Page 27: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Mar/Apr 2019)

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Credit: Port of Long Beach

San Pedro Bay, the location of the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, side-by-side.

January 2019 has seen a slight drop in TEU volume from 221,000 third consecutive calendar year of record TEU volume for SCPA.

TEUs in 2018 to 215,000 last month. “A strong February contributed to the Port’s continued growth,

New Port Houston Chairman Ric Campo wants to fast-track with container volume nearly six percent ahead of our ?nan- the widening and deepening of the Houston Ship Channel and to cial plan for the ?rst eight months of our ?scal year,” said Jim harden and strengthen the resiliency of the port to withstand the Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. Inland Port Greer handled impact from major storms and hurricanes. 11,245 rail moves in February, bringing the facility’s ?scal year-

In terms of container shipping, the Port of Houston Authority has to-date volume to 84,761 moves. Inland Port Dillon saw 2,688 rail voted to impose limits on large container ships calling on Houston moves in February and has handled 18,709 rail moves in FY2019.

Ship Channel terminals after petroleum shippers complained that South Carolina is betting heavily on inland port infrastructure for the big ships would threaten export growth. The impact of that the future, and recently signaled that it is exploring shortsea op- edict is yet to be determined, but the interim solution is intended to tions to alleviate road congestion.

ensure unencumbered access to upper channel reaches.

Calling on the Commonwealth

Georgia on my mind The Port of Virginia set a new annual record for container cargo

The Georgia Ports Authority, which operates the Port of Savan- volume, handling more than 2.85 million TEUs in calendar year nah, moved 430,000 TEUs in January, up more than 90,000 TEUs 2018, a slight increase (0.5%) over last year’s total. The port saw from 2018’s 339,000. 2018 also closed with a record 4.35 million increases in volume at both Virginia Inland Port and Richmond

TEUs, compared with nearly 4.05 million in 2017. Most recently, Marine Terminal – the port’s two inland facilities – and truck and

Savannah handled more total containerized cargo and more inter- barge volume. modal rail volume, with greater connectivity and velocity, than “Our growth in 2018 was less than what we had planned for, any March on record, the Georgia Ports Authority reported. but as construction proceeded at Virginia International Gateway

While the port handled more than 410,000 twenty-foot equiv- (VIG) and Norfolk International Terminals (NIT), we made the alent container units, an increase of 15.5 percent, rail volumes decisions to temporarily hold some cargo and limit the movement spiked by 26 percent for a total of 82,135 TEUs. In addition, GPA of empty containers,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive achieved a record low dwell time for intermodal boxes in March, director of the Virginia Port Authority.

with containers averaging just 27 hours from vessel to outbound The Port of Virginia continued to move near-peak season cargo rail. Savannah is leveraging its inland intermodal connections to volumes, thanks in part to the completion of all 13 new container expedite both volume and growth. stacks at VIG, bringing the total number of stacks at the termi- nal to 28. The terminal has also nearly doubled its capacity for

South Carolina Shines refrigerated cargo – growing from 452 plugs to 888 plugs. Four

The South Carolina Port Authority said January was a record, up ship-to-shore cranes that arrived in January are scheduled to be 12.5 percent from 2018, making it the strongest January ever. The placed into service by the end of March, and completion of the facility handled 205,700 TEUs compared with 167,000 TEUs in rail expansion is slated for June 2019.

2017. For 2018, the port processed a record 2.3 million TEUs, the Across the river at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT), 12 www.maritimelogisticsprofessional.com 27

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