Mike was recognised “For significant contributions to the port industry, particularly innovations with container cranes that have revolutionised the shipping industry, for service to the profession, and for his reputation among peers as that of a brilliant teacher and mentor.” The selection committee particularly noted Mike’s contributions to port structural engineering. Mike greatly appreciates the recognition and acknowledgement.

The cost over-run temporarily halted work on the massive expansion project in February, and the Panama Canal Authority now says the project is on track to open in January 2016.

Additional hearings for other claims may also go to arbitration should the canal authority and the construction consortium fails to reach a settlement under two other mechanisms established in the original contract.

Under that contract, all claims are analysed by both sides before proceeding to a dispute adjudication board if a compromise can’t be reached. If either side is unsatisfied with the board’s decision, the claim moves to arbitration in Miami.

It also appears that a separate claim for about USD888 million for work stoppages is still being discussed between the two sides, while another worth about USD497 million for the quality of aggregate used for the concrete mix is at the dispute adjudication stage.

The first claim to reach arbitration is for the cost of draining an area to create work space near the Pacific locks of the 50 mile long canal.

AECOM confirmed it would pay USD56.31 a share in cash and stock for URS. Including the assumption of URS debt, the total enterprise value of the deal is about USD6 billion. URS stockholders will receive USD33 in cash and 0.734 share of AECOM common stock for each URS share. The price represents a premium of 19% over the trailing 30-day average closing price of URS shares and an 8% premium over URS’ closing share price on Friday of USD52.02.

“The deal will strengthen its expertise in the oil, gas, nuclear and construction sectors. The combined company will also be able to better compete more effectively on global projects with rivals in China and Korea,” said AECOM Chief Executive Officer Mike Burke in an interview. “While URS is a predominately North American player today, we can bring that to our global platform spread over 150 countries”.

URS was also attractive to AECOM because of its US government contracts. US federal agencies accounted for a third of its 2013 revenue and government customers include the US Army and the Department of Energy.

URS, which has been under pressure from activist investor Jana Partners to enhance shareholder value, hired bankers to contact potential buyers. During a courtesy visit to URS Burke met with URS Chief Executive Officer Martin Koffel. “While we’ve been competitors in certain aspects, we quickly realised that the two of us were much more complementary that we had originally envisioned,” Burke said. Burke’s management team will run the combined company and Koffel will retire.

At present, a manual system is currently in place, requiring drivers to register at a site office, where they complete a form and wait for clearance before entering. Once installed, the Kalmar AutoGates will provide a streamlined and fully-integrated process from entry to loading or unloading.

“We operate in an increasingly competitive market and our customers require logistics solutions that reduce costs, carbon emissions and congestion. The continuing success of our company has always been driven by its ability to be forward-thinking, operating at the centre of the supply chain and offering flexible, agile and cost-effective solutions to our customers,” said David Huck, Port Director for Peel Ports Liverpool.

“That commitment to innovation is nowhere better demonstrated than in our investment at Liverpool2 where we have a serious ambition to set new standards in port handling because we understand the effect that terminal productivity can have on supply chains. By focusing on clear service differentiation we will provide a win-win, with positive bottom line financial impact, happy customers and sustainable growth and development”.

“Haulier transactions will be fully integrated into our latest terminal operating systems, facilitating secure and efficient visits and minimising turnaround times at our terminals. Along with our other investments, this development will help ensure that our track record for innovation and customer service continue to be as strong landside as they are ship-side. The new AutoGates plaza will be capable of supporting the port haulage and logistics supply chains well into the future.”

The equipment is being supplied and installed by Kalmar Global and APS Technology Group.

“As a global leader in automation we are able to provide Peel Ports with a seamless and integrated solution to help increase throughput and reduce congestion. With its radio frequency identification tags and optical character recognition, Kalmar SmartLane can automatically capture information from all trucks and containers entering and leaving the terminal, cutting operating costs and improving efficiency for all users,” said Tommi Pettersson, VP Automation at Kalmar Global.

“We are delighted to be a part of this exciting project. Automating the gates and transfer zones within the existing facility will help Peel Ports further enhance customer service, productivity and environmental sustainability,” said Scott Skillman, Senior Vice President of APS Technology Group, a member of the ABB Group.