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PORTS WITH PASSENGER LINER OPERATIONS LOOK FOR WAYS TO REOPEN SAFELY AND QUICKLY

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PORTS WITH PASSENGER LINER OPERATIONS LOOK FOR WAYS TO REOPEN SAFELY AND QUICKLY

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order in October 2020 that remains in effect until Nov. 1, 2021. The framework was established to allow cruise lines to resume activity after being shut down for a year by the global pandemic. The order applies to passenger operations on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction. 

Although the CDC says it would prefer if people didn’t cruise at all, this action has been more aggressive than in Canada, which has announced its cruise season has been canceled for the second straight year in 2021. The ban extends until Feb. 22, 2022.

“Returning to passenger cruising is a phased approach, and our current focus is on the protection of crew and working with cruise lines to implement the initial phase requirements of testing all crew and developing onboard laboratory capacity,” said Jason McDonald, CDC media spokesman, in an email.

“Future orders and technical instructions will address additional activities to help cruise lines prepare for and return to passenger operations in a manner that mitigates COVID-19 risk among passengers and crew members, including simulated voyages, certification for conditional sailing and restricted voyages,” he added.

The new technical instructions will give cruise ports and terminals direction in providing further protocols and programs to help protect passengers, crews and port employees when cruising resumes.

However, ports and terminals have not been sitting idly by since the pandemic struck North America more than a year ago. Ports in the U.S. have been following the CDC’s lead and developing protocols and programs to reduce the COVID-19 risk.

The Florida Ports Council, which provides leadership for the state’s 14 deep-water seaports, has been working diligently with its membership on pandemic response. 

“While maintaining a state of readiness for cruising to resume, our ports are diligently protecting workers through enhanced sanitation procedures, personal protective equipment and mitigation response, including capital infrastructure retrofitting equipment, improved HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) filters and hands-free building access,” said Doug Wheeler, the council’s president & CEO.

One major impact of the pandemic has been the devastating financial loss to the entire cruise industry. The council is also working to address this issue.

“We continue to work with our fellow U.S. seaport associations to press for emergency relief for U.S. seaports, including cruise ports,” said Wheeler. “Unfortunately, seaports have been left out of prior emergency relief legislation. The good news is that Congress created the Maritime Transportation System Emergency Relief Program last year. Unfortunately, it was not funded within the omnibus bill passed by Congress at the end of the year. We are hopeful that funding for the program will be included in this next relief package.”

On the Great Lakes, Port Milwaukee has, since April 2020, been proactively addressing the pandemic through various means, says Jazmine Jurkiewicz, the port’s Trade Development Representative. 

“Port Milwaukee has continued to make preparations for the 2021 cruising season and beyond,” Jurkiewicz said. “All regulations imposed by the CDC and Department of Transportation have been closely monitored and adhered to. While not a regulating body in the United States, Transport Canada is also a major factor in the cruising industry for the Great Lakes and has been closely monitored as well.”

Port Milwaukee has also purchased a new mobile X-ray trailer to reduce the physical interaction between passengers and security teams clearing luggage. It is expected to be delivered in July. Jurkiewicz said the port is also “continuing collaboration and coordination with the Milwaukee Cruise Collaborative members to distribute information effectively to local tourism organizations.”

At the municipal government level, the city of Milwaukee Health Department has performed detailed evaluations to examine the exposure risk at the port and all recommendations have been followed.

On the West Coast, the Port of San Diego, California’s third-largest cruise gateway to the Mexican Riviera and other major southern destinations, has made pandemic response a big part of its daily routine.

“We will be working with local health officials, cruise line officials and other authorities to put the needed infrastructure in place to resume operations when the time comes,” said Adam Deaton, the port’s Senior Trade account executive.

“One possible plan is to open a 9,000-square-foot area of the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal that would enlarge it to better respect and manage social distancing,” 

Deaton continued: “We expect, through the CDC framework process, to reopen cruise and guidelines. We anticipate those guidelines will include extra cleaning and disinfection protocols, face covering requirements, social distancing protocols, staggered and scheduled cruise passenger check-ins, plexiglass use to provide safety barriers between passengers and terminal workers, availability of hand sanitizer and handwashing, temperature checks and more.”

He added that all inbound vessels must notify the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection 14 days ahead of their scheduled arrival in San Diego, even if no one on board is exhibiting symptoms and, of course, to notify the two agencies immediately if anyone aboard a vessel is exhibiting symptoms of communicable diseases such as COVID-19.

At the Port of Galveston, where cruise operations provide 65 percent of annual port revenues, the response has been in a serious and rapid fashion.

“We’ve been working with the cruise industry and others for the safe, sustainable return of cruising in 2021,” says Rodger Rees, port director and CEO, Galveston Wharves. “We’ve invested more than $73,000 in health and safety enhancements at our two cruise terminals in preparation for cruise activity ramping up,” 

Galveston, the fourth most popular cruise port in North America, immediately began, along with cruise and shipping lines, to monitor daily life at Galveston Wharves.

Early in the pandemic, Galveston Wharves hosted a multi-agency tabletop exercise to review and coordinate planning, responses and communications among the local, state and federal entities that would respond if the coronavirus impacted the Galveston maritime industry.

That initial meeting laid the groundwork for a longer and continuous planning process for ports and terminals. 

With the possibility of some cruise lines restarting their business, cruise lines and ports are exploring more robust screening protocols, expanded cleaning and sanitation practices and comprehensive shipboard prevention, surveillance and response measures.

Galveston Wharves is planning a number of changes in its two cruise terminals, including touchless bathroom fixtures, plexiglass shields in customer service areas and enhanced air handling systems plus various other health and safety concepts are being explored.

In 2019, the cruise industry had a $1.6 billion economic impact in Texas, making it extremely vital to the Lone Star State.

Port Tampa Bay’s response to COVID-19 was, like others, swift.

“We responded immediately and swiftly to the pandemic,” said Paul Anderson, Port Tampa Bay’s president & CEO. “Prior to the CDC’s no-sail order, we had already begun disinfecting our cruise terminals and increasing daily cleaning efforts.” 

The port says it will follow the guidance of the CDC and individual cruise lines on whether they will require COVID-19 tests for passengers.

In addition, Anderson said, “Port Tampa Bay has taken extra precautions to keep our cruise terminals clean and disinfected and we sanitize them with an EPA-approved chemical to prevent the spread of COVID-19 every 30 days. We will continue to take this precaution when cruises resume.”

Port Tampa Bay is “working closely with our cruise line partners to follow the updated CDC guidelines for the conditional sailing order and we are prepared to welcome them back when they are ready,” Anderson added.

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HOW ROLL ON/ROLL OFF PORTS RESPONDED TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on global shipping. One of the categories hit worst was roll-on/roll-off (Ro/Ro). These ships, which revolutionized the transport of automotive and military vehicles, often found themselves with nowhere to go as automakers shut down their plants in the first half of 2020 to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 

Figures compiled by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)—and published in its report COVID-19 and Maritime Transport: Impact and Responses—show just how bleak the Ro/Ro sector got, with the ships stopping in five percent fewer ports in the first quarter of 2020 than the same quarter a year earlier, and nearly 25 percent in the second quarter.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted on Ro/Ro services,” states the UNCTAD report. “Since March 2020, port calls by Ro/Ro ships worldwide declined by 22.8 percent compared with the same period in 2019. One in four ship calls has been suspended. Total calls by Ro/Ro ships since the beginning of 2020 declined by 13.8 percent as compared with the same period in 2019.”

While those declines were bad, it’s also true that vehicle traffic rebounded in the latter half of the year. We looked at 10 U.S. ports that have Ro/Ro capability to see how bad the situation got before they recovered—and how they did it. All of these ports instituted special COVID-19 protocols at the start of the pandemic, and all have remained operational throughout the crisis.

BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA

Port officials say that in the spring of 2020, the closure of so many automakers dramatically lowered the number of automobiles entering Colonel’s Island Terminal. May 2020 saw the worst volume decrease—down 77 percent compared to May 2019.

The rebound started in June, though port officials say Ro/Ro traffic that month was still 38 percent below June 2019. July was better, in that it was only down 11 percent. By August, Ro/Ro traffic was actually up 9 percent, though September was flat. The rest of the year saw Ro/Ro traffic up 32 percent over the previous year; November down 16 percent, and December was 27 percent ahead of the same month in 2019.

For the year, Colonel’s Island terminal served 435 vessel calls in 2020, compared to 466 in 2019. Put another way, in 2020 the Port of Brunswick handled 587,395 units of Ro/Ro cargo, a decrease of 25,506 (4 percent) compared to 2019.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

The Port of Baltimore ranks “first among the nation’s ports for volume of autos and light trucks, roll on/roll off heavy farm and construction machinery, and imported gypsum,” according to the Maryland Port Administration. After sustained decreases in Ro/Ro traffic throughout the spring, December totals showed a triple-digit increase—the sixth consecutive month of increased compared to the first months of the pandemic, according to a Feb. 3, 2021, Maryland Port Administration news release. What’s more, December figures for general cargo, containers and Ro/Ro represent year-over-year monthly gains versus December of the previous year.

“Throughout the pandemic, the Port of Baltimore has been a barometer of Maryland’s economic recovery, and the latest figures give us great optimism for the new year,” Governor Larry Hogan said in the news release. “The port’s healthy rebound is an indicator of increased consumer demand, and we’ve proven we have the talented workforce and the infrastructure to answer that demand.”

By December 2020, 67,063 tons of Ro/Ro traffic moved through the Port of Baltimore—up nearly 36 percent from June. In fact, December was so good that Ro/Ro traffic was up 1 percent from the same month in 2019.

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

In the spring of 2020, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo shut down auto plants in the South due to COVID-19. This cut Ro/Ro traffic into Charleston by a third, according to JOC.com. 

But by August, the numbers started to recover. “Among the encouraging signs that port officials highlighted was the highest July on record for vehicle movement through the port,” according to Aug. 20, 2020, post in The Maritime Executive. “The strength in the Ro/Ro sector they believe signifies a return to normalcy at automotive plants throughout South Carolina and the Southeast.”

Port officials are so encouraged that they see a stronger rebound throughout 2021.

“We are encouraged by some signs of an initial rebound in our container and automotive volumes, as well as an increase in imports and a decline in blanked sailings,” S.C. Ports President and CEO Jim Newsome said in an Aug. 20, 2020, Maritime Executive post. “However, a more substantial recovery is dependent on the duration and intensity of the economic impacts from the pandemic, and ultimately, on a vaccine.”

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

Like all U.S. ports, JAXPORT saw Ro/Ro traffic hit hard by the coronavirus. But the rebound in the summer and fall was strong. In fact, the last quarter of calendar year 2020 was “the second busiest quarter for vehicles in the port’s history,” according to a Feb. 11, 2021 JAXPORT news release.

Given that it’s one of the nation’s most diversified ports, and that means it’s “well-positioned to continue to see increased volumes to satisfy growing consumer demand in nearby markets throughout the Southeast, including South Florida, Orlando and the rest of the I-4 corridor,” said Alberto Cabrera, JAXPORT’s director of Automotive Accounts.

“An increase in U.S. military vehicle movements at the port helped to offset the industry-wide decline in commercial shipments due to the temporary shutdown of auto manufacturing over the summer caused by the coronavirus,” said Cabrera.

He adds that 2021 should be a “robust year” for emerging vehicle technology. “As manufacturers continue to rebound from the pandemic shutdowns, we will see the release of many new models with the advanced technology, including autonomous driving, steering assistance, and forward collision prevention, that consumers have been demanding,” Cabrera said. 

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

In late 2019, PhilaPort opened a giant new auto terminal and Vehicle Processing Center (VPC). “The VPC at Southport is capable of servicing 200 cars per hour and fully processing over 1,000 cars daily,” a PhilaPort news release said at the time. A few months later, the pandemic hit. After that, Ro/Ro traffic “was down, but not as much as the other Ro/Ro ports,” a PhilaPort spokesman said.

The port instituted new COVID-19 protocols, including closing the main administration offices in the early months of the pandemic. But by late September, the port reopened the offices. Today, the port is close to operating as usual—though with some adjustments. 

“This port handles almost 1 million tons of forest products in a normal year,” said Penn Warehousing and Distribution’s Tom Mutz in a Feb. 5, 2021, PhilaPort news release. “But COVID and new modes of consumer behavior have resulted in even greater amounts of forest products entering our port.”

GALVESTON, TEXAS

Port officials made clear that COVID-19 had very little impact on the operations at the Port of Galveston. That being said, the temporary closure of many auto plants did cause a significant slowdown in Ro/Ro traffic for much of 2020. You can see it in the numbers provided by port officials: The port moved 487,371 vehicles in 2019, but just 314,790 in 2020.

That said, port officials noted that other traffic at the port is strong. In fact, they report that the port saw 25 cargo vessels in January 2021—up considerably from the 19 that arrived in pre-pandemic January 2020. 

HUENEME, CALIFORNIA

For the Port of Hueneme, May and June of 2020 were the worst months of the pandemic for Ro/Ro traffic. During those months, Ro/Ro ship traffic dwindled almost to zero. Recovery finally came in the last quarter of 2020, which saw four to five Ro/Ro ships coming into port every week. 

But the damage had been done. In 2019, Ro/Ro ships moved 346,288 autos in and out of the Port of Hueneme, but just 282,164 in 2020—an 18.5 percent drop in a year. Overall tonnage dropped at the port 1.8 percent due to the pandemic. But so far, officials say Ro/Ro volume is still showing a strong recovery and is now 1 percent higher than the same period last year.

Port officials also say their own internal operations and communications plan worked very well in dealing with COVID-19 cases. In fact, they say the port saw just 19 reported COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in March 2020. Currently, the port is working with local officials to prioritize the vaccinations cycles for their workforce.

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

For the first half of 2020, the Port of Virginia saw a significant drop in trade—due both to the COVID-19 pandemic and trade tariffs. But port officials are proud that throughout the crisis, the port has not lost a single-day of productivity. Despite the drop in traffic, the port instituted no layoffs or cuts in pay and benefits. Officials also noted that since the port was processing less cargo, efficiencies increased—dwell-time for rail imports, berth productivity and turn-times for motor carriers. The port also used the slow period to accelerate maintenance schedules for equipment and make operational tweaks.

By the end of the year, the Port of Virginia was actually setting records: The port processed more than 260,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in December, making it the best volume on record for that month. The port also set its all-time monthly volume record in November 2020 by handling more than 280,000 TEUs.

Today, Port of Virginia officials describe their Ro/Ro capabilities as “strong.” They expect a rebound in both automobiles and traditional Ro-Ro cargo in 2021, which they say they can accommodate at either their Newport News Marine Terminal or the Portsmouth Marine Terminal.

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Long lines of shipping traffic into the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are familiar to everyone within five miles of the Southern California coastline. Even in 2020, the traffic was considerable.

“Initially, the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the volume of containers flowing through the port, but the latter half of the year was very active as shippers worked to satisfy pent-up demand for goods,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “The Port of Long Beach had its best year on record in 2020, with 8,113,315 TEUs moved, up 6.3 percent from 2019. The port exceeded the previous annual record set in 2018 by 22,292 TEUs.”

But the same can’t be said for Ro/Ro ships. In fact, Ro/Ro data from the Port of Long Beach shows abysmal numbers: 302,811 vehicles in 2019, but just 239,135 in 2020.

To ensure that 2021 is good for all categories of shipping, Cordero is focusing on protecting his workforce.

“The nation’s waterfront workers have kept this country’s supply chain functioning since Day One of the pandemic, and they are at high risk,” Cordero said. “Prioritizing the waterfront workers for vaccination is of paramount importance, both for their safety, and for the sake of the economy. We are continuing to work with health officials to vaccinate essential workers, to maintain the fluidity of cargo movement.”

SEATTLE/TACOMA, WASHINGTON

The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), the operating entity behind the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, is the fourth largest container gateway in the United Sates. And the COVID-19 pandemic hit the NWSA hard across the board.

“Total container volumes in March were down approximately 21 percent as compared to March of 2019,” said John Wolfe, the NWSA CEO, according to an April 15, 2020, story in American Shipper. “That brings our year-to-date first-quarter decline to 15.4 percent.”

The situation at the ports was still bad, even into October.

“The economic fallout from COVID-19 continues to disrupt supply chains across the country and around the world,” stated an Oct 20, 2020, NWSA news release. “The NWSA gateway saw 59 blank sailings through September, surpassing the total number of canceled sailings in 2019.”

As with most ports in the U.S., by the end of the year cargo traffic had rebounded or even exceeded 2019 levels at the NWSA ports—except for auto volume. That stood at 156,205 units, down 18.6 percent from the previous year, according to a Jan. 20, 2021, NWSA news release.

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Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Ocean Ports

PORT OF BEAUMONT ACHIEVED ANOTHER RECORD YEAR DESPITE THE GLOBAL YOU-KNOW-WHAT. HERE’S HOW.

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What does it take for a port to remain competitive and progressive, regardless of the market disruptions at hand? Port of Beaumont Director of Trade Development Ernest Bezdek shares the answer to that question and more secrets to the Texas facility’s success in an exclusive interview with Global Trade Magazine.

Known for leading cargo handling for the petrochemical industry, the Port of Beaumont reported robust numbers in 2019-2020 and continues to soar during a historical year of disruptions. According to the latest reports, the port’s liquid bulk terminal handled 4.2 million tons of crude and refined products, and the dry bulk terminal moved more than 2 million tons of aggregate in ’19-’20. 

“While aggregate isn’t directly tied to the petrochemical industry, the majority of the product coming through the Port of Beaumont is used for industrial expansions along the Sabine-Neches Waterway,” Bezdek explains. “The port’s Orange County Liquid Bulk facility, which began handling crude and refined products in 2012, has realized a 5,000 percent increase in cargo volume since the first year of operation.”

The Orange County Liquid Bulk facility is a public-private partnership between the Port of Beaumont and Jefferson Energy Companies, he adds. 

“The liquid bulk facility was responsible for the first shipment of refined products to Mexico upon deregulation in 2017 and continues to ship crude and refined products to international markets, playing a significant role in sustaining the Sabine-Neches Waterway’s spot as one of the top three crude refining complexes in the United States,” Bezdek says.

Another significant statistic the port boasts about is maintaining the position as the fourth largest in tonnage. This title, the port’s record success and forward-thinking approach to operations contribute to all levels of development growth, from local, state and federal initiatives. 

“Locally, the port approves tax abatements for companies looking to open or expand along the waterway,” Bezdek says. “On the state level, the port serves on the board for the Port Authority Advisory Committee and works with state legislators to ensure Texas ports are always top-of-mind. And federally, we work with congressional leaders and industry trade organizations to ensure legislation . . . supports the needs of the maritime industry well into the future.”

One example of such legislation he cites is the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020.

“Additionally, the port supports and encourages private investment,” Bezdek adds, “and it has leveraged public dollars five to one with the public-private-partnerships currently in place.”

ANOTHER LAYER OF FOCUS

Sustainability and infrastructure also top the port’s list for legislative initiatives. Outdated facilities and limited capacities have no place in the modern maritime arena if you want to remain competitive and continue record-setting trends. The Port of Beaumont takes sustainable resiliency seriously, eliminating chances of limiting future growth opportunities. Among the initiatives put in place to ensure the latest and greatest infrastructure is in place, Bezdek highlights the following:

Composite Fenders: “The port replaced deteriorating timber fenders with new eco-friendly composite fenders on our most heavily used dock. Products like Axion’s Struxure boards are estimated to have five times the service life of hardwood, which offers better performance while reducing our maintenance costs.”

Buford Rail Interchange Track: “We are in the process of constructing a second rail interchange track. The additional rail interchange track on our property will allow a higher percentage of outbound surface cargo to be loaded on rail cars as opposed to trucks. Currently, approximately 15 percent of forest cargo and 15 percent of project cargo leaves the Port of Beaumont by truck. It was determined that this percentage could be reduced, resulting in significant benefits in safety, highway maintenance costs, decongestion and environmental impacts if an additional rail line was constructed.”  

Main Street Terminal 1: “We will be constructing a general cargo dock to replace docks 2, 3 and 4, which are no longer in use. It is assumed that without the reconstruction of the wharves, 15 percent of the increased project tonnage would come to the Beaumont area by truck. Reconstruction of the wharves will result in reduced congestion on all major highways between Corpus Christi and Houston and Beaumont, but especially on the I-10 corridor between Houston and Beaumont. The new dock will be supported by concrete piles to provide a c foundation with prolonged design life and resiliency. The final concrete topping slab will use synthetic concrete reinforcing fibers as opposed to traditional welded steel wire mesh, which will also provide a corrosion-proof wearing surface with prolonged design life and resiliency.”

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

Unlike other logistics-focused industries impacted by the pandemic, the Port of Beaumont successfully navigated disruptions without much of a slowdown and without compromising the continued development of its employees. Bezdek explained that a developed, educated workforce, carefully executed social distancing measures and a strong mix of diversified cargo have ultimately paved the way to success throughout 2020. 

“The port focuses on diversification to minimize disruption and we took an early and aggressive stance on COVID-19 by maintaining strict protocols, social distancing and screening measures since early March [2020],” he says. “We have 45 employees with more than 500 years of combined experience working at the Port of Beaumont as well as thousands of contractors and partners working at port facilities regularly. The key to breaking records is exceptional teamwork and clearly communicating goals and expectations of the organization, while focusing on employee growth. The more we invest in our employees, the more records we see broken. Of our 45 employees, 40 have participated in some type of training or continuing education in the past 30 days.

“The port’s competitive advantage is much more closely tied to infrastructure and proximity to key assets, such as I-10, three Class I rail carriers and an extensive pipeline network. The newest technology used at the Port of Beaumont that has created the greatest benefit is ArcGIS, a mapping and analytics software that has many uses in a port setting, including asset management, space allocation, utility management, property and lease management, environmental management, emergency response and management, and it also has functions useful for marketing, among other things.

While the pandemic has caused economic decline in many areas industry-wide, the Port of Beaumont’s cargo volumes remained strong with a 7.6 percent increase, year-over-year, when Bezdek was interviewed.  

“The pandemic has not had a significant impact on the Port of Beaumont, but we understand this could result in a slow-down in the future,” he concludes. “We remain optimistic that project and breakbulk cargos will bounce back as economic recovery efforts continue.”

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Three Supply Chain Risk Management Lessons You Can Learn from the Suez Canal Block

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The Ever Given vessel is floating, but the ship is not out of hot water. In fact, Egyptian authorities said it will remain in the Suez Canal until they are compensated by the vessel owners for the damage, labor, and disruption caused. Although the cargo on the Ever Given is still at a standstill, other ships have been able to freely move through the canal over the past few weeks.

Even still, the effects of the Suez Canal block will continue to ripple far beyond the cargo that remains stuck on the Ever Given. The influx of delayed cargo has disrupted offloading schedules at ports, delivery schedules for shipping companies, and even orders sent directly to consumers. As an industry, it’s imperative for us to learn from this and develop strategies to minimize the impact of similar blockages should they happen in the future.

Now that we can view the incident in hindsight, I wanted to share three risk management lessons you can take away from this to create a healthier supply chain.

1. The entire supply chain can be impacted by one accident

Although the Suez Canal handles only 13% of global trade, its blockage rippled through the supply chain worldwide. The BBC reported that 369 ships were stuck waiting for the Ever Given to be refloated. Not only did all those ships have significantly delayed cargo, but the disruption created a backlog of cargo that continues to be felt today at ports, warehouses, shipyards, retail locations, and ultimately, by customers.

For an example of the negative effects this sort of delay can have, let’s look at perishable deliveries. Perishables are on tight delivery schedules that ensure the product arrives at its destination fresh and ready for purchase. Adding a week to the delivery timeframe for perishables can kill the entire supply chain. Even if the goods are still delivered in acceptable condition, they will not be able to spend as much time on shelves, resulting in a massive amount of food waste and lost profit.

The Suez Canal block has also affected supply chains through the ships that were rerouted from the canal. These ships will arrive later than expected and have a higher potential for damaged cargo as they spent more time navigating through rough seas. This may delay shipments, cause inventory shortages, and create logistical difficulties at various offloading points.

We have yet to even see the full range of effects that this mishap will have on the global supply chain, but it has proven that any incident in the supply chain ripples out to points all across the globe.

2. Flexibility is key

Congestion and disruption can always get worse. Because shippers and even logistics experts can’t always predict exactly what will happen, it’s important to have a plan for every eventuality. Planning ensures that you remain flexible and meet your goals, regardless of the obstacles faced along the way.

To remain properly flexible, you need to have a broad range of options on hand. For example, at C.H. Robinson, we assist our clients through our suite of global services. We use a diverse array of services to ensure that our clients are supported, no matter the situation. For instance, when approaching ocean shipping, we leverage full container load (FCL) and consolidation less than container load (LCL) ocean services to create a diversity of options for our customers. Not only does this allow them to choose the option they desire, it also provides them with alternatives should anything unexpected occur.

Additionally, using the insights gained from logistics technology, in particular from supply chain connectivity technology, can help you see what a supply chain error or delay will affect, making it easier to get ahead of the effects before they derail your operation.

Ultimately, this is all in pursuit of resiliency. Because there are so many moving parts in the global supply chain, it’s unreasonable to expect that each part will always be in sync. An excellent logistics plan with an excellent logistics partner combine to ensure resiliency against even the most unexpected events.

3. A risk management strategy is no longer a luxury

Since the global supply chain has grown so large and so complex in the 21st century, risk management strategies have become a necessity. In most cases, customers expect that they are a given. In the case of the Suez Canal incident, none of the ships stuck behind the Ever Given ever expected that the Suez Canal would be blocked, and no one on the Ever Given expected to become lodged in one of the world’s most vital trade passages. Regardless of expectations, these accidents occurred, and everyone was scrambling to mitigate the risk.

Because no one can predict such incidents, it’s vital to have risk management strategies in place well before any issues occur. Even before the Suez Canal blockage, the importance of risk management for ocean shipping had been increasing. In February, we touched on the increase in vessel accidents over the past year. In that article, we discussed how to prepare for a vessel accident, and many of the same lessons that we imparted there apply to this situation.

Specifically, the two most important pieces of advice that carry over are purchasing maritime insurance and working with a provider with a global suite of services. We’ve already discussed the importance of working with a reputable, well-connected provider, but it bears repeating that a provider with a global suite of services can correct issues faster and more effectively than you could on your own.

Maritime insurance is something that we highly recommend purchasing whenever you engage in ocean shipping. Imagine how you might feel if you were carrying a large amount of produce that rotted while you were stuck in the Suez Canal. Even worse, imagine you were the managing company of the Ever Given, now being asked to pay up to $1 billion by the government of Egypt for the affair. If you found yourself in this situation and did not have maritime insurance, your company could quickly find itself sunk by a combination of lost revenue and damages. Even on a smaller scale, if you were shipping cargo through rough seas and a single container were lost or damaged, having insurance would save you from stressful financial headaches.

Spare yourself trouble by staying prepared

Issues like the block in the Suez Canal have a lot to teach shippers and logistics experts about the interconnected nature of global supply chains. To provide the highest possible level of service to your customers, consider the plans that you have in place for when something goes wrong in the supply chain.

Ready to protect yourself against supply chain disruptions? Connect with our global network of experts to see how C.H. Robinson can provide solutions for your business.

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Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Ocean Ports

Halifax Port Pursuing Industry Collaboration

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The advancement of PIER, a recently established sector-focused living lab for maritime transportation and logistics, at the Port of Halifax, NS, is gaining momentum, says Andrew Black, the Halifax Port Authority’s (HPA) Director, Strategic Technology and Executive Director of PIER (Port Innovation, Engagement, and Research).

PIER will provide opportunities to interact directly with end-users, receive actionable insights, and for solutions to be visible to industry-specific investors plus provide a working area for companies with expertise in maritime transportation and logistics who see opportunity to develop solutions alongside global industry leaders.

Black said PIER announced its founding partners in March and along with the Port of Halifax includes CN, PSA Halifax (south-end container terminal operator) and OMC International, an Australian maritime engineering company that has developed award-winning e-Navigation technology. Since that announcement, Saab Technologies has also joined the partners.

“We are very excited that we are going to have these global entities investing in our ecosystem and helping to advance major projects through our port,” Black said.

PIER has also garnered interest from various corporations and entities from places such as Marseille, Rotterdam, Perth, Victoria, and Montreal plus there has been dialogue with global ports including Rotterdam, Singapore, and others. “They are all showing a high degree of innovation activity that we are advancing through the PIER,” he said.

Black said initial discussions with the founding partners “have focused on things like working together to define metrics for success,” which will provide a vision to better deal with issues and challenges.

In addition to a virtual aspect of PIER, there will also be a physical aspect at the port. Renovations began in March with plans to have the area complete in September.

PIER was recently included in new projects announced by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster.

A PIER Data Project will support economic growth both as an ocean transport hub and as a software hub. Through more effective and efficient ocean operations, the project will also create more resilience to the Canadian supply chain. The project is expected to create 10 jobs through the course of the project and 50 indirect jobs in total. For additional information PIER visit: www.thepierhfx.com.

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CONTAINER SHORTAGES EASE AT CHINESE BOX HUBS POST-CNY

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After months of crippling shortages, container availability is finally improving again in China, according to Container xChange’s Container Availability Index (CAx).

The CAx reading of incoming containers across Chinese main ports is currently up 56% compared to before the Chinese New Year (CNY) holidays which started on February 11.

At Shanghai, the biggest Chinese box port, the CAx has increased 64% for 20 ft. dry containers when comparing pre-and post-CNY container availability.

For 40 ft. dry containers, the increase is even starker, with box availability improving 112% over the same period.

Dr. Johannes Schlingmeier, CEO & Founder of the container leasing and trading platform Container xChange, commented:

“Trade traditionally slows down in China for an extended period during and after the Chinese New Year holidays as factory workers travel to visit families and output drops. Most data suggest Covid travel restrictions and high demand for exports meant that many factories continued operations. But it seems the drop off in output, even if less than normal, was enough to allow the container supply/demand imbalance to reduce.”

In the Container xChange Container Availability Index (CAx), an index reading of below 0.5 means more containers leave a port compared to the number entered. Above 0.5 means more containers are entering the port.

“One week of index values greater than 0.5 does not mean so much but exceeding the 0.5 marks for several weeks in a row like Shanghai and other main ports in China have done means that finally more containers are entering ports regularly, giving them the chance allow the container supply/demand imbalance to reduce,” said Schlingmeier.

For exporters who continue to struggle with finding the right equipment, other Chinese ports such as Qingdao, Dalian, and Ningbo are great alternatives to Shanghai.

Chart 2: Container Availability Index for 40 ft. dry-containers and 20ft. dry-containers in Dalian and Ningbo

Dalian, with the highest equipment availability of the three ports, shows the highest post-CNY index values with 0.79 for 20ft dry containers and 0.80 for 40 ft dry containers – up 17% and 27%, respectively, since the pre-CNY period.

At Qingdao, 20 ft. dry and 40 ft. post-CNY container availability readings on the CAx are 0.64 and 0.65, up from 0.42 and 0.39 during the pre-CNY period.

Container prices confirm the positive trend. After record highs for used container boxes in January of $5593 for cargo-worthy containers, prices fell to $3750 in February.

“These prices are still far higher than buyers usually pay for newly built containers, but this is still good news for companies who export from China,” said Schlingmeier.

“With so many supply chain disruptions still evident, we expect container availability in China and elsewhere to remain volatile. But thus far in 2021, there are positive signs that availability at key export hubs is improving.”

________________________________________________________________

About the Container Availability Index:

The Container Availability Index tracks millions of monthly container moves to monitor and forecast the global container equipment supply. An index of 0.5 describes a balanced market, below 0.5 a shortage of containers. For more information and weekly email updates, check out https://container-xchange.com/features/cax/

About Container xChange:

Container xChange is the world’s leading online platform used by 600+ companies to buy, sell and lease shipping containers. Container users and owners use the platform to find containers, work with vetted partners and automate the operational workload. Started by Dr. Johannes Schlingmeier and Christian Roeloffs in 2017, the company has now more than 100+ employees with headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. https://container-xchange.com/

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Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Ocean Ports

Port-Side Energy Debate: Propane vs. Electric

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Ports and terminals across the country are looking for opportunities to streamline their operation, reduce their environmental impact, and increase efficiency, which leads to a common question: What alternative energy keeps ports productive while cutting emissions?

Both propane and electric solutions offer certain operational benefits. For example, electric equipment produces zero emissions during operation and offers reliable performance when handling lighter loads. Propane equipment, on the other hand, is popular for its nonstop power, resiliency, and versatility to handle loads of all sizes.

It’s important to consider which energy source can help you get the most out of your workday and your equipment. Propane-powered equipment can help ports maximize efficiency, while still allowing port crews to be proud stewards of the environment. And because propane is a primary energy source and electricity is a secondary energy source, it takes more energy to produce electricity, impacting its cleanliness, efficiency, and cost.

A transparent look at site-to-source emissions

As ports and terminals seeking reduced emissions and better air quality flee from traditional fuels, like gasoline and diesel, many have a tendency to adopt an electrify-everything mindset — but a low-emissions future doesn’t need to be an electric-only one.

Propane presents another alternative to traditional diesel-powered equipment — and with a more transparent emissions profile than electricity. Many material handling professionals I speak to are surprised to learn that propane is actually cleaner than electric when you take site-to-source emissions into account.

While it’s true electric-powered equipment and vehicles produce zero emissions during operation, it’s full emissions profile and impact is often overlooked, including emissions produced in the creation and transmission of electric batteries. Additionally, you have to consider the emissions produced at coal-fired plants where electricity is generated, as well as the emissions during transportation to the port. And because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers electric batteries a hazardous material, you can’t simply dispose of them without severely impacting the environment. Instead, they have specific handling and disposal regulations attached.

Propane, on the other hand, is an approved clean alternative fuel under the Clean Air Act of 1990 and, according to data from the Propane Education & Research Council, using propane produces 43 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than using an equivalent amount of electricity generated from the U.S. grid

Additionally, renewable propane is an emerging energy source that will be able to offer clean, low-emissions operations. Renewable propane is a byproduct of the renewable diesel and jet fuel production process, which converts plant and vegetable oils, waste greases, and animal fat into energy. Because it’s produced from renewable, raw materials, renewable propane is even cleaner than conventional propane — and far cleaner than other energy sources. And considering its chemical structure and physical properties are the same as traditional propane, renewable propane can be used for all the same applications.

Unmatched performance for maximum productivity

We all know that crews working port-side don’t have time to waste during the workday. According to IHS Markit’s Global Trade Atlas (GTA) Forecasting, North American seaports handled 2.34 billion metric tons of goods, valued at $2.53 trillion. In order to keep pace with the demanding workload and efficiently perform heavy-duty tasks, crews need powerful, versatile equipment.

Battery-powered forklifts and electric vehicles can be a compelling solution when handling lighter tasks, but performance in a port setting is really where propane sets itself apart. Propane offers the versatility to handle virtually every workload size and most notably, dominates the middle and top weight classes of forklifts with 90 percent of Class 4 and 5 forklifts being powered by propane. This means you can look to propane for a one-fuel solution, plus you won’t have to schedule downtime for recharging, like with electric.

Reliability when you need it most

Port cities are historic, which often means they’re relying on much older energy grids. But because of their relentless workload, it’s important for port operations to be as independent and autonomous with their energy source as possible. Fortunately, propane is a dependable, resilient energy source that can be stored on-site so it’s always there when you need it.

To learn more about the benefits of port-side propane equipment, visit Propane.com/Ports.

____________________________________________________________

Matt McDonald is the director of off-road business development for the Propane Education & Research Council. He can be reached at matt.mcdonald@propane.com.

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Archives, Dispatches, Global Trade Daily

YOU GO YOUR WAY AND WE’LL GO THE NEW MARINE HIGHWAY

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In our latest Dispatches edition, we took a look at how the port industry is kicking-off in 2021. Needless to say, Port Everglades and California’s Port of Hueneme caught our attention.

Port Everglades in Broward County, Florida, welcomed the new year with the first call of a cargo ship arriving from the U.S. Maritime Administration’s new Marine Highway. National Shipping of America’s American-flagged vessel National Glory followed Marine Highway M-10, which begins in Houston and extends east, to pick up containers in Port Everglades for delivery at the end of the M-10 line: in Puerto Rico.

“This service product has economic, environmental and safety advantages with the objective of taking trucks off the road,” says Torey Presti, president of National Shipping Agencies, Inc.

On the opposite coast, the Port of Hueneme in California recently heralded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s official designation of the SEA LINC Project. Formally known as Spurring Economic Advantages with Logistical Investments for New Connectivity, the project aims to move cargo off federal and state highways by shifting the cargo to barge along Marine Highway M-5 instead.

“The successful designation of this project is another example of how we are thinking outside of the box to grow our services at the port, while reducing the impacts on our environment,” said Oxnard Harbor District Board President Jess J. Ramirez.

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SCPA Completes 2020 with New December Record

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It should come as no surprise to learn that South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) managed to finish 2020 with record numbers, considering the year is notorious for the insurmountable disruption felt by the international and domestic trade arenas. SCPA proved once again that when it comes to breaking new records, there’s no time like the present – even in the middle of a pandemic.

“The pandemic created unprecedented challenges to supply chains around the world,” SC Ports President and CEO Jim Newsome said. “I am immensely proud of our port employees and all those working in the maritime and logistics community for showing up every day during a pandemic to keep supply chains fluid. Their dedication ensures that food products, medical supplies, manufacturing parts and retail goods are efficiently delivered. We are grateful to them, and we look forward to a brighter 2021.”

The ports’ Wando Welch and North Charleston terminals saw an increase of 11.6 percent thanks to the 209,606 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) handled in December. Cargo boxes of all sizes were also moved at record numbers. The port confirmed 116,685 pier containers in December (including the aforementioned cargo boxes) at an increase of 10.3 percent.

SCPA cited the vehicles as the most significant in terms of volume. A total of 21,228 vehicles were handled in December alone. This total set a new overall monthly record for the port and represents a whopping 29.2 percent increase.

The rail side of operations saw robust numbers throughout December as well with a  total of 16,463 rail moves recorded between Inland Port Greer (13,523) and Inland Port Dillon (2,940). Although Inland Port Dillon’s rail moves were confirmed to be down by 2.9 percent, Inland Port Greer saw an increase of 26 percent in rail moves compared to last year.

So far for FY2021, SCPA has handled more than 1.2 million TEUs, moved 135,747 vehicles across the docks at Columbus Street Terminal, and continued efforts for the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project and Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal.

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Archives, Global Logistics, Global Trade Daily, Ocean Ports

AMAZINGLY, PORT SUCCESS STORIES CAME IN SEPTEMBER DESPITE THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY

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We have pursued an amazing amount of infrastructure in a short period of time. In 2021, we will have the deepest harbor on the East Coast.

Large retail stores are reopening, merchants are stocking up for the winter holidays and the increased use of e-commerce appears to be an enduring trend picked up by consumers during the recent stay-at-home orders.

It’s a tossup which is more impressive: that several U.S. ports experienced strong (and in some cases record-breaking) growth during the third quarter of 2020, or that these gains came in the middle of a global pandemic and economic uncertainty.

 

Consider the examples that follow.

GEORGIA PORTS AUTHORITY

In August, the Port of Savannah moved more containers over its docks, more cargo through its rail yards and more trade in and out of its inland terminals than at any other point in its 75-year history.

Let’s let that sink in, shall we?

Indeed, August 2020 saw the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) move 441,600 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 1 percent or 3,850 TEUs compared to August 2019, in which the previous record was set.

The GPA also set a record this past August for intermodal cargo, handling 49,402 containers (approximately 89,000 TEUs) by rail. And more containers moved through the GPA’s Appalachian Regional Port in August than ever before at 3,420 lifts, an increase of 1,679 or 96 percent.

“The numbers cement Savannah’s position as one of the key hub ports in global trade,” says GPA Board Chairman Will McKnight. “The combination of big ship efficiency, our landside infrastructure and the soon-to-be-completed harbor deepening make Georgia the logical choice for American farms and factories competing in the global marketplace. The Port of Savannah stands ready to support the nation’s exporters as our economy regains momentum.”

Yes, Savannah stands ready—although not on its heels. Consider this: After setting those all-time records in August, the port in September welcomed the CMA CGM Brazil, the largest ship to ever call the U.S. East Coast with a capacity of 15,072 TEUs.

“As the largest ship ever to call the East Coast moves 5,600 TEUs on and off the largest single container terminal in North America, it is clear that our efforts to expand capacity and reach are taking hold,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said shortly after the CMA CGM Brazil docked. 

“Frankly, we weren’t expecting to experience record volumes during this pandemic, but thanks to our employees, the ILA and all of our partners who pulled together and our customers who believe in us, this announcement is possible today.”

While it had the microphone, the GPA seized the opportunity to make another pro-growth announcement: The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, which will deepen the river to 47 feet at low tide, is now 75 percent complete. 

“The sight of this colossal ship makes perfectly clear the benefits America will gain from the Savannah Harbor deepening,” said Col. Daniel H. Hibner, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District. “The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, now nearly complete, will boost the economy at a critical time and will have broad impacts for Georgia, South Carolina and throughout the Southeast.”

SOUTH CAROLINA PORTS AUTHORITY

Sure, you can read on about the recent success of the South Carolina Ports Authority (SC Ports). Or, you can take the GPA information above and replace “August” with “September” and “Savannah” with “Charleston.”

First, SC Ports’ September volumes reflected the strongest year-over-year activity since the pandemic hit, showing a continued recovery and strength in containers, vehicles and inland port moves.

The Wando Welch and North Charleston container ports handled 195,101 TEUs, a record September for SC Ports and a slight increase year-over-year. The Port of Charleston’s Columbus Street Terminal handled 21,702 vehicles during the same month, which was less than 2 percent down from the previous year. But fiscal-year-to-date, vehicle volumes are up 25 percent.

Meanwhile, inland Port Greer had 12,994 rail moves in September, up 4 percent year-over-year, while inland Port Dillon’s 3,108 rail moves that same month was up a whopping 27 percent over September 2019. The inland ports’ combined 16,102 rail moves in September represented an 8 percent jump from a year ago.

“September volumes outperformed expectations as we see an uptick in cargo flowing through our marine terminals and inland ports,” says SC Ports President and CEO Jim Newsome said. “We will continue to operate well-run terminals, as we have throughout the pandemic.” 

And, they will continue to push the envelope.

“We remain highly focused on capturing more retail goods and e-commerce cargo, such as with Walmart’s new 3 million-square-foot distribution center Dorchester County,” Newsome said.

Like Savannah, the Port of Charleston also saw a record fall with the call in September by the CMA CGM Brazil. “The ability to seamlessly handle the CMA CGM Brazil highlights SC Ports’ deep harbor and modern capabilities,” Newsome said.

If that sounds similar to what came out with CMA CGM Brazil’s Savannah call, prepare for more déjà vu all over again: SC Ports also revealed its Charleston Harbor Deepening Project is on schedule to achieve a 52-foot depth in 2021.

“We have pursued an amazing amount of infrastructure in a short period of time,” Newsome observed. “In 2021, we will have the deepest harbor on the East Coast.”

PORT OF LONG BEACH 

The Port of Long Beach accomplished a pair of records in September by achieving its busiest month ever and the most active quarter in its 109-year history.

Trade was up 12.5 percent in September compared to the same period in 2019. Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 795,580 cargo container units and broke the “best month” record; the previous single-month record of 753,081 TEUs was only set this past July, surpassing by nearly 42,500 TEUs.

The port processed 2,274,271 TEUs between July 1 and Sept. 30, a 14.1 percent increase from the third quarter of 2019. It was also the port’s busiest quarter on record, topping the previous record set during the third quarter of 2017 by nearly 160,000 TEUs.

“Large retail stores are reopening, merchants are stocking up for the winter holidays and the increased use of e-commerce appears to be an enduring trend picked up by consumers during the recent stay-at-home orders,” said Mario Cordero, the port’s executive director. “Still, we must move ahead with caution during the remaining months of 2020 because the national economy continues to be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“These numbers reflect a continuation of the secure, speedy and reliable service we provide at the Port of Long Beach during this difficult time in our country,” added Long Beach Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna. “Delivering top-notch customer service and maintaining the health of our workforce remains our top priority.”

The port saw 92 containerships call in September, 19 of which were unscheduled vessels that made up for voyages canceled earlier this year.

PORT MANATEE 

Port Manatee’s dynamic containerized cargo trade continues to swell at a record pace, surging nearly 55 percent in the just-ended fiscal year, according to figures reported on Oct. 13 by the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal.           

In the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, an all-time-high 88,466 TEUs crossed Port Manatee docks, up 54.6 percent from the preceding 12-month period, when the port saw moves of 57,239 TEUs. That figure was up 49.2 percent over fiscal 2018, when 38,361 TEUs moved through the Palmetto, Florida, port.

“With container throughput more than doubling over the course of just two years, Port Manatee is increasingly fulfilling regional consumer demands for goods ranging from fresh produce to appliances,” said Carlos Buqueras, Port Manatee’s executive director. “As our dockside container yard expansion project advances toward mid-2021 completion, Port Manatee is positioning to continue to efficiently handle rapidly growing cargo volumes.”

The container yard expansion is adding 9.3 acres to the existing 10-acre paved facility adjoining Port Manatee’s Berth 12 and 14 docks.  

While the COVID-19 pandemic and related impacts did not slow Port Manatee’s container upsurge–including a 24.9 percent rise in containerized cargo tons to 668,672–some other cargo sectors were negatively affected at the fiscal year’s end. 

The port’s total cargo tonnage for fiscal 2020 of 9,327,183 was down 7.5 percent from the record 10,081,743 tons in fiscal 2019, with liquid bulk tonnage slipping 8.6 percent, to 5,957,157, and dry bulk tonnage falling 16.7 percent, to 1,866,383. Led by increased volumes of lumber and scrap metal, Port Manatee’s general cargo throughput was up 9.3 percent, to 531,019 tons.          

Priscilla Whisenant Trace, chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority, said she is encouraged by the port’s latest cargo numbers, realized amid the implementation of enhanced health and safety measures.

“We commend the men and women who are maintaining essential operations at Port Manatee, serving consumers of Southwest Florida and beyond,” she said. “Sustained growth of Port Manatee’s container trade is a testament to the success of our diverse strategy, with key infrastructure investments poised to facilitate even greater cargo activity and deliver still more positive socioeconomic impacts throughout our region.” 

PORT OF BUFFALO

“Exploding” is how Port Director Patricia C. Schreiber describes the Port of Buffalo’s 2020 navigation season, which through early September had welcomed 15 vessels with more scheduled to arrive.

“Projects that we’ve been working on for years have finally come to fruition,” Schreiber says in a press statement. “We’ve expanded the realm of everybody’s projects here by offering as much as we can whether it’s transloading, warehousing, rail or dock-side service, and even long-term storage.”

A diverse mix of commodities at the forefront of the Port of Buffalo’s busy season include wind turbines, salt, and sugar. The port’s sugar business began in the fall of 2019 when Schreiber worked to attract a new terminal customer.

“We were able to develop this new partnership because we’re a one-stop-shop with certified weigh scales and the ability to bring in material via vessel and out by either train or truck,” notes Schreiber. “We were and continue to be responsible for offloading bags of sugar from the vessel, stacking them into our warehouse, and scaling our customer’s trucks for shipping.” 

You might say Buffalo’s taste for sugar has . . . wait for it . . . 

“This year, our customer decided that they were only going to ship organic sugar,” Schreiber revealed. “So, we created a custom solution on their behalf. To handle the organic sugar shipments, we decided to certify the Port of Buffalo as an organic port.”

The Port of Buffalo is a proud member of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, a marine highway that extends 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. About 143.5 million metric tons of cargo are moved across the system on an annual basis, supporting more than 237,868 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity.

Like its partner facilities within the system, the Port of Buffalo is seeing international shipments of wind energy components taking off. Explaining that the process to bid on wind turbines actually began two years ago, Schreiber says “our hard work paid off. This year, we’ve been handling multiple shipments of wind turbines. To us, that means a full dock for the season.”