Nearly 100 attendees from ports throughout the Western Hemisphere and port industry solution providers participated in the AAPA Anywhere: Energy & Environment Seminar & Expo on October 26-30. The on-demand forum showcased engaging speakers on relevant topics in five focus areas: Air Emissions, Climate Change Impacts, Water Quality and Sediment, Resiliency and Planning, and Energy Commodities. Speakers included representatives from AIVP; Chamber of Marine Commerce; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co, LLC; Green Marine; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; North Texas Municipal Water District; Ports Australia; Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Wallenius Wilhelmsen. AAPA thanks Fleet Premier Sponsor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co, LLC, event speakers and attendees for another successful AAPA Anywhere event.

YOUNG & Associates is an international property damage consulting firm founded in 1997 by Ray & Linda Young in southern California. Their vision for providing building damage assessments and consulting services to the insurance industry is based on the core values of knowledge, integrity and professionalism. Since then, the range of property damage services has expanded, developing a broader client base and growing the team to over 250 consultants strategically located across the United States, United Kingdom and Mexico.

The North Carolina State Ports Authority announced the arrival of industry veteran Doug Vogt as its next chief operating officer. At North Carolina Ports, Vogt will apply his extensive experience to further improve the operational excellence at the Port of Wilmington, Port of Morehead City and Charlotte Inland Port. Specifically, he will direct and coordinate the activities of all terminal operations. He will also oversee the execution of the infrastructure investment plan. 

Cargo numbers at the Port of Baltimore increased significantly in September 2020 compared to September 2019. Volumes for automobiles and light trucks arriving at the port were up 8% and roll on/roll off (farm and construction machinery) exports rose 1.6%. Continuing its recovery to 2019 volume levels, the Port of New York and New Jersey surpassed its all-time September record as factories and manufacturers around the world ramped up activity in preparation for the holiday season and growing concerns of future supply chain disruptions. The port reported total volume of 720,969 TEUs (399,803 containers) for September 2020, which was a 15.4% increase from the September 2019 totals of 624,961 TEUs (352,098 containers).

The Port of Davisville was awarded an $11.1 million Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation that will help support the Pier 1 rehabilitation project and allow roll-on/roll-off cargo vessels to dock at the pier’s south berth for the first time. Ports of Indiana was awarded a $4 million PIDP grant to make bulk cargo supply chain improvements by converting a vacant gravel yard into a multimodal storage facility at Burns Harbor. Port of Los Angeles was awarded a $9.88 million PIDP grant that will help pay for construction improvements at the interchange at Harbor Boulevard/Front Street and the Vincent Thomas Bridge. The Virgin Islands Port Authority announced that Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao awarded the U.S. Virgin Islands $21.9 million for the reconstruction and modernization of cargo handling and storage infrastructure at the Crown Bay Terminal on St. Thomas. 

The Port of Long Beach is partnering with conservationists, supply chain entities and a resource reclamation firm in an innovative effort to remove plastic waste from the environment and reclaim it as a fuel source.

Port of Los Angeles officials, City Councilman Joe Buscaino and Wilmington community leaders put shovels in the ground to mark the start of construction on the $70.8 million Wilmington Waterfront Promenade. 

Mayor Garcetti announced a new Request for Information (RFI) to solicit proposals to expand the use of zero-emission technology at the Port of Los Angeles. The RFI will help advance the Mayor’s goal to transition all drayage trucks serving the port to zero emission by 2035. Responses are due January 7, 2021, no later than 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Chief Commercial Officer, Mobile, Alabama, Alabama State Port Authority