Ports Association News

The state of Great Lakes port infrastructure is one of the biggest issues facing the U.S. and Canadian maritime industries. According to the America Great Lakes Ports Association, “Due to years of inadequate funding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been unable to maintain Great Lakes navigation infrastructure. Over the next five years Great Lakes navigation channels will require $540 million of dredging to maintain authorized channel dimensions. Breakwaters and other federal…

The British Ports Association said it is calling for clarity following recent speculation that the introduction of physical Brexit border checks on EU food and animal product imports will be delayed again.Sanitary and phytosanitary inspections at specially prepared borders infrastructure are due to be introduced in July, but there is an increasing expectation of some type of delay, said BPA, the trade body representing U.K. ports that facilitate 86% of seaborne trade and most of the ports that have built Border Control Posts.Richard Ballantyne…

New legislation introduced in Congress aims to create a federal entity dedicated exclusively to advancing solutions to the challenges faced by the eight states of Great Lakes region.Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin together, contain a large core of the United States’ commercial and defense industrial base, as well as the largest freshwater system anywhere on Earth, but lawmakers say the Great Lakes region lacks the support present in other regions where the federal government has an array of commissions…

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday approved $1 billion for U.S. Coast Guard shore side infrastructure nationwide and $350 million for a heavy Great Lakes icebreaker as part of its budget reconciliation bill, an action that the Great Lake Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) called “great news for the Great Lakes.”The GLMTF described the heavy Great Lakes icebreaker as desperately needed and expects that a portion of the infrastructure funds will go to good…

Lawmakers in the U.S. are reintroducing legislation aiming codify the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking mission on the Great Lakes and increase the icebreaking capacity of the Great Lakes fleet.“Inadequate icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes is costing us thousands of American jobs and millions in business revenue. We must boost our icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes to keep our maritime commerce moving,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who introduced the bipartisan Great…

New legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) will codify the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaking mission on the Great Lakes and increase the icebreaking capacity of the Great Lakes fleet.The Great Lakes Winter Commerce Act aims to increase Great lakes icebreaking capacity, which the lawmakers say will help the businesses and workers that rely on the maritime industry to transport their goods to market and grow the regional economy.“In recent years…

The Connecticut Port Authority (CPA) approved the appointment of John Henshaw as its new executive director, effective September 8, 2020.Henshaw comes to the CPA after serving as the executive director of the Maine Port Authority for over 10 years and after serving as commissioner for the Board of Harbor Commissioners for the Port of Portland.He was selected for the position following an extensive search by the CPA board for a candidate with a specific set of skills and experience.

Driver-less heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will be to ship freight between the UK and continental Europe in the future, according to a new white paper published by the British Ports Association (BPA) and the specialist freight transport consultancy MDS Transmodal.Commercial and environmental pressures will encourage freight operators to look at autonomous trucks and they would transform the way the ro-ro market works in Great Britain."Changes anticipated include significant growth in the market share of ‘driverless accompanied’ RORO traffic – particularly through North Sea and Western English Channel ports," it said.Technical developments…

Following the announcement of the grant awards to certain English ports from the Department for Transport the British Ports Association has suggested further funding might be needed across the ports and logistics sectors in a no deal scenario.Commenting on the funding the British Ports Association’s Chief Executive, Richard Ballantyne said: We welcome the funding but note that some English ports have missed out as well as those in other parts of the UK. Also we have asked the Government for funding for UK Border Force infrastructure…

Maritime industry professionals remain confident about the year ahead despite wider uncertainty, according to new data published by the British Ports Association. Ports themselves are more likely to be worried about the economy over the next 12 months, however.Less than a third (29%) of ports feel confident about the economy in the next year, but 51% of the wider maritime industry feels confident. 83% of ports were planning investments into new business services, property or infrastructure in the next three months.Brexit: The survey reveals that half of ports do not feel that Brexit will affect them (either negatively or positively) in the next year, whilst a third feel it will impact them negatively. This can be attributed to the structure of the industry (i.e.

The British Ports Association has welcomed the announcement by the UK Government that there will be a new grants scheme for infrastructure modification at UK ports should there be a ‘no-deal’ Brexit but has stated a deal was the best way to avoid potential disruption at ports.The UK’s Department for Transport is to introduce its £10 million (about $12.17 million) Port Infrastructure Resilience and Connectivity Fund for English Ports scheme in the run up to the Brexit date of October…

The British Ports Association (BPA) and the Port of Rotterdam have launched a new joint smart ports paper examining port digitalization.The white paper seeks to show how sharing data will help ports work towards digital maturity and grow into smart ports.It outlines a model for digital maturity that shows how ports need to develop and exchange data in order to keep up with the digital developments around them, highlighting that technology plays a key role but is not an objective in and of itself.Joyce Bliek, Director of Digital Business Solutions at the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said: “Our logistics and maritime sectors face a number of economic and ecological challenges.

The UK maritime industry is taking a leading stand in the fight against the illegal use of Dangerously Weighted Heaving Lines (DWHLs) in UK ports and harbors, an issue spanning the shipping and ports sectors, said British Ports Association (BPA).To coincide with the Department for Transport’s important Maritime Safety Week 2019, #maritimesafetyweek, the British Ports Association, British Tugowners Association, Port Skills and Safety, UK Chamber of Shipping, UK Major Ports Group, and UK Marine Pilots Association have issued a joint notice to raise awareness against their use and the consequences.Richard Steele, Chief Executive of Ports Skills and Safety…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has hosted the 44th ASEAN Ports Association (APA) Meeting on 27 and 28 November 2018. The annual meeting was officially opened by the Chairman of MPA, Niam Chiang Meng, at the Conrad Centennial Hotel.About 100 key port executives and decision-makers from the nine member nations of the APA  attended the event, which serves as a platform for ASEAN ports to cooperate in areas such as port development, operations and management.The nine member nations of the APA are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.In his welcome address…

Eamonn O’Reilly was unanimously re-elected as Chairman following a vote of European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO)'s General Assembly in Brussels. E. O’Reilly has been chairing the organisation during the last two years.The General Assembly also re-elected Annaleena Mäkilä and elected Zeno d’Agostino as Vice-Chairs. Ms Mäkilä is currently Managing Director of the Finnish ports Association and has been Vice Chair since 2014.d’Agostino is President of Assoporti, the Italian Association of Ports and President of the Port Network Authority of the Eastern Adriatic Sea. Z. d’Agostino replaces Bernard Mazuel (UPF-France) who has been Vice Chair for the last four years.Upon his election…

Indian Ports Association (IPA) has appointed Tech Mahindra as the Managed Service Provider for five major ports. This is the first such outsourcing deal in the major ports.Tech Mahindra will build and maintain an enterprise business system (EBS) to modernise and automate port processes at five Central government-owned port  at Mumbai ,Kolkata, Chennai, Deendayal Port  and Paradip Port Trust.This initiative is a major step towards integrating the maritime sector and fostering growth and development of major public sector ports in the country.Tech Mahindra is partnering with world class leading players like SAP, Envision, CISCO, Dell, RTCom and other major players.

Brazil's policy of setting minimum freight rates is reducing the volume of cargo at Brazilian ports as farmers and agricultural exporters have difficulty arranging transportation at higher cost, according to the head of a Brazilian ports association.The country instituted minimum rates for freight above the previous market rate as part of a deal to end a truckers' strike over high diesel prices in May. The strike paralyzed the country's roadways, preventing agriculture exports…

Following the publication of the UK Government’s advice on contingency planning for a ‘no deal’ Brexit outcome, the British Ports Association (BPA) has suggested that negotiators have it in their power to agree a deal that would end months of uncertainty regarding the future arrangements at UK and EU borders.Highlighting the merits of the UK Government’s proposal agreed at Chequers and subsequently set out in the Brexit White Paper in July, the BPA is urging both sides to rally and agree. Chief Executive of the BPA, Richard Ballantyne said:“Today’s papers underlines the implications of a ‘no deal’, in terms of trading arrangements at ports.

The British Ports Association has published a sustainable development resolution, which commits to supporting the dual aims of a strong and healthy environment and a thriving economy.The BPA represents 350 ports, terminals and port facilities across the UK. UK Ports handle 95% of the UK’s international trade, keeping goods moving in an efficient manner that underpins the UK’s economy. The industry is also highly productive and employs over 101,000 people.Ports are often hubs of regional economic activity and support a wide range of industries including energy, fishing, automative, aggregates, agriculture and of course the entire maritime sector.Ports take their environmental responsibilities seriously.

The Mississippi River Ship Channel could be the first port complex on the Gulf Coast to reach a depth of 50 feet now that the Director’s Report has been signed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Elected officials and industry leaders have long worked to increase the channel’s depth to 50 feet, which is the same depth of the expanded Panama Canal.In signing the Report, Corps of Engineers Director of Civil Works James C. Dalton stated the project is “economically justified and…

The new study by the Department of Transportation Great Lakes - Saint Lawrence Seaway says that shipping  supports more than 237,000 jobs and billions in economic activity.A year-long study of the economic impacts of the entire Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway navigation system is a definitive and detailed report documenting the many contributions made by the Great Lakes Seaway system to federal, state/provincial and local economies.The study reports that in 2017 maritime commerce supported: 237,868 jobs, $35 billion in economic activity, $14.2 billion in personal income and local consumption expenditures and $6.6 billion in federal, state/provincial and local tax revenue.The study also highlights the specific economic benefits of key navigation infrastructure, such as the St.

Welcoming the Department for International Trade’s new Export Strategy the British Ports Association (BPA) has highlighted the role that ports play handling 95% of the UK’s International trade in goods.Commenting on the Strategy the BPA’s Chief Executive, Richard Ballantyne said: “The new Export Strategy outlines how Government and businesses can work together to promote UK products and exports globally, as well as improving supply chains. In terms of goods, the UK is an import driven economy, however, there are real opportunities to increase exports to Europe and beyond. Ports are certainly ready to help facilitate the Government’s…

The British Ports Association (BPA) will be holding a short targeted seminar on Thursday 29 November to discuss coastal shipping in the UK with ports and operators. In comparison with other transport modes, shipping is an efficient and environmentally sustainable option.Utilising the UK’s hundreds of ports in supporting more coastal shipping has the potential to improve connectivity between regions.Commenting on the importance of coastal shipping (moving freight within the UK by sea) and what will be discussed at the seminar, Sara Walsh, the BPA’s Corporate Services Manager said:“We are aware of the importance of existing coastal shipping routes and possible new markets which would help to sustain trade between regions around the UK.