“I am committed to allocating funds and time to this pivotal link in our logistics network,”said Deal. “Expanding the Savannah Harbor is vital to our renewed economic growth and plays an integral role in helping make our state the No. 1 place in the nation in which to do business.”
 
If approved, the proposal will increase state funding for the deepening project to $231.1 million.
 
“Studies indicate that the port deepening will reduce shipping costs by at least $213 million a year,” said Georgia Ports Authority Board Chairman Robert Jepson. “The 5.5-to-1 benefit-to-cost ratio demonstrates that the expenditure would be a wise investment of federal dollars.”
 
Overall, the cost of the project is anticipated to be $652 million. The Record of Decision, signifying final federal approval for the project, was issued in October, allowing for construction to begin in 2013.
 
“The milestone decision made thus far by our federal agencies along with strong support from the state signifies great confidence in the surety and soundness of our deepening plan,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “We are and will continue to work diligently with our leaders in Washington to cultivate further funding for a successful port deepening.”
 

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy was still creating severe delays in port operations when the Luanda set sail from the east coast of the United States. In order to arrive on schedule, ZIM increased the ship’s speed and enabling the ZIM Luanda to successfully meet all its designated operational windows. Even Operation Pillar of Defense and the rocket attacks from Gaza did not adversely affect its schedule or activities.

The ZIM Luanda discharged import cargo in Ashdod including food, chemicals, paper, resin, and defense supplies from New York, Savannah, and Halifax. ZIM’s sales personnel reported an extremely positive response from the company’s clients in the south of Israel, who praised the rapid transit time as well as the reduced time for land transportation, which is a direct result of this new route. In Ashdod, the Luanda took onboard several hundred containers to export to America, including outsize cargo, and departed on schedule to continue its route.

ZIM is offering exceptional transit times from the US East Coast to Ashdod & Haifa. The transit time from New York to Ashdod is 22 days, the fastest in the market. ZCA offers superior transit times from Savannah, Halifax and Kingston as well.

The new call aims to strengthen and enhance the first-class services already offered by ZIM to the Israeli market, from and to both Haifa and Ashdod. 

This meeting constitutes a first step towards developing a representative body to work with the government on necessary reforms to enhance the competitiveness of Polish ports and of the Polish economy. The meeting took place at DCT’s offices.

According to demand studies commissioned by DCT, growth for container demand in the region will triple in the next 15 years. This constitutes huge opportunities for Poland as its role as a gateway to Central-Eastern Europe and Russia will rapidly increase.

DCT’s initiative was welcomed by the Poland’s Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Economy which were represented on the meeting by Anna Wypych-Namiotko, Undersecretary of State and  Igor Str?k, the Director of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Economy.

“The Polish government is very pleased with the initiative of Polish ports and container terminals led by DCT. The possibility of being able to learn about their view of the sector is of profound importance to us. We appreciate the commitment of Polish operators and their willingness to cooperate for Poland’s development in order for Poland to be able to offer gradually better service in the sector of marine transportation” said Anna Wypych-Namiotko. “It helps us to become familiar with the true situation of the container industry and make a thorough analysis of the positive changes and requirements of the marine economy” added Anna Wypych-Namiotko.

“Polish ports stand ahead of a historic chance to increase the transit of imported and exported goods to and from Central-Eastern Europe and Russia” said Igor Str?k. “Currently the Polish marine economy requires a common vision, what will be possible when the whole sector speaks as one voice with the government. DCT’s initiative should be seen in this light.”

The meeting addressed topics such as fiscal representation, VAT on imports, cargo clearance procedures, single window (i.e. reduction of the number of inspections) and infrastructure. The participants of the meeting unanimously agreed that good cooperation is vital to restore Poland’s historical position as the major platform for trade in the region and expressed their opinions concerning the necessity of reviewing regulations affecting negatively development of Polish container terminals. This will be possible once the infrastructural, financial and bureaucratic barriers are removed.

Boris Wenzel, DCT Gdansk CEO and the host of this meeting was contented with the debate:

Changes enacted by the government will have significant long-lasting beneficial effects on the development of Polish ports and Polish containerization.  The support we received from the Polish Government authorities ensures us that Polish Ports will soon benefit from their geographic location and provide their clients of Central-Eastern Europe and Russia with better services and better logistics solutions than those currently offered by other European port

The president of the association and most senior representative of the port of Marseilles, Mr Jean-Claude Terrier, presented the paper “The Role of Mediterranean Ports in achieving greater sustainability and efficiency in European transport and logistics networks’ to high level representatives from the General Direction of Mobility and Transport in the European Union (EU) and members of the Transport Committee of the European Parliament. Also in attendance was Mr Santiago Garcia-Milà, Deputy Director-General of the Port of Barcelona, Secretary of Intermed and Chairman of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO). Also in attendance on behalf of the port of Genoa was the General Secretary, Mr Giovanni Battista d’Aste.

According to data presented by Intermed there has been a significant increase in the traffic of containers in the Far East – Europe corridor in recent years. 75% of this international trade flow (over 19 million TEU annually) is currently channelled through the northern European ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg. A combination of maritime factors and connectivity (intermodal transport infrastructure, economies of scale, etc.) explain this imbalance in the distribution of freight between the enclaves of the north and south of Europe.

This situation reduces the efficiency and sustainability of the European transport system and in the long-term compromises the competitiveness of the European economy. The president of Intermed stated “If we do not rectify this imbalance, the European Union will fail in its objective to reduce emissions by the 60% established in the White paper on Transport”.

Various economic, logistical and environmental reasons indicate that a significant proportion of the trade flow from the Far East could be channelled through Mediterranean ports. According to studies compiled by Intermed, if measures are not taken and the current system is allowed to continue, CO2 emissions from Asia-Europe traffic will increase 199% in the next 10 years. However, if Southern European ports become a real alternative for these cargo flows, this increase will reduce to 47%.

The presentation highlighted the fact that many multinational companies already understand the excellent opportunities offered by the Mediterranean for their distribution processes and have invested in cities such as Barcelona, Marseilles and Genoa, as have leading port operators such as Hutchison Port Holdings, CMA CGM, DP World and PSA.

In recent years, there has been an increasing concentration of logistics facilities in Intermed member ports, which today offer service quality fit to rival their competitors of the north. By 2015, Barcelona, Marseilles and Genoa will have a total handling capacity of 17 million TEU. The different expansion and modernisation projects in these enclaves over the last decade have equipped the ports for the challenges of the future and will ensure that the Mediterranean gateway will constitute a real alternative to the north of Europe, as outlined in the presentation.

The ports comprising Intermed have supported the new Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) proposed by the European Commission as an opportunity to improve competitiveness in Europe and redistribute the balance between infrastructure in the north and south of the continent. Supporting Mediterranean ports will reduce congestion in facilities in the north as well as logistics and environmental costs. Intermed also expressed its belief that improved infrastructure and connectivity in the south of Europe will lead to greater economic and social cohesion in the Union.