Infrastructure Development

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Amware Logistics Services said Tuesday it has acquired Parcel Port, a small non-asset based warehousing, distribution and fulfillment company based in Arizona that has a strong focus on managing e-commerce parcel delivery.    Amware, headquartered in Eagle, Colo., is an Eastern provider of warehousing and transportation services that bought Parcel Port to expand to new locations and take on direct consumer fulfillment for Internet-based and catalog retailers, said Vin Gulisano, Am...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Maritime industry and civic leaders attended a ceremony Monday at the Port of Long Beach to mark the official start of the $1.2 billion Middle Harbor redevelopment project.    The event was highlighted by driving a commemorative "golden pile" into the base for a new wharf being built, according to a port news release.    Last month, Hong Kong-based OOCL and its local terminal arm finalized a 40-year, $4.6 billion lease of the redeveloped terminal originally...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Global Container Terminals has announced plans for a multimillion-dollar expansion to its Global Terminal in Bayonne, N.J. that it said will make it one of the most technologically advanced container facilities in the country.    James J. Devine, president and chief executive officer of Global Container Terminals USA, said the expansion will add 70 acres to Global Terminal’s existing 99 acres, and increase annual capacity from about 400,000 to 1 million container lifts (1.7 millio...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Ryder System, a third-party logistics services provider, has expanded its food packaging and distribution capability through enhancements at its facility in Beaver Dam, Wis.    The Beaver Dam Logistics Center (BDLC) serves food manufacturers with frozen and refrigerated requirements.    BDLC was recently expanded with a 15,000-square-foot, temperature-controlled addition Ryder will use to target companies needing to package refrigerated and frozen foods, vegetables, frui...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The Port of Corpus Christi in Texas announced on Tuesday a sales agreement with Oxy Ingleside Property Holdings, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corp., to buy about 816 acres of the former U.S. Naval Station Ingleside and adjacent port property for $82.1 million cash.    The transaction does not include the former naval base “campus” section.    Previously, Oxy deposited a $1 million down payment, the port authority said. With the signing of the sales agreement, a 3...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) has granted permits to a private development group for the construction and operation of a new container terminal to be built at the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal.    With an estimated construction value exceeding $600 million, the Panama Colón Container Port said the facility will have four berths and is expected to have annual capacity for 2 million TEUs. The terminal property is located on the same location as the former U.S. military...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to remove the remains of a Civil War-era vessel that remains an obstacle to a major harbor deepening project for the Port of Savannah.    The Corps of Engineers will spend an estimated $14 million to remove the Confederate ironclad warship Georgia and its ordinance, which was reportedly scuttled in December 1864 just before Union General Sherman’s arrival in the port city. The vessel never fired a shot during the war and essentially ser...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   The Port of Long Beach and California Department of Transportation have identified a $649.5 million bid from a joint venture as the best option for designing and building a replacement for the aging Gerald Desmond Bridge.    The joint venture's major partners are Shimmick Construction Co. Inc., Oakland, Calif.; FCC Construction S.A., based in Madrid; Italy's Impregilo S.p.A.; San Francisco-based Arup North America Ltd.; and Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc., San Jose, Calif....

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   Norfolk Southern has broken ground on an intermodal hub for transferring containers between trains and trucks in Charlotte, N.C.    The Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility is located at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and will be capable of handling 200,000 lifts per year. It will replace the railroad's existing intermodal facility in downtown Charlotte.    "Charlotte is a key hub on the Norfolk Southern intermodal system and on our Crescent...

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

   An executive from APM Terminals told the "Future Ports" conference in Stockholm last week that "productivity will be the battleground for terminal operators and those who are able to meet our customers’ requirements will be the winners."    Soren Sjostrand Jakobsen, APMT's head of project implementation, said as carriers build bigger ships “it is imperative that we are able to increase our delivered productivity at minimum the same pace as the ships grow - but preferably...

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

   Manatee County Port Authority in Florida has approved a $13 million contract with American Bridge Co. for a 584-foot extension of Berth 12 and a 10-acre container yard.    The project is expected to be completed in June 2013, in advance of the completion of the Panama Canal expansion.    Once completed, Berth 12 will be 1,584 long with a 40-foot draft. The extension will complement dredging completed in October 2011, and finish an expansion project that or...

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

   Global commercial real estate service provider CBRE has advised DHL Real Estate to sell a 15,000 square-meter warehouse facility that it's developing in Leipzig, Germany to international property fund manager, Cordea Savills.    The move marks the beginning of a new program around direct development by DHL Real Estate in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.    DHL said Leipzig is a strategic location within its European network and plans to develop nearly ...

Monday, April 30, 2012

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank on Friday announced a three-year renewal of its Short-Term Africa Initiative (STAI) that provides export-credit insurance for U.S. exporters selling to 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, up to a program limit of $100 million.    The initiative is renewed through March 31, 2015.    The bank also anticipates expanding the availability of its export financing in three sub-Saharan African countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Ex-Im Bank's b...

Monday, April 30, 2012

   Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, worried that planning for a rail intermodal center to support more port-related cargo and economic growth is taking longer than anticipated, on Friday asked CSX Transportation to consider a site within city limits instead of suburban locations that face political opposition or excessive development costs.    The freight railroad wants to build an intermodal container transfer facility (ICTF) south of the city to combine international ...

Friday, April 27, 2012

   Opponents of dredging the Port of Miami's main shipping channel to 50 feet will withdraw petitions seeking to block the project after Miami-Dade County officials agreed to contribute $2.3 million to support environmental programs aimed at protecting and restoring Biscayne Bay, the county announced Thursday.     The deal, which must still be approved by the Board of County Commissioners at its May 1 meeting, will allow the Army Corps of Engineers to move ahead with c...

Thursday, April 26, 2012

   The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has awarded a $550,000 grant to Terminal Fluvial Andalucía, S.A. (Andalucia River Terminal or "TFA") for a feasibility study to determine the technical and financial viability of a new inland river port along Colombia’s Magdalena River.    The feasibility study will also include the preparation of preliminary design documents for the river port. TFA, a subsidiary of Grupo Puerto de Cartagena (GPC), plans to build and operate an inland riv...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

   The Port of Indiana said Phoenix Services has signed a multi-year contract with ArcelorMittal to provide slag and processing services for the Burns Harbor steel giant.    Slag is a product generated during the iron- and steel-making processes. Phoenix has opened a 13-acre distribution facility at the port and is installing processing equipment at various locations throughout the ArcelorMittal complex.    "We are in the process of installing the most technologically advan...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

   The Port of Long Beach has been selected to apply for a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to replace the highly congested Gerald Desmond Bridge.    The bridge lacks capacity for current and projected traffic, including trucks that serve the Southern California port, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Tuesday.    The Port of Long Beach project was one of five picked to submit a loan application, which the Transporta...

Friday, April 20, 2012

   The Port of Los Angeles Harbor Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a new five-year strategic plan that focuses on retaining its place as the top U.S. seaport, among a variety of other goals.    The plan is built around three main areas of emphasis – competitive operations, strong relationships and financial strength. Underlying those goals are efforts to improve sustainability, optimize land use, advancing maritime technologies, and growing market share.    ...

Friday, April 20, 2012

   The Port of Brownsville handled 6.1 million tons of cargo in 2011, 16 percent more than the prior year.    The Texas port said in a statement that while it is primarily thought of as a steel port, it has "made a conscious push to diversify the types of cargoes handled."    “We are among the top three ports in the country in terms of steel imports and exports, however, over the course of the last few years we have experienced a steady increase in our liquid commoditi...

Friday, April 20, 2012

   The substance of comments at a Senate hearing on a proposal for federal oversight of tolls charged on bridges, tunnels and highways got overshadowed by a political brawl more suited for an episode of Jersey Shore than Capitol Hill this week.    "Trash Talk Gets Louder," screamed the headline of The Star-Ledger , New Jersey's largest newspaper Friday morning, reporting on the aftermath of a hearing on Wednesday dominated by testy exchanges between Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.,...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

   One way or another U.S. harbors may get more money for maintaining shipping channels this year.    On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 293 to 127 in favor of H.R. 4348, the 2012 Surface Transportation Extension Act. The bill will extend by three months past June 30 funding for transportation and transit projects and includes a provision that would result in additional funding for harbor maintenance.    Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr., R-La., said...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

   FedEx Freight Canada, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., on Wednesday opened a new service center in Alberta.    Located on Wrangler Crescent SE in Rocky View County, the new center handles FedEx Freight’s less-than-trailerload shipments throughout Western Canada.    “This is a strategic location within our vast network of centers across the country,” Grant Crawford, vice president of international for FedEx Freight. “This new center offers all FedEx Freight customers greater ...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

   Two large intermodal projects to better connect the Port of Tampa with road and rail networks are making good progress and will benefit freight shippers such as American Honda Motor Co., which recently began using the port as an import gateway.    Construction of an on-dock rail facility to handle 100-car unit trains of ethanol from the Midwest is scheduled to be completed by the fall, according to the Tampa Port Authority. The multipurpose rail terminal can also serve the ad...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

   Cimetra Warehousing & Distribution (CWD), a Nashville, Tenn.-based logistics and warehousing company, will add 6,000 square feet to its temperature-controlled space, expecting to open the addition on June 1.    CWD, an offshoot of the New York-based Cimetra, offers third-party logistics services such as inbound quality checks, pick-and-pack order management, order fulfillment, customs documentation, and kitting.    The new Tennessee branch operates two ware...

Friday, April 13, 2012

   Maher Terminals has filed a complaint against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, claiming the agency gave a sweetheart deal to a competing terminal after it won the business of its largest customer.    In October 2009, Mediterranean Shipping Co. transferred its business from Maher to the neighboring Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT).    Maher said the port authority knew that the transfer would harm...

Thursday, April 12, 2012

   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a report Wednesday recommending the Savannah River be deepened from 42 to 47 feet.    The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project study, which consists of a General Re-evaluation Report and an Environmental Impact Statement, looked at options ranging from keeping the harbor at its current depth to deepening it to 48 feet. It concluded that deepening the harbor from its current depth of 42 feet to 47 feet is "economically viable, environment...

Thursday, April 12, 2012

   The United States and Brazil this week entered a public-private partnership to enhance bilateral aviation cooperation in areas such as airport expansion, airspace management, safety and security.    “These programs will support Brazil's aviation infrastructure development priorities, while connecting U.S. companies to the growing business opportunities in the sector,” said the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.    As a result of rapidly increasing air traffic due to...

Friday, April 06, 2012

  U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said overwhelming requests for so-called TIGER grants reflect the need for increased infrastructure funding.   "It's clear that communities across America can't afford to wait any longer to get started," LaHood said. "At a time when gas prices are high, it's more important than ever that we invest in projects that will relieve congestion, improve the safety of our transportation systems, and provide Americans with affordable, efficient optio...

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

   The Panama Canal Authority said it had record tonnage in its fiscal year 2011, which ended on Sept. 30, but also acknowledged that some parts of its project to expand the canal are taking longer than expected.    "Four years after the beginning of the expansion work, the board feels extremely satisfied with the labor accomplished by the administration and the entire workforce involved in the canal expansion project," Rómulo Roux, chairman of the board of authority, said in his intr...

Monday, April 02, 2012

   Thailand is seeing its logistics costs remain high as the country struggles with transporting goods around its geography. The nation is now looking to rail as a way to address costs and shipments. The nation currently sees 83 percent of moves delivered within the country while rail accounts for only 2 percent.    The country’s National Economic and Social Development Board recently gave a seminar on data for logistics development where its deputy secretary-general Arkhom Termp...

Monday, April 02, 2012

   The U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a $216,582 grant to El Salvador's Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma (CEPA) to support a program for vessel traffic improvements at the Port of La Unión.    CEPA, the Salvadoran government entity responsible for developing and managing the nation's transportation infrastructure, intends to expand operations at the port under a public-private partnership.    In specific, USTDA’s grant will help CEPA facilitate the safe pass...

Friday, March 30, 2012

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently completed a study which highlights the potential for alternative energy production at airports.    "Some available grasslands at airports have the potential to spur the type of innovation we need to build American-made, homegrown biofuels and bio-based products that will help to break our dependence on foreign oil and move our nation toward a clean energy economy," said Agriculture Secretary T...

Friday, March 30, 2012

   Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation has announced that its subsidiaries have recently secured new joint venture agreements.    The first agreement is between Keppel Jilin Logistics Park (Keppel Jilin) and the Jilin City government's Jilin Sino-Singapore Food Zone Development Co. The pair will jointly develop and operate the Sino-Singapore Jilin Food Zone International Logistics Park to serve the Sino-Singapore Jilin Food Zone.    The zone joint venture will be...

Friday, March 30, 2012

   Both the House and Senate passed 90-day extensions of the nation's major surface transportation bill on Thursday after the House failed to agree on longer term legislation.    The House approved H.R. 4281, the ninth extension of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, by a vote of 266 to 158. The Senate approved the bill by voice vote a few hours later.    House Republicans issued a press release trumpeti...

Thursday, March 29, 2012

   U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson promoted partnerships between U.S. and Indian businesses as he discussed the U.S.-India trade relationship during meetings with several Indian government officials in New Delhi Tuesday during a five-day trade mission to India.    “It’s clear that if American and Indian businesses work together, we can build India’s infrastructure in a way that brings inclusive growth, greater prosperity, and job creation in both countries,” Bryson said. “U.S. co...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

   House Republicans and Democrats are still struggling over an extension of transportation funding as the March 31 deadline for existing spending authority approaches.    House leaders had offered a 90-day extension through the end of June, but Democrats are pushing for a vote on the two-year, $109 billion package recently approved by the Senate.     Republican leaders on Tuesday tried to move a 60-day extension to the floor, but could not get enough Democrats to agree...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

   Dissatisfaction with the way funds are collected and distributed for port and waterway projects bubbled to the surface during a House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee hearing Tuesday on the proposed 2013 budget for the Army Corps of Engineers.    Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., complained the budget was unfair to the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, stating that the two ports receive only $265,000 from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), but th...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

   Congress is moving closer again to the brink of a partial government shutdown as lawmakers failed to make progress Monday on a short-term extension of authority to run surface transportation programs and collect fuel taxes.     Republican leaders, including Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica, are trying to move a measure to the floor extending existing funding levels and policy for three months, through the end of June. The current extension expires Marc...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

   The New York Shipping Association Monday lauded a request by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to expedite federal review of plans to raise the roadbed of the Bayonne Bridge so that larger ships can pass beneath it.    Last Friday the port authority submitted to federal officials a formal request that the project be considered for expedited review under President Obama's executive order on permitting and federal review.    "In making this ...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

   The South Carolina Ports Authority said it approved on Friday a $42.7-million contract for work on a container terminal at the former Navy base in Charleston.    The contract was awarded to the Quincy, Mass.-based firm Jay Cashman, Inc.    Cashman will transport about 1.75 million cubic yards of dredged material from Daniel Island to the terminal, placing the fill behind a containment wall and on portions of the upland area. The crews also will consolidate...

Monday, March 26, 2012

Mica    Rep. John Mica, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, last week introduced legislation to extend by three months federal authority for highway and transit programs that are scheduled to expire on March 31.    The House leadership is expected to bring the measure to the floor for a vote this week.    Congress has passed eight extensions to maintain the status quo since the last multiyear framework for surface transportation ...

Monday, March 26, 2012

   The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Friday submitted to federal officials a formal request that a project to raise the roadway of the Bayonne Bridge be considered for expedited review under President Obama's executive order on permitting and federal review issued just 24 hours earlier.    The port authority said it believed the request to the Transportation and Homeland Security departments and Coast Guard is the first to be submitted in the country in response t...

Monday, March 26, 2012

   The U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a $571,458 grant to Morocco to support a feasibility study to improve safety and security at the Port of Casablanca.    The grant was specifically issued to Marsa Maroc, a major port operator in Morocco.    The Moroccan government is planning to invest $360 million to modernize the port infrastructure by 2015. The Port of Casablanca currently handles 32 percent of all national port traffic. Another $76.5 m...

Friday, March 23, 2012

   APM Terminals said it has received final endorsement from the Costa Rica's comptroller general office to build a new container terminal in Moin.    The company said with the approval it "will be able to start the 18-month implementation phase performing all the required studies and final design work which, once completed, will be submitted to the government for approval. The next stage will then be dredging the access channel and the turning basin and the start of reclaiming the i...

Thursday, March 22, 2012

   A new study by the nonprofit research organization RAND Corp. argues that traditional revenue sources are not sufficient to address the United States’ infrastructure shortcomings and their effects on U.S. supply chains.    The report, A Federal Role in Freight Planning and Finance , takes the approach that several key elements of many widely discussed freight infrastructure financing proposals are off the mark.    “The authors reject the notion that the federal governmen...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Bryson    U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson will lead a trade mission of 16 companies to India on March 25-30, making stops New Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai.    During the mission, Bryson will meet with senior Indian government officials to advocate for U.S. export opportunities in India’s rapidly expanding infrastructure sector, and promote investment opportunities in America – both priorities of the Obama administration.    The companies attending the mission include Autode...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

   Terminal Catalunya (TERCAT) said Tuesday it has taken delivery of four super-post-Panamax quay cranes for its new container terminal at Muelle Prat, doubling the number of these cranes at the facility.    Hutchison Port Holdings-managed TERCAT, due to open in mid-2012, has also received 15 automatic stacking cranes and 11 shuttle carriers (used to move containers from the quayside to the yard) with another 21 stacking cranes and nine shuttle carriers on order.    Th...

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

   The Georgia Ports Authority board on Monday approved renovations to the Colonel’s Island terminal in Brunswick that will accommodate growth in the heavy construction equipment and machinery trade.    The project, estimated to cost $2.8 million, will provide structural upgrades for roads, bridges, staging areas and rail loading/offloading areas.    This project will "provide greater flexibility in moving oversized roll-on/roll-off cargo at Colonel’s Island,...

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

   The U.S. Coast Guard is stepping up its activity in the Arctic in response to increased shipping activity and oil exploration, said Sally Brice-O'Hara, the agency's vice commandant.    Speaking Monday at the Connecticut Maritime Association's Shipping 2012 conference in Stamford, Brice-O'Hara said the Coast Guard is watching as new trade routes emerge, noting there was "some success this year with north sea routes along the coast of Russia."    Sh...

Monday, March 19, 2012

   APM Terminals said a new container terminal which it plans to open in the Maasvlakte II area of the Port of Rotterdam in November 2014 will feature a new type of automated equipment.    "We have designed the terminal to serve the largest containerships in the world with higher productivity and service level consistency day-in, day-out, while operating in a safe, environmentally-friendly way," said Frank Tazelaar, managing director for APM Terminals Maasvlakte II. "Our estimat...

Monday, March 19, 2012

   Cargotec said its Navis subsidiary has been picked to supply a terminal operating system for DP World's London Gateway port.    The decision follows London Gateway's announcement late last year to have Cargotec supply 40 Kalmar automatic stacking cranes with related technology and 28 Kalmar shuttle carriers for the new facility.    The project is the first joint Navis-Cargotec deployment of software with automated container handling equipment.  &...

Friday, March 16, 2012

   The cost of construction materials leaped up in February, adding urgency for Congress to pass a surface transportation spending bill and get infrastructure projects started before inflation reduces the government's buying power, according to transportation advocates.    Prices for many types of construction inputs rose sharply last month, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. The price index for materials used in construction, plus items consumed by contr...

Friday, March 16, 2012

   The U.S. Commerce Department has approved the Port of San Francisco’s request to reorganize its Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) #3 under the Alternative Site Framework (ASF) program, a process that requires less paperwork and modernizes the process for businesses to apply for the zone.    The ASF is part of a new rule that allows companies to secure FTZ status in about 30 days after the acceptance of their application. The rule applies to new and existing companie...

Friday, March 16, 2012

   Third party logistics services provider OHL has expanded its network with a new 400,000-square-foot facility in Plainfield, Ind., and a 200,000 square-foot expansion in St. Louis to fill orders for on-line retailers.    The company offers warehousing and transportation management services for electronic retailers, including five out of the top 25 so-called e-tailers, said Bob Spieth, president of OHL. “This expansion in our campus network will enable us to meet the needs of O...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

   India is seeing an increased demand for the third party logistics services due to a new focus on supply chain management and bids for deeper market penetration, according to a new report from RNCOS.    RNCOS’ 3rd Party Logistics Market in India says India has seen a continuous improvement to its logistics infrastructure which has had the effect of making 3PL services perceived as a better way to control internal and external processes.    Consumer elecontrics an...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

   The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a two-year, $109 billion bill reauthorizing Department of Transportation programs for highway infrastructure and safety.    The 74-22 vote in favor of S. 1813, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) was a rare display of bipartisanship in a legislative body that has had difficulty agreeing on anything in the past two years.    The bill allows spending for highway, transit and rail programs to continue at exis...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

   The Texas port of Corpus Christi officially started operations this week of six large wind turbines as part of the first phase of its Harbor Wind Farm.    The project, which was developed by Revolution Energy on the north side of the Port Corpus Christi Inner Harbor, is one of the first wind farms located on industrial port property in North America.    Revolution Energy began developing the Harbor Wind project in 2006. The $20 million project was financed using new mark...

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

   Canadian National Railway said Tuesday it has introduced new import/export container train services between the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia and Calgary in Alberta.     The railroad will also start service to Edmonton in June.    "Alberta is one of the fastest growing industrial and consumer based economies in North America and has a fast increasing need for efficient supply chains, the railroad said.    CN said it will rel...

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

   The Alabama State Port Authority said the Pinto Terminal in the Port of Mobile began handling the largest import steel shipment in the port's history on Tuesday.    The vessel Shi Dai is delivering 4,259 carbon steel slabs weighing in at 94,210 metric tons.    Jimmy Lyons, director and chief executive officer for the port authority, said volumes at Pinto "are skyrocketing as the ThyssenKrupp rolling mill continues to ramp production. We’ve long known this mill a...