Häfen | Ports 600 mill. $ for rail in NY/NJ Completion of the Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Project last June helped drive cargo volumes in the Port of New York and New Jersey to new record heights in 2017 by shattering the existing annual cargo volume record, set in 2015, by 5.3%. In addition to regional economic growth, the bridge project was perhaps the biggest driving force. During 2017, the port handled 6.71 mill. TEUs. The record volumes allowed the port to maintain its position as the third largest port in the United States with 15.4% market share and the busiest on the East Coast with a 32% market share, according to the port authority. The project raised the clearance under the crossing from 151 feet to 215 feet, allowing ships as large as 18,000 TEUs to travel under it to port facilities in Newark, Elizabeth and Staten Island. Since the project’s completion, the port has set new monthly records for cargo volume activity every month through the remainder of the year. In addition, ExpressRail, the port authority’s ship-to-rail system, also set a new record, handling 567,649 container lifts, a 5.1% increase over the previous record in 2016. In 2017, Express- Rail accounted for 14.8% of all container lifts at the port. The Port Authority’s goal is for the ExpressRail system to account for 20% of container lifts by 2020. To achieve this goal, the agency has invested more than 600 mill. $ in its intermodal rail infrastructure. »The new ExpressRail Port Jersey intermodal facility will be operational in December 2018. The completion will add 250,000 lifts per year in rail capacity to the port, yielding a total port-wide capacity of 1,500,000 lifts per year,« a spokesperson confirms. Record year in Long Beach The Port of Long Beach moved 7.54 mill. TEUs in 2017, the most in the 107-year history and an 11% increase over the previous year. For the port, the big story was the »dramatic turnaround at Pier T, under the new marine terminal operator MSC, which had a very busy year,« Executive Director Mario Cordero tells HANSA. Before declaring bankruptcy in August 2016, Hanjin Shipping, which leased Pier T, accounted for 12% of the Long Beach’s container volume. »Along with the success of MSC at Pier T, we also welcomed the return of Hyundai. SM Line, a carrier created out of the bankruptcy of Hanjin, brought its first ship to the Pier A last year and is thriving,« he adds. In addition, he also saw the opening of a second berth at the Long Beach Container Terminal at Pier E, which is being redeveloped and opened its first berth in 2016. According to Cordero, the advanced technology at the terminal is operating well and achieving near-zero emissions. Given the forecasts for increases in international trade and retail activity, he expects volume to increase in 2018. »We would look at an increase of at least 3%. So we expect an increase in trade in 2018.« China is the source for about two-thirds of the imports, and the destination for about one-third of exports. »West Coast ports handle more than two-thirds of Asian cargo, and that has remained stable,« the Executive Director explains, adding »larger and larger ships are entering the trans-Pacific trade. We can handle the largest ships in the world and this region has the warehousing, rail connections and truck connections to service those ships.« Asked about the impact of a potential »new« federal trade policy, Cordero emphasizes, that based on the strong global economy, he expects to see trade increase modestly this year through Long Beach. »It isn’t clear what new trade policies will be enacted«, he says. The port continues to modernize and improve the port »so we remain the premier gateway for U.S.-Asia trade. We are looking forward to a ›24/7‹ port featuring more information technology, one that is nimble like online retailer Amazon, and bold like electric vehicle builder Tesla. We must re-imagine, redesign and build a port that is second to none both environmentally and operationally,« Cordero says. Jacksonville expects growth In Florida, Jacksonsville’s port operator Jaxport reports, the public seaport terminals achieved record growth in containers, vehicles and overall tonnage during the fiscal year ending 30 September 2017. Jaxport moved more than 1 mill. TEUs, a 7% increase over 2016, which had also been a record year. »We expect increased throughput and revenue as well as increases in both our vehicle business and heavy/lift project cargoes and we expect continued growth in our container and vehicle segments meaning boosts in our Asian, European and Mexican trade volumes,« the port operator tells HANSA. Asked about the potential impact of the »new« trade policy of the U.S. government, it is explained, that trade policies may prompt companies to build in the U.S., »positively impacting our export volumes.« Photo: Port of Long Beach One of the major gateways of the U.S.: The port of Long Beach saw a record year in 2017 80 HANSA International Maritime Journal – 155. Jahrgang – 2018 – Nr. 3
Häfen | Ports Jaxport is set to begin construction of a new automobile processing terminal, the first phase of a multi-year project which will increase the vehicle-handling capacity by 25%. The expansion follows a year of record vehicle volumes. In 2017, the port moved 693,000 total units, the most in its history. When combined with the containers handled through private terminals, more than 1.3 mill. TEUs containers were handled. According to the port authority, the Asian container trade continues to be the fastest growing segment, achieving 19% growth in the past year, with nearly 400,000 Asian containers moved. However, the port plans to expand the infrastructure in order to be ready for future challenges. The federal project to deepen the Jacksonville shipping channel to 47 feet to accommodate even more cargo aboard the largest ships is scheduled to begin construction later this year. Binational record, too The St. Lawrence Seaway is of great significance both for the U.S. and Canada. Since its opening in 1959, over 2.9 bn. t of cargo valued at over 450 bn $ has moved through the 15 locks. The Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) recently announced that robust economic growth brought about strong gains in a number of cargo sectors, with tonnage rising by 9% to over 38 mill. t of cargo. »From iron ore movements stoking both North American as well as Asian steel mills, to shipments of stone, cement and steel that enabled construction activity to keep moving at a brisk pace, the Seaway demonstrated its role as a vital binational transportation gateway supporting virtually every sector of the North American economy,« SLSMC said. M »Changes in the U.S. administration are not affecting the market« in mill. t (Jan-Aug) Maritime trade between Germany and North America has apparently seen positive evolution over the past year despite some concerns over new trade policy measures. For a genuine comparative analysis, the full-year results have been lacking so far. However, a promising trend is already traceable to the turnover figures for the first eight months of the year. According to German Seaport Operators Association ZDS, total cargo handling volume in North America-Germany traffic increased by 7.3% to 14.4 Mio.t. Containerized cargo, coal, crude oil and natural gas, agricultural products, ores, industrial rocks and minerals as well as chemical products were the dominant types of goods by weight. According to the ZDS, »structural change« is currently not becoming apparent. Both imports and exports increased. The largest part is attributable to trade with the United States at 10.2 Mio.t, where growth totalled 8%. Canada traffic was boosted by 5.9% to a total of 4.2 Mio.t. As a limitation, container turnover only increased in Canada trade (+ 5.2% to 225,000 TEUs) while in the U.S. trade it dropped 2% to 906,000 TEUs. Next to Asia, the U.S. constitute a major market for German exports Seaborne especially. traffic Therefore, Germany/USA the U.S. developments are closely monitored between Ems and Oder. If some industry players should have raised concerns about the possible effects of the Trump administration’s »new« trade policy, this was apparently only partially justified. »Basically, it may well be concluded that the changes in the U.S. political administration are not affecting the market. Although we registered changes on the lines to North America Container throughput in Germany for North America in mill. TEU (Jan-Aug) 0,225 0,214 Daniel Hosseus, Association of German Seaport Operators last year, these changes are rather owed to a reorganization of the shipping alliances than to Donald Trump,« ZDS Chief Executive Daniel Hosseus tells HANSA. The forecasts for foreign trade – both with the USA and Canada – are good. »It is the rhetoric of the U.S. President which is not Seaborne helpful,« traffic Hosseus Germany/Canada says. in mill. t (Jan-Aug) 1,36 1,39 Photo: ZDS M traffic Germany/USA ill. t (Jan-Aug) 5,23 4,21 5,46 4,74 5,23 4,21 2017 2016 German Exports German Imports Seaborne traffic Germany / USA in mill. t (Jan–Aug) German Exports German Imports Container throughput in Germany for North America in mill. TEU (Jan-Aug) 0,225 0,214 0,906 0,925 0,906 0,925 2017 2016 Canada USA Container throughput in Germany for North America in mill. TEU (Jan–Aug) 4,74 Canada USA Seaborne traffic Germany/USA in mill. t (Jan-Aug) 5,46 5,23 4,21 2,87 2,60 2017 2016 German Exports German Imports Source: ZDS/HANSA Seaborne traffic Germany / Canada in mill. t (Jan–Aug) German Exports German Imports 2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 HANSA International Maritime Journal – 155. Jahrgang – 2018 – Nr. 3 81
