From rising seas to rises in crime, here’s how ports, shipping lines, and their shipper customers find solutions to navigate the critical issues they currently face.
Infrastructure Upgrades
The Port of Virginia welcomes some of the world’s largest cargo ships—ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) that can carry 14,501 or more 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). But when one of those super vessels arrives or departs, it delays other traffic. “We have to shut the channel down for four hours while they transit,” says Joseph Harris, senior director of communications at the Port of Virginia.
Soon, though, the port expects to support unrestricted two-way movement of fully laden ULCVs and other vessels, thanks to a $450-million project to deepen and widen its shipping channels. Dredging in the Thimble Shoal West Channel will take that waterway from 50 to 55 feet by the end of 2023. The port expects to complete a similar project in the Thimble Shoal East Channel by spring 2024 that will widen certain areas up to 1,400 feet.
These improvements will let the Port of Virginia accommodate fully laden ULCVs even at low tide. That will make Virginia an even better candidate to be the first port a vessel calls in North America or the last port it calls before an outbound crossing, Harris says. Containers will also speed up operations in the terminals. “We’ll be able to keep the berths busy, because we won’t be waiting on a ship to arrive or the channel to reopen,” Harris says.
GPA Boosts Capacity
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) is also upgrading infrastructure to improve capacity and efficiency. For instance, recent improvements to Berth 1 at the Garden City Terminal, finished in July 2023, boost annual capacity there from 6 million TEUs to 7.5 million. “The additional space, coupled with the largest ship-to-shore cranes in the U.S. East Coast, mean faster service for container cargo, faster turn times for ships, and quicker access to goods for beneficial cargo owners,” says Bruce Kuzma, vice president of trade development, ocean carrier and non-container sales at the GPA.
Two other projects will give the GPA even more space for containers. At the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, renovation will increase annual capacity from 250,000 TEUs to 2 million TEUs by the end of the project’s second phase in 2026. The GPA will also add eight new cranes to that facility. And by the end of 2023, the Garden City Terminal (GCT) West will have added 100 new acres of long-term storage, an 11-lane truck gate, and a direct connection to the main container yard, says Chris Novack, vice president of engineering and facilities maintenance.
Cutting Costs
“This system will cut transportation and storage costs while reducing carbon emissions related to truck transit,” says Flavio Batista, the port’s vice president of sales and marketing. “The yard will allow importers greater flexibility for long-term storage of retail goods or manufacturing components until they are needed, without having to pay demurrage.” As they expand, ports are also reworking facilities to better withstand the effects of climate change.
“For example, the Port of Olympia, Washington, conducted a study on its susceptibility to sea water rise,” says Eleanor Kirtley, senior programming manager at Green Marine, an environmental certification program for the maritime industry. “The port is on tide flats, so it is important to consider which of its shore-side infrastructure would be at risk. What type of investment would be necessary to shore that up?” In south Florida, Port Everglades is already addressing resilience, using a $32-million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to replace bulkheads in one section of the port. The goal is to protect operations as the sea rises by as much as 4.5 feet between now and 2095, and also to protect against storm surges.
Protecting The Planet
While reducing the risks posed by climate change, ports are also trying to reduce the harm their operations inflict on the environment. For instance, Port Everglades is installing a shore power system in its eight cruise terminals. When that’s complete, berthed cruise ships will be able to plug into the shore side electrical system, rather than use their own fuel-burning generators. “We are talking with carriers and terminal operators about installing shore power systems associated with cargo ships as well,” Daniels says.
When the port removed eight acres of mangroves during its recent Southport Turning Notch extension project, it replaced them with more than 16 acres of mangroves on undeveloped land. “Part of that design also included manatee nursery areas,” Daniels says. In addition, the port relocated about 900 corals from an old bulkhead in the project area to an artificial reef in another location. Port Everglades, like many other ports, terminal operators, and ship owners in North America, participates in Green Marine’s certification program, whose goal is to improve environmental performance with steps that exceed government requirements.
Highway Robbery
One problem that isn’t a major worry these days is large-scale cargo theft on port property. “The ports are pretty secure,” says Scott Cornell, transportation lead and crime and theft specialist with Travelers’ inland marine insurance business. He cites federal requirements to bar unauthorized visitors. Thieves sometimes pilfer small amounts of cargo, but usually not entire loads. Just outside the ports, however, it’s another story. “Cargo theft is at a 10-year high; it’s up more than 50% year-to-date,” says Cornell, drawing on data from CargoNet, a provider of cargo theft prevention and recovery solutions based in Jersey City, New Jersey.
One well-publicized victim of that crime wave is Nike. In June 2023, Los Angeles police found millions of dollars worth of stolen Nike sneakers during a raid on a warehouse in Torrance, California. Police said the shoes most likely came from several trucks that were stolen from near the Port of Los Angeles. Like that crime, a great deal of cargo theft occurs within 50 miles of major ports. It comes in two varieties. The most common is straight theft, when criminals steal a partial load, a whole trailer or container, or an entire tractor-trailer from a drop lot, truck stop, distribution center, or other facility.
The second is strategic theft, in which thieves waylay freight through deceit. “They do that through identity theft, fictitious pickups, or double-brokering scams,” says Cornell. “That kind of theft is up more than 1,300%.” Cornell recommends a three-layered approach to combating cargo theft. The first is to implement smart policies and procedures. For instance, a driver should not pick up a load from a port, storage yard or other location, and then visit a truck stop to fuel up, eat, and rest before hitting the road.
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Source: Inboundlogistics
