Flash Traffic

FROM THE DIRECTOR:
The Maine Port Authority is pleased to present you with this issue of Maine Shippers Flash Traffic. The newsletter highlights issues of interest to the Maine shipping community. Our aim is to help you find the most cost-effective mode of transport for your freight shipments. If you have any questions concerning your shipping options or would like to discuss how we might help your business in any way, please shoot us an email or give a call.

John H. Henshaw
Executive Director, Maine Port Authority
Director of Ports and Marine Transportation, MDOT

16 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0016
(207) 624-3564

PORT NEWS

Port of Portland Passes 10,000 TEU Mark - The Port of Portland has passed the 10,000 TEU mark with Columbia Coastal’s barge service. Columbia Coastal has been operating bi-weekly container barge service from Portland to NY/NJ since August of 2007. The service has successful provided Maine Shippers with waterborne access to NY/NJ and the international connections that provides. For more information on the Portland barge service please contact Kevin Mack of Columbia Coastal at 908-347-6699

Dredging in Portland – Federal Channel Maintenance, Municipal & Private Piers – Dredging is necessary to keep channels navigable and piers with the appropriate depth of water. The Federal Maintenance Dredge for Portland Harbor is planned for FY 2010. The Army Corps of Engineers will remove between 500,000 and 700,000 cubic yards of material in the main ship channel. The Portland Harbor Dredge Committee, a subcommittee of the Portland Harbor Waterfront Alliance, is working with the Army Corps to develop a Contained Aquatic Disposal (CAD) cell for the harbor. The objective is to develop an alternative for disposal of contaminated dredge materials that are not suitable for ocean disposal. A CAD cell would provide a cost-effective solution for private pier owners unable to shoulder prohibitive testing and disposal costs. The Committee is working with state and federal regulators to identify a location within the harbor that could be dug out, filled with contaminated sediments and then capped with a layer of clean material. A CAD cell would be more economical than upland disposal while at the same time provide an environmental benefit by providing long-term encapsulation of the contaminated materials. If you have any questions regarding the Dredging activities please call Maine Port Authority Director John Henshaw at 207-624-3564

LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTATION

EPA SmartWay: A Unique Federal Program – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has started a new program for shippers and logistics providers. SmartWay Transport Partnership is a voluntary partnership between various freight industry sectors and the EPA. It establishes incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The focus of their website is on cost savings and fuel reductions. While their concern is environmental protection, this unique product takes into account the need for sustainable movement toward a greener economy. One feature is a cost savings calculator that illustrates the various technological adaptations one can apply to a truck fleet. For more information, please visit the SmartWay Transport Partnership Website.

NEW! Transportation 101: The Cost Curve – Using rail or waterborne transportation vs trucking can save you money and pollute less, but how much less? The truth behind this cost comparison between modes is not very well established. For instance, trucking will pollute less and cost less for short hauls but how short? Where is the mile marker where trucking is not economically competitive? The answer depends on so many variables that there is no definitive answer. If we were to compare a freight train, a container barge, and truck each with 2 TEU’s then perhaps we could run some operating cost numbers that generate a graph showing how the rail and barge start high in cost vs the truck and descend in cost relative to trucking, as the miles increase. A shipper would then need to consider the tradeoff in time, as the velocity diminishes with use of rail and barge. Operations & fuel are not the only variables to consider. As Matt Jacobson from Maine & Co. put it, “Buying logistics is not a commodity and not a transaction, it is a relationship.” For all these reasons the cost curve is difficult to calculate. What does exist is the understanding that logistics and transportation issues vary with each new scenario a company faces. Understanding some of these variables and some of your options can greatly help reduce your cost and carbon footprint. For more information please email Patrick Arnold.

CONTACTS

For information on, or to give feedback for - Maine Shippers Flash Traffic, please contact the editor, Patrick Arnold, at 207-408-5391

For questions regarding Maine ports please contact John Henshaw, executive director of the Maine Port Authority at 207-624-3564

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PREVIOUS ISSUES OF FLASH TRAFFIC

Volume 1, Number 4

Volume 1, Number 3

Volume 1, Number 2

Volume 1, Number 1