Facilities: Jacksonville, New York/New Jersey, Santos

A major reconstruction project has substantially enhanced JAXPORT’s heavy-lift cargo handling capabilities. The board of commissioners of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on December 4 approved a $105 million upgrade of five major access roads to the agency’s New Jersey marine terminals. Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP),a container terminal with an annual throughput capacity of 1.2 million TEUs, officially opened for business at the Port of Santos on November 28 with a gala celebration attended by Brazilian Seaport Minister Antonio Henrique Silveira and 500 invited guests and media representatives.

A 18-month, $12.4 million reconstruction project has significantly bolstered the capabilities of the heavy lift cargo berth at the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Blount Island Marine Terminal. The recently completed work more than doubled the pounds-per-square-foot capability of Berth 31 to 1,800 and increased its pounds-per-axle rating, or kips, to 78.

"We will be exporting power equipment, locomotives and other American-made products from our newly rebuilt Berth 31," said Roy Schleicher, JAXPORT’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "With the port’s premiere location, excellent rail service, skilled labor force and enhanced facilities, we look forward to taking on more heavy-lift opportunities and further building our already substantial reputation in the project cargo arena."

Master riggers employed by JAXPORT tenant Portus on November 21 rigged and moved four U.S Marine Corps pre-positioning landing craft, each weighing 170,000 pounds at the port authority’s newly upgraded heavy lift cargo berth at Blount Island.

The board of commissioners of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey on December 4 approved a $105 million upgrade of five major access roads to the agency’s New Jersey marine terminals.

The road improvement project will include new pavement for all of the roads, new center barriers, drainage, traffic signals, signs and curbing. When the projects are complete, the improvements will provide truckers and other port users with approximately $63 million in time savings and reduced operating costs, and $1.2 million in safety benefits, over a 30-year period.

The road projects are part of the port’s $191.4 million Capital Plan for 2013. The projects complement approximately $600 million in port authority investments to build and grow its ExpressRail system, which provides an environmentally friendly way to move cargo from the docks to rail cars for transport to its final destination. Since ExpressRail first opened in 1991, the port authority has expanded its original rail terminal to an 18-track facility that straddles the APM and Maher Terminals. ExpressRail facilities also serve the Port Newark Container Terminal and the New York Container Terminal on Staten Island.

According to the port authority, the road improvement project will result in less truck congestion on port property and cut harmful emissions from truck idling by approximately 281 pounds per year.

"Making sure cargo flows safely and efficiently through our port is critical to our ability to attract international shippers to do business in our region," said Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni. "Today’s action will ensure that we bring the era of 1950s roads into modern times so they can handle the volumes of cargo and resulting trucks that we deal with today."

Brasil Terminal Portuário (BTP), a container terminal with an annual throughput capacity of 1.2 million TEUs, officially opened for business at the Port of Santos November 28 with a gala celebration attended by Brazilian Seaport Minister Antonio Henrique Silveira, and 500 invited guests and media representatives.

Development of the multi-purpose terminal project in South America’s busiest container port began in 2007; APM Terminals acquired a 50 percent interest from Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) in 2010. The terminal represents an investment of more than US$1 billion by APM Terminals, and is operating as a joint venture under a 20-year concession.

BTP is the second mega terminal to come on line this year in Santos – the first being the 1.2 million TEU capacity Embraport facility developed and operated by a consortium consisting of Odebrecht TransPort, DP World and Coimex.

APM Terminals is a terminal operating and management company with operations in 68 countries that include 71 port and terminal facilities and more than 160 inland services. The company is part of the A.P. Møller shipping conglomerate, whose assets also include Maersk Line. TIL invests, develops and manages container terminals around the world, often in joint partnerships. Its current operations include 27 terminals in 25 ports. Both companies are based in the Netherlands.

Although fully equipped and operational since March, commercial operations at BTP could not commence until the terminal was issued International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Certification in April and granted an operating license from the Brazilian Institute of Environmental and Renewable Natural resources in July. The first commercial vessel call occurred August 14. Once scheduled dredging was completed in October, BTP has become fully operational with 1,108 meters/3,635 feet of quay and 15 meter/49.2 feet depth, rendering it capable of serving three 9,200 TEU capacity vessels simultaneously.

The 490,000 square meter (121 acre) terminal is equipped with eight ship-to-shore cranes, 26 RTGs, 40 terminal trucks, and an automated 18 lane gate. Constructed on a remediated brownfield industrial site to what the company claims are "the highest standards of environmentally sustainable operations," BTP is the only terminal in the Santos region with a dedicated parking area for truckers.

Santos, the busiest container port in South America, handled a record 3.1 million TEUs in 2012, or 37 percent of Brazil’s throughput. Trade with the United States accounted for 292,503 TEUs, or 13.4 percent of the 2.2 million TEUs shipped through Santos during the first 10 months of 2013.