Board Of Commissioners News

The U.S. government has awarded a major grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District for the construction of a new marine terminal to be primarily used for floating offshore wind-related activities.The grant for the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind MVP (Minimum Viable Port) project comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) grant program, which received a substantial funding increase…

NY Waterway announced plans to repower four more of its older ferries, transitioning from traditionally diesel driven units to hybrid technology before eventually operating on pure electric.The private company, which runs ferry and bus service in the Port of New York and New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley, was awarded $7.298 million in grant funding for the project through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Passenger Ferry Grant program with the support of NJ TRANSIT.Each ferry upgrade consists of removing all main engines and generators…

The November edition of Marine News magazine highlighted the most notable newbuilds delivered in 2022. From sturdy and nimble workboats, to the first new Jones Act laker in a generation, each vessel on display showcases the industry’s engineering prowess and technological ingenuity, with the focus on improving efficiency in operations. The maritime industry has no shortage of challenges to overcome, and each of Marine News’ top vessels will, in one way or another, aid efforts to tackle them.Mark W.

Rhe Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) on Thursday elected Jack C. Jensen, Jr. to serve as Board Chairman, succeeding Charles H. Ponstein, whose term as Chairman ended this month. Also elected were Joseph F. Toomy, who will serve as Vice Chairman, and Walter J. Leger, Jr., who will serve as Secretary-Treasurer for the nine-month term.“Jack Jensen has brought decades of transportation and logistics experience to this board, and we look forward to his…

EJE Dredging Service, as part of a public/private partnership with Dare County, has taken delivery of a new shallow-draft hopper dredge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.The newbuild Miss Katie departed from Conrad Shipyard in in Morgan City, La. on August 13, and arrived at its new home port in Wanchese on August 19.The dredge is the result of a yearslong collaboration between Dare County officials and Greenville, N.C.-based EJE Dredging Service, a private partner that owns and operates the 156-foot-long dredge.“With the arrival of the Miss Katie…

The St. Charles County Port Authority said it has secured $3.5 million in funding to improve the river terminal in the City of St. Charles and at Klondike Park near Augusta, Mo.The funding comes a year and a half after formal organization of the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners. County Councilman Mike Elam, District 3. worked for three years to convince fellow Council members to pass an ordinance to create the Port Authority.“After I learned that by not having a Port Authority…

Brownsville Navigation District (BND) Commissioner Esteban Guerra was unanimously appointed to serve as chairman of the BND Board of Commissioners during the board’s regular meeting held Wednesday, May 18, 2022.Guerra serves as chairman alongside BND Vice Chairman Ralph Cowen and BND Secretary of the Board John Wood, also unanimously appointed to serve as part of the executive board. Commissioners John Reed and Sergio Tito Lopez round out the board as assistant secretaries.Wood, Commissioner Place 2, and Guerra, Commissioner Place 4, were re-elected to the board in the BND election on May 7.

The Port of Beaumont announced its Board of Commissioners have approved a $57.3 million construction bid for a project aimed at increasing the port’s general cargo handling capacity by more than 15%. Phase II of the Main Street Terminal 1 project, awarded to McCarthy Building Companies, includes demolition of a failed dock structure and construction of a new state-of-the-art general cargo dock. The Main Street Terminal 1 project, funded in part by 2017 General Obligation Bonds, a 2019 U.S. DOT BUILD grant, and Port revenues, is expected to be complete by June 2024.

The Mississippi State Port Authority (MSPA) Board of Commissioners has named Jon Nass the new CEO and executive director of the Port of Gulfport, following a national search led by Tim McNamara, head of Odgers Berndtson’s Transportation and Infrastructure Practice in Washington, D.C. His tentative start date is June 1.“After nearly an eight-month process, the MSPA Commission is very pleased to announce we have selected a new executive director to lead the Port of Gulfport team,” said MSPA President E.J. Roberts.

During its annual meeting held March 25, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority Board of Commissioners elected officers for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2020.The board re-elected Rick Revoir to serve his second year as president. Other appointments included Tony Sertich as vice president, Patrick Boyle as secretary, Norm Voorhees as treasurer and Mike Jugovich as assistant treasurer. Together with fellow board members Ray Klosowski and Yvonne Prettner Solon, this septet oversees the Port Authority’s financial and organizational affairs.The Duluth Seaway Port Authority is governed by a seven-member board – two commissioners appointed by the state’s governor, two by the St. Louis County board, and three by the Duluth City Council.

The former chairman of the Port of New Orleans Board of Commissioners Joe Toomy is rejoining the group.Gov. John Bel Edwards reappointed Joseph F. Toomy to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans.Toomy was sworn in during today’s monthly board meeting and will serve a five-year term succeeding Laney J. Chouest as one of two Jefferson Parish representatives on the seven-member regional board. He previously served on the Board of Commissioners from 2009 to 2014 and served as chairman in 2013.With the Port’s acquisition of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad effective Feb. 1, 2018, Port Commissioners also serve as directors of the New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) board…

July is Second Busiest Month in Port of Virginia’s History.The Port of Virginia in July processed 265,559 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in July, making it the second busiest month in the port’s history.The strong cargo performance was driven by an increase of more than 4 percent in loaded import containers, and a jump of nearly 18 percent in export empty containers, which are being repositioned across the globe to handle peak season cargo.“We are continuing to set volume records.

New fireboat will provide enhanced firefighting and rescue capabilities for maritime and commercial space. The Canaveral Port Authority will receive $1.5 million in funding from the State of Florida to support the acquisition of a specialized fireboat to provide marine firefighting and rescue capabilities for Port Canaveral and the surrounding communities. Port Canaveral’s Marine Firefighting Rescue Vessel (MFRV) will be purpose built to offer enhanced fire protection and response…

New Cranes Allow Port NOLA to Accommodate Larger Ships and Meet Growing Needs. The Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) have voted to approve the purchase of two new 100-foot gauge container gantry cranes to be used at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. “These new cranes are vital to our success and growth here at Port NOLA,” said President and CEO Brandy D. Christian. “They will increase our efficiency so we can accommodate larger and wider ships…

US LNG export project developer NextDecade Corporation signed a lease agreement with the Brownsville Navigation District (BND) for its Rio Grande LNG project.The proposed $15 billion Rio Grande LNG export terminal and pipeline at the Port of Brownsville, Texas, was considered and approved during a meeting of the BND Board of Commissioners.The lease agreement, which covers an approximately 984-acre parcel of land in Cameron County, Texas, carries an initial term of thirty years, with two options to renew and extend the term of the lease for periods of ten years each. The lease agreement supersedes exclusive site option agreements.On the site in the Port of Brownsville…

Florida's Canaveral Port Authority has awarded a $108.5m contract to Ivey’s Construction for building its new Cruise Terminal 3 project.The contract agreement has been approved by the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners.Ivey’s was the low bidder to build a two-story, 188,000-square-foot terminal as part of the Port’s largest single construction project in its 65-year history – a $163 million complex that will become the homeport for Carnival Cruise Line’s biggest and largest cruise ship, the Mardi Gras, when finished in May 2020.“We're creating a world-class cruise terminal, and with these contract awards, the project is mobilizing and moving ahead,” stated Port CEO Captain John Murray.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will conduct the first test at a U.S. port of an electric vehicle to move cargo containers by the end of this year.According to a press release from the port authority, this initiative is to meet aggressive targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement.A straddle carrier is a piece of terminal yard handling equipment that is used to move cargo containers by first straddling the container and then lifting it up and driving over the back of a truck to place the container on the chassis, in contrast to loading a container on the back of a truck from the side.Under a partnership with the Port Authority…

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.

In an unexpected reversal, it has been reported that the Houston Pilots yesterday notified Chairman Janiece Longoria of the Port of Houston Authority that they had withdrawn their latest application for a change in pilotage rates. Beyond this, the pilots requested in their letter dated October 18 that the application be removed from the agenda for the upcoming October 30 Board of Commissioners meeting.Upon being notified of the rate change application in September, no less than 15 shipping companies…

Dredging operations in the West Calcasieu Port’s west barge basin were completed today and that all tenant operations in the basin have returned to full operations, port officials announced today.Coastal Dredging of Hammond, La., was the contractor on the $1.3 million maintenance dredging project that removed more than 140,000 cubic yards of spoils over a 10-week period. The port’s barge basin depth was returned to a minus-10 feet, and the spoils were relocated into the ports…

The West Calcasieu Port Board of Commissioners voted this week to award the contract for the dredging of the Louisiana port's west barge basin to Coastal Dredging Company, Inc. of Hammond, La.. The successful base bid of $1,334,020 was the lowest among six bids received by the port during its competitive public bid process. “The West Cal Port Board of Commissioners was encouraged to have received such a large number of bid packets for the project,” said Dick Kennison, board president for the West Calcasieu Port.

Port Tampa Bay approved a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with four other entities to divvy up who will pay for a $60 million widening and extension of the Big Bend Channel. The strategic partners include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Tampa Electric Co. and Mosaic Co., a global fertilizer company which is one of port's largest tenants along with Tampa Electric. The port's board of commissioners unanimously approved the participation agreement at a monthly meeting on Tuesday. The Big Bend Channel connects to the Tampa Harbor main channel and will be deepened from 34 feet to 43 feet and widened from 200 feet to 250 feet to accommodate larger ships.

As the Central Ohio River Business Association (CORBA) pushes commerce on the Ohio River, stakeholders are beginning to take notice. On January 19, in an office tower overlooking the Ohio River, Eric Thomas convened the first meeting of 2017 for a business group working in the 13th largest port in the U.S.: the Ports of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (PCNK). Thomas serves as the Executive Director of CORBA – the Central Ohio River Business Association. PCNK’s high rank is likely a surprise to many.