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Terminal Development: Baltimore, Galveston, Lázaro Cárdenas, Long Beach, Portland

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The Maryland Port Administration on October 7 officially opened of a new auto berth at the Port of Baltimore’s Masonville/Fairfield Marine Terminal. Three Galveston County community banks are financing the $13 million expansion of the Port of Galveston’s Cruise Terminal No. 2. A $900 million container terminal project will increase annual throughput capacity at Mexico’s second largest container port, Lázaro Cárdenas by 1.2 million TEUs. The Port of Long Beach earlier this month released a draft environmental impact report examining proposed modifications to the existing Mitsubishi Cement import facility on Pier F. Portland (OR), already a major gateway for bulk mineral exports, is about to get more efficient and diversified with the expansion of the Canpotex Limited potash export facility at the port ’s Marine Terminal 5.

New Auto Berth Officially Opened at Port of Baltimore

Maryland Port Administration (MPA) Executive Director James J. White was joined by Maryland Transportation Secretary James T. Smith, Jr., and members of the Maryland Port Commission on October 7 for the official opening of a new auto berth at the Port of Baltimore’s Masonville/Fairfield Marine Terminal. The new berth replaces an old berth that has been in operation for more than 70 years.

The new berth with a length of 1,175 feet, width of 130 feet, and load bearing capacity of 1,000 pounds per square inch, is nearly 300 feet longer, 20 feet wider and has 10 times the load capacity of the old berth.

The Port of Baltimore last year handled more than 750,000 cars. Nearly 1,100 direct jobs at the port are generated by the auto business.

Galveston: Local Banks to Finance Cruise Terminal Expansion

Three Galveston County community banks have worked together on financing for a $13 million expansion of the Port of Galveston’s Cruise Terminal No. 2. Texas First Bank, HomeTown Bank and Moody National Bank each contributed to the funding package for the project, which will enable the terminal to accommodate larger vessels and more passengers.

When completed next spring, Cruise Terminal No. 2 will feature 150,000 square feet of space and seating capacity for 1,600 passengers. The port currently handles more than one million cruise passengers a year.

"We are fortunate to have community-minded bankers who understand the benefits the entire area derives from improving our capabilities," said Port Director Michael Mierzwa. "The terminal expansion means we will be better able to serve a growing number of passengers who will sleep in our hotels, dine in our restaurants and shop in our stores, spreading the economic impact throughout the Galveston Bay region."

Mr. Mierzwa said the teamwork exhibited by the three local banks sends a strong message to the cruise industry and other companies looking to grow in Galveston County. "When they see local financial institutions willing to work together like this," he said, "they realize they have come to the right place at the right time. It bodes well for the future of our entire area."

 

Galveston serves as an embarkation point for cruises to the Western Caribbean and the Bahamas, and beginning in 2015 the Eastern Caribbean. Cruise line clients are Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International.
Architectural rendering of Galveston’s upgraded Cruise Terminal 2.
Source/Port of Galveston

 

Lázaro Cárdenas: Container Terminal 2 Construction, Rail Access Planning Underway

Mexico, a major emerging market and growing transportation hub in Latin America with the second-largest economy in Latin America, and third-largest container throughput in the region, is a key location in the strategic growth and infrastructure investment planning of the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network.

Container traffic at Mexican ports, increased from 4.21 million TEUs in 2011 to 4.87 million TEUs in 2013, reflecting a growth rate of 15 percent. Mexico’s imports, measured in constant US Dollars, have also more than doubled from 2000 through 2013, from $179.4 billion to $390.9 billion. Mexico’s largest container port of Manzanillo handled 2.1 million TEUs in 2013, followed by Lázaro Cárdenas, located 340 kilometers (210 miles) farther down the coast in the Michoacán State, with 1.05 million TEUs.

The Government of Mexico has announced plans to double port capacity over the next six years to meet anticipated trade growth, particularly on the trans-Pacific trade lane. In 2012, APM Terminals signed a 32-year concession for the design, construction and operation of a new deep-water terminal at the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas. The project will represent an overall investment of US$900 million. The first phase of the construction of Terminal 2 (TEC2) will include 750 meters/2,461 feet of quay, five ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, 22 automatic stacking cranes and two railway cranes, and will be able to accommodate very large container vessels.

A key component of the project will be an intermodal transport corridor linking the Lazaro Cardenas marine terminal with APM Terminals own intermodal facility in Mexico City serving the commercial, industrial and population center of Mexico City and beyond. Use of rail transportation will further reduce emissions associated with freight transportation, as well as safe and secure transportation of containers to inland destinations compared with truck haulage on highways.

The first 300 meters/984 feet of quay are scheduled to be ready in first quarter 2015, which will be followed by the installation of the container handling equipment. The completed terminal, which will add 1.2 million TEUs of annual throughput capacity, is projected to become operational in the first half 2016.


Construction activity at APM Terminals Terminal 2 facility at the Port of Lazaro Cardenas.
Photo/APM Terminals

 

Long Beach: Study Released on Cement Terminal Improvements

The Port of Long Beach earlier this month released a draft environmental impact report examining proposed modifications to the existing Mitsubishi Cement import facility on Pier F.

Mitsubishi Cement is proposing to add storage, upgrade unloading equipment and install a new air pollution control system at its terminal, which receives bulk cement and cement-like materials from bulk cargo vessels. The material is stored in a warehouse and silos. It is then transported to concrete batch plants via truck.

The project would consist of constructing additional storage for 40,000 metric tons of products on vacant port property adjacent to Mitsubishi’s existing facility. It would also include installing an emission control system to capture and reduce harmful emissions from ship auxiliary generators at berth.

The Mitsubishi Cement Facility Modification Project draft EIR is available at http://www.polb.com/ceqa.

Portland (OR): Canpotex to Expand Terminal 5 Potash Export Facility

Portland, already a major gateway for bulk mineral exports, is about to get more efficient and diversified with the expansion of the Canpotex Limited (Canpotex) potash export facility at the Port of Portland’s Marine Terminal 5 in the Rivergate Industrial District.

Canpotex, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Portland Bulk Terminals, L.L.C. (PBT), is investing up to $140 million in new equipment and infrastructure to improve the efficiency of its shiploading operations and the management of Canpotex’s specialty white potash products. A new shiploader, improved control system technology and an upgraded conveyance system will enable shorter turnaround times for Canpotex trains and ships at PBT. A new storage building will allow the potash exporter to better manage its specialty grade products at the terminal.

"This investment is great for Canpotex and the Port because it improves the speed and quality of our operations at the terminal. But it’s not just our company that benefits; we are doing our part to try to build efficiency into the transportation system in the Pacific Northwest corridor," said Canpotex’s Steve Dechka, president and chief executive officer.

After collaboration and discussion with key stakeholders, port staff and Portland Development Commission (PDC) personnel proposed an enterprise zone expansion to include the PBT facility. The expanded enterprise zone was approved unanimously by Portland City Council last December. The company’s plans began to materialize shortly thereafter and were officially approved at the October 8 Port Commission meeting.

Canpotex is a joint venture among potash producers Agrium, Mosaic and PotashCorp., all based in Canada’s Saskatchewan province. Acting as an international marketing and logistics entity, Canpotex will continue to seek further capacity and efficiency enhancements across its supply chain as export markets allow. Canpotex also has terminal operations at Neptune Terminal in Port Metro Vancouver (BC).

Potash, also known as potassium chloride, helps increase crop yields as a mineral nutrient used in fertilizer applications. More than 2.0 million metric tons of Saskatchewan potash is exported through Portland annually to international markets, including Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

"Along with grain and agricultural exports, potash is yet another cargo type handled through our port that helps feed the world," said Bill Wyatt, executive director for the Port of Portland. "Canpotex has been a great tenant for nearly two decades, and we are excited that this world-class shipper’s roots in Portland are growing even deeper with this expansion."

As a result of a long-term lease extension, Canpotex expects to increase its tonnage incrementally in the coming years. The construction will prompt private investment with local sourcing of materials, yielding increased tax revenue, new construction jobs and long-term employment.

"This is yet another prime example of the influx of private investments in marine industrial facilities on our river system," said Mr. Wyatt. "Since completion of the Columbia River channel deepening project in 2010, companies have initiated and committed investments totaling more than $866 million in Portland facilities and prapproximately 3.7 billion along the river system to date."


Canpotex’s existing Portland Bulk Terminals storage facility at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 5 – reportedly the largest wooden structure west of the Mississippi. Potash is offloaded from railcars arriving in Portland from Saskatoon and stored inside the structure until it is loaded onto vessels for export.
Photo/Port of Portland

 

 

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