The Port of Los Angeles in July announced that it has launched “Horizon,” a long-term cargo volume predictive feature that offers cargo owners, terminal operators, truckers and other supply chain stakeholders the capability to gauge movement of containers at the port up to six months in advance. Horizon is an added feature of the port’s “Control Tower” service, a cargo flow planning and prediction tool that launched earlier this year. “We’re proud to break ground with this new forecasting tool, which is the first of its kind,” said port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka. “The Horizon predictive technology is…
For two weeks beginning July 18, BNSF Railway limited the flow of international containers from the Los Angeles-Long Beach seaport complex to the railroad’s Logistics Park Chicago intermodal terminal in order to deal with a backlog of intermodal cargo traffic at the terminal. “The rate of containers tendered to us on the West Coast continues to exceed the rate of out-gates from Logistics Park Chicago,” railway spokeswoman Amy Casas is quoted as saying in a July 19 trains.com report. “We are confident in our ability to process and unload volume at the rate that we are seeing demand on the…
The Port of Oakland and its logistics partners have launched a battery electric truck demonstration project on its path to zero emissions at the Oakland Seaport. In mid-July, the port debuted 10 new battery electric trucks at Shippers Transport Express (STE), a port-based trucking operation. The Peterbilt trucks cost a total of $5.1 million and are used to haul cargo within the port’s maritime area. Funding for the trucks comes from a ZANZEFF grant (Zero and Near-Zero-Emission Freight Facility) program. The battery electric truck demonstration project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It expands options for another clean, cargo-handling…
Cruise ship industry traffic is getting a new boost into Southeast Alaska in August with the arrival of the Norwegian Encore at the site of what was once a thriving pulp mill, now transformed in a multi-million-dollar dock facility to accommodate neopanamax sized vessels. It’s one of the latest steps in the long-term transformation of Alaska’s southeasternmost major community, which lies on Revillagigedo Island, a summer fish camp for Tlingit Natives on the southern tip of the Inside Passage, which connects the Gulf of Alaska to Puget Sound. “We’re excited the ships are coming back to Alaska,” said John Binkley,…
The ocean and coastal towing industry is evolving, and one of the companies being aggressive in its efforts to keep up with the times is Crowley Maritime. Crowley, which is based in Jacksonville, Florida, has a significant presence on the West Coast, including locations in Alaska, California and Washington state. The company and its various business arms and subsidiaries, including Crowley Fuels, Crowley Shipping, Jensen Maritime, Crowley Logistics and others – have been engaged in many moves — both literally and figuratively — over the past year-plus. Crowley’s marine services group operates one of the more established fleets of ship…
As bigger ships dominate goods movement, ports along the West Coast know that they must adapt to remain competitive. For years, port officials have been working on various projects to make their ports more attractive to customers, whether it’s improving rail capabilities or building the infrastructure to make shore power possible. But the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t always made that easy. At the Port of San Diego, for example, funding had to be reduced for nine maritime infrastructure projects, pushing completion to a future fiscal year when the port’s revenues recover. Still, ports continue to execute their big picture vision of…
By Karen Robes Meeks Not all planned or maritime-related infrastructure improvement projects are being undertaken by port districts. In Hawai’i, a number of improvements have been embarked on by state and local governments, as well as other entities. One company that’s helping develop a number of them is American Marine Corp., which is headquartered in the Aloha State and also has a large presence California and Alaska. Some of the various projects that AMC has been participating in include: Repair Seal Team Delivery Vehicle Boat Ramp and Finger Pier AMC has been working as a sub-contractor to International Construction, Inc.…
Transportation and clean air officials in California, Oregon, Washington and other states have sent a letter to U.S. Senate and House leaders urging support of federal funding for clean ports. In the letter, the signatories express support for President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan proposal to invest an additional $17 billion in coastal ports, inland waterways, land ports of entry, and ferries. They also call out the need to invest in zero-emission infrastructure and equipment at the nation’s seaports in order to build “a cleaner, better future” and transform the system that moves the nation’s freight, especially as the economy…
Severe congestion problems in global maritime supply chains affect everyone connected in any ways to the flow of containers. In response to the crisis, several institutional and academic experts have published a paper introducing the concept of ‘dynamic time slot management.’ They propose the use of time slots and data sharing to empower different parties to make more informed and flexible plans. The goal is to overcome the disruptions and congestion in the supply chain system – with the understanding that improving supply chain visibility is a key element of the effort. The authors call for an expansion of the…
Besides the impact of COVID19, the news of 2021 has been full of headlines regarding cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. For instance, you’ve probably heard about the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack or the attack on the JBS meat processing plant; however, are you aware that the maritime sector is also under cyber-attack? For instance, as of July 2020, cyber-attacks on the maritime industry have increased by 900% in three years according to cyber defense solutions provider Naval Dome. Basically, threats to maritime computer systems are on the rise, and are here to stay. As such, this magazine has asked me…