Congress in 2017 adopted marginal funding increases for some key AAPA priorities, including a discretionary multimodal grant programme, funding for Army Corps of Engineers dredging and navigation projects, and port security grants. The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) is the trade association that advocates for the port industry as a whole when dealing with the US Congress and executive agencies on port funding and policy. Unlike those other modes, ports and shipping have not enjoyed regular annual formula funding, often leaving the maritime industry to pursue other funding sources without the benefit of an overarching national strategy. In the US, port development is influenced by numerous overlapping laws, regulations and policies at the federal, state and local levels.Īt the federal level, the US government has not played a significant a role in directing maritime and port development, particularly as compared to other modes, such as highways and mass transit. Is there an overall state policy for the development of ports in your jurisdiction? It and several other large pipeline and infrastructure operators (generally structured as master limited partnerships) have invested billions of dollars in developing bulk cargo terminal facilities in recent years, buoyed in large part by the growth of the US energy sector. The country’s largest independent operator of bulk terminal facilities is energy and infrastructure giant Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP. Similarly, Port Houston is an ‘operating port’, rather than a ‘landlord port’, and has invested heavily on new infrastructure and technology at its two container terminals in recent years.Īlso, while private ownership of container ports is relatively uncommon, private ownership of liquid and dry bulk terminal facilities (petroleum, grains, ores, etc) is more commonplace. For example, in some major ports like Virginia, the facilities continue to be operated by a single government-owned corporation, although private stevedoring companies can compete within those terminals. However, for historical and local reasons, this ownership model can vary from port to port. For large terminals, the trend has moved towards longer lease terms and greater infrastructure investment by the lessee terminal operators, in order to meet the critical financing needs for port infrastructure repair and expansion. Good sources of official data about maritime cargo types and volumes include the Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center and the US Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) Maritime Open Data Portal.ĭescribe any port reform that has been undertaken over the past few decades and the principal port model or models in your jurisdiction.įor container terminals (and also most large breakbulk, general cargo and roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) facilities), the most common operating model is the landlord port, whereby the berth and backlands are owned by a state or local port authority and leased to a marine terminal operator. Accordingly, drawing broad generalisations about the domestic terminal industry, and its challenges and opportunities, can be difficult. And in the middle of the country, the Mississippi River (the country’s largest waterway) and the Great Lakes continue to have their own thriving and diverse marine terminal industries. In South Florida, the ports of Miami and Port Everglades represent key hubs in the trade with Latin America and the Caribbean, and are also home to the country’s largest cruise terminals. However, the Port of New York and New Jersey is a close second, and East Coast ports Savannah, GA, Norfolk, VA, Charleston, SC, and Jacksonville, FL, are important gateways as well. Houston, TX, stands as the country’s busiest port for foreign cargo by tonnage, driven by its massive energy trade.įor container shipping, the San Pedro Bay ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, when viewed together, are the country’s biggest gateway. In terms of total tonnage (foreign and domestic), the port of New Orleans, LA, is the nation’s busiest, serving as a hub for dry bulk cargo (eg, grain, coal, steel and ore) and liquid bulk cargo, including a growing petroleum and petrochemical export market. The US has a large and diverse marine terminal industry. Which are the key ports in your jurisdiction and what sort of facilities do they comprise? What is the primary purpose of the ports?
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