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Häfen | Ports<br />
600 mill. $ for rail in NY/NJ<br />
Completion of the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project<br />
last June helped drive cargo volumes in the Port of New York<br />
and New Jersey to new record heights in 2017 by shattering the<br />
existing annual cargo volume record, set in 2015, by 5.3%. In addition<br />
to regional economic growth, the bridge project was perhaps<br />
the biggest driving force.<br />
During 2017, the port handled 6.71 mill. TEUs. The record volumes<br />
allowed the port to maintain its position as the third largest<br />
port in the United States with 15.4% market share and the<br />
busiest on the East Coast with a 32% market share, according to<br />
the port authority.<br />
The project raised the clearance under the crossing from<br />
151 feet to 215 feet, allowing ships as large as 18,000 TEUs to travel<br />
under it to port facilities in Newark, Elizabeth and Staten Island.<br />
Since the project’s completion, the port has set new monthly<br />
records for cargo volume activity every month through the remainder<br />
of the year.<br />
In addition, ExpressRail, the port authority’s ship-to-rail system,<br />
also set a new record, handling 567,649 container lifts, a<br />
5.1% increase over the previous record in 2016. In 2017, Express-<br />
Rail accounted for 14.8% of all container lifts at the port. The<br />
Port Authority’s goal is for the ExpressRail system to account for<br />
20% of container lifts by 2020. To achieve this goal, the agency<br />
has invested more than 600 mill. $ in its intermodal rail infrastructure.<br />
»The new ExpressRail Port Jersey intermodal facility<br />
will be operational in December 2018. The completion will add<br />
250,000 lifts per year in rail capacity to the port, yielding a total<br />
port-wide capacity of 1,500,000 lifts per year,« a spokesperson<br />
confirms.<br />
Record year in Long Beach<br />
The Port of Long Beach moved 7.54 mill. TEUs in 2017, the most<br />
in the 107-year history and an 11% increase over the previous<br />
year. For the port, the big story was the »dramatic turnaround<br />
at Pier T, under the new marine terminal operator MSC, which<br />
had a very busy year,« Executive Director Mario Cordero tells<br />
HANSA. Before declaring bankruptcy in August 2016, Hanjin<br />
Shipping, which leased Pier T, accounted for 12% of the Long<br />
Beach’s container volume. »Along with the success of MSC at Pier<br />
T, we also welcomed the return of Hyundai. SM Line, a carrier<br />
created out of the bankruptcy of Hanjin, brought its first ship to<br />
the Pier A last year and is thriving,« he adds.<br />
In addition, he also saw the opening of a second berth at the Long<br />
Beach Container Terminal at Pier E, which is being redeveloped and<br />
opened its first berth in 2016. According to Cordero, the advanced<br />
technology at the terminal is operating well and achieving near-zero<br />
emissions. Given the forecasts for increases in international trade<br />
and retail activity, he expects volume to increase in 2018. »We would<br />
look at an increase of at least 3%. So we expect an increase in trade in<br />
2018.« China is the source for about two-thirds of the imports, and<br />
the destination for about one-third of exports. »West Coast ports<br />
handle more than two-thirds of Asian cargo, and that has remained<br />
stable,« the Executive Director explains, adding »larger and larger<br />
ships are entering the trans-Pacific trade. We can handle the largest<br />
ships in the world and this region has the warehousing, rail connections<br />
and truck connections to service those ships.«<br />
Asked about the impact of a potential »new« federal trade policy,<br />
Cordero emphasizes, that based on the strong global economy,<br />
he expects to see trade increase modestly this year through<br />
Long Beach. »It isn’t clear what new trade policies will be enacted«,<br />
he says. The port continues to modernize and improve the<br />
port »so we remain the premier gateway for U.S.-Asia trade. We<br />
are looking forward to a ›24/7‹ port featuring more information<br />
technology, one that is nimble like online retailer Amazon, and<br />
bold like electric vehicle builder Tesla. We must re-imagine, redesign<br />
and build a port that is second to none both environmentally<br />
and operationally,« Cordero says.<br />
Jacksonville expects growth<br />
In Florida, Jacksonsville’s port operator Jaxport reports, the public<br />
seaport terminals achieved record growth in containers, vehicles<br />
and overall tonnage during the fiscal year ending 30 September<br />
2017. Jaxport moved more than 1 mill. TEUs, a 7% increase<br />
over 2016, which had also been a record year. »We expect increased<br />
throughput and revenue as well as increases in both our<br />
vehicle business and heavy/lift project cargoes and we expect continued<br />
growth in our container and vehicle segments meaning<br />
boosts in our Asian, European and Mexican trade volumes,« the<br />
port operator tells HANSA. Asked about the potential impact of<br />
the »new« trade policy of the U.S. government, it is explained,<br />
that trade policies may prompt companies to build in the U.S.,<br />
»positively impacting our export volumes.«<br />
Photo: Port of Long Beach<br />
One of the major gateways of the U.S.:<br />
The port of Long Beach saw a record year in 2017<br />
80 HANSA International Maritime Journal – 155. Jahrgang – 2018 – Nr. 3