South East Shipping News

New all-water, Houston-Puerto Rico service to call Jacintoport

New all-water, Houston-Puerto Rico service to call Jacintoport

A new all-water service connecting Houston with San Juan, Puerto Rico, will launch May 29 when the U.S.-flagged containership National Glory departs the Port of Houston Authority's Jacintoport terminal on its maiden voyage.
The new 14-day service, which is being provided by National Shippers of America (NSA), is called "Isla Verde Express" and will provide customers with more transit options and supply chain flexibility in this "under-served" market, NSA officials say.
"After careful market analysis, we found that shippers west of the Mississippi River have few options to move cargo to and from Puerto Rico without having to use an East Coast port," said Torey Presti, NSA president. "A significant percentage of the mainland-Puerto Rico cargo is from Texas and the western states. By calling Houston, the service will offer a central U.S. location, which together with synchronized intermodal connections, enhances the options for shippers and keeps their supply chains predictable and steady."
In addition to its centralized location, Jacintoport provides a broad range of intermodal, warehousing and logistics support. The terminal will provide direct rail connections, warehouse and terminal services to NSA.
Value-added services include warehousing, crossdocking, transloading and bagging. Cargo will discharge from the vessel and be available both in Houston and San Juan early on Tuesdays for delivery to distribution centers or onward intermodal transport without a weekend delay.
Typical commodities shipped to Puerto Rico include resins, rice, beans, chemicals, beverages and produce. From Puerto Rico, the U.S. mainland receives medical supplies, foodstuffs and beverages.
In addition to dry and refrigerated containers, the National Glory – a converted tweendecker – is configured to accommodate a wide range of oversize, out-of-gauge and project cargo.

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New All-Water, Houston-Puerto Rico Service to Call Jacintoport

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Interstate Carriers Get Ready -- guest opinion

“ROAD CHECK” 2013
Are you ready for the annual Road Check enforcement sweep: June 4-6, 2013?

Are you an interstate carrier in compliance with UCR? Have you submitted your USDOT MCS-150 Biennial Report within the last two years? Did you renew your Hazmat Registration and SCAC code yet? You may have INTERstate authority, but do you have INTRAstate authority? If not, now is the time! For more information on the annual nationwide “Road Check” compliance program, see the CVSA’s site: http://www.cvsa.org/programs/int_roadcheck.php

HOURS OF SERVICE
Are you prepared for the July 1st Hours of Service Compliance Date? See: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/hos/Interstate-Truck-Driver-Guide-to-HOS_508.pdf

MAP-21 BOND LAWSUIT UPDATE
The AIPBA is making final preparations to file the lawsuit challenging MAP-21’s property broker and surface freight forwarder $75,000 minimum bonding provision. Watch the fundraising thermometer at http://www.AIPBA.org for progress. Have you sent in your contribution yet? It’s not too late to help (every little bit-- even just $10-- helps):

http://www.1shoppingcart.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=9D64D0CD-9F5F-4CC7-A66B-8CA890450101&pid=c42e687376ce474e96f1d673e5370ed3

INDUSTRY-AT-SEA NETWORKING CONFERENCE
The June 4st deadline to reserve your cabin at our negotiated rates is approaching… Come sail away! Visit: http://www.IndustryAtSea.com

AIPBA PRESIDENT JAMES LAMB’S OP-ED
This week’s Transport Topics OP-ED by AIPBA’s James Lamb covers the new “New Deal” for the trucking industry:

http://www.ttnews.com/articles/basetemplate.aspx?storyid=32039&t=Opinion-Its-Not-Too-Late-to-Fight-the-Broker-Bond

Related articles

Roadcheck 2013: Coming to a Highway near You.

Brookings takes on the Panama Canal Fantasy -Guest opinion

Adie Tomer and Joseph Kane | May 17, 2013 4:25pm

Widening the Panama Canal and the Future of Global Trade Mapping

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Up and down the Atlantic coast, US ports are abuzz. Dredging machines, tunnel excavators, and highway pavers from Miami to New York are preparing metropolitan economies and their ports for a newly expanded Panama Canal. As the thinking goes, an expanded Canal promises bigger ships, bigger cargo loads--and each metro wants a piece of the bigger business.

 

But lost in this port-related arms race is what the newly-widened Panama Canal means for the US economy . Too many metropolitan areas simply assume they’ll immediately acquire new freight business when the expanded Canal opens, or that there will be more business at all. These billion-dollar assumptions ignore a more fundamental question: how and where will the Panama Canal affect US’ global goods trade?

Answering that question requires a broader view, one less predicated on ship size and more on economy size. It also requires metropolitan areas to gain a better understanding of their goods trading relationships, and how those relationships power their local economies.

It’s time to have a frank conversation about what investments like the Panama Canal mean for US trade and economic growth.

First, let’s start with a little context. The Panama Canal, set to celebrate its 100th birthday next year, is one of the world’s most important trade assets. It primarily helps connect US Atlantic and Gulf ports to their trading partners in Asia, Oceania, and South America. Driven by those major markets, the Canal already moves over 330 million tons of freight each year.

However, the Canal suffers from capacity constraints. The world's largest ships can no longer fit through certain locks, meaning the Canal was ill-prepared for its second century. In response, Panama initiated a major overhaul including two new locks, plus widening and deepening several existing channels. When complete in 2015, larger container ships will expand potential trade volumes between the Americas and Asia--and more seamlessly connect global markets in the process. The promise of these larger ships is the inspiration behind the Atlantic ports’ major capital projects.

Yet, as ports carry out such extensive projects, questions and skepticism linger over the future direction of freight movement and the long-term economic implications. How will ports handle the extra time it takes to load and unload the new mammoth ships? How will Pacific port investments in the United States and Canada counter the investments at the Atlantic ports? These uncertainties complicate analysts’ and policymakers’ abilities to identify exactly how the expansion will shift the precise location and scope of all freight flows.

The country and its metropolitan leaders need a way to remove these uncertainties. And it begins with a better understanding of our current goods trading relationships at the metropolitan scale.

As it stands, metropolitan data is scant. There is no geographically-consistent database of what goods metropolitan areas consume and what goods they export. Similarly, there is no database of geographic trading relationships with their domestic and international peers, or which ports facilitate the international side of the trade ledger

Imagine if the United States didn’t know how much electronics it imported from China, or how much oil it imported from the Middle East. That’s the situation metropolitan economic and freight leaders face.

It’s time to get a better handle on these regional trade relationships. Local, state, and federal officials should know which metropolitan areas trade the most goods with Asia, and are therefore the most sensitive to the Panama Canal’s capacity. They should also know how these goods flow between markets—whether they’re more reliant on Pacific or Atlantic ports, and how a capacity change on either coast could shift that equation.

This kind of knowledge also extends beyond just the Panama Canal. As other freight investments come online across the United States and the world, public and private sector leaders should have the statistical tools to know what’s at stake. A more thorough understanding of the country’s metropolitan trading network would help inform local investment decisions like we’re seeing in Baltimore and Norfolk. It would also inform a national freight strategy that prioritizes investments with the highest returns.

The metropolitan reaction to the Canal widening is a microcosm for what the country misses when it comes to freight planning. In a relatively fact-free zone, it’s easy for local ports to justify these major investments. But dredging a port or building a tunnel costs significantly more than simply upgrading our knowledge base.

Even with global trade slowing its growth since the Great Recession, there’s little question that goods volumes will continue to rise in the coming decades, whether through the Panama Canal or elsewhere. It’s time we make sure our metropolitan economies have the knowledge to succeed in that environment.

The Brookings Metropolitan Policy team will aim to address that knowledge gap over the coming year. Working with a team of outside experts, we've assembled a geographically-consistent, globally-oriented goods trade database. In turn, the analytics from that database will help us provide public and private sector leaders with a better understanding of exactly what, where, and how metropolitan areas trade goods and the implications for their local economies. We are excited to start sharing those results this fall.

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Great Lakes Dredge wins Miami channel deepening contract

Great Lakes Dredge wins Miami channel deepening contract

MAY 16, 2013 — Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (NASDAQ:GLDD), the largest provider of dredging services in the United States, today reported it has won a $122 million contract for deepening of the Miami Harbor. Dredging on this project is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter and will deepen the Port of Miami channel to minus 50 feet, allowing the port to accommodate the next generation post-Panamax vessels that will transport cargo through the expanded Panama Canal starting in early 2015.

Rock cutter suction dredge Texas

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the "Corps") awarded the base work for this project which encompasses excavation of the offshore entrance channel to the Port. Option work involving the deepening of the inner channels, which is necessary to provide access to the Port's berthing areas, is expected to be awarded by January 31, 2014. These options, if awarded, will bring the value of the project to $206 million.  

The Miami deepening project will take place in the environmentally sensitive waters of one of the busiest ports in the United States. Seagrass and coral resource health monitoring and water quality and sedimentation measurement activities are important components of the project. Great Lakes and its environmental partners will implement project specific procedures to ensure the safety of the public, crews employed on the project, vessel traffic and the environment.

Great Lakesm which has substantial dredging experience at PortaMiami, will be working under contract and supervision of the Corps, and collaborating with other project stakeholders including the Port of Miami and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to monitor the marine environment before, during and after the dredging operations.

David Simonelli, President of Dredging Operations for Great Lakes said, "We are ready to undertake this next phase of deepening the Port of Miami. We have a long and successful history of dredging in Miami dating back to the 1970's.

"We will employ the heavy-duty rock cutter suction dredge Texas specifically designed for excavating the hard limestone found in Miami and other East Coast ports. This is one of the most powerful vessels in its class. We have assembled a team of world class environmental partners to assist in the seagrass and coral mitigation components of the project as well as the extensive daily environmental monitoring. We expect to employ over 300 crew and staff in the execution of this project.

"We are committed to maintaining the safety of our employees and protecting the surrounding environment. We look forward to partnering with our client, the Corps, as well as the Port of Miami and State of Florida to successfully complete one of the most challenging dredging projects in U.S. history. Improving our nation's port facilities to meet the growing needs of international trade is a critical component in the development and growth of the Port of Miami and the surrounding economy."

Jonathan Berger, Chief Executive Officer concluded, "We are extremely pleased the Corps has selected Great Lakes to execute this challenging project. As the nation's leading dredging contractor we have the people, equipment and systems to deliver this deepening on schedule and on budget."

Dredge contract awarded to handle bigger ships at Miami's port

Dredge contract awarded to handle bigger ships at Miami's port

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Zachary FagensonReuters

4:18 p.m. CDT, May 16, 2013

MIAMI (Reuters) - The United States Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $180 million contract to dredge Miami's harbor to an Illinois-based company on Thursday, part of a plan to deepen the port channel to handle larger ships coming through the expanded Panama Canal in 2015.

The port hopes its short distance from the canal, as well as $2 billion of planned infrastructure upgrades, will make Miami a more attractive choice for global shippers looking to distribute goods to the U.S. market.

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Miami's deep dredge project, due to begin in August will make the port more competitive with other deep water east coast ports, including Baltimore and Norfolk, enabling it to handle larger "Post-Panamax" ships that carry two or three times the load of standard freighters.

The Port of Baltimore recently completed work on one berth that can accommodate the larger ships.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez called the contract award a "major milestone" for Miami's port, which was vital its future success and growth.

"Port Miami will be the only U.S. East Coast Port south of Virginia to be at the required minus 50 feet level in time to welcome the new generation of larger container cargo vessels arriving via the expanded Panama Canal," he said.

The port currently has a maximum depth of 42 feet deep and dredging deeper requires federal authorization. The dredging contract was won by Great Lakes Dock and Dredge, which describes itself as the largest provider of dredging services in the United States.

Miami's dredge project won the bipartisan support of both the Obama administration and Florida's Republican Governor, Rick Scott, who pledged $112 million in state funds to the project.

In order to satisfy environmental concerns in Biscayne Bay, the dredging project includes the restoration of more than 16 acres of sea grass and the creation of over nine acres of artificial reef.

The deepening of Miami's channel will create 33,000 new jobs and double cargo traffic, according to port director Bill Johnson, who led the drive to make the port a major logistics hub connecting Asia and Latin America. The project is in tandem with Miami International Airport and Florida's east coast rail link.

Miami is the only port south of Norfolk, Va., with congressional authorization to dredge to 50 feet. Other cities such as Charleston, Savannah and New Orleans are rushing to get hundreds of millions of dollars of projects funded and underway in time for the opening.

The Army Corps of Engineers recently completed a study showing Savannah's $652 million dredge is viable and is also studying the harbor at Charleston, and plans to finish dredging New York Harbor by 2014. The New York/New Jersey Port Authority set aside $1 billion to raise the Bayonne Bridge to 64 feet so the large vessels can pass underneath.

Port Everglades, 30 minutes north of Miami, is also seeking permission to dredge its harbor to 50 feet.

(Reporting by Zachary Fagenson.; Additional reporting By David Adams. Editing by Andre Grenon)

May 16, 2013, 7:12am EDT

Record funding flows to Florida’s cargo, cruise ports

 

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In the Florida Ports Council's Five Year Mission Plan, required annually by the state, the association for the state’s 15 ports says that without port projects, such as the dredging of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, the state could lose out on the prospects for nearly 60,000 new jobs over the next two decades and nearly $350 million a year in state and local taxes.

 

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JIM TURNER, THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Florida’s seaports are set to embark on a massive round of waterfront and transit upgrades as the cargo and cruise facilities are in line for a record-setting year of funding from the Legislature.

But Sunshine State port leaders caution that the proposed $111 million bump simply allows Florida to remain afloat against the tide of competition for global trade from other areas along the gulf and East coasts and in the Caribbean as the expansion of the Panama Canal approaches completion.

The Legislature has upped funding in the budget for seaports to about $288 million in the coming year through money set aside for specific port projects and bonding, which could further increase the total.

Among the 26 projects are the widening of the channel-turning basin at Port Canaveral; lengthening the deepwater turn-around for cargo ships at Port Everglades; replacing and repairing the pier at the Port of Fernandina; completing the cargo storage at Port Manatee; replacing 1.3 miles of on-dock rail line at the Port of Pensacola; and doubling the container yard, with the addition of cranes and equipment, at Port Panama City.

Even with the extra funding, port leaders say the opening remains narrow as Florida seeks to expand its trade with partners in Central America and South America, while working to attract more Asian traffic that has grown via the Suez Canal.

“In some cases we are trying to play catch up and in other cases we’re trying to maintain advantages we have,” said Florida Ports Council President Doug Wheeler. “If you’re not prepared to services these vessel and lines, then they will go somewhere else. I don’t think there is any question about that.”

Servicing the industry means being able to accommodate, through wider and deeper channels and ports, the larger passenger cruise lines and Panamax supercargo ships now being put into service.

In the council’s Five Year Mission Plan, required annually by the state, the association for the state’s 15 ports says that without port projects such as the Miami “Deep Dredge,” dredging of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, and cargo expansion at the Port of Tampa’s Port Redwing, Florida could lose out on the prospects for nearly 60,000 new jobs over the next two decades and nearly $350 million a year in state and local taxes.

The funding must still be signed by Gov. Rick Scott, who also happens to be one of the biggest boosters of improving the waterfront transit hubs.

“The more we grow and enhance our ports, the more Florida will flourish as a central trading destination for global commerce, which ultimately means more jobs for Florida families,” Scott said in a release Tuesday.

Scott has until May 24 to sign the $74.5 billion budget.

At Scott’s urging, the state has seen its seaport funding grow from $117 million in 2011 to $177 million last year.

Scott has also previously floated state Department of Transportation money into the dredging at PortMiami - $75 million - and to the Jacksonville Port Authority - $36 million. The state remains hopeful that the federal government will repay the money.

Wheeler along with officials from Port Manatee, JaxPort, Port Everglades, Canaveral Port Authority, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, PortMiami, the Lee County Port Authority and the Panama City Port Authority will join Scott next week as part of a 96-member trade mission to Santiago, Chile.

Long expected wave of X class Solar Flares has begun. Back up your data

 

CHANCE OF FLARES: NOAA forecasters estimate a 50% chance of X-class solar flares and an 80% chance of M-class solar flares today. The source would be active sunspot AR1748, which is turning toward Earth. Solar flare alerts: text, voice.

ANOTHER X-FLARE ON MAY 15: When the week began, the sun hadn't unleashed an X-flare all year long. In only two days, sunspot AR1748 has produced four. The latest X-flare from this active sunspot occured on May 15th at 0152 UT. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the extreme ultraviolet flash: Although the sunspot is not directly facing Earth, this flare might have produced a CME with an Earth-directed component.

We are waiting for coronagraph data from SOHO and the twin STEREO probes to check this possibility. Stay tuned for updates. In summary, AR1748 has produced an X1.7-class flare (0217 UT on May 13), an X2.8-class flare (1609 UT on May 13), an X3.2-class flare (0117 UT on May 14), and an X1-class flare (0152 on May 15). These are the strongest flares of the year, and they signal a significant increase in solar activity. 

Great news for Gulf Coast Ports: U. S. Achieves Parity with Mexico as a Preferred Manufacturing Location; To Achieve Cost Parity with China by 2015

  Editor’s note: The US has reached the goal once thought impossible by achieving energy independence. This happened, ironically, on the Democrat’s watch and despite confounding environmental constraints. Energy access was the only weakness in the US economy and altered all foreign policy and trade balance equations. The nation is free and we ought to celebrate. This article is another positive sign of the great future we confront. RE)

U. S. Achieves Parity with Mexico as a Preferred Manufacturing Location; To Achieve Cost Parity with China by 2015

But, look before you leap – nearshoring may not be profitable in all situations

04.18.13

 

NEW YORK (April 18, 2013) – In another sign that America is becoming more competitive in manufacturing, the United States is now equal to Mexico in “attractiveness” as a source for manufacturing operations and is on track to achieve cost parity with manufactured imports from China by 2015. However, before companies set up or move production from formerly favored locales, including China, they need to perform thorough, case-by-case analyses as a number of critical factors -- including product type, location, transportation and other variables -- can greatly impact attractiveness and cost-effectiveness. That’s according to new research, including a survey of 137 C-level manufacturing-company executives and an in-depth economic and cost analysis, released today by AlixPartners, the global business advisory firm.

In the AlixPartners survey, 37% of manufacturing executives said they would choose the U.S. as their preferred location for nearshoring (defined as moving production of products closer to the U.S. consumer base).  While an equal percentage of respondents cited Mexico as the most attractive nearshoring locale, the U.S. continues to post impressive gains versus perceptions of just a few years ago. In a similar AlixPartners survey last year, 49% of executives said they would choose Mexico, while 36% said they would choose the U.S.  In the firm’s survey just two years ago, 63% chose Mexico, while only 19% said they would choose the U.S.

 

However, while AlixPartners’ accompanying economic and manufacturing cost analysis finds that some goods can indeed be manufactured at an equal or lower cost in Mexico than in China, many other types of products cannot.  This provides clear evidence that in all cases, many factors need to be carefully analyzed and weighed before nearshoring or reshoring takes place. For example, AlixPartners found that while the “China cost” for items analyzed such as machined aluminum parts, plastic molded parts, non-denim slacks, and knit apparel and sweaters is indeed on the rise, that cost is still lower than Mexico’s in each case – and is forecast to remain lower through at least 2015.

 

“The U.S. is definitely a more cost-competitive source for manufacturing today than it has been in many, many years,” said Steve Maurer, managing director at AlixPartners and leader of the firm’s Manufacturing Practice in the Americas.  “In fact, the cost gap with China has on average been closed by approximately 70% for the products we analyzed. However, some consultants have taken that fact and tried to apply it with a broad brush across all of their clients and all of their clients’ products. As our analytical and product-specific research shows, that could be a big mistake.”

 

With a resounding 84% of the C-level executives surveyed by AlixPartners saying that the decision to nearshore their manufacturing would be an important one during the next year (versus just 53% who said the same last year), it is clear that nearshoring and reshoring decisions are moving to the “front burner” in 2013. According to AlixPartners, factors that need to be carefully analyzed before shifting production include product type, raw materials costs, labor costs, inventory costs, exchange rates, duties, freight costs and overhead costs, among others.

 

“Without question, these are absolutely critical decisions for company leaders.  When it comes to moving production, companies should look twice before they leap,” said Foster Finley, managing director at AlixPartners and leader of the firm’s Supply Chain Practice in the Americas.  “Not only do product-cost variables vary widely by product type, but several factors, such as exchange rates, materials costs and labor agreements, can all have a dramatic impact on the outcome.” 

 

Approximately 58% of the respondents to the AlixPartners survey said that for production that has either already been nearshored or is being considered for nearshoring, they have either reduced or expect to reduce their total “landed cost” by 5% to 20%.  Landed cost is the calculation of all aspects of bringing a product to its point of sale, including transportation costs, duties and the expense of inventory in transit.

 

Regarding landed costs, AlixPartners’ research showed that a number of other variables need to be considered by executives before making nearshoring decisions.  While rising production costs, today’s exchange rates and the cost of transporting goods currently make China a more expensive product source than it was a decade ago, it remains important to consider future costs when making sourcing decisions, says the firm. 

 

But, if current trends remain in place, AlixPartners finds that, on average, by 2015 the cost of importing manufactured products from China will be about the same as manufacturing them in the U.S. However, other key low-cost countries, such as Mexico and India, will remain highly competitive, thus highlighting the need for case-by-case analyses when evaluating nearshoring. According to AlixPartners’ analysis, Mexico and India have maintained cost advantages vis-à-vis China of 15% to 20%, similar to the advantage levels China enjoyed over other low-cost countries in the early 2000s.

 

Furthermore, according to AlixPartners, even when economic advantages are clear and risks are low, there are significant barriers to nearshoring that must be considered, such as the often massive costs of switching manufacturing locations, and the current shortages in the U.S. of foundational manufacturing assets and of manufacturing talent and management.

 

About the Study

The AlixPartners Manufacturing-Sourcing Outlook analyzed manufacturing sourcing costs, patterns and expectations related to meeting U.S. demand. The Outlook includes data from the AlixPartners Manufacturing-Sourcing Index™, which analyzes a variety of manufactured products and compares the cost to build them in various low-cost countries and transport them to the U.S. versus the cost of manufacturing them in the U.S., tracking several key cost drivers. Those drivers include labor costs, transportation costs, raw-materials costs, inventory costs, capital-equipment costs, overhead costs, duties and exchange rates. The Outlook also included an online survey, conducted in March, of 137 C-level executives from manufacturing-related companies across more than 10 industries. Among the companies represented in the survey, approximately half had annual revenue of $1 billion or more, and all of the respondents said they sourced production across multiple continents.

 

Related articles

U.S. Achieves Parity with Mexico as a Preferred Manufacturing Location; To Achieve Cost Parity with China by 2015, According to AlixPartners Study

Nearshore Trends as Medical Device Manufacturers React to Newly Imposed U.S. Excise Tax by Co-Production International

New Study: China Manufacturing Costs Rising to U.S. Level

CSMS# 13-000231 - Reconciliation Expanded to Colombia TPA, Korea FTA, Oman FTA, Panama TPA and Peru TPA

CSMS# 13-000231 - Reconciliation Expanded to Colombia TPA, Korea FTA, Oman FTA, Panama TPA and Peru TPA

05/14/2013 10:44 AM EDT

Automated Broker Interface





The National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) Reconciliation prototype test has been modified to include the filing of post-importation preferential tariff treatment claims arising under the Oman Free Trade Agreement (OFTA), Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA), Korea Free Trade Agreement (UKFTA), the Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (COTPA), and the Panama Trade Promotion Agreement (PATPA).



The test is modified to allow Reconciliation of post-importation preferential tariff treatment claims to be filed on or after August 12, 2013 on the aforementioned free trade agreements.



Please see 78 FR 27984, May 13, 2013, for additional information.

Florida Shipper, Journal of Commerce emerge in new forms - Update

 

 

In

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

even the best laid plans

 

In Nov. of 2009 we reported how the Florida Shipper was reduced to an online shipping schedule while its content was moved to the Journal of Commerce Magazine.

Almost every day someone comes looking for information on the relationship and gets the old news. Here is an update. Recently, as reported by us, the JOC Magazine has transformed into a primarily web based news source.

However, since 2009 when JOC assimilated the Florida Shipper, the former editor of the Florida Shipper has provided free of charge a blog and two news web sites that carry the load once carried by Florida Shipper Magazine.

Since you are here, you know how to find the subtitute Florida Shipper called South East Shipping News. We have also added a web site dedicated to Caribbean port issues called CaribbeanMaritimeExchange.org. And we have added a web site to help ports and terminals with the changes in federal grant regulations. It is called NDGrants.com

 Click the button How to use this data base for complete instructions.

JOC link is on top. What's left of Florida Shipper is at bluetoad.

http://www.joc-digital.com/joc-online/20090302/?u1=texterity&cache=1

 

http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?m=2471&l=1

The U.S. Could Learn from the EU's Short Sea Policies - Guest Opinion

 

 

 BY TONY MUNOZ

April 24, 2013

 Tony Munoz, Editor-in-Chief of Maritime Executive and the MarEx Newsletter, was a guest contributor for the European Union’s Government Gazette in its first quarter edition - released in March 2013.

Here is his article:

The European short sea shipping network has been an enormous catalyst in building the world’s most efficient and environmentally friendly transportation infrastructure over the last two decades. The vision and foresight – not to mention the political will it took to move the project forward – was unprecedented, and the commitment of stakeholders from across the EU countries will provide benefits for generations to come.

 

Motorways of the Sea

 

Today, the Motorways of the Sea, as it is known in the EU-27, is a major component of the transportation infrastructure supporting a huge and diverse economy, second only to the U.S. The unified effort of eliminating borders, dealing with regional congestion and environmental issues, and integrating the various economies and cultures of the EU serves as a powerful example of what can be done through coordinated and centralized government policy to strengthen long-term prosperity.

 

The strategy of establishing dozens of marketing offices to engage stakeholders at the local level and educate them about the benefits of a regional system of multi-modalism was brilliantly orchestrated from the beginning. It recognized that an integrated transportation network was essential to a strong and unified economy that could compete on a global scale with the other regional superpowers of the world – North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East & Africa, Central & South America – and, at the same time, serve future generations. Programs like Marco Polo I & II, which incentivized users to join the system, were positive measures that pushed the short-sea agenda forward. 

 

There were other benefits as well. The Baltic Sea, with the largest density of vessels in the world, became the world’s first ECA (Emission Control Area), instituting strict emission-control standards that drastically reduced the volume of greenhouse gasses. Because of the EU’s progressive views on environmental issues, the Motorways of the Sea program has benefited both the environment and the economy.

 

America’s Marine Highway – Fact or Fiction?

 

Unfortunately, the U.S. does not have an effective maritime policy beyond general rulemaking for its EEZ. Recently, the Department of Transportation was awarded an additional $1.4 billion to its $98.5 billion budget for 2013. The Obama Administration provided an additional $492 billion over five years (2014-2018) for planes, trucks and rail. Unfortunately, when it came to shipping, the Administration gave the Maritime Administration (MARAD) a paltry $433 million for its 2013 budget. 

 

What is even more troubling is, with all the years of studies and analyses showing the benefits of short sea shipping on America’s 96,000 miles of coastline and 22,000 miles of inland waterways, there is still no federal policy on development of America’s Marine Highway. In fact, the Administration has tabled discussions about maritime initiatives until 2017, which essentially means maritime policies will wait until the next administration takes office.

 

But the U.S. cannot wait as there are more than 15.5 million trucks on the nation’s highways that log more than 450 billion miles a year. Gridlock annually costs the U.S. economy about $80 billion, and Americans spend 4.5 billion hours stuck in traffic each year. Most urban areas have failing grades for smog, and another 60,000 people will die this year due to illnesses brought on by pollution.

 

No Lack of Funding…

 

Today, the Inland Waterways Trust Fund – funded by a user tax on fuel oil – has more than $5 billion in funds sitting idle because Congress will not release them to rehabilitate the 191 locks and 238 lock chambers that support about 11,000 miles of inland waterways. Furthermore, there is over $7 billion sitting in the Harbor Maintenance Tax Fund, paid for by a user fee on the value of a ship’s cargo and intended for dredging and maintaining the 360 commercial ports in the U.S.

 

Capitol Hill is gridlocked, and policies about spending on maritime infrastructure are on hold. What will the U.S. do when the expansion of the Panama Canal is completed in early 2015? U.S. port authorities are privately investing as are vessel operators. But there is no leadership from Washington.

 

Here is a golden opportunity for the U.S. to follow the European example and provide incentives for the building of a hub-and-spoke system that would take containers from 12,000-TEU post-Panamax vessels and transfer them to smaller freighters or barges that could then transport them up and down the coast or into the interior. One small freighter or barge can displace hundreds of trucks and the attendant pollution and congestion.

 

… But a Lack of Leadership

 

As it is, while ports like Miami and Charleston and New York are busy deepening their channels and installing giant cranes to handle the increased container traffic from an expanded Panama Canal, there is no such equivalent activity at the smaller ports that dot America’s inland waterways. Nor does the U.S. have a fleet of feeder ships to carry the containers inland, presenting another opportunity for government policies that would encourage the building of such vessels, much as the EU did.

 

With the example of the EU to guide us, the way forward for America’s Marine Highway seems clear. Unfortunately, the political will seems to be lacking along with the necessary leadership in Washington. Hopefully, it is not too late.

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