The complex engineering operation, over 24 months in the planning, has seen the West Inner Gate at the Port’s Gladstone Lock replaced. Despite the temporary Gladstone Lock closure, over 90% of vessels have been able to access berths via the Port’s Langton Lock during the outage.The work has seen the giant West Inner Gate – 16m in height and weighing 400 tonnes – removed following the fixing in place of a limpet dam at the mouth of the lock. The refurbished gate is now being manoeuvred into place and the dam removed. Peel Ports Mersey’s Head of Port Operations David Huck said: “The outage is the culmination of many months of planning, and we’re delighted that this major feat of engineering is progressing well and is on plan to be to be completed in good time by our contractors BAM Nuttall.

“Our customers were alerted well in advance of the outage and with good planning nine out of 10 of our regular vessel calls have been accommodated using our other lock.

 “The completion of the latest phase of these works will provide an even more reliable lock system for our customers, reduce maintenance costs and improve access for our engineering personnel.

 “These key assets are essential to the smooth running of the Port.  We envisage that these upgrades should ensure the gates are functional for many years to come. Gladstone Lock’s East Inner Gate will be replaced in an identical operation in August, taking overall investment in this area of Liverpool’s infrastructure to £20m.

In April, the SCPA handled 123,439 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the Port of Charleston, the strongest April seen at the port since 2008 and a 7.7 percent increase from the same month last year. Containerized traffic in TEUs for the 10 months comprising the fiscal year to date (June through April) is up 2.7 percent from the same period last year while container volume for the calendar year to date (January through April) increased 7.3 percent over 2011 levels.

SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome described that two new, weekly container services connecting the Port of Charleston to markets in Asia, including the first direct Vietnam call for the port, will begin in June.

The SCPA’s non-containerized cargo continued its upward trend, with breakbulk tonnage in the Port of Charleston up 57 percent with for the month of April and up nearly 24 percent in the fiscal year to date.

In the Port of Georgetown, pier tons were fairly flat in April compared to the same month last year, but activity there has more than doubled in the fiscal year to date.

Newsome also provided the Board an update on Charleston’s harbor deepening project, describing that he is “extremely pleased” with recent progress.

“This project has a high degree of recognition,” he said. “We are in a time when the urgency of improving ports and harbors is understood by all levels of leadership.”

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee last month retained $3.55 million in funding allocated to the deepening project’s feasibility study through the Administration’s budget for fiscal year 2013, which begins in October.

In the state legislature, the South Carolina House of Representatives has set aside $180 million in non-recurring funds for the harbor deepening construction as part of the state budget, currently under review in the Senate. This allocation would cover the state’s 60 percent share of the estimated $300 million cost for construction. Last month, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill authorizing the state to borrow up to $120 million to complete the project if federal funds are not available.

Year-to-date, the port has handled 647,713 TEU vs. 633,919 TEU handled during the same period last year, an increase of 2.2 percent.

Also in April the breakbulk tonnage total was 33,867, a 2.7 percent increase when compared with totals from last April. The year-to-date breakbulk comparison in tons (2012 vs. 2011) is: 128,254 vs. 107,546.

Total rail containers handled in April were 29,823, a 19.8 percent increase when compared with last April. The year-to-date rail containers total is 115,573 vs. 104,383 for the same period last year; an increase of 10.7 percent.

The number of containers moved between the Port of Richmond and the Hampton Roads Harbor on the 64 Express barge service increased 27.7 percent in April; the month’s total was 755 containers. The year-to-date total for the barge is up 85.2 percent: 2,975 containers vs. 1,601 containers handled during the same period in 2011.

Calendar year TEU totals, 2012 vs. 2011:

April 2012 = 169,644

April 2011 = 161,254

March 2012 = 166,719

March 2011 = 159,754

February 2012 = 157,050

February 2011 = 153,646

January 2012 = 154,300

January 2011 = 159,265

ISS GMT Singapore has been opened to look after marine clients based in Singapore with their travel needs into and out of the city.  Along with ISS GMT Philippines in Manila it will look after travel requests for clients throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Singapore is one of the world’s largest commercial hubs for marine and offshore business and the new office will meet the demand from existing clients and growth within the region. The company’s traveller tracking system and global ground transportation network offer an enhanced service and have created extra demand for its value-added services from shipowners and vessel management companies.

Both offices are led by managers with over twenty years’ experience. Shern Kwa at ISS GMT Singapore will manage commercial marine crew and ensure the smooth operation of the office which is open round the clock, 365 days a year, while Jacqueline Wenlock has recently been appointed as the new General Manager of ISS GMT Philippines. Originally from Australia, Jacqueline has worked in the travel industry throughout her career and will run the team of 48 agents, quality controllers and accounting staff. 

Lars Rosenkrands, Executive Vice President – Marine Solutions, said: “The launch of the new Singapore office and ISS GMT expansion in the region reflects an increase in the number of clients wishing to maximise the utilisation and motivation of their crews through effective travel services management.  With a highly experienced team in place, these offices are getting off to a flying start.”

In addition, Michael Page has joined ISS GMT as Global Sales Manager, covering all sales activities within the marine travel division. With an extensive career in the travel industry, Michael has held positions with Scandinavian Airlines, Kuoni and most recently, Emirates Airlines.  He will be based at ISS GMT headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Tim Davey, President ISS GMT added “we are delighted to have such a seasoned and well-connected sales professional join our organisation. We have a reputation for providing the highest level of service and account management detail in the industry, Michael will be an excellent complement to the team.”