Gulftainer Terminal Manager Ed Finbow said: “We, along with our colleagues at the Sharjah Port Authority, appreciate that these ships have chosen to spend some time in our terminal during their goodwill visit. Accommodating these vessels has certainly offered a welcome change in routine and pace, as well as some unique challenges. To have these very different ships here has been a special privilege and we look forward to their next visit.” KCT is one of the world’s leading container transhipment ports, and is strategically located on Sharjah’s Indian Ocean east coast, outside the sensitive Straits of Hormuz, close to the main east-west shipping routes. Only three hours from the UAE’s main centres of population, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, KCT is an ideal transhipment hub with numerous feeder ship connections to Gulf Ports, Iran, India, Pakistan and East Africa. Boasting 1,900 metres of quay, 20 gantry cranes, and water depths allowing even the largest vessels to enter and operate at the terminal, KCT has, in recent years, been increasingly recognised not only for its ideal location, but also for its efficiency and productivity, particularly when dealing with the increasingly common larger vessels.

Johnson first joined Metropolitan Stevedore Co. in 1998 in the environmental and safety department, leaving later to pursue his MBA. Following subsequent positions consulting for Deloitte & Touche and as director of business solutions for New Century Financial Corp., he returned to Metro in 2007. Johnson earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and his B.S. in engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In his new position, Johnson will report to Metro Ports President James Dillman. “Brian’s promotion is well deserved of an individual that is dedicated and hard working,” said Dillman. “His promotion will allow Metro Ports to provide a concentrated service level to our customers, as well as the opportunity for further expansion.” Metro Ports is a holding of Nautilus International Holding Corp. Metro Ports is a dba, encompassing the non-cruise, non-shore operations of the company. The 87-year-old company is a marine terminal operator and stevedore contractor that handles all types of cargo and excels in providing outstanding additional services to various segments of the shipping community.

He also noted that container revenue was up a robust 12 percent in December, reflecting the strong growth in loaded units for the month. For 2010, container revenue is up 11 percent compared to 2009, with container tonnage up 10 percent for that period. Turning Basin revenue was up 25 percent for December, and was up 8 percent for the year, reflecting the strong year-end finish for steel volumes. Ship arrivals at Port Authority facilities are up over 5.6 percent for 2010 versus 2009, Dreyer said. He also noted barge traffic has shown significant growth all year and is up 17 percent in December year-to-date. Port Commissioners Jimmy Burke and Elyse Lanier, Port Commission Chairman James T. Edmonds and Houston City Council Member James RodriguezA dramatic ribbon-breaking ceremony highlighted the long-awaited opening of the Port of Houston Authority’s Cargo Bay Road on January 13. Three fully loaded 18-wheelers simultaneously drove through a bright red ribbon stretched across the four-lane gateway to the road, which is situated on the northeast corner of the Turning Basin Terminal. Representatives of the Houston Pilots, Texas Department of Transportation, International Longshoremen’s Association, Port of Houston Authority tenants, and stevedoring companies attended the ceremony. Trucks from Waggoner Auto Transport, All Trans Port Services, Richway Transportation Services, and Palletized Trucking Inc. represented the various types of cargo loads that will be handled at the terminal. The Cargo Bay Road entrance to the Port of Houston Authority’s Turning Basin Terminal opened to commercial traffic on January 17. The entrance was built to exclusively handle commercial truck traffic and is open around the clock.The $11.7 million project, which took two years to complete, now handles traffic that would normally flow through the terminal’s main and Gate 1 entrances. This project is part of an ongoing effort to improve facilities and operations for Port Authority customers. Houston was among four U.S. port cities that were part of a 12-day reverse trade mission sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency to introduce key decision makers to U.S. technology in the ports sector, including vessel traffic management, integrated port communications and port security and surveillance. Delegates from the Aqaba Development Corporation (Jordan), Societe d’Exploitation des Ports (Morocco), Agence Nationale des Ports (Morocco) and Tanger Mediterranee Special Agency (Morocco) participated in the January 12 event at the Port of Houston Authority. The meeting’s aim was to highlight opportunities for U.S. suppliers of goods, services and technology in the ports sector and facilitate U.S. participation in Jordan and Morocco’s modernization efforts. Alec Dreyer, CEO; Ricky Kunz, Vice President, Origination, and Brian Reeves, Market Development Manager, hosted the meeting. From l. to r., Brian Reeves, Manager, Market Development, Michelle MacDonald, Head of the Canadian Consulate Office in Houston, Paula Caldwell, Consul General of Canada in Dallas, Ricky Kunz, Vice President, Origination, and Maria Pilco, Marketing Assistant. The Port of Houston Authority’s Origination Division hosted Dallas- and Houston-based Consuls of Canada in a January 13 briefing held to explore new business opportunities between Houston and Canada. Paula Caldwell, Consul General of Canada in Dallas, and Michelle MacDonald, Consul and Head of the Canadian Consulate in Houston were briefed on Port Authority operations and toured the Port Authority’s Barbours Cut Container Terminal. Sylvia Garcia and Port Commission Chairman James T. Edmonds The Port Commission approved a proclamation at its January 25 meeting honoring Sylvia Garcia for her years of leadership as County Commissioner. Garcia became the first Hispanic and first woman to be elected in her own right as Harris County Commissioner Precinct Two in January 2003. Among her accomplishments, she helped gain approval for the nation’s first-of-its-kind Houston Ship Channel Security District, the Gulf Coast Rail District, as well as the latest Port of Houston Authority bond issue, enabling further growth of the Bayport Container Terminal. Her efforts contributed to the success of Port of Houston Authority projects, including road improvement and expansion, security and environmental initiatives. The proclamation noted that Garcia’s advocacy for the Port of Houston “goes beyond precinct boundaries, and the Port of Houston Authority, spanning the length of her precinct, has been fortunate to have her as a partner and advocate.” One hundred years ago, the Harris County Houston Ship Channel Navigation District — now called the Port of Houston Authority — was organized. On January 10, 1911, Harris County voters approved, by a 16–1 margin, $1.25 million in bonds to support the creation of the Houston Ship Channel. Two months later, the newly appointed three-member Port Commission held its first meeting. In 2014, the Port Authority celebrates the official opening of the Houston Ship Channel. We owe a debt of gratitude to those first commissioners, whose work contributed in large part to making the ship channel a reality.

The new cranes will be delivered in July 2011. The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the order. “Our co-operation with ATP Altamira started already in 2001 when the first RTGs were delivered,” says Kim Salvén, Sales Manager, Port cranes, at Konecranes. The 16-wheel RTGs are equipped with active load control with a horizontal fine positioning system and Konecranes’ crane management system, ensuring safe and uninterrupted use of the cranes. They have a lifting capacity of 40 tonnes and can stack one-over-five containers high, and six plus truck lane wide.