Port Commission News

Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District announced it signed a letter of intent (LOI) with APM Terminals (APMT) to build a container terminal on the West Bank of Plaquemines Parish, La.Plaquemines Port will lease the land to APM under a 30-year agreement with extension options. APMT, one of the largest terminal operators in the world and is a subsidiary of shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk, estimates the initial investment in terminal infrastructure will be approximately $500 million…

U.S. maritime and logistics company Crowley said it has made a deal that could see it lease and develop an offshore wind terminal in Louisiana's Port Fourchon.The Right of First Refusal agreement was reached during Wednesday’s Greater Lafourche Port Commission (GLPC) Board Meeting in Cut Off, La.The more than 40-acre site, encompassing over 2,200 linear feet of waterfront property, is expected to become the home of a purpose-driven offshore wind facility in the coming years. Located on Slip C…

The Port of South Louisiana (Port SL) said it has reached a deal with T. Parker Host to buy the Avondale Global Gateway, a logistics hub at site of the former Avondale Shipyard.The acquisition of this 254-acre facility at mile 108 of the Mississippi River will allow the port to be more competitive in traditional international trade and focus on the new frontier of renewable energy development, Port SL said.The purchase and sale agreement was announced Thursday by Port SL CEO Paul Matthews following unanimous approval from the port commission.

A damaged oil pipeline component that disrupted output at several offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico platforms was repaired late Friday, a Louisiana official said, with producers moving to reactivate some of the halted production.A failed flange connecting two onshore pipelines operated by Shell Plc in Louisiana leaked an estimated two barrels of oil. The oil, which spilled onto an area covered with gravel, has been removed, said Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission…

Crews were expected to replace a damaged oil pipeline piece by the end of the day on Friday, a Louisiana port official said, allowing for the resumption of production at seven offshore U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil platforms.A failed flange connecting two pipelines operated by Shell in Louisiana caused about two barrels of oil to leak, said Chett Chiasson, executive director of Greater Lafourche Port Commission. The oil has since been removed.Shell on Thursday shut its Mars, Ursa, and…

Top U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil producer Shell said on Thursday it halted production at three U.S. Gulf of Mexico deepwater platforms after a leak shut two pipelines connecting the platforms, adding it expected pipeline service to resume on Friday.A failure at an onshore pipeline junction in Louisiana leaked about two barrels of oil, said Chett Chiasson, executive director of Greater Lafourche Port Commission. A fix is expected to take about a day, he added.A Shell spokesperson said the leak…

The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met in a special session and awarded two of the largest contracts in the organization’s history. The Commission approved the staff’s recommendation to award Weeks Marine and Curtin Maritime Corporation contracts totaling $430 million to complete the remaining Galveston Bay segments of the Houston Ship Channel expansion project.“It’s an exciting day for Port Houston and the entire region and the millions of people who rely on the Houston Ship Channel for their livelihood and to bring them essential goods,” Chairman Ric Campo said.

A $1 billion project to expand the Houston Ship Channel kicked off with an official ceremony last week, leading the way for greater safely, efficiency and economic growth in one of America’s busiest waterways.Known locally as Project 11 because it is the eleventh major construction project of the waterway in its more than 100-year history, the Houston Ship Channel expansion will widen the channel by 170 feet along its Galveston Bay reach, from 530 feet to 700 feet. It will also deepen some upstream segments to 46.5 feet…

Port Houston recorded its seventh consecutive month of double-digit container volume growth as increased consumer spending continues in the U.S.Container activity for September 2021 was 281,500 TEUs, up 11% compared to the same month last year, the port said. Year-to-date, TEUs are up 16% compared to 2020.Port Houston said its steel imports are also up, increasing 161% this month compared to September 2020 and are up 28% year-to-date. This growth reflects increased activity in the energy industry.

The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met Tuesday in a special meeting to consider the first dredge contract for Project 11, the Houston Ship Channel billion-dollar expansion and deepening program.Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC was awarded up to $95,375,349 to dredge 11½-miles of the 52-mile channel, widening a major portion of the Galveston Bay reach from 530 to 700 feet. The work includes the construction of a new bird island and oyster mitigation.Port Houston negotiated multiple options and selected the approach with the most reduction in overall NOx emissions…

Inland Dredging Company helps keep commerce flowing on America’s inland waterway system.Dyersburg, Tenn. based Inland Dredging Company completed dredging projects spanning eight states and across four U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Districts. Beginning in July and finishing in December (2019), Inland Dredging crews dredged ports and harbors along the Mighty Mississippi River, Ouachita River, Red River, Black Warrior River, Atchafalaya River, Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway, and the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway from Apalachicola to Morgan City.Richard Jackson…

Container volume at Port Houston surged in the first half of 2019, rising 12 percent compared to that period last year. According to the Executive Director Roger Guenther the port facilities have handled nearly 1.5 Million TEU through the first half of 2019.The Houston ship channel also said in a press release that , the Port Commission awarded a contract not to exceed $39.7 million to Archer Western Construction, the top-ranked proposer among four finalists. A total of 53 companies downloaded materials about the project.The planned expansion of the truck gate at Port Houston’s Barbours Cut Container Terminal is set to begin after approval of a contract for the work by the Port Commission, it said.The project consists of about 23 acres of new pavement at the existing Barbours Cut Terminal.

The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority has decided to accelerate widening of the Houston Ship Channel, the nation’s busiest waterway.The Port Authority is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and other representatives of the federal government, as well as Port of Houston and Houston Ship Channel stakeholders, to obtain authorization and accelerated funding and completion, of a deepened and widened ship channel.“The Houston Ship Channel is open for business for all and will continue to be,” said Port of Houston Authority Chairman, Ric Campo.This project will be the eleventh significant widening and deepening of the channel since its conception…

The international port of Texas, Port Houston, had a record-breaking 2018 as container volume through the port grew by double-digits.The port handled handled 2.7 million 20-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, a common industry measurement for containers, last year. That's up 10 percent from 2.46 million TEUs in 2017.Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther announced several records were broken in 2018, including that total tonnage at Port Houston facilities set a record of 35.7 million tons, which reflected an increase of 9 percent from 2017.“The strength of cargo activity helped drive Operating Revenue to $366 million for the year shattering the previous record set in 2017 of $333 million…

The Port of Vancouver USA Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the port’s tax levy and 2019 budget during its regularly scheduled board meeting.The U.S. West Coast port's commission voted to hold the port levy steady for the seventh year in a row, meaning annual taxes on a $350,000 home – the median price in Clark County – will be approximately $85 in 2019.At $58.4 million, the port’s 2019 budget is $10.1 million less than its 2018 budget. The decrease is primarily due to a shift from a multi-year construction program to maintenance of the port’s public assets.More than 30 strategies from the port’s 2018 Strategic Plan will be implemented.

International cargo vessels are expected to arrive at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal on a regular basis as the result of a new service contract between the Port of Bellingham and Ports America.Ports America entered negotiations with the port after several of its shipping customers requested use of the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. Ports America is the largest terminal operator and stevedore in the United States.“This is a major turning point for the Bellingham Shipping Terminal,” said Port Commission President Ken Bell. “As the last Pacific Northwest seaport between the United States and Canada, it was only a matter of time before cargo operators recognized the Bellingham Shipping Terminal as a congestion-free alternative to the docks and terminals serving Vancouver and Seattle.

Longtime business and civic leader Yui Hay Lee has joined the Port of Oakland’s Board of Port Commissioners. Lee was sworn in yesterday to a seat on the seven-member Board.Lee, President and CEO of Oakland-based YHLA Architects, was nominated by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and appointed by the City Council. He replaces eight-year Board veteran Alan Yee, whose latest term expired.“We’re delighted to welcome Yui Hay Lee to our Board,” said President Ces Butner. “He brings a strong business background, exceptional planning and development experience and a commitment to the community.”Lee founded his architectural firm in 1980. He served as a Commissioner on the Oakland/Alameda County Coliseum Authority from 2007-2018. Mr.

Innovative waterway concept vessel could deliver transportation savings for shippers on the Mississippi River. Plans to transport freight via innovative waterway vessels that backers say will revolutionize the inland waterway system and provide significant transportation cost savings for shippers, especially those accessing the Midwest by utilizing the Mississippi River and its tributaries, are underway, according to Sal Litrico, CEO for American Patriot Container Transport, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Patriot Holdings LLC.Litrico presented information about Container on Vessel (COV) innovations at two St. Louis Regional Freightway Industry Forums in late August in St.

Port of Corpus Christi successfully priced and sold $216.2 million of Senior Lien Revenue Bonds. These bonds will be used for both the deepening and widening of the Corpus Christi Ship Channel as well as upcoming capital projects within the Port.Wells Fargo Securities acted as Lead Manager of a syndicate of underwriters including JP Morgan, Citigroup, and Frost Bank.“We are pleased with the level of interest the institutional investment community demonstrated for both series of our bonds.” said Sean Strawbridge, CEO of the Port of Corpus Christi. “This round of funding will help the Port of Corpus Christi further progress our ambitious…

ICTSI Oregon, Inc. and the Port of Portland have mutually agreed to terminate a 25-year lease agreement to operate the container facility at the Port’s Terminal 6. The agreement allows ICTSI Oregon to be relieved of its long-term lease obligations effective March 31, 2017, pending approval by the Port Commission. In exchange, the Port will receive $11.45 million in compensation to rebuild business, as well as additional container handling equipment, spare parts and tools at the terminal. “Small businesses, farmers, agricultural producers, shippers and communities throughout the Columbia River region deserve and need a fully-functioning container terminal,” said ICTSI Oregon CEO Elvis Ganda.

MarineNews and Maritime Logistics Professional Editor Joseph Keefe on Thursday spent ten minutes with Oregon Public Broadcasting to discuss the fate and the future of Oregon's only deep water port. Listen in to find out more. As ICTSI Oregon, Inc. and the Port of Portland mutually agreed to terminate a 25-year lease agreement to operate the container facility at the Port’s Terminal 6, the agreement allows ICTSI Oregon to be relieved of its long-term lease obligations effective March 31, 2017, pending approval by the Port Commission.

Marine News and Maritime Logistics Professional editor Joseph Keefe last week spent 10 minutes with Oregon Public Broadcasting to discuss the fate and the future of Oregon's only deep water port. Listen in to find out more. As ICTSI Oregon, Inc. and the Port of Portland mutually agreed to terminate a 25-year lease agreement to operate the container facility at the Port’s Terminal 6, the agreement allows ICTSI Oregon to be relieved of its long-term lease obligations effective March 31, 2017, pending approval by the Port Commission.

“Port Houston handled close to 10 million tons of total tonnage, reflecting an increase of eleven percent over 2016,” Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther announced during the April meeting of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. During the first quarter of this year, Port Houston facilities handled 607,000 TEUs. Guenther said the majority of this increase is largely due to an increase in container volumes, which showed an increase of 18 percent.