Eric Sisco, President of APM Terminals North America, stated: “APM Terminals and Brookfield worked closely with the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey to address the needs of each party. Despite the good faith efforts of all involved, a commercially viable solution was not achieved”.

APM Terminals will continue to operate its Elizabeth facility under its long-term lease with the Port Authority. “Our Elizabeth terminal is our premier U.S. east coast facility”, commented Sisco. “We have operated in the port since the beginning of containerization and we will continue to operate here for many years to come.”

With the opening SCT-2, CMSA cemented Manzanillo’s position as the leading port in Mexico, further boosting the Port’s rank both regionally and globally. Today, the Port of Manzanillo is the fifth largest port in Latin America and 66th largest in the world. Moreover, the new terminal has raised port capacity by 100, doubling existing volumes.

Though the official inauguration took place on 1 November 2013 with His Excellency Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto inaugurating SCT-2, actual operations started in 5 August with the arrival of the terminal’s first vessel from Danish megaliner Maersk.

During the anniversary celebrations, Enrique Gutiérrez, CMSA Managing Director, said that since that date, container traffic has increased, even surpassing productivity targets for the new terminal. He also proudly spoke of the achievements attained during such a brief period, expecting volumes to continue the upward trend given the better services the Company offers to port users.

“Today we can affirm that our offering is the best one in the Port, because of the tangible competitive services we offer our clients. For example, our facilities include well planned and strategically ordered spaces that provide greater amplitude compared to other terminals,” says Gutiérrez.

The SCT-2 boasts of modern facilities. The berth is equipped with four super post-Panamax quay cranes, the largest in the ports industry, long enough to reach a vessel of up to 22 containers wide. CMSA’s operations use the Navis4 system, widely regarded as the industry’s best software, supporting fully automated operations and processes.

Total investment considered for the three-phase, 12-year development plan of the terminal would amount to MXN 7 billion pesos. First phase has been completed with an investment nearing MXN 3 billion pesos.

“Investments have primarily been channeled to building infrastructure and acquiring latest generation equipment for port management, including process management tools and resources to support personnel training. Our operations also had a direct positive impact on the port’s social and economic development, yielding some 400 direct jobs and over 1,100 indirect ones, amounting to close to MXN 70 million pesos in annual salaries,” says Gutierrez.

He added: “A year after the first vessel arrived at our terminal, we can guarantee that CMSA is effectively fulfilling a commitment to strengthening Manzanillo’s positioning as the country’s leading port, and consolidating it as the main gateway for Mexico’s foreign trade. Modern infrastructure, world-class equipment, and leading edge technology compounded with best industry practices, absolute transparency and agility in all our processes, and excellent client service, make CMSA the best port services option on Mexico’s Pacific Coast.”

CMSA is a subsidiary of ICTSI, an international operator of common-user container terminals serving the global container shipping industry. ICTSI is the largest port operator in the Philippines and has a portfolio of 29 container terminal operations in 21 countries across six continents.

This was the first time in the terminal’s history that four ships from the same shipping line berthed at the same time.

During the visit, DP World Southampton, recently crowned Port Operator of the Year, handled nearly 10,000 containers from the four vessels. Many of the containers carried goods destined for the UK’s retailers and high street businesses in readiness for Christmas.

Three of the four Hapag-Lloyd vessels were the new generation ultra large container ships (ULCS), each with nominal capacity of more than 13,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent container units).

The Ludwigshafen Express, New York Express and Stuttgart Express were all making their first port of call on a rotation in Europe and later went on to call at Le Havre and Antwerp. The Hong Kong Express was making her last call of its European rotation before sailing to Singapore.

Chris Lewis, Managing Director, DP World Southampton, said: “Four sister vessels berthed at the same time was an impressive sight. We were very proud to welcome the “Express sisters” and look forward to more visits in the future. All the vessels were discharged and loaded in good time, as our customers have come to expect from Southampton.”

Hapag-Lloyd has been a customer of DP World Southampton since the terminal first opened in the 1970s.

Hapag-Lloyd is part of the G6 shipping alliance and, after the planned merger with Compañía Sudamericana de Vapores (CSAV), it will be the fourth largest shipping line in the world.

TEUs are 20-foot equivalent units, the standard measurement for cargo containers.

During FY2014 (October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014), Port Everglades reported a preliminary, unaudited total of 1,013,344 TEUs moved through the port, with a nearly even split between imports and exports.

“This is a huge accomplishment for our seaport and a credit to our customers who continued to build their businesses through the global recession with an eye towards the future,” said Port Everglades Chief Executive & Port Director Steven Cernak.

Cernak attributed the milestone to continued growth in existing and new containerized cargo services. New services include King Ocean opening a second terminal yard and consolidating services from Terminal Island in Miami, and a full year of the Grand Alliance’s (Hapag-Lloyd and its partners NYK Line and OOCL) GAX service to Northern Europe.

At the crossroads of North-South and East-West trade, Port Everglades is Florida’s leading container port and serves as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Located in South Florida in the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Dania Beach, Port Everglades is in the heart of one of the world’s largest consumer regions, including a constant flow of visitors and up to a combined 110 million residents and seasonal visitors within a 500-mile radius. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system and the newly opened 43-acre Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) intermodal hub, and is closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other Southeastern U.S. port. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion will ensure that Port Everglades can continue to handle future growth in container traffic. A world-class cargo handling facility, Port Everglades serves as an ideal point of entry and departure for products shipped around the world.