Friday, May 31, 2013

Port of Tacoma Honors Summit Award Winners

The Port of Tacoma recently recognized its relationships with customers and tenants by honoring four of them with the second annual Summit Awards for their contributions to port business and the Pierce County community.

The awards were presented May 23 at the port’s annual breakfast. Award recipients included port tenant Targa Sound Terminal for Livable Community, Trident Seafoods for Environmental Stewardship and Washington United Terminals for Business Magnet.

“We are so proud of the port’s many customers and tenants who understand that business, environmental stewardship and livable communities go hand in hand,” Commission President Don Meyer said at the event.

In 2012, Washington United Terminals attracted the business of the Grand Alliance – Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL and NYK Line and associated carrier ZIM, as well as Hamburg Sud. The additional business has generated more than 1,000 direct new family-wage jobs and increased economic activity in the community, according to the port. Increases have been notable in trucking, distribution and third-party supply chain services.

The terminal also has increased rail volume by about 50,000 lifts, which helped support greater rail efficiency and intermodal yard use for all rail users in the port industrial area. To support this increased business, Washington United Terminals invested more than $20 million in new and upgraded equipment.

Additionally, the selection committee honored SAFE Boats with a special Business Investment award. When SAFE Boats received a contract to build large patrol boats for the US Navy, the company invested its own money to upgrade the Earley Business Center, a facility that was the site of naval shipbuilding during World War II.

SAFE Boats investments in the property included re-siding part of the building, installing gas service and heating for the warehouse, repairing fencing, installing new rolling doors large enough to accommodate the finished boats and installing new energy-efficient lighting.

The renovations have resulted in 60 new jobs in Tacoma according to the port, and also provided new business for other tenants in the Earley Business Center, including Citadel Marine Center, as well as local marine suppliers, service providers and skilled fabricators.

The award recipients were selected by a panel of community and business leaders led by Commission President Meyer. The panel included Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland and Debbie Fischer of the Customs Brokers & International Freight Forwarders Association of Washington State.

More information about the Summit Awards is available at www.portoftacoma.com/summits.

Transport Center Seeks Freight Management Ideas

The METRANS Transportation Center, a joint partnership between the University of California and California State University Long Beach, is accepting abstract submissions on freight issues for its 2013 METRANS International Urban Freight Conference (INUF).

The purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for sharing emerging, multi-disciplinary research on all aspects of freight in metropolitan areas. Its organizers are soliciting abstracts for conference presentations as well as papers.

The call for abstracts is being coordinated with a call for submissions for a volume issue in Research in Transportation Business and Management titled, “Managing Freight in Urban Areas.”

All abstracts for paper submissions will be considered for both presentation at INUF and publication in RTBM.

Abstracts must be submitted by June 15, 2013, are limited to 500 words and must include a statement of the research, methodology and data, and a brief summary of results and conclusions. The format for abstracts is as follows: title, topic area, author's name and full contact information, whether you plan to submit a paper or only give a presentation, and the abstract text.

Abstracts for papers to be submitted for possible publication in the RTBM volume are solicited in the following topic areas: local/last mile pickup and delivery; environmental impacts and responses; freight in urban modeling and planning; emerging trends in consumption, production and spatial organization; economics of urban trucking; and hubs and city interactions.

Additional topics of interest for INUF presentations include: port operations; ITS applications in urban freight; security and vulnerability; best practices; and important dates.

Abstracts can be submitted via email to giuliano@price.usc.edu.

They will be reviewed and authors notified of acceptance by July 1, 2013. Authors of abstracts could be invited to submit for presentation at INUF, publication in RTBM, or both.

APM Terminals’ Quarterly Profit Dips

Terminal operator giant APM Terminals has posted profits of $166 million for the first quarter of 2013, which is down 26.5 percent from the same quarter last year despite moving the same number of containers as in Q1 of 2012.

The $226 million in profits APM reported during Q1 2012 included a divestment gain of $73 million following the sale of Maersk Equipment Service Co. and half of the company’s stake in the Port of Xiamen, China.

APM, which is part of the AP Moller Maersk Group, reported profits of $226 million, also reported container throughput of 8.6 million for the quarter, relatively unchanged from the same period the year before.

The global container terminal market saw a three percent increase in container volumes during the first quarter of 2013.

“The result for the period was affected by reduced volumes in North America and Western Europe, as well as reduced activity in level in Inland Services, following the divestment of Maersk Equipment Service Co. in the US in March 2012,” APM explained in a statement, saying that positive developments in terminals in high growth markets compensated for the downturn in volumes elsewhere.

Crowley Vessels Receive Safety Awards

Seventy-three Crowley Maritime Corp. vessels received Jones F. Devlin Awards for their commitment to operational safety from the Chamber of Shipping of America at the Annual Safety Awards Luncheon May 23, 2013 in New Orleans.

Each year, the Chamber grants certificates to manned merchant vessels that have operated for two or more years without incurring a Lost Time Injury (LTI). By 2012, Crowley vessels had collectively logged more than 400 years of safe operations by Devlin Award standards.

Crowley’s Valdez Star, the company’s longest standing award winner, has operated for 22 years without an LTI.

“It’s very gratifying for our crews to be honored for their safety accomplishments,” Crowley Vice President of Ship Management Mike Golonka said.

The Washington, DC-based Chamber represents 37 US-based companies that own, operate or charter oceangoing tankers, container ships, and other merchant vessels engaged in both the domestic and international trades and other entities that maintain a commercial interest in the operation of such oceangoing vessels.

This year’s Safety Awards Luncheon marks the 55th year the Chamber has granted the Jones F. Devlin Awards.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Cruise Ship Surge Study

Port Canaveral’s central location on Florida’s Atlantic coast offers access to major markets for products such as petroleum, cement, citrus fruit and juices, gypsum board and newsprint, as well as autos, trucks and heavy equipment. The port’s proximity to Orlando makes for a bustling tourism and cruise industry. With the historical presence of the US Coast Guard, military and commercial space launch organizations with ship-borne aerospace traffic, the US and Royal Navy missile test programs, and the Military Sealift Command’s ocean transportation services, Port Canaveral hosts a wide range of large vessels.

As the size of cruise ships has grown, outbound transits, in particular during stronger winds, generate surge effects within the harbor that have proven problematic for vessels at berth. As part of the Canaveral Harbor Integrated Section 203 Navigation Study sponsored by the Canaveral Port Authority (CPA), vessel-induced surge modeling was performed to provide an assessment of passing vessel hydrodynamic effects and forces on berthed vessels within the port, and potential changes following the proposed channel widening and deepening project. The analysis evaluated potential hydrodynamic changes on a port-wide scale and changes in loads on berthed vessels.

Vessel-induced surge modeling was performed according to scenarios developed collaboratively and coordinated among the CPA, their project engineering consultants, the Canaveral Pilots, the local US Coast Guard and the “Mission Partners,” which collectively refers to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Naval Ordinance Test Unit (NOTU), and the Military Sealift Command (MSC). Modeling scenarios consist of different port configurations, berthed vessel configurations, and passing ship scenarios. Two port configurations were considered: Existing Conditions and Recommended Plan (channel deepening and widening). The scenarios included 16 berths of interest and five berthed vessel configurations (A-E) among Mission Partner and commercial wharf and pier facilities. Passing ship scenarios consisted of unique maneuvering schemes for each of the two port configurations, as well south or north wind conditions.

Port Configurations
Canaveral Harbor is a complex water body, with three main basins located off the main channel. Berths operated by the Mission Partners and the CPA are located within the basins and along the north and south sides of the main channel. Waterfront structures primarily include open-piled piers, wharves, steel sheetpile bulkheads, submerged sheetpile toewalls, ro/ro ramps, and pre-cast concrete pile or steel monopile mooring and breasting dolphins. CPA commercial terminals largely serve cargo, bulk and break-bulk carrier, tanker, and cruise operations.

Individual berths were described using known dimensions and locations of surface-piercing bulkheads, submerged toe walls, under-pier and berth box back slopes, and other features provided in the design drawings. The Recommended Plan modeling domain was developed based upon the widened and deepened navigation project features, adjacent slopes and new berths, as well as bulkheads in the case of West Basin future improvements.

Design Vessels
Design vessel data and hull geometry were provided, including type, class, name and particulars of all passing and berthed vessels. The Mission Partners supplied hull data in various formats, including vessel lines drawings, section and frame geometric descriptions and three-dimensional CAD drawings. Some CAD drawings were complete with superstructure geometry, whereas some commercial vessel hull models were generated using scaled versions of hull forms from existing databases.

Passing Vessel Configurations
Three design passing vessels and their maneuvering characteristics were selected prior to the analysis. The three cruise ships included Carnival’s Fantasy Class (Fantasy), Royal Caribbean’s Freedom Class (Freedom), and Disney’s Dream Class (Dream). On specific days of the week, cruise ship outbound transits occur successively within a relatively short period of time, and on some occasions have proven problematic for ships at berth. Each ship’s conning position, distance north or south of the existing or recommended project channel centerline, speed and drift angle were defined for either northerly or southerly wind conditions. These variables were all prescribed at six locations along the main channel. The modeling simulated three cruise ships maneuvered in succession, beginning with Fantasy, Freedom and Dream at 15-minute departure intervals. This is a typical weekend afternoon succession of vessel maneuvering activity at Port Canaveral with events as described in detail by the local pilots.
Existing Conditions

Surge Modeling
Passing vessel hydrodynamics were calculated using the Vessel Hydrodynamics Longwave Unsteady (VH-LU) model (Fenical et al., 2006). The VH-LU model predicts water level and velocity fluctuations surrounding the passing ships and in all areas of the harbor. The model has been thoroughly validated using a wide array of field and laboratory hydrodynamic and berthed vessel loading measurements (Fenical et al., 2011) for a number of previous marine engineering projects. Field validations have included successful comparisons with measured water levels and velocities, and validations with laboratory measurements have included successful comparisons of water levels, velocities and forces on berthed vessels.

Qualitative Model Validation
The quantitative validation of the numerical model via other project locations and field and laboratory measurements was accepted by the CPA project team as applicable for the Port Canaveral modeling in order to demonstrate the relative difference in large-scale, port-wide, passing ship effects between the existing and recommended port plans. Therefore no field measurements were collected on the project for model validation. Qualitative validation was performed using Canaveral Pilot site observations for several terminals and personal experience while conducting vessel movements in the harbor.
Four primary site observations were reported and reproduced in the model.

1) South Cargo Pier 4 (SCP4) - some of the strongest surge effects have been experienced here - a typical parallel-passing situation. The navigation area becomes more confined moving east of SCP4, starting with the solid bulkhead at SCP3, resulting in an increased pressure field intensity and surge (longitudinal) force at SCP4 in the model. This is observed in the modeling results.

2) Trident Wharf - experiences surge effects, passing speeds 7.5kts or greater generally cause issues. Since Trident Wharf is far from the channel, surge amplification must be demonstrated in the modeling to reproduce known impacts. The modeling results clearly reproducethe surge amplification. The pressure field wave reflects against the north end of Trident Basin, and produces a draw-down at that location with pressure field intensity similar to that immediately adjacent to the passing vessel.

3) North Cargo Pier 2 (NCP2) - Surge issues are not significant when passing vessels go by, but berthed ship motions occur 10-15 minutes later (time lag depending on passing vessel speed), even for a single passing ship. To illustrate this, additional simulation for Existing Conditions was performed using the Dream as a single passing vessel. The single passing ship simulation predicted that a pressure field wave is generated at the stern of Dream as it leaves the confined water of the Inner Reach. This effect is generally observed where passing vessel pressure fields interact with the transition between a narrow waterway and open water. Then, the pressure field wave arrives at NCP2, approximately 11.5 minutes after Dream originally passed the berth, which is within the 10-15 minute observation. Observation 3 is reproduced in the modeling results.

4) North Jetty Area - just inside the north jetty is a wide, shallow sloping shelf, which is an observed area of water level retreat and pressure field wave breaking. The model predicts that as the pressure field wave approaches the shallows, the water retreats away from the shoreline. As the pressure field wave moves into the shallows, it grows in height and breaks, and moves north until impacting the jetty.
The accurate reproduction of these complex physical processes reported from site experience provides a high level of confidence in the modeling results and conclusions regarding the potential mooring impacts associated with the proposed deepening/widening project.

Surge Changes from Channel Improvements
Passing vessel hydrodynamics were generated for the recommended plan conditions in a manner consistent with modeling for existing conditions. In general, pressure field intensity is reduced surrounding the passing cruise ship due to the wider and deeper channel. In some areas, the deepening alters the timing of the fluctuations. Water level fluctuations inside the harbor are highly variable and strongly depend on the location of interest.

Time histories were taken at all Mission Partner and commercial berths, and water level fluctuations are generally reduced at all berths of interest following channel improvements. In order to characterize the surge changes on a spatially complete port-wide scale, exhibits were generated for two parameters: maximum water level and maximum surge wave height.

Following harbor improvements, particularly in the narrow channel areas, and near Poseidon Wharf and the north end of Trident basin, modeling showed a reduction in both the maximum water surface elevations and the maximum surge height throughout the harbor, with a similar magnitude of the reduction for the two different wind and sailing conditions evaluated.

Loads on Berthed Vessels
The VH-LU modeling system also computed the hydrodynamic loads on the berthed vessels. The results of the hydrodynamic analysis include vessel specific time histories of surge force, sway force, and yaw moment for each of the modeling scenarios. Loads were calculated for those berthed vessels of interest as specified within the Surge Modeling Plan and at the time frame spanning the passing of the third and final outbound ship, the Dream. Changes in loads on the ships were largely analogous to changes in water level fluctuations introduced by the channel improvements. The vast majority of the berthed ships experienced reduced peak surge and sway forces for Recommended Plan modeling, with the timing of the forces altered as compared to the Existing Conditions modeling.

Vessel hydrodynamic analyses were performed on a port-wide scale, to evaluate future harbor surge and mooring conditions at 16 distinct terminals within Port Canaveral, Florida, for a series of three cruise ships departing in succession. The hydrodynamic analyses utilized passing vessel hydrodynamics and berthed vessel forces calculated using the VH-LU vessel hydrodynamic modeling system. A total of 24 different hull models were constructed, including 10 unique Mission Partner hull models and 14 commercial vessel hull models.

The Recommended Plan channel improvements result in a reduction in the intensity of pressure fields generated by the passing cruise ships. Water level fluctuations are reduced throughout the harbor, both in terms of maximum water level and maximum surge wave height. The Recommended Plan channel improvements result in a general reduction in the forces and moments on the berthed vessels, ranging from negligible to approximately 35 percent as compared to Existing Conditions. Immediate practical recommendations offered included an increase in the time between successive cruise ship departures .



POLB Head Resigning to Lead Port of Oakland

After less than two years as executive director of the Port of Long Beach, Chris Lytle is leaving to take on the same role at the Port of Oakland.

In doing so, Lytle will leave the second busiest seaport in North America to take the helm of the California’s third-busiest port, which is still in the process of recovering from a scandal involving its previous executive and maritime directors.

“The future of the Port of Oakland is bright, and I am excited to be a part of the team as we work to realize its tremendous potential,” Lytle said in a statement released by the port. “My family and I are also really looking forward to living and working in the Oakland area once again.”

Lytle was previously based in Oakland from 1992-1995 as an executive with Sea-Land Service Inc.
He has held the Port of Long Beach’s executive director position since November 2011, taking over the role upon the retirement of longtime director Dick Steinke. Lytle first joined the Port of Long Beach in 2006 as a managing director, and was promoted to Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer in 2008.

Lytle is expected to remain at Long Beach until mid-July and is scheduled to begin his new job in Oakland shortly thereafter. The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners is expected to name an interim executive director sometime in June.

Prior to his Long Beach tenure, Lytle was Vice President of West Coast Operations for the French-based shipping line CMA CGM. He also previously held executive positions at P&O Ports North America and Denmark-based APM (Maersk) Terminals. He holds an MBA from the University of Puget Sound and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Central Washington University.

“My time here in Long Beach has been wonderful and I have been very privileged to work with a talented, dedicated staff and the best customers of any seaport in the world,” Lytle said May 23. “I will miss the Port of Long Beach, but look forward to exciting new career challenges in Oakland.”

Among the challenges awaiting him in Oakland will be helping the port continue its recovery from a financial scandal involving the port’s previous executive director, Omar Benjamin and maritime director, James Kwon. In 2012, the two were found to have spent $4,500 entertaining shipping executives at strip club in Houston, Texas 2008 during a business conference.

Kwon resigned effective at the end of 2012, while Benjamin was forced into retirement in November of the same year. Another port executive, Deborah Ale Flint, has been serving as interim port director since October 2012. She is expected to continue in a senior executive position after Lytle comes aboard, according to the Port of Oakland.

FMC Issues Alert Regarding Ocean Transport Intermediary

The Federal Maritime Commission on May 24 issued a warning regarding an unlicensed ocean transportation intermediary company that has been operating in the US under the names Tam Tam Inc. and T-Square Inc.

The FMC says consumers have reported paying these companies to ship automobiles and personal effects, but that Tam Tam and T-Square failed to pay others in the transportation chain, resulting in consumers making additional payments in order to receive their goods.

Customers also reported they were unable to contact Tam Tam and T-Square after problems occurred with their shipments.

The FMC says consumers can protect themselves by taking the following steps when hiring a company to ship goods overseas:

Make sure that a company selected is on the Commission’s list of FMC-licensed and bonded ocean transport intermediaries; and ensure that the company name and contact information provided on the company’s website matches the information on the Commission’s list of licensed and bonded intermediaries.

Also, the FMC says, when companies claim to be agents for FMC-licensed and bonded companies, make sure that all shipping paperwork references an FMC-licensed and bonded company that is providing your ocean transportation.

Anyone with questions regarding the licensing status of a potential company that they’re considering to help with an international move can call or email the Commission’s Office of Transportation Intermediaries at (202) 523-5843 or oti@fmc.gov.

People who arranged for international shipment of vehicles or personal items with either Tam Tam, Inc. or T-Square, Inc. and experienced shipment problems are advised to contact the Commission’s Office of Consumer Affairs & Dispute Resolution Services (CADRS) by phone at (202) 523-5807 or by email at complaints@fmc.gov.

Crowley Adding 3,000 Pieces of Equipment

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s liner services group says it is adding more than 3,000 pieces of cargo handling equipment to its fleet to allow the company to better meet increasing customer demand throughout its Puerto Rico, Caribbean and Latin America service areas.

The equipment, according to Crowley, includes: 200 53-foot, 102-inch wide dry containers; 200 45-foot, 102-inch wide, dry containers; 500 20-foot dry containers; 1,000 40-foot dry high-cube containers; 337 40-foot refrigerated high-cube containers; 30 20-foot refrigerated containers; 461 underslung gensets; and 75 nosemount gensets.

“We are particularly pleased to be able to add to our supply of high-capacity 53-foot containers, which are in great demand in our Puerto Rico liner services,” John Hourihan, Crowley senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico/Caribbean, said.

In addition to meeting ISO standards for freight container door security applications, Crowley says its new containers have an extra bolt-type seal lock and 3/8-inch-thick plating at the top and bottom for maximum security, helping to prevent unlawful access.

“These acquisitions reflect our continued commitment to reinvest in the business,” Steve Collar, Crowley senior vice president and general manager, Latin America liner services, said. “And it further aligns with our strategy and desire to have the most modern and most desired type of equipment available.”

The new equipment brings Crowley’s equipment totals to nearly 43,000 containers, chassis and other specialized units. Since 2003, Crowley has invested more than $275 million to upgrade and grow its equipment fleet, the company says.

Study: British Columbia Cruise Ports an Economic Hub

The British Columbia port communities of Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Prince Rupert, Victoria and Vancouver are expected to enjoy a total increase of 75 percent over 2012 in the number of cruise itineraries with two or more calls, according to a newly released study.

“The growth we are seeing for 2013 translates into an economic boost for the region, bringing additional economic activity to local restaurants, hotels, shops and tours,” Cruise BC Chair Carmen Ortega said.

Cruise lines are offering 35 different itineraries in total in 2013 according to the economic impact study, released jointly by Cruise BC, the Cruise Lines International Association – North West and Canada and other cruise associations across Canada.

The study showed that British Columbia ports continue to be the largest cruise region in Canada, accounting for 57 percent of Canadian cruise traffic and welcoming nearly 1.2 million passengers in 2012. Vancouver and Victoria are the first and second largest cruise ports in Canada, respectively.

The study also found that BC accounted for about two thirds of the national economic impacts of the Canadian cruise industry in 2012, with $1.56 billion in total industry outputs and 12,252 jobs paying $532 million in wage income. Direct spending by cruise lines, passengers and crew amounted to $790 million in BC in 2012.