AAPA corporate members are invited to nominate individuals for consideration as AAPA's 2021 Port Person(s) of the Year. Each year this prestigious award is given to an individual/s whose outstanding work has made a significant contribution to public ports and/or maritime commerce either internationally or within a particular country or region. Typically, nominees are not members of the public port community itself, but friends, allies, and ambassadors of ports.

For your consideration, AAPA staff urge you to remember the major accomplishments in 2020 to achieve the long-sought legislative solution to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund distribution. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) were key leaders in the CARES Act legislation and WRDA 2020, assuring full funding of annual HMT revenues, scheduled funding from the $10.1 billion in unspent tax collections and a funds distribution approach consistent with the AAPA’s ‘4 pillars’ agreement. We encourage you to consider nominating one or both of these champions to recognize their significant efforts on behalf of ports.

The formal criteria for eligibility, judging and submission can be found on the AAPA website. Please review the judging criteria and send at least one paragraph that describes why your nominee should receive the Port Person of the Year Award to Mary Beth Long, Vice President of Marketing and Workforce Development, at mlong@aapa-ports.org no later than Friday, February 5. Selection of those receiving the honor for 2021 will be made by the AAPA Board.

Time is almost out to apply for the revitalized Port Professional Manager (PPM®) Certification Program. The PPM® is a great opportunity for professional development that shapes the future of port leadership. Don't miss your chance to participate in this program, apply today! Submit your application at http://bit.ly/3p8ITMj.             

AAPA has long supported smaller ports seeking funding assurances as part of AAPA’s original ‘4 pillars’ platform for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) legislative solution. Emerging Harbors, as defined in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), are ports processing less than 1 million tons of freight per year. WRDA provides 15% of HMTF revenues to fund navigation projects in these ports. In addition, a new Emerging Harbors Expanded Uses program, established in WRDA 2020, allows up to $5 million of HMTF funding for Emerging Harbors with a 75% federal, 25% non-federal cost share. AAPA will advocate for initial program funding in the FY 2022 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill and urges your support as well. Contact Jim Walker for questions and additional information. Visit @PortsUnited for more maritime policy updates and industry news.

The AAPA Anywhere: Communications, Administration & Legal Issues seminar will be held fully virtual on February 22-26, 2021. This seminar will cover top challenges in the port industry such as port corporate social responsibility, port real estate issues, enhancing diversity at ports and more! Register for the event here: http://bit.ly/3qyFmb9.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the availability of $19.6 million in federal funding to eligible U.S. small shipyards through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. These grants support efficiency improvements and help U.S. shipyards modernize operations to compete more effectively in the global marketplace. Applications for the grants are due by 5:00 p.m. EST on February 25. Additional information can be found at www.grants.gov, or by contacting David M. Heller, director, office of shipyards and marine engineering, maritime administration, at David.Heller@dot.gov.

 

In addition, MARAD has authorized the construction of two additional National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV), which will replace aging training vessels at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, ME, and Texas A&M Maritime Academy in Galveston, TX, an AAPA academic member. “The NSMV is part of a strategy to bolster maritime education, revitalize U.S. shipbuilding, and provide a much-needed shot in the arm to the U.S. maritime industry,” added Doug Burnett, the chief counsel of MARAD, who is acting in lieu of the administrator.

The Port of Corpus Christi ended 2020 with record tonnage, mainly attributable to a 65% increase in crude oil shipments from 2019. The port set a new annual tonnage record of 159.7 million tons, a 31% increase over 2019. The Georgia Ports Authority moved more than 4.68 million TEUs in 2020, up 1.8% over its 2019 total of 4.59 million. Total cargo crossing all docks in 2020 reached 38.4 million tons.

As part of Carnival Corporation’s increased sustainability strategy, the technology group Wärtsilä has signed a framework agreement with Carnival covering the supply and installation of Wärtsilä’s advanced waste water and dry waste treatment systems.

Port Freeport announced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) FY 2021 Work Plan includes $24.9 million in funding for the Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project (FHCIP). To date, Port Freeport has received $43.9 million in federal funding for the project. Mobilization and preparation for dredging the first component of the FHCIP is underway. Great Lakes Dredge and Dock is scheduled to commence dredging in February 2021.

The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay announced the opening of the application period for its scholarship program. In its third year, the scholarship program reflects the port’s dedication in supporting the growth and development of Oregon’s South Coast regional economy by cultivating the workforce of tomorrow.  

A pair of bald eagles have returned to the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration’s Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center in Baltimore to nest for the third year in a row. The pair has raised four eaglets and is expected to raise their third nest this spring. A live streaming camera nearby allows the public to monitor the eagle’s nest.

The Port of Palm Beach announced a new partnership with the nonprofit organization Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) to train employees on human trafficking prevention in observance of Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

The Port of Everett and its project partners celebrated the completion and official grand opening of the modernized South Terminal – a $57 million maritime infrastructure project designed to support the next generation of larger vessels and heavier cargoes now calling Everett. Watch the virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony video.

A new Relationship Agreement between the Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN) and the Nanaimo Port Authority coincides with the commemoration of the Treaty of 1854 and upholds the importance of the treaty rights to the Snuneymuxw peoples. The partnership ensures respect and mutual collaboration, supports SFN’s work to rebuild their economy, advances the mid-Island forestry initiative and other key issues.

Sediment from Port of Baltimore shipping channels will be studied for innovative reuse. Two companies under contracts approved by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and the state Board of Public Works will test the dredged material for use in concrete products creating opportunities to benefit the community and environment.

DART – CEO, Dallas, TX; Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)

Manager, Talent Relations and Engagement (Human Resources), Long Beach, CA; Port of Long Beach

Port Director, Portage, IN; Ports of Indiana

Police Officer, Corpus Christi, TX; Port Corpus Christi Authority

Records Manager, Corpus Christi, TX; Port Corpus Christi Authority

Project Manager/Engineer, Vancouver, WA; Port of Vancouver USA

Chief Operations Officer, Tacoma, WA; The Northwest Seaport Alliance

Channel & DMPA Project Manager, Corpus Christi, TX; Port Corpus Christi Authority

Chair, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI; University of Michigan

Research Assistant Professor – Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, Hong Kong, China; Hong Kong Polytechnic University