Through its renowned Port Professional Manager (PPM^®) professional development program, AAPA empowers port professionals to navigate the complex waters of port management, including achieving carbon neutrality. This edition of our newsletter shines a spotlight on two capstone projects completed by Jason Barlow and Chris Zuffante, as they share their invaluable lessons learned about port decarbonization projects.

Jason Barlow currently serves as Vice President & General Counsel of CMA CGM (America), LLC. Prior to joining CMA CGM this year, he served as Vice President of Contracts and Risk Management for the Virginia Port Authority. For his PPM capstone project, Barlow embarked on a journey to explore the intricacies of port decarbonization during a two-week residency at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in October 2022. The lessons learned from each port’s zero-emission demonstration projects have valuable application for other ports as they embark on their own decarbonization goals. His paper, The Push for Zero-Emissions: Lessons Learned from California Ports’ Decarbonization Projects as Ports Eye Leveraging Green Technology into a Commercial Advantage, highlights opportunities and challenges associated with making a commercial case for green port infrastructure and equipment investment as observed through the experience of two very different California marine terminal operators.

Chris Zuffante is a 23-year employee of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). Currently Massport’s Deputy Port Director of Operations, Zuffante is responsible for the operations of all the port’s maritime properties and has direct oversight of the department’s annual capital budget and strategic planning. For his PPM program capstone, he prepared a paper, So, You Want to Decarbonize Your Port? intended for ports that are in the initial phase of the carbon-neutral journey and need guidance from a cold-weather port that is currently undertaking the same experience. His paper explores the costs associated with going green, how ports can budget for it, the struggles faced by Massport to become carbon neutral by 2031, while giving readers a firsthand view from a member of Massport’s Net Zero Team.

The lessons learned from these capstone projects are a testament to the dedication of these PPM graduates working to enhance the port and maritime sector. Port professionals interested in exploring the opportunities provided by AAPA's professional development programs and initiatives can contact Shannon McLeod.

Container exports have been relatively steady in 2023 compared to steep declines in imports. In the first six months of 2023, laden import container volumes handled at the 10 largest U.S. ports were 22% below the level from the same period in 2022, based on AAPA data. However, export volumes in the first half of 2023 were almost flat, with 2022 levels edging down 0.2%. While exports in 2023 are faring better than in the past few years, they remain well below their average levels in the 10 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Measured in metric tons, containerized export volumes declined by 6.6% in the first half of 2023 compared to 2022.

For all U.S. ports combined, containerized exports also fared better than imports so far this year. In the first seven months, exports measured in metric tons fell 7% year-over year, while imports fell 16%. However, in the longer-term, prospects for growth in exports appear to be more problematic.

The Tampa Bay Theater, hosted in the exhibit hall, will offer two days of product demonstrations, presentations, and more. The 2023 theater will feature up to ten businesses that offer services and products to support ports, including ESRI, Burns McDonnell, LRQA, P2 Sync, Ericsson, Jacobs, CarboShield, and Camco. 

The 112th Annual Convention & Expo begins in two weeks. Between the informative theater presentations, an expanded exhibit hall, stellar programming, and networking opportunities, take a look at the annual convention by the numbers:

Explore the agenda and register today to join us in Port Aurora on October 22-25.

Join The Port of Virginia for the 1st Port Authority Emergency Response Summit to convene November 16-17, 2023.

Over the past three years, our nation’s ports have experienced a rash of vessel fires that have resulted in firefighter injuries, firefighter fatalities, and total loss of at least four vessels. Due to these recent events, the summit will provide panel discussions reviewing best practices related to coordination of emergency response, recent incidents, and issues related to Electric Vehicle and Lithium Ion Batteries.

Ports are encouraged to extend the invitation to a representative within the response community who provides response capabilities to their particular port. The agenda will include an onsite visit to a vessel to demonstrate shipboard firefighting training scenarios. The summit will have a focus on marine firefighting, but it will cover all hazard events.

Register for this FREE event, hosted by the Port of Virginia, along with the support of AAPA. Book your hotel room at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott on or before October 15, to guarantee the group rate.

The Port of Grays Harbor proudly hosted U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) Administrator Rear Admiral Ann C. Phillips, U.S. Navy (Retired), for a briefing and tour on the Terminal 4 Expansion & Redevelopment Project (T4 Project) on September 28. Ag Processing Inc a cooperative (AGP), the port’s largest marine terminal customer, joined the port in briefing the Administrator and her staff, along with Federal Maritime Commissioner Max Vekich, on AGP’s proposed expansion to double its U.S. soybean meal export capacity by developing a new export facility at Terminal 4B. 

After a busy July that saw the Port of New York and New Jersey record its largest total cargo volume since October 2022, August brought a normalizing of activity to pre-pandemic levels at the port. The port moved 662,740 TEUs (366,339 containers) in August versus 843,191 TEUs (466,640 containers) in August 2022, a 21.4% decrease, which brings its total volumes handled through August to 5,128,563 TEUs (2,847,453 containers).

Indiana’s three ports generate $8.7 billion annually for the state’s economy and support more than 49,000 jobs statewide, according to a new study released by Ports of Indiana. Ports of Indiana commissioned Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pa., one of the world’s leading maritime economic and strategic assessment firms, to study the economic activities generated by trade through the ports of Burns Harbor, Jeffersonville, and Mount Vernon.

The Port of Long Beach will hold its second-annual Green Port Fair from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. October 7, to give an up close look at how one of the world’s cutting-edge seaports operates while setting an industry-leading example in the fight against climate change. The free event will feature the new “clean machines” of cargo movement, interactive environmental information booths, children’s activities, and more.

The Galveston Wharves has been awarded $42.3 million in state funding for a major cargo infrastructure project, as well as restoration of a section of the port’s interior roadway and an enclosed pedestrian walkway over Harborside Drive (State Highway 275). According to Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO, “This is the single largest funding amount ever received by the port and reflects years of work by the port, TxDOT and the PAAC. These shovel-ready projects will expand our cargo business, improve traffic flow and make it safer for pedestrians to access cruise operations and downtown Galveston.”

The proposed Oakland Harbor Turning Basins Widening Navigation Project has reached another important milestone with the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR). The Port of Oakland will host three public meetings during the 45-day public review and comment period to collect feedback from the community. The proposed project includes widening both turning basins to accommodate vessels up to 1,310 feet in length.

The Port of Harlingen Authority was awarded more than $6.9 million in grant funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Seaport Connectivity Program (SCP). Grant funding for The Port of Harlingen will go toward four projects over two years, with a 25% project match by the port.

Truck drivers and others can enroll in certifications and learn about new regulations required to work at the San Pedro Bay ports complex at a one-stop event at the Port of Long Beach scheduled for October 17-18. The event will allow truckers to enroll with the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), obtain radiofrequency ID tags (RFID) and sign up for the Port’s Truck Alert traffic notification system. Representatives from the California Air Resources Board will be available to provide information about the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation, requiring any new drayage trucks registered after Jan. 1, 2024, to be zero-emissions.

Ørsted has started operations at Sunflower Wind, an onshore wind farm located in Marion County, Kansas. Sunflower Wind will be Ørsted’s 13th operational wind farm in the United States, with a capacity to power more than 70,000 homes. In addition to providing affordable, renewable energy, Sunflower Wind will provide economic benefits to its host community and state economies. 

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

Registrar, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada; Mount Allison University