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Milestones and Agreements: Brunswick, Houston, Philadelphia, Portland

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In Georgia, the Port of Brunswick is experiencing an export boom thanks to a bumper crop of wheat. The Port of Houston Authority and Princess Cruises signed an agreement to extend the cruise line’s use of the Bayport terminal through the 2015-2016 cruise season. Based on metric tons of cargo during the first six month of 2013, the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority is on track to its fourth consecutive calendar year of double digit growth. Hyundai Motor Company recently imported its two millionth automobile through the Port of Portland.

Brunswick (GA): High Crop Yields Boost Wheat Exports

A bumper crop of wheat has led to a booming export business at the Port of Brunswick

"This is going to be a banner year, in the range of 90,000- to 100,000-tons of wheat moved across our docks at Colonel’s Island Terminal," said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. "Increased marketing to overseas buyers for domestic grain has contributed to a growing confidence among Georgia farmers to plant more wheat.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmland dedicated to wheat in Georgia grew from 230,000 acres in 2012 to 350,000 acres in 2013, while wheat production state-wide jumped 70.8 percent to 19.25 million bushels. Similarly, crop yields across Georgia grew from 49 to 55 bushels per acre. 

Ahead of the port’s first export shipment, Brunswick General Manager Bill Dawson said the facility had about 60,000 tons of wheat in storage, and was still receiving shipments. The first ship of the year to load wheat, CMB Weihai, arrived July 23 and sailed two days. Two other vessels, yet to be determined, will move the remainder of the wheat exports. 

Georgia farms supplied most of the wheat, with the balance coming from Florida, Alabama and South Carolina.


CMB Weihai at the Port of Brunswick, where it loaded 32,375 metric tons of soft red winter wheat destined for Mexico. 
Photo/Georgia Ports Authority

Houston: Port Authority and Princess Cruises Lock in Two More Sailing Seasons 

The Port of Houston Authority commission on July 23 approved on an agreement that will extend Princess Cruises’ use of the Bayport Cruise Terminal through the 2014-15 and 2015-16 cruise seasons.

The port authority's initial agreement with Princess Cruises, announced last November, marks the first service scheduled with a cruise line to use the Bayport Cruise Terminal since construction was completed in the fall of 2009.

The inaugural cruise, by Caribbean Princess, is set for November 5-9. Caribbean Princess will continue to sail from Bayport for the rest of the season. Next year, Emerald Princess will make Houston its home port for western Caribbean sailings. 

The two-year extension includes two one-year options, which means that Princess sailings from Bayport could continue at least to 2018. Princess has scheduled 27 departures for the 2013 season. The new agreement adds 50 more Bayport sailings. 

Sailings are expected to generate as much as $155 million of economic impact over the confirmed three cruise seasons, according to a consulting firm retained by the port authority. Other predicted economic spin offs are an estimated $3 million in state and local taxes and the creation of 736 direct, induced and indirect jobs.

Norwegian Cruise Line is also set to sail from the cruise terminal beginning in 2014, with a total of 75 calls over three cruise seasons.

Houston’s Bayport Cruise Terminal where Princess Cruise ships will begin calling this November.  
Photo/Port of Houston Authority

Philadelphia: First Half 2013 Cargo Up 13.6 Percent 

The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) reports its facilities handled 2,519,967 metric tons of cargo during the first six month of 2013. That was up 13.6 percent from a year ago and puts the port on track to its fourth consecutive calendar year of double digit growth.

Containerized cargo alone accounted for 1,184,147 tons, up 18 percent from the first half of 2012. The container box count also increased, by 24 percent, from 135,656 to 168,820 TEUs. The breakbulk sector did equally well, up 18 percent from a year ago, thanks to gains for steel (+30 percent), forest products (+25 percent) and cocoa beans (+21 percent).

Steel, which is offloaded at the PRPA’s Packer Avenue and Tioga marine terminals, is imported for the automobile and construction industry. Forest products, which include newsprint, fine coated paper (used to print catalogs and magazines), pulp and lumber, principally arrive at PRPA’s Forest Products Distribution Center at Piers 78/80 & 74. Cocoa beans, which are eventually manufactured into candy bars, cocoa powder and various chocolate products, arrive at PRPA’s dedicated cocoa bean handling facility at Pier 84.

As for other breakbulk, PRPA reports first half volumes of fruit (126,121 tons), project cargo (21,884 tons) and automobiles (96,240 tons) remained at roughly last year’s levels. Sugar, a cargo that returned to Philadelphia in the latter half of 2012 after a long absence, continued to make a mark at the port during the first half of this year, with 23,479 tons delivered to the Tioga Marine Terminal. 

Liquid bulk cargoes also performed well, up 7 percent to 655,448 tons from 611,022 tons handled during the same period of 2012. Liquid bulk cargoes arrive at the Tioga Marine Terminal and are pumped via an elevated pipe bridge to Kinder Morgan’s liquid bulk facility across the street from the terminal.

Hamburg Süd container vessel prepares to discharge cargo at Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.  
Photo/Philadelphia Regional Port Authority

Portland (OR): Two Millionth Hyundai Rolls Through Port, Facility Expansion Underway

It was 1990 when the Hyundai import auto terminal first opened in Portland. This month, 23 years later, the two millionth Hyundai arrived at the port.

Hyundai Motor Company began importing cars through Portland in 1986 – mostly Excel subcompact automobiles bound for dealers in 29 states. In 1988, Hyundai Motor America signed a letter of intent confirming that selection of Portland as Hyundai’s primary U.S. port of entry. 

Construction of a $12.2 million auto import facility and floating dock was financed by the port, Oregon Lottery funds and Hyundai. At a memorable groundbreaking ceremony in June 1989, skydivers delivered a shovel from 2,000 feet. The first Hyundai auto ship called the new facility in March 1990.
 

Hyundai auto rolls off a ship in Portland.
Photo/Port of Portland

Auto Warehousing Company now handles the inbound Hyundai vehicles for GLOVIS at the leased, 130-acre Terminal 6 auto processing facility.  GLOVIS America is Hyundai Auto Group’s logistics provider. 

A $2.8 million expansion is underway to expand the processing building by 27,000 square feet and increase capacity to more than 110,000 vehicles annually. This could double the 70 jobs already on site, and provide added work for rail, trucking, longshoreman and teamster workers.

According to the port, the 275,000 vehicles that rolled across its docks in 2012 imparted an average estimated $271 impact each on the local economy.

Portland’s Terminal 6 auto terminal.
Photo/Port of Portland
 

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