 tonnes of corn, was scheduled to depart Itacoatiara Port on the Amazon river, data from Williams Shipping agents and Brazil-based Cargonave showed. A third source, who declined to be named, said the cargo was bound for the port of Wilmington, in North Carolina. Bunge did not respond to a request for comment. The sale reflects the increasing competitiveness of grains from Brazil, which has drastically increased output over the past decade and more recently has improved shipping logistics. Brazil, the world's No.

Cargill Inc next week is likely to load 50,000 tonnes of Brazilian corn bound for the United States, shipping data showed on Wednesday, in what is expected to be the first of several bulk vessels of South American grain that will be imported here this year. Hog and poultry producers in the Southeastern United States purchased two vessels of corn from South America for arrival in August and September while at least one other vessel was likely to arrive by March, three U.S. corn export traders said. Cargill was the listed shipper for the Nord Voyager vessel, which was due to load the 50,000 tonnes of corn at the Brazilian port of Santarem, according to Williams Shipping Agency data. A spokesman for Cargill, which has a port terminal in Santarem, declined to comment.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet paid a long-postponed visit to one of her nation's top export destinations, an official call at the Port of Wilmington that ended with private talks on terms aimed at keeping Delaware firmly tied to Chile's trade route. Delaware State announced plans to renew its business relationship with the South American country. The President was welcomed by Governor Jack Markell, U.S. Senator Tom Carper, Congressman John Carney, and dozens of other state and local officials. Delaware is a major entry point for shipments of Chilean fruit. "It has been a great opportunity for me to see how this important port operates…

Two Brazilian soybean cargoes sold by Japan's Marubeni Corp that were initially sold to China have been switched to the United States, according to port and shipping data updated on Tuesday, the latest of several U.S. import shipments expected this season. The vessels containing a total of 125,000 tonnes of the oilseed are scheduled to reach the United States next month. Importers in China, the world's top soybean buyer, have already defaulted on at least 500,000 tonnes of U.S. and Brazilian soybean cargoes worth around $300 million amid slowing demand and tightening credit in China. At least one of the cargoes was sold by Marubeni. Some cargoes initially purchased by Chinese importers have found new destinations in the United States and Europe.

Cape Fear federal pilot launches its first pilot boat and welcomes its latest customer, US Shipping Corp. After years of using a hired launch vessel for boarding ATB's, tugs and ships at the entrance to the Cape Fear River, the Cape Fear Federal Pilots recently launched its first pilot vessel. River pilot Tony McNeill, who operates the pilotage service for the Port of Wilmington NC for U.S. The boat is Boston Whaler Challenger that Tony has had for a couple of years but has waited for the appropriate time to put it to work. Pilot McNeill informs that In addition to the new boat, U.S.

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…

Award to precede speech on grant opportunities for reducing diesel emissions. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) will be honored in Wilmington, Del., on Oct. 7 as the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) “U.S. Port Person of the Year” at a special luncheon given by the Port of Wilmington Maritime Society. AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle will present the award in recognition of Sen. Carper’s many contributions toward improving the nation’s transportation infrastructure, including its deep-draft navigation channels. The award also credits Sen. Carper for his work on enhancing U.S.

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), a trade group representing port authorities throughout the Western Hemisphere, has selected 22 seaports to be recognized for exemplary projects, programs and initiatives at its annual awards event later this summer. The awards, for achievements in facilities engineering, environmental improvement, information technology and communications, will be presented to winning ports at a Sept. 14 luncheon in conjunction with AAPA's 100th Annual Convention in Seattle (https://www.aapa2011.org/main.aspx), which runs Sept. 11-15. * the Port of Long Beach, winner of the 2011 Dan Maynard Communications Award for Overall Excellence, which is bestowed on the port earning the most award points in AAPA's Communications Awards Program competition.

The Port of Wilmington took a major security step to comply with the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. Port security officials are using Datastrip’s DSV2+TURBO card readers to enroll and positively identify the port’s authorized workers. Codebench’s PIVCheck Plus software drives Datastrip’s mobile readers. “We investigated several systems and felt that the Datastrip and Codebench solution is most compatible with our existing physical access control system,” said Patrick Hemphill, manager of port security at the Port of Wilmington. Port security officials have been using three Datastrip DSV2+TURBO devices with Codebench’s PIVCheck Plus software at the main gate to enroll TWIC cards.