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in the handling and distribution


of refrigerated cargoes. “We are on track to record


double digit growth in refrigerated cargo volume for 2020,” said Leo Holt, President of Holt Logistics. “Consumer demand for fresh fruits and vegetables remains at an all-time high. We remain ready to meet this demand and provide a safe and efficient supply chain for our clients.” The surge of cargo comes at the


same time that the long-awaited Delaware River Main Channel Deepening Project is complete. The Pilots’ Association of the


Issue 8 2020 - FBJNA


Delaware Bay and River has been working in close collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard to safely increase the size of the vessels permitted to transit the Delaware River. “We will be able to handle


the same size vessels that call the Port of NY/NJ,” said Sean Mahoney, PhilaPort Director of Marketing.


“And now that


we have this and other major infrastructure improvements in place, developers are taking notice. They are continuing their investments in new distribution warehousing in South Jersey and Lehigh Valley.”


Port of Baltimore shows September rebound in cargo


September figures for the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore show volumes at the state-owned, public marine terminals continue to rebound dramatically from lows during the COVID-19 pandemic. Autos volumes for the month saw a triple-digit improvement from COVID-19 lows in May – and even posted the category’s first year-over-year increase since the pandemic. Containers and general cargo also continue to show impressive increases from COVID-19 lows. September was a tremendous for


month


Container volumes through PhilaPort’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal are up 5%. (PhilaPort/Holt Logistics photo.)


automobiles and


light trucks arriving at the Port of Baltimore. Compared to the category’s low point in May, the September numbers were significantly higher. And


Port of VA adds nearly 9,000 New Chassis through end of FY21


The Port of Virginia’s® continual investment in new equipment is helping to build one of the youngest chassis fleets in the nation, with the average age of chassis in the port’s pool being 3.5 years old. Experts in the field estimate


the average age of an intermodal chassis to be 15-years to 20+ years-old. But with a continual cycle of adding new units and retiring old ones, the port is ensuring a young, safe, road- worthy chassis fleet for the motor carriers servicing the port. In FY 2020 (July 1, 2019 –


June 30, 2020), Hampton Roads Chassis Pool II, the port’s wholly owned chassis management and empty container yard management entity, added 3,600 new chassis to its fleet. In fiscal year 2021, 5,000 more new units will be put into service and 760 new units are scheduled for delivery in 2022. Moreover, 60% of the chassis in the fleet have been acquired since 2015. “The effort to keep the fleet


young reduces down-time for maintenance and helps keep repairs to a minimum,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “With the additional acquisitions planned during FY21, we’ll have one of the


youngest chassis pool fleets in the industry. Current plans for FY21 will advance our renewal process to 95% completion.” In addition to rotating


new chassis into service and retiring older units, HRCPII uses technology to provide visibility into the status of its chassis and manage maintenance. The program, provided by a private vendor, helps identify predictive, preventative, or corrective maintenance to ensure that chassis are serviced on a regular


HRCP II’s managing director. “Technology helps minimize downtime, gathers important data, and allows us to make informed decisions on the usable life-cycle of the chassis in a pool environment.” According to Ellermann, the


addition of new chassis and use of predicative maintenance has led to a 50% reduction in over- the-road downtime for chassis and the number of out-of-service units is averaging 1.5%. “As newer, safer chassis go out


comparing September 2020 to September 2019, autos volumes were up 8%. While cargo volumes overall


remain down year-over-year, September numbers showed a leap compared to June when volumes hit a low point for containers and general cargo. In addition, comparing September 2020 to September 2019, roll on/ roll off (farm and construction machinery) exports rose 1.6%. For containers, September’s


year-over-year volumes would have reflected a 3% increase, but Tropical Storm Beta delayed three ships’ arrival at the Port. All three arrived October 1. “It’s great news that we


continue to see improving cargo volumes and other positive trends,” said MDOT Maryland Port Administration Executive Director William P. Doyle. “We’re attracting additional ocean carrier services, new product brands and increased bulk trade through the Port. Cars are heading immediately from the Port to dealerships, and


e-commerce is playing a huge role in our container increases. Consumer confidence is growing. While these are good signs, the COVID-19 pandemic is still prevalent and continues to make this a very unpredictable maritime trade environment.” In addition to higher


volumes, the Port continues to gain new business as well as increased business from existing customers. Examples include: General Electric/Haier is opening a new gateway on the East Coast by moving additional appliances through the Port of Baltimore and its distribution center in Perryville; Evergreen Line, already one of the Port’s top container customers, is adding two additional ships from Asia with service through the Suez Canal; and Metsä Group of Finland, one of the world’s largest international forest product producers, will expand its operations here as part of a new six-year contract with the Port. The Port of Baltimore also


continues to look toward its future. The Port and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed an agreement for a $3 million study of a loop channel at the Seagirt Marine Terminal to explore ways to improve


Argosy International Descartes Systems of


increases export compliance productivity with Descartes Visual Compliance™ Group


announced that Argosy International Inc., a leading supplier


related engineered advanced


composites, honeycomb core materials, aerospace coatings and


materials, is using Descartes Visual Compliance™ to automate denied party screening and export classification as it grows its overseas business. “By automating


In FY 2021 (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021) the Port of Virginia port will add 5,000 new chassis to the Hampton Roads Chassis Pool II fleet. (POV photo.)


schedule. “The goal is to provide safe


and road-ready chassis to the motor carriers servicing The Port of Virginia and use of technology really helps in our effort,” said Arthur W. Ellermann,


onto the road, we’re reducing risk for our partners, customers and the driving public,” Reinhart said. “We’re also creating -- and committing to -- better reliability for the motor carriers and our beneficial cargo owners.”


screening of our trade partner database against denied party lists and determining appropriate export license requirements, Argosy has realized a 75% productivity gain in our compliance practice,” said Amy Chen, Quality and Compliance


Manager Argosy International at Inc. “Descartes Visual Compliance


7


access and maneuverability for the massive ships that visit the Port. And the federal government announced a $10 million grant to MDOT MPA as part of a project to improve infrastructure at the Dundalk Marine Terminal against severe rain events and possible future sea-level rise and climate change. Meanwhile, as part of the


Port’s continuing public-private partnership (P3) with partner Ports America Chesapeake, construction for a second, 50- foot deep berth at the Seagirt Marine Terminal is moving forward. Dredging will begin late this year and four new additional Neo-Panamax cranes are scheduled to arrive in April and be operational next summer. A direct result of the 2009 P3 agreement, the second- deep berth will allow the Port to handle two supersized ships simultaneously. The growing container


business also accentuates the need for


the Howard Street


Tunnel expansion project in Baltimore, which will accommodate double-stacked rail cars to move cargo from the Port. That project is benefitting from public-private investment from the state, CSX and others.


better navigate the ever- changing, complex world of foreign trade compliance by streamlining workflows, mitigating business risk, and enhancing overall compliance. “We’re pleased that


has allowed us to focus more resources


on international


growth, better mitigate risk and ensure we achieve 100% trade compliance rates.” Descartes Visual


Compliance is a cloud- based solution for export, financial and trade compliance,


restricted and denied party screening,


controlled goods


classification, and export license and documentation management. The solution includes


comprehensive


watch list, regulatory and tariff content from the U.S. as well as the EU, APAC and EMEA


regions.


Visual Compliance helps companies in diverse industries, such as aerospace, financial services, retail, manufacturing, education, transportation and defense,


including Descartes


our compliance solution is helping Argosy advance its business goals by improving screening efficiency and automating export compliance processes,” said Preston Barton, VP of Global Trade Compliance Sales at Descartes. “The substantial volume of information that flows through international commerce makes time- consuming manual compliance processes and subjective analysis increasingly impractical and risky. With technology- enabled trade compliance solutions, businesses can achieve measurable gains in productivity by automating routine tasks, reducing errors, and optimizing decision- making while lowering the exposure to trade-related risks.”


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