Ports

Federal trade policies and spending priorities in port infrastructure are having a direct impact on supply chain performance for shippers and receivers. The good news is that port managers have adopted a proactive mentality and are optimistic about their futures.

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAP) gave a big thumb’s up recently when the House approved U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) as significant achievement for enhancing the ability of America’s seaports to deliver jobs, economic opportunities, and efficient movement of goods and people.

Prolonged trade tensions between the U.S. and China has created quite a bit of headline risk for U.S. ports, though Fitch Ratings' latest sector peer review shows that it has not trickled down to financial or rating performance.

Amid all the trade tension talk between the U.S. and China, the Port of Oakland’s unique position as the Pacific Rim’s major outbound cargo gateway remains secure, as evidenced by November’s container throughput numbers.

In addition to seaport, the port controls Oakland International Airport and Oakland’s Jack London Square entertainment district. Among the challenges Mr. Wan will soon be facing is whether the port’s maritime business can co-exist with new neighbors.

Significant progress has been reached towards the possibility of signing the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), an updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law, with U.S. House Democrats and the White House indicating they have come to terms on a working deal, according to various reports and statements issued today.

“Strategies for Storms, Flooding and Sea Level Defense,” a day-long conference sponsored by the Ports of San Francisco, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland, attracted industry experts from around the world this week to Oakland’s Jack London Square.

More details on how the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach are taking advantage of OffPeak traffic mitigation programs initiated by PierPass to keep the nation’s largest ocean cargo gateways competitive.

PierPass has announced updates on the OffPeak traffic mitigation program at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach indicating that ample appointments continue to be available.

For September, the most recent month for which data is available, the SCI was flat at 6.4, with FTR saying that all SCI measures were positive, with less favorable fuel pricing offsetting more favorable freight volume, capacity utilization, and logistics cost factors.

While the container throughput at the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach may be slumping, California's third largest ocean cargo gateway is reporting encouraging news.

In advance of another round of tariffs set to take effect in December, the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates, expects import volumes at major United States-based retail container ports to hit its highest mark for 2019.

Navis recently unveiled the results of its newest TechValidate customer survey the state of artificial intelligence (AI) as it relates to automated decision making in the ocean cargo terminal arena

As the new Maritime Director for the Port of San Francisco, Andre Coleman is responsible for the strategic oversight and implementation of the cargo gateway's maritime portfolio.

Refrigerated export volume has grown 20 percent here in the past year, the Port of Oakland said today. The increase could indicate that the Port’s strategic bet on temperature-controlled cargo is paying off.