Marine Port Terminal News

Crowley Liner Services said it has been certified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of the new Marine Port Terminal Operator (MPTO) designation, known as the AQUA Lane program, which essentially gives the shipper a “fast lane” for cargo operations by allowing incoming vessels to be pre-cleared by CBP. The validation comes after an a on-site inspections and vetting of Crowley’s Port Everglades terminal found the shipper to be fully compliant with program requirements and to have also implemented additional best practices, including enhanced due diligence security standards.

Doug J. Marchand, Executive Director of the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), released tonnage and volume reports reflecting a strong start to fiscal year 2008 during a meeting of its board of directors. He cited tonnage growth of 26.9 percent, or 2.1 million tons in August, and a 26.7 percent growth in July, for a total increase of 910,00 tons. Port of Savannah handled 236,020 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit containers (TEUs) for August, a 30.1-percent increase and a combined 467,711 TEUs for the first two months of the fiscal year. The Authority reported 28.5-percent increase in TEUs for the fiscal year to date. Marchand also indicated the Authority would bring an additional 14 Rubber Tire Gantry Cranes on-line in FY08…