Top 25 North American Ports

Special Report

NWSA unveils incentive program to boost carrier , rail and terminal performance

By Bill Mongelluzzo

US West Coast ports vie for Asia import market share

Monthly percentage of containerized US imports from Asia handled by select ports

TEU market share

30 % 25 %

20 %

10 15 %

10 %

5 %

0 % L Jul Jan 2023

Jul

Jan Mar 2024 , 2024

L

The Northwest Seaport Alliance ( NWSA ) of Seattle and Tacoma is launching an $ 11 million incentive program designed to foster improvement in vessel schedule reliability , international rail volumes and truck turn times at marine terminals .

The program , which took effect May 1 , is built upon partnerships across multiple supply chain stakeholders , said Kristin Ang , president of the Port of Tacoma Commission and co-chair of the NWSA .

“ By incentivizing increased rail cargo , on-time vessel performance and marine terminal gate consistency , we can better serve our import and export customers and local trucking community that utilizes our gateway ,” Ang said in a statement .

The NWSA is competing with the Southern California gateway of Los Angeles and Long Beach for market share in the competitive trans-Pacific market . Los Angeles – Long Beach handled 45.9 % of US imports from Asia in February , up from 40.7 % in February 2023 , according to PIERS , a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S & P Global . The NWSA in February had a 5.4 % market share , down from 7 % a year earlier .

The incentive program ’ s voyage consistency and on-time arrival component , with a total pool of $ 1 million , will reward ocean carriers for maintaining reliable voyage schedules . NWSA said the top three ocean carriers

Savannah Seattle-Tacoma Virginia Los Angeles Long Beach NY-NJ

Source : PIERS , S & P Global

© 2024 S & P Global

achieving the consistency standards specified in the program could qualify for cash rewards ranging from $ 200,000 to $ 500,000 .

The international container rail cargo incentive component , with a total allocation of $ 8 million , aims to stimulate intermodal rail cargo traveling to and from inland US markets . The NWSA will provide $ 100 per lift for incremental year-over-year rail volume gains through the gateway .

“ Intermodal cargo utilizing both BNSF and Union Pacific railroads is eligible , including cargo moving via inland rail hubs connected to the NWSA gateway ,” NWSA said in the statement .

Under the gate operation incentive component , the NWSA will allocate $ 2 million to streamline terminal operations with five-day-per-week gate openings and extended gate hours .

“ Marine terminals adhering to consistent gate hours and offering extended gate services will be eligible for funding ,” NWSA said .

email : bill . mongelluzzo @ spglobal . com

GPA is expanding Ocean Terminal to eventually grow its annual capacity from 300,000 TEUs to 1.5 million TEUs . GPA

GPA allocates new funding for Ocean Terminal container expansion

By Ari Ashe

The Georgia Ports Authority ( GPA ) has approved the expenditure of $ 65.6 million as part of the multi-year project to significantly expand the container-handling capacity at its Ocean Terminal in Savannah .

The funds are earmarked for work contracts involving compacting the ground to handle the weight of container

24 Journal of Commerce | May 6 , 2024 www . joc . com