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Issue 8 2017 - FBJNA


A sailboat damaged by Hurricane Irma washed up on the shore at Dry Tortugas National Park. NPS photo


///FLORIDA PORTS


Florida aſter the storm


• 162 Acres, 3 Slips, 17 Berths • 7 Roll-on / Roll-off Ramps


• 80 Miles North of Miami with Easy Access to I-95 & Florida’s Turnpike


• 4th Busiest Container Port in Florida


• 2nd Fastest Growing Export Port in the U.S.


• Highest Container Volume per Acre in the U.S.


• Foreign-Trade Zone #135


• Vessels up to 700 ft LOA and 100 ft wide


• Only South Florida Port with On-Dock Rail


• Rail Linked to Florida East Coast Railway (FEC)


561-383-4100 www.portofpalmbeach.com By Harrison Donnelly


Although careful preparation and close collaboration enabled Florida’s supply chain industries to avoid major infrastructure damage and expedite recovery efforts


from Hurricane Irma,


the broader impact of the 2017 season of storms will pose major challenges for the state’s ports, shippers, truckers and others. Most dramatically, the


devastation created by Irma in the Eastern Caribbean, combined with the heartbreaking condition of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, will set back the economy and trade of the entire region, which is a key trading partner for Florida. With the island commonwealth and some of its neighbors not expected to have power for months, shipping is likely to focus on rebuilding materials, which in turn may depend on the level of emergency aid. Along with keeping a close


eye on conditions in Caribbean cruise-line


destinations,


Florida’s major ports are also aware of the region’s trade importance. “The Caribbean is also one


of Port Everglades’ top trade partners. Ocean shipping carriers that call at Port Everglades will be central to the recovery efforts, as they will be depended upon to deliver critical construction and humanitarian supplies to the islands,” said Glenn Wiltshire, deputy port director, Port Everglades, which recently waived tariff charges for ocean shipping lines transporting humanitarian relief supplies to Caribbean counties impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria. Domestically, the loss of an


estimated half of the orange crop in the storm will further weaken shipping volume of a product that is already declining in consumer favor.


Moreover, the need to deliver


vast quantities of rebuilding materials to Sunshine State homeowners will only add to the


state’s ongoing logistics


imbalance. Florida already consumes much more


than


it produces in terms of goods, with the exception of seasonal produce, and truckers have long been faced with the prospect of returning empty from a delivery there. So shippers of blue tarps, shingles and sheetrock—as well as others in the regional market- -are facing higher rates and congestion.


Working Together


Along with its future challenges, however, Irma also provided an opportunity to demonstrate how shippers, suppliers, ports, truckers and others could work together to ensure the vital flow of gasoline and other goods. It helped


that Floridians k n o w


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