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Inaugurals: Philadelphia, San Diego

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Philadelphia Welcomes Fibria Celulose Cargo from Brazil



Port and government officials welcome Fibria cargo to Philadelphia. From left: ILA President/PRPA Board member Boise Butler; the Pilots Association’s John Kimmerley; PRPA Chairman Charles Kopp; PA Gov. Tom Corbett (at podium); DRS President Robert Palaima; Fibria’s Colin Bilton; and the Seamen’s Church’s Rev. Peter Stube.
Photo/PRPA

Fibria Celulose, a Brazilian pulp and paper company, delivered its first cargo to the Port of Philadelphia on September 10 during a ceremony attended by Gov. Tom Corbett and various other port and local dignitaries.

The shipment originated in Portocel, a port near Aracruz in Espírito Santos state that is jointly owned by Fibria Celuose and Cenibria and specializes in wood pulp cargo. It arrived at the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority’s Tioga Marine Terminal aboard the general cargo vessel Toki Arrow.

Fibria’s Philadelphia trade will consist mainly of processed wood pulp sourced from Eucalyptus trees, a product used to manufacture personal hygiene and household products such as paper towels and facial tissue. Specially modified forklifts will move the cargo from berth side to Tioga’s on-dock warehouse after its discharge by shipboard cranes.

According to the port authority, Fibria’s cargoes will bring 18 to 20 ship calls and about 360,000 tons of cargo annually to Tioga Marine Terminal, creating five to six days per week of activity at the terminal. Volume could grow to 500,000 tons annually in the near future.

The port estimates Fibria’s business will create 228 direct jobs and, 227 indirect jobs, as well as $1.74 million in state and local taxes and $6.09 million in federal taxes.

Manufacturers of paper towels, tissues, and other household paper products will be among the many end users of Fibria’s products, which will be transported by rail and truck from to Tioga to their final destinations. Current upgrades to the Port Richmond Track and Rail Corridor will facilitate the process.

The vessels delivering Fibria’s wood pulp will be available to backhaul cargo to Brazilian markets, generating export opportunities for Pennsylvania manufacturers.
 


One of the specially-modified forklifts used to move Fibria’s pulp cargoes around Tioga Marine Terminal. Note the white-painted metal flaps, which pick the cargo up from the side without marring or discoloring it. Indentations on the inner side of the flaps align with the wiring holding the cargo together, so the wiring doesn’t press into the cargo when it is lifted. 
Photo/PRPA


San Diego Kicks Off 2014-2015 Cruise Season with Disney

San Diego’s 2014-2015 cruise season opened Friday, September 12, with the arrival of the Disney Wonder at Broadway Pier.

The ship departed later that day with 2,100 passengers on a 15-day voyage to Port Canaveral via the Panama Canal with scheduled port calls at Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; Cartagena, Colombia; and Cozumel, Mexico.

Disney Wonder will return to San Diego in 2015, with three sailings in the spring and the fall. Itineraries include a three-day weekend getaway, a six-day Baja California cruise and a 15-day Panama Canal cruise. 

San Diego's cruise season runs from September through May. Seventy-six vessel calls are on the schedule, but that number may change as the season progresses.

The port says it is experiencing a resurgence of interest in the San Diego-Baja California itinerary from both existing and new clients. Holland America Line, which has used San Diego as a home port for many years, was among the first cruise lines to return to the Mexican Riviera after several years of decline. It has 32 cruises on the port’s 2014-15 schedule.

In another encouraging sign, Norwegian Cruise Line is returning to the San Diego market after a five-year absence, with six cruises scheduled this season.

This year’s schedule also includes San Diego calls by Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania and Crystal Cruises.  

The port estimates that a single ship home port call – meaning a cruise that begins and/or ends its itinerary from San Diego – generates $2 million in economic impact based on passenger and crew spending, refueling and restocking, and other activity. This season’s schedule includes 43 homeport calls, an implied economic impact of $86 million.

The port is putting the final touches on a $31 million renovation of the North Embarcadero area, where the cruise terminals are located. Passengers will be welcomed to an enhanced public promenade, complete with public gardens and groves of jacaranda trees. Public art, a widened esplanade, new landscaping and a public restroom that incorporates art into its architecture are also included. Both cruise terminals have undergone significant upgrades that will further enhance the passenger experience.
 

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