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The Art and Science of Handling Breakbulk
By Marcia Pledger
Oct. 12, 2024 - Supply chain directors looking for versatile logistics partners should know that JAXPORT (Jacksonville Port Authority) specializes in handling and storing breakbulk, which is cargo traditionally shipped outside of a container. This type of cargo includes products like paper, food, and heavy machinery.
JAXPORT’s worldwide cargo service, including direct connections to 140 ports in 70 countries, enables these items to regularly cross the docks at the Talleyrand and Blount Island terminals. Terminal operators Enstructure and SSA Marine specialize in all aspects of handling breakbulk cargo, including storage when needed. About 90 percent of the breakbulk that moves through JAXPORT is temporarily stored in one of the facilities that make up the port’s combined 1 million square feet of on-dock warehousing before being shipped out by truck and rail.
Rick Schiappacasse, Director of Cargo Development at JAXPORT, is responsible for attracting new business and strengthening relationships in the breakbulk and bulk (aggregate products like crushed limestone) cargo sectors, especially to and from Latin America.
“When you walk into a big box store, many of the items you see on the store shelves arrived there via a container ship. What many people may not realize is that there is a large volume of cargo that is critical to many industries that is shipped outside of a container by way of breakbulk,” Schiappacasse said.
Schiappacasse joined JAXPORT in 2013 with nearly 45 years of industry experience. He said JAXPORT’s biggest strengths are its location and efficiencies.
“We have an excellent port facility with no vessel congestion,” he said. “We also have a great highway system, going west to California and to the north and south, and fast reach to all Southeast distribution.”
In addition to ocean carrier services, outstanding intermodal connections, and warehousing, JAXPORT’s terminal operators’ experience and skilled labor make Jacksonville especially prime for handling breakbulk.
Each shipment presents unique needs and timeframes. For example, machinery like transformers and generators are 15 to 20 feet high and can weigh as much as 30,000 to 70,000 pounds each. Cargo of this size needs a berth that can handle the load. The heavy-lift cargo berth at the Blount Island Marine Terminal ranks as one of the nation’s highest weight-bearing capacity docks, offering up to 2,000 pounds per square foot of load capacity.
Additionally, forest products such as paper and pulp ship as breakbulk. Paper imported from Finland to make magazines comes as massive cylinder-shaped rolls. Stretched end-to-end, the paper inside these rolls can span up to 7 miles long! Pulp from Brazil is brought in as bales bundled together and is used to make tissues and paper towels. Skills and experience are needed to move this cargo with care. From bags of coffee to machinery and pallets of frozen chicken, JAXPORT and its terminal operators are well-positioned to move breakbulk cargo of all shapes and sizes.
Enstructure
Enstructure operates the largest marine terminal network on the East Coast dedicated to bulk and breakbulk cargo. The business has a network of 21 terminals strategically located near major population hubs along the East Coast, Gulf Coast and the inland river systems of the United States. Enstructure operates at JAXPORT terminals under the brands Portus and Seaonus.
Read the complete article on on JAXPORT's website: JAXPORT Blog |
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PhilaPort Receiving $217 Million in Federal Funding to Expand Port; Increase Efficiency
Sept. 24, 2024 - The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PhilaPort) is receiving a total of $217,000,000 in funding to expand the operational capacity of the SouthPort terminal, along with increasing efficiency of shipment handling. This award is from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) Program, which was created and funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
On Sept. 20, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) and U.S. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-5), Dwight Evans (D-PA-3), and Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2) announced the funding for PhilaPort.
“This funding will improve Philadelphia port infrastructure and will allow greater efficiency in handling and transporting goods,” said Congressman Boyle. “Most of all, this funding will create jobs by increasing trade, and enhancing global competitiveness. Philadelphia ports must always be kept updated and modernized to remain competitive in both the regional and global supply chain economy.”
The funding will expand PhilaPort’s operational capacity by creating more space for vessels to dock at the port and increase on and offloading efficiencies. Specifically, this funding will support the construction of a second berth, which will improve the port’s ability to on and offload goods from ships.
Additionally, the funding will support infill construction, which will expand the port by approximately ten acres.
PhilaPort, The Port of Philadelphia, is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with the management, maintenance, marketing, and promotion of port facilities along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, as well as strategic planning throughout the port district.
SOURCE: PhilaPort |
Port of Port Arthur Names Andy Powell as Deputy Director
 Aug. 30, 2024 - The Port of Port Arthur has named Andy Powell as Deputy Director. Powell brings decades of maritime industry experience to the port, most recently holding leadership positions within G2 Ocean and its predecessor companies, Star Shipping and Grieg Star, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Powell’s global management experience includes tours of duty in Bergen, Norway; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Vancouver, Canada, before returning to the U.S. in 2010. He is a well-respected industry professional with extensive experience in international business, customer relations, and ocean carrier operations.
“Andy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will benefit our Port’s continued growth. We are excited he joined our team,” said Larry Kelley, Port Director/CEO, Port of Port Arthur.
Powell stated, “I see a significant opportunity for continued and sustainable growth. With new infrastructure and a customer-focused approach, the port is an incredibly important asset with an ability to serve domestic and foreign markets.”
Powell is a current board member of the International Forest Products Transportation Association (IFPTA). He is a past member of the Trade and Transportation Advisory Council to the Atlanta Branch of the Federal Reserve and recently served on the board of the West Gulf Maritime Association (WGMA).
Powell holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina.
The Port of Port Arthur is a leader in the breakbulk industry and a major economic engine of Southeast Texas. Located on the Sabine Neches Waterway, with a 48-foot channel deepening project under construction, the Port recently completed 1,000’ of new rail-served dock with open backlands.
SOURCE: Port of Port Arthur |
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Eldorado Brasil Celebrates One Year of Operations at New EBLog Terminal in Santos
Aug. 27, 2024 - Eldorado Brasil Celulose recently celebrated the first year of operations at the Eldorado Brasil Logística (EBLog) port terminal in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil. The anniversary brings with it a 30% increase in average shipping productivity, when compared to the activities carried out at the previous terminal. The twelve-month record was set in March of this year, when 21,000 tons were shipped in a single day, on two fronts.
In order to provide an outlet for the pulp, the figures for the first year are impressive: more than 20,000 trucks unloaded; around 2,000 containers stuffed (loaded); more than 60 ships operated, with an increase of more than 45% in the volume of pulp shipped in the break bulk mode (loose cargo) compared to the previous terminal.
The site has 150 employees and has capacity for up to 72 rail wagons, as well as berthing two ships simultaneously.
"With the new terminal, Eldorado Brasil has seen an extraordinary gain in logistical competitiveness,” said says Flávio da Rocha Costa, Logistics Director at Eldorado Brasil's EBLog. “We gained autonomy and agility and collaborated with the economic and social development of the city of Santos."
In line with the integration of Port and City, Eldorado is presenting three artistic panels over 10 meters high, painted and signed by the artist Jabah, representing the eucalyptus plantation, the forest and Eldorado's pulp mill, adding color and life to the port region.
Another significant milestone, which is part of the EBLog Terminal's one-year anniversary, is the construction of the pedestrian walkway, located on Avenida Governador Mário Covas Júnior, which is very busy and close to the terminal. In July of this year, the walkway, which received an investment of R$5 million from Eldorado Brasil, became part of the local urban landscape.
Eldorado Brasil Celulose produces an average of 1.8 million tons of high-quality pulp per year, meeting the most demanding standards and certifications in the international market.
SOURCE: Eldorado Brasil Celulose |
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ONE Modern Inaugurates New Savannah-India Connection
June 22, 2024 - Ocean Network Express’ ONE Modern, the first ship on the ocean carrier’s West India North America (WIN) service, called on the Port of Savannah on June 18, establishing the latest connection between India and Georgia Ports.
“This new offering from ONE is a recognition of India’s growing role as a manufacturing hub,” said Georgia Ports Authority President and CEO Griff Lynch. “As the world’s most populous country, with a growing consumer class and significant infrastructure investment, India represents a remarkable opportunity for trade via Savannah.”
Lynch said deliveries from India to the U.S. East Coast are more efficient than U.S. West Coast routes. Even with current vessel diversions around Africa, GPA reaches inland markets across the U.S. Southeast and Midwest three to five days faster than U.S. West Coast ports.
“The WIN Service offers our valued customers a weekly routing from Nhava Sheva and Mundra to the U.S. East Coast. This new service to the Port of Savannah demonstrates ONE's commitment to this important and growing market, providing reliability and flexibility to our customers,” said Dan Sheehy, ONE Senior Vice President, Product & Network.
The new WIN service offers a weekly route from Bin Qasim, Hazira, Nhava Sheva and Mundra to New York and Savannah.
The addition of the WIN service from ONE brings the Georgia Ports Authority’s direct weekly India services to four, while a total of eight services connect Savannah to the Indian Subcontinent. The service is provided by a fleet of nine vessels, all of which are operated by ONE.
SOURCE: Georgia Ports Authority |
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