AAPA hosted its inaugural POWERS Summit and Expo in Tampa, Florida, last week with more than 250 port professionals, government employees, and supply chain partners attending the future-oriented industry event. Founded in 2022, The POWERS Program advances port and maritime supply chain interests in the areas of alt-fuels, electrification, decarbonization, resilience, offshore wind, and U.S. energy supremacy. The three-day summit covered a lot of ground. Here are the big takeaways:
- Energy – We know ports are energy intensive, and the status quo cannot ultimately hold. Ports and their tenants are electrifying equipment and vehicles. Wind component construction and marshaling is expanding rapidly. Ports and transport providers are discussing creative ways to offer and incorporate alternative or low emissions fuels like propane, green hydrogen, and ammonia into the mix. Thankfully, the science is there and hopefully the market is not too far behind. Ports, however, are already energized to seize a cleaner future.
- Resiliency – Attendees heard from Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue how Florida’s careful preparedness and deliberate durability led to a successful and speedy recovery following Hurricane Ian’s devastation, in which Florida’s numerous ports played a key role. One specific example is Port Tampa Bay’s smart pond, which can automatically lower water levels prior to a forecasted storm, allows for capture of nitrogen rich water, and prevents flooding.
- Sustainability – According to University of Texas research scientist, Dr. Timothy Meckel, carbon capture is here. Despite misconceptions, many of the most carbon-intensive regions already have the infrastructure from extraction to safely store carbon in the earth’s geological crust. Encouragingly, many ports are well on their way to deploying this technology. Additionally, ports in the United States and beyond, like Brazil’s Porto do Açu and Port Everglades have already taken bold conservation measures to reclaim and preserve local biodiversity and wildlife.
- After hearing from Christine Harada, executive director of the Federal Permitting Council, one port manager remarked that she would be applying for expedited permitting management for her port's terminal construction project as soon as she arrived home.
- Many other sessions left attendees with ideas on how to implement electrification, offshore wind, coastal resiliency projects, and more. In addition, a collaborative working session enabled AAPA’s PPM program candidates to participate in a SWOT analysis exercise as part of their certification requirements.
Attendees enjoyed a guided tour of Port Tampa Bay, hosted by President and CEO Paul Anderson, to close out the Summit. AAPA will continue to bring innovative and ground-breaking topics to future events, public policy circles in Washington, D.C., and to ports across the hemisphere.
Nominations are due today for AAPA's 2023 Port Person of the Year, which recognizes individuals whose outstanding work has made a significant contribution to public ports and/or maritime commerce. Port members are invited to nominate individuals for consideration. Nominations should be submitted by email to Shannon McLeod. Criteria for eligibility and judging are available on AAPA’s website. The award will be presented at the 2023 Legislative Summit: Strong Ports, Strong America, March 27-29, in Washington, D.C. Selection of those receiving the honor for 2023 will be made by the AAPA Board of Directors at its February meeting. AAPA’s Port Person of the Year is presented by DCLI.
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CMA-CGM America President Peter Levesque and Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) CEO Ammar Kanaan will share their perspectives on the state of the maritime industry at AAPA’s Legislative Summit: Strong Ports, Strong America, March 27-29, in Washington, D.C. Join port and maritime industry partners to hear from and meet with Federal policymakers about energy, environment, infrastructure, safety, and security issues. AAPA will facilitate small group meetings with lawmakers and their staff on Capitol Hill. These meetings are open to U.S. corporate (port) members only. Attendees should opt-in for these events during the registration process. View the draft agenda, sponsorships, and registration information here.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is hosting a webinar on February 8, 2023, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET, to highlight upcoming grant opportunities. Join staff from across USDOT who will outline resources created to help potential grant applicants navigate different funding opportunities. This webinar will dig into some of the tools available on the DOT Navigator – the Department’s one stop shop for technical assistance, including the upcoming funding opportunity calendar, tools for identifying Federal disadvantaged community areas, and which programs provide non-Federal match flexibility. The session will also spotlight several funding opportunities at USDOT that are currently accepting applications to expand transportation opportunities to urban, rural, and Tribal communities. Speakers include:
- Amit Bose, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, USDOT
- Andrea Jacobsen, RAISE Grants Program Manager, USDOT Office of the Secretary
- Lynda Tran, Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Director of Public Engagement, USDOT
- Veronica McBeth, Senior Advisor, Federal Transit Administration, USDOT
- Mariia Zimmerman, Strategic Advisor for Technical Assistance and Community Solutions, USDOT
Register at https://usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_RIEqzND6Rn-khxCI7Y1QiQ to attend the February 8 webinar at 3:00 p.m. ET (US and Canada).
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The Port of Harlingen Authority Port Director Walker Smith has been installed as the new president of the Gulf Ports Association (GPA), a trade organization dedicated to enhancing economic development and encouraging commerce for deep-water and shallow-draft public ports in the Gulf Coast area. Smith previously served as GPA's first vice president for the last two years and second vice president for two years prior. He replaces long-time president, Amy Miller, Port of Pensacola. Also serving as officers with Smith are First Vice President Chett Chiasson, Port Fourchon, and Second Vice President Alex King, Port of Panama City. Each will serve a two-year term.
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The Port of Corpus Christi was awarded $16.4 million through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Initiative to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of permanently storing captured carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial operations. The grants are designed to accelerate the development of a centralized solution to capture and manage CO2 emissions that otherwise would enter the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
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Port Tampa Bay has released a new tool to help cruise guests make the most of their time in Tampa Bay before and after their cruise. The Port Tampa Bay Cruise App is a web-based platform that directs guests toward points of interest in the area. The app locates restaurants, shops, breweries, and entertainment within walking distance of the port’s three cruise terminals.
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The cruise industry’s robust growth at the Port of Galveston is helping it invest in infrastructure to fully optimize this regional economic engine. The 2023 budget adopted by the Galveston Wharves Board in October 2022 forecasts $58 million in gross operating revenues, which allow the port to budget millions of dollars for long-deferred, major maintenance projects, as well as capital improvement projects to generate more jobs, revenues, and regional economic growth.
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The critical first phase of the Westport Marina Modernization Project at the Port of Grays Harbor will kick-off in 2023 thanks to Community Project Funding dollars secured by U.S. Congressman Derek Kilmer in the federal 2023 fiscal year budget. Activities at the Westport Marina and its uplands support nearly 2,300 jobs and over $227 million in business revenue every year in rural Southwest Washington.
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Despite its biggest January throughput since 2010 (1.34 million short tons), total maritime tonnage for the Port of Duluth-Superior finished the 2022 navigation season down 7.6% compared to 2021 and down 7% against the five-season average. Some 30.4 million short tons of cargo transited the port this season, including nearly 19 million tons of iron ore, which finished within 2.3% of the five-season average. NWSA total container volume for the month decreased 8.8% to 231, TEUs. While full imports declined 12.4%, full exports grew 14.9% — the first increase in over a year. Full-year volumes declined 9.4% to 3,384,018 TEUs, with full imports and exports declining 14.1% and 19.7%, respectively. Annual cargo volumes for the Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) dropped for the second consecutive year. In 2022, PRPA moved 24.6 million tons of cargo through the port, down 2% compared to 2021 volumes. The port said the slight year-over-year decrease reflects the mounting challenges brought on by supply chain disruptions, rapidly changing energy demands, and geopolitical tensions over the past 12 months.
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The Port of Oakland’s stake in a newly expanded solar array at Antelope Valley Solar Ranch has just come online. This solar project is now delivering renewable energy to the Port of Oakland. The port owns and operates its own utility which then sells electricity to tenants including those at Oakland International Airport and the Oakland Seaport.
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Mar 2023
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March 27-29, Washington, D.C.
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Apr 2023
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April 18-19, Portland, OR
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Jun 2023
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June 6-8, San Pedro, CA
Save the Date!
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Jul 2023
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July 19-21, Boston, MA
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Oct 2023
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October 22-25, Aurora, CO
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Nov 2023
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November 27-29, Barranquilla, Colombia
Save the Date!
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