Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. on June 28 announced an agreement with Miami-Dade County to construct and operate a $100 million cruise terminal on land leased from the county at PortMiami. The new terminal will homeport Royal Caribbean International ships, including one of the 5,400-passenger Oasis-class. Crystal Cruises is returning to Port Everglades after an 11-year hiatus. A total of eight sailings are scheduled for Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony beginning October 27, 2017.

At its June 29 meeting, the Houston Port Commission awarded a $34 million contract for construction of three dockside electric container cranes at the port authority’s Bayport Container Terminal. Intermarine, LLC, an ocean carrier specializing in project, breakbulk and heavylift cargo, recently transported four massive coke drums from Gijon, Spain, to the Port of New Orleans for end clients Phillips 66 and Wood Group Mustang.

The governments of Canada and the province of Quebec announced June 30 their commitment to invest millions of dollars for capital improvements at the Port of Trois-Rivières. Extending dock 10 eastward and filling the intervening space between this extension and the current dock 9 will quadruple exterior storage space in this area, allowing the shipping of a great variety of products and non-containerized general cargo.

The Massachusetts Port Authority board on June 23 approved a business plan and budget for fiscal year 2017 of $721.5 million. That includes $253.3 million to maintain runways, terminals, roadways and docks and $85 million for safety and security. The Port of Oakland’s fiscal year 2017 budget that took effect July 1 earmarks $113 million for capital improving, including $9.5 million for a cold storage facility at the seaport.

The Georgia Ports Authority’s electric rubber-tired gantry crane program received a 2016 Clean Air Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Port of Seattle’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has earned Salmon-Safe certification for environmental practices that protect Puget Sound water quality and salmon habitat.

The City of Prince Rupert and the Port of Prince Rupert have agreed on the value of Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) the port authority owed the city for 2013, 2014 and 2015. The settlement results in total payment for those years of C$5.3 million to the City of Prince Rupert acting on its own behalf and as agent for other taxation authorities.

The Port of Green Bay experienced a 40 percent drop in cargo throughput this May, to 176,767 metric tons from 295,866 tons in May 2015. Mostly to blame were steep declines in coal, cement, limestone and petroleum products.

The Port of Los Angeles has awarded grants totaling $1 million in non-taxpayer funds to 27 organizations as part of its FY 2016-17 Community Investment Grant Program. Among the beneficiaries were a youth mentoring program; a new submarine exhibit at the Maritime Museum; a gang-prevention summer youth program and a YWCA International Festival.