The 112th Annual Convention & Expo Port of Corpus Christi Speaker Series will feature Ben Sasse, former U.S. Senator and current President of the University of Florida, speaking on the AI Revolution.

The AI Revolution is becoming an everyday part of life — from streamlining traffic patterns to tackling complex scientific questions. AI’s impact will only become greater. Over the past few years, more data has been produced than in all of human history prior. The scope and depth of what we know is only going to grow larger and more actionable with the help of AI. In his address, Mr. Sasse will examine the impact of technology and AI on our society.

Join maritime industry leaders at Port Aurora on October 22-25 and learn about the AI Revolution with Ben Sasse!

AAPA’s Port Professional Manager (PPM^®) certification is a prestigious educational program designed to provide port professionals with a deep understanding of the multifaceted world of port operations, management, and leadership. As part of the PPM program, participants undertake a capstone that allows them to delve deep into a specific area of port management.

This year, the PPM program will have the highest number of graduating candidates since 1997. In this edition, we spotlight two of the graduates, Jorge Hernández and Alissa Shay, and their PPM capstones.

Jorge Hernández has worked in the port industry since 2005 and has two master’s degrees in Maritime Management and Transportation Economics. His experience includes serving as Port Everglades’ Director of Business Development and the Port of Ponce’s Executive Director. For his PPM capstone, Hernández focused on orientation and readiness training for port employees. The PPM project provides a framework to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve a Port Orientation and Readiness Training (PORT) 101 for new hires. The PORT 101 toolkit contains various resources and templates, including results from a national survey of ports regarding training programs, a list of best practices, an Instructor’s Teaching Guide, and a New Hire Satisfaction Survey.

Alissa Shay is the General Manager of the Satsop Business Park at the Port of Grays Harbor where she oversees business development and operations of the port’s 1,800-acre business park in Southwest Washington. For her PPM capstone, she wrote a paper on best practices for tribal engagement titled, The Intersection of Culture and Commerce in Washington State. The PPM paper summarizes the history of the intersection of tribes and ports in Washington State and explores case studies relating to the construction of public infrastructure projects that impact indigenous people.

 

The PPM program has exceeded my expectations in terms of the education and networking value it has provided me. It has been a privilege being surrounded by leaders from the port community — past, present, and future – who created a stimulating environment for incubating new ideas and concepts. — Jorge Hernández

 

Hernández’s and Shay’s capstones exemplify the PPM program’s value and the caliber of professionals it attracts. Port professionals interested in exploring the opportunities provided by AAPA’s Professional Development Programs and initiatives can contact Shannon McLeod.

An AAPA member webinar Telling the Fresh Story – Driving Port Innovation and Solutions, presented by Fresh Consulting, will be held Wednesday, October 11, at 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET / 10:00-11:00 a.m. PT.

Presenters will discuss how ports today are presented with opportunities to innovate, including Digital Transformation, Augmented Reality, Robotics, Automation, Machine Learning, Biometrics, and more. Fresh Consulting brings not only the technical expertise needed to build solutions in each area, but also the background in strategic consultation needed to implement port-specific initiatives that have a lasting impact. Presenters include:

AAPA is proud to announce a generous contribution by the Port of South Louisiana (PortSL) to support the Foundation for Seaports of the Americas, Emergency Relief Fund (ERF). The contribution in the amount of $10,000 demonstrates PortSL’s commitment to corporate citizenship and direct engagement to help provide AAPA member port employees with immediate financial assistance following a disaster.

This week, AAPA staff enjoyed visiting PortSL and learning more about its maritime operations during their tour of the port with CEO Paul Matthews. Pictured from left are Matthews, AAPA’s Kevin Traver, PortSL’s COO Brian Cox, and AAPA’s Greta Casey.

The Port of Cleveland has refreshed its strategic vision to spur job creation, expand economic vitality and advance environmental and recreation opportunities. Particularly noteworthy is a commitment to a Climate Action Plan, with the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Port of Cleveland is the first port in the Great Lakes to adopt such a plan.

The New Haven Port Authority (NHPA) is seeking a Port Planning Firm to prepare a Strategic Master Plan for the Port of New Haven in Connecticut (the port). The Strategic Master Plan would be designed to update NHPA’s 2007 Strategic Land Use Plan, develop an economic impact analysis of the port, identify long-range emerging markets for which the port is suited, and provide a strategic assessment of the role the NHPA should play in the port district.

A pre-bid meeting will be held at noon on October 6. Responses are due by 4:00 p.m. EDT on October 25, 2023. The full RFP document and any potential updates can be found on the NHPA website. To request a copy of the FRP, please contact Sally Kruse, Executive Director.

The creation of the first-ever green shipping corridor across the Pacific is taking shape. Last week, a voluntary partnership of leading maritime goods movement stakeholders, including the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Shanghai, some of the largest carriers in the world, and key leading cargo owners unveiled a Green Shipping Corridor Implementation Plan Outline to accelerate emissions reductions on one of the world’s busiest container shipping routes across the Pacific Ocean.

Garden City Terminal at the Port of Savannah handled 49,115 containers by rail in August (approximately 89,000 TEUs), an increase of 6% over the same month last year. Intermodal cargo represented 21.6% of total containers, an uptick in that ratio of roughly 7% compared to August 2022. “With our Mason Mega Rail Terminal fully operational, we now have the capacity to shift more of our long-haul cargo off state highways and onto rail, which both improves fuel efficiency and reduces traffic congestion,” GPA President and CEO Griff Lynch said.

A massive modernization project is underway at the Port of Alaska to rebuild its aging infrastructure and keep it viable into the future. In this video post from Alaska Public Media, reporter Lori Townsend toured the Port of Alaska with Port Director Steve Ribuffo for an update on the project.

The Port of Hueneme is working with local fire departments on various training exercises to better prepare for a variety of emergency situations. Last week, crews from Ventura County, Oxnard and the Naval Base fire departments boarded the Wallenius Wilhelmsen (WW) car carrier vessel Oberon, as part of the ongoing effort to enhance awareness of port and maritime operations to the local fire departments.

Last week, officials from the Port of South Louisiana (PortSL) made a thorough presentation to the Louisiana State Bond Commission regarding the purchase of Avondale Global Gateway (AGG). The presentation included the findings of a nine-month due diligence period where PortSL engaged outside consultants to evaluate the feasibility of the purchase and make recommendations on the purchase price.

The Port of Redwood City is entering the end of the year with success and a $504,611 Department of Homeland Security grant award. The award is part of the annual Port Security Grant Program (PSGP), which is designed to protect critical port infrastructure from threats that could impact public safety, supply chain disruption, cyber threats or other security challenges.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the final contract of the Port of Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project to Callan Marine, Ltd., signaling the conclusion of a national infrastructure initiative that will render the ship channel the most improved waterway along the U.S. Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida.

A newly constructed 56,000-square-foot warehouse opened at the Clure Public Marine Terminal this month, featuring five truck bays and an enclosed railcar dock. “The Clure Terminal serves as our region’s multimodal logistics hub and general cargo terminal, so it plays a critical role in supporting our port and regional industry,” said Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

Electronics Officer, U.S. Merchant Marine, Nationwide; American Radio Association