GOVERNOR RENDELL,
OTHER STATE OFFICIALS BREAK GROUND FOR NEW PORT WAREHOUSE
Philadelphia, November 23, 2005…
Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today joined Pennsylvania
State Senator Vincent Fumo, State Representative William Keller,
and other officials of the Commonwealth in an official ceremony
to break ground for a new 200,000 square foot warehouse to handle
the Port of Philadelphia’s growing forest products cargoes.
The ceremony took place at the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority’s
Piers 78/80 Forest Products Distribution Center, located along the
Delaware River at Delaware and Snyder Avenues in South Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) Chairman Brian Preski,
Esq. and PRPA Executive Director James T. McDermott, Jr. were also
among those in attendance.
When completed, the $12 million structure will
significantly help the Port of Philadelphia to retain and expand
its vital, labor-intensive forest products cargoes from Finland
and Sweden. These cargoes, principally consisting of rolls of high-quality
coated paper used to print magazines and catalogs, have been Port
of Philadelphia mainstays for more than thirty years. The Piers
78/80 Forest Products Distribution Center is operated by Penn Warehousing
& Distribution Company, Inc. The company’s president,
John Brown, Jr., members of his staff, and several longtime customers
of the Forest Products Center also attended today’s ceremony.
“Our forest products cargoes have provided
generations of family-sustaining jobs to the expert ILA and Teamster
workers who efficiently handle this cargo day in and day out here
at the Port,” said PRPA Chairman Brian Preski, Esq. “Today’s
event, which once again demonstrates the ongoing support of Governor
Rendell and our state legislators for the Port of Philadelphia,
will go a long way to assure the future growth of these cargoes.
It also demonstrates that our state government feels as strongly
as we do about the importance of maritime-industrial activity on
the Delaware River.”
Close to two-hundred members of the Philadelphia
maritime community attended today’s ground-breaking ceremony,
which followed shortly on the heels of an agreement last month where
PRPA acquired over 15 acres of waterfront property located next
to the Piers 78/80 Forest Products Facility, property on which the
new warehouse will be built.
PRPA purchased the 15.59-acre parcel, encompassing
land and water rights, from the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA)
for $3.9 million. Funding for the purchase was provided by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania. PRPA is an independent agency of the Commonwealth.
“Several years ago, PRPA didn’t stand
in the way of Walmart and other retail establishments that wanted
a presence along the Delaware River,” said Chairman Preski
upon conclusion of the October agreement. “We permitted those
projects with the understanding that other significant waterfront
lands would be put aside for maritime industrial use. The 15-plus
acre facility we just acquired was part of that earlier agreement.
DRPA acquired and banked the land on the Port of Philadelphia’s
behalf at the time, and this past week PRPA completed the final
purchase of the land from DRPA. We now look forward to immediately
developing this significant acreage to service the Port’s
labor-intensive cargoes.”
The acreage in question, titled the “Pier
74 property” (though an actual pier hasn’t existed there
in decades), is located along the Delaware River immediately south
of the intersection of Delaware and Snyder Avenues. The Pier 74
property sits next to PRPA’s Forest Products Distribution
Center at Piers 78/80.
“This is an exciting time for the Port of
Philadelphia and for the Delaware River,” said PRPA Executive
Director James T. McDermott, Jr. in October. “Agreements such
as this one demonstrate a growing realization of the importance
of maritime industrial activity among our governmental and civic
leaders. This current agreement, which gives us land to construct
what will be one of the largest warehouses ever built by PRPA in
South Philadelphia, will allow us to service better than ever before
the many shipping companies that regularly deliver forest products
to the Port of Philadelphia. Forest Products are labor-intensive
cargoes that deliver a big boost to our regional economy, and this
new warehouse will allow us to handle more of these cargoes, and
more efficiently. Just as importantly, the new, expanded facility
will go a long way in helping us continue our mission to protect
and increase the number of quality, family-sustaining jobs on the
working waterfront.”
Both Teamsters and ILA longshoremen are employed
at the Forest Products Distribution Center. The ILA is responsible
for discharging cargo from forest products vessels and the Teamsters
handle the cargo once it is inside the facility’s warehouses.
Last year, close to 800,000 metric tons of forest products were
handled at the forest products center, an amount expected to be
surpassed by 2005 final cargo figures. With the completion of the
new warehouse in early 2007, annual cargo levels at the facility
are expected to jump to well beyond 1 million metric tons annually.
“We want to thank PRPA and the Rendell administration
for their constant support of this initiative,” said John
Brown, Jr., President of Penn Warehousing & Distribution Company,
Inc., last month. “The Port was diligent through the often
complicated process of acquiring the land from DRPA and the Commonwealth
provided the funds. As PRPA’s terminal operator for the forest
products center, we now look forward to using this acreage and the
future warehouse to be placed on it to make our operation more productive,
cost-effective, and service-oriented than ever before.”
Today’s ground-breaking ceremony follows
so soon after the last purchase described above because PRPA has
been working behind the scenes for some time on its plans for the
new warehouse, in anticipation of the completion of the land purchase.
PRPA is now finalizing technical plans and specifications for the
new warehouse and will soon put the project out for bid. PRPA will
regularly report on the progress of construction.
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) is an independent
agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with the management,
marketing, maintenance, and promotion of publicly owned port facilities
along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, as well as strategic planning
throughout the port district. PRPA works with its terminal operators
to modernize, expand, and improve its facilities, and to market
those facilities to prospective port users. Port cargoes and the
activities they generate are responsible for thousands of direct
and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area and throughout Pennsylvania.
PORT ACQUIRES SIGNIFICANT
NEW WATERFRONT PROPERTY,
TO BE SITE OF NEW WAREHOUSE FOR PORT CARGOES
Philadelphia, October 21, 2005…
Brian Preski, Esq., Chairman of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority
(PRPA), is pleased to announce that PRPA recently concluded an agreement
to acquire over 15 acres of waterfront property in the heart of
Philadelphia’s port industrial district, property that will
immediately be utilized for the construction of a new waterfront
warehouse.
PRPA purchased the 15.59-acre parcel, encompassing
land and water rights, from the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA)
for $3.9 million. Funding for the purchase was provided by the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania. PRPA is an independent agency of the Commonwealth.
“Several years ago, PRPA didn’t stand in the way of
Walmart and other retail establishments that wanted a presence along
the Delaware River,” said Chairman Preski. “We permitted
those projects with the understanding that other significant waterfront
lands would be put aside for maritime industrial use. The 15-plus
acre facility we just acquired was part of that earlier agreement.
DRPA acquired and banked the land on the Port of Philadelphia’s
behalf at the time, and this past week PRPA completed the final
purchase of the land from DRPA. We now look forward to immediately
developing this significant acreage to service the Port’s
labor-intensive cargoes.”
The acreage in question, titled the “Pier
74 property” (though an actual pier hasn’t existed there
in decades), is located along the Delaware River immediately south
of the intersection of Delaware and Snyder Avenues. The Pier 74
property sits next to PRPA’s Forest Products Distribution
Center at Piers 78/80. In mid-November, groundbreaking will commence
on the property for a state-of-the-art, 200,000 square-foot warehouse
specially designed for the handling of the Port’s growing
forest products cargoes, specifically rolls of high-quality coated
paper from Scandinavia, as well as rolls of newsprint. The new Pier
74 warehouse, which will cost approximately $12,000,000, will become
part of PRPA’s Forest Products Distribution Center. The Forest
Products Distribution Center is operated by Penn Warehousing &
Distribution Company, Inc., which has imported paper and forest
products into the Port of Philadelphia for almost 30 years.
“This is an exciting time for the Port of
Philadelphia and for the Delaware River,” said PRPA Executive
Director James T. McDermott, Jr. “Agreements such as this
one demonstrate a growing realization of the importance of maritime
industrial activity among our governmental and civic leaders. This
current agreement, which gives us land to construct what will be
one of the largest warehouses ever built by PRPA in South Philadelphia,
will allow us to service better than ever before the many shipping
companies that regularly deliver forest products to the Port of
Philadelphia. Forest Products are labor-intensive cargoes that deliver
a big boost to our regional economy, and this new warehouse will
allow us to handle more of these cargoes, and more efficiently.
Just as importantly, the new, expanded facility will go a long way
in helping us continue our mission to protect and increase the number
of quality, family-sustaining jobs on the working waterfront.”
Both Teamsters and ILA longshoremen are employed
at the Forest Products Distribution Center. The ILA is responsible
for discharging cargo from forest products vessels and the Teamsters
handle the cargo once it is inside the facility’s warehouses.
Last year, close to 800,000 metric tons of forest products were
handled at the forest products center, an amount expected to be
surpassed by 2005 final cargo figures. With the completion of the
new warehouse in early 2007, annual cargo levels at the facility
are expected to jump to well beyond 1 million metric tons annually.
“We want to thank PRPA and the Rendell administration
for their constant support of this initiative,” said John
Brown, Jr., President of Penn Warehousing & Distribution Company,
Inc. “The Port was diligent through the often complicated
process of acquiring the land from DRPA and the Commonwealth provided
the funds. As PRPA’s terminal operator for the forest products
center, we now look forward to using this acreage and the future
warehouse to be placed on it to make our operation more productive,
cost-effective, and service-oriented than ever before.” PRPA
will shortly provide further details on the groundbreaking for this
new facility. The maritime industrial community and the media will
be invited to a groundbreaking ceremony in November.
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA)
is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged
with the management, marketing, maintenance, and promotion of publicly
owned port facilities along the Delaware River in Philadelphia,
as well as strategic planning throughout the port district. PRPA
works with its terminal operators to modernize, expand, and improve
its facilities, and to market those facilities to prospective port
users. Port cargoes and the activities they generate are responsible
for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area
and throughout Pennsylvania.
NEW LEGISLATION DRAMATICALLY BENEFITS
PORT OF PHILADELPHIA’S FROZEN MEAT CARGOES
Philadelphia, August 10, 2005…
James T. McDermott, Jr., Executive Director of the Philadelphia
Regional Port Authority (PRPA) is pleased to report that, thanks
to new legislation, the Port of Philadelphia has once again facilitated
the movement of imported frozen meat cargoes through the Port to
their final destinations. Specifically, a refrigerated truck departing
a Port of Philadelphia marine terminal will now be allowed to carry
up to 107,500 pounds of frozen meat products, a dramatic increase
over the previous 90,000 pound limit.
The effort to amend the previous weight limit
for cargoes moving through Pennsylvania was mounted by PRPA staff
in association with terminal operators, shippers, trucking companies,
and cold storage operators. Weight limits and other regulations
governing the movement of commercial cargoes over Pennsylvania’s
highways are set by the Pennsylvania legislature and administered
by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDot).
“I want to commend everyone involved in
this important effort, especially House Transportation Committee
Chairman Richard Geist, who sponsored the legislation and helped
us guide it through the legislative process,” said Mr. McDermott.
“This initiative demonstrates, once again, that the Port of
Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania care deeply about
the industries that use our facilities. We are committed to assuring
not only the best on-dock facilities for cargo, but to assure that
inland transportation, whether by truck or rail, will happen with
the greatest efficiency and convenience.”
Previous victories by port officials involving
this issue included amending state weight permit regulations so
that trucking companies could secure an annual permit to carry containerized
cargo exceeding 80,000 pounds, up to 90,000 pounds, replacing the
previous system where permits for heavy container loads had to be
secured on an individual-shipment basis. Now, trucking companies
carrying refrigerated meat products can secure an annual permit
to carry up to 107,500 pounds.
“This legislation was the end result of
a cooperative effort to contain the costs associated with importing
refrigerated and frozen meats,” said PRPA Chairman Brian Preski,
Esq. “The consumer is the ultimate winner here. By allowing
heavier containers, shippers can take advantage of economies of
scale to keep transportation costs low, resulting in lower end costs
to consumers.”
Industry response to PRPA’s successful initiative
to increase the upper weight limits for refrigerated cargoes has
been gratifying. “This is great news for everyone,”
said Mr. Laurie I. Bryant, Executive Director of the Meat Importers
Council of America, Inc. (MICA). “The Port of Philadelphia
has been a valuable friend to our industry for close to thirty years.
This latest victory is yet another great example of the Port’s
commitment to our trade.”
The lion’s share of frozen meat cargoes
entering the Port of Philadelphia consists of grinding meat originating
in Australia and New Zealand. This meat is a prime component in
most of the hamburger patties sold in our nation’s fast-food
restaurants, and is also a main ingredient of other processed food
such as pizza toppings and seasoned ground meat for tacos. The primary
ocean carriers delivering this cargo to the Port of Philadelphia
are Hamburg-Sud, P&O Nedlloyd, CP Ships, and Maersk.
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA)
is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged
with the management, marketing, maintenance, and promotion of publicly
owned port facilities along the Delaware River in Philadelphia,
as well as strategic planning throughout the port district. PRPA
works with its terminal operators to modernize, expand, and improve
its facilities, and to market those facilities to prospective port
users. Port cargoes and the activities they generate are responsible
for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area
and throughout Pennsylvania.
PHILADELPHIA REGIONAL
PORT AUTHORITY
ANNOUNCES NEW INTERMODAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM
PROGRAM REWARDS CARRIERS
FOR USING THE PORT OF PHILADELPHIA’S INTERMODAL CONNECTIONS
Philadelphia, July 25, 2005
- James T. McDermott, Jr., Executive Director of the Philadelphia
Regional Port Authority (PRPA), is pleased to announce that the
PRPA Board of Directors approved the agency’s new Intermodal
Incentive Program at its July meeting. Effective immediately, participating
ocean carriers that utilize the Port’s class-one railroad
service for the movement of their containers will receive a $25.00
per container incentive.
“We’re one of the few ports in the
country with service by three class-one railroads,” said Mr.
McDermott, “and this new program will give ocean carriers
an added reason to see for themselves why Philadelphia is second
to none when it comes to intermodal efficiency.” The Port
of Philadelphia is serviced by class-one rail carriers Norfolk Southern,
CP Rail, and CSX.
The Intermodal Incentive Program is especially
attractive to ocean carriers not currently using the Port of Philadelphia,
as initially every intermodal container moved by a new carrier calling
the Port will receive the $25.00 incentive. The program also benefits
current port users: for existing port customers that have a history
at the Port of Philadelphia, cargo-handling benchmarks have been
established, so the $25.00 per container incentive will immediately
commence for all intermodal moves above and beyond those benchmarks.
“Philadelphia really has a story to tell
when it comes to intermodal service,” said PRPA Director of
Marketing Sean Mahoney. “Not only do we have service by three
class-one railroads, but those railroads are improving their services
all the time. This November will see the opening of Norfolk Southern’s
new intermodal facility at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center,
right next to our Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. The aim of this
new incentive program is to make it easier than ever for carriers
to choose Philadelphia for their intermodal moves. And we’re
also pleased that this new program rewards our existing customers,
too, allowing them to benefit from this financial incentive when
they exceed their past intermodal cargo levels.”
Those interested in learning more about PRPA’s
innovative new Intermodal Incentive Program should contact PRPA’s
Marketing Department at (215) 426-2600. Mr. Mahoney or one of PRPA’s
Marketing Representatives are ready to discuss all aspects of this
exciting new program.
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA)
is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged
with the management, marketing, maintenance, and promotion of publicly
owned port facilities along the Delaware River in Philadelphia,
as well as strategic planning throughout the port district. PRPA
works with its terminal operators to modernize, expand, and improve
its facilities, and to market those facilities to prospective port
users. Port cargoes and the activities they generate are responsible
for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area
and throughout Pennsylvania.
PORT OF PHILADELPHIA’S
2004 CARGO STATISTICS SHOW BIG GAINS
ACROSS THE BOARD
TOTAL TONNAGE SURPASSES
2003 FIGURES BY OVER 16%
Philadelphia, February 3, 2005
- James T. McDermott, Jr., Executive Director of the Philadelphia
Regional Port Authority (PRPA) is pleased to report that the Port
of Philadelphia’s 2004 cargo statistics, recently released
by PRPA’s Strategic Planning Department, show sizable gains
for virtually every port cargo compared to 2003 figures. Containers,
cocoa beans, lumber, and military cargoes showed especially dramatic
gains in 2004.
“These cargo figures confirm what we already
knew, that this Port is moving in the right direction,” said
Mr. McDermott. “We’re undertaking the initiatives and
forming the business and governmental alliances needed to maintain
a healthy and thriving port. These cargo figures also tell me that
we will successfully meet those challenges yet to be addressed,
and that we’ll be even more productive next year.”
With 1,450,512 metric tons of containerized cargo
handled in 2004, compared to the 1,138,885 metric tons handled in
2003, container tonnage experienced a 27% gain in 2004. Converted
to TEU’s, the Port of Philadelphia handled 178,046 TEU’s
of containers last year compared to 147,243 TEU’s of containers
handled in 2003.
PRPA’s dedicated cocoa-handling facility
at Pier 84 had an especially successful year. With 178,488 metric
tons of cocoa beans handled in 2004 compared to 104,013 metric tons
handled in 2003, cocoa beans showed more than a 71% improvement
over 2003 levels.
Lumber and finished wood products, growing cargoes
in recent years thanks to the Port of Philadelphia’s enhanced
connections with South America, both showed big gains in 2004. With
93,407 metric tons of finished wood products handled in 2004 compared
to 41,143 tons handled in 2003, this cargo showed a notable 127%
gain, more than double 2003 levels. With 15,737 metric tons of lumber
handled in 2004 compared to the 1,230 tons of this cargo handled
in 2003, lumber was up an unprecedented 1179% over previous levels.
However, in terms of percentage gains and sheer
amount of cargo handled, the Port of Philadelphia’s biggest
success story in 2004 was its military cargoes. Designated a Strategic
Military Port by the Defense Department in 2002, PRPA’s Packer
Avenue Marine Terminal regularly handles military vehicles, helicopters,
and other supplies destined for U.S. military operations around
the world, especially Iraq and other points in the Middle East.
With 51,225 metric tons of military cargoes handled in 2004 (PRPA’s
biggest year to date for this cargo) compared to the 3,069 metric
tons of military cargoes handled in 2003, the Port’s labor-intensive
military cargoes experienced an amazing 1569% gain over the previous
year.
Other highlights: With 932,007 metric tons of
steel handled last year, steel showed a healthy 17% gain over 2003
levels, in part due to the easing of federal restrictions on imported
steel. 25,501 metric tons of pulp and waste paper were handled in
2004, a 188% gain over 2003. 461,132 metric tons of liquid bulk
cargoes were handled in 2004, a 7% gain over 2003. 13,798 metric
tons of project cargo were handled in 2004, a 96% gain over 2003.
Fruit (207,073 metric tons handled in 2004) and
rolls of high-quality coated paper (796,766 metric tons handled
in 2004) were consistent with 2003 levels. However, with clementines
and avocados from Chile about to enter the U.S. market accompanied
by a big promotional push by Chilean growers, PRPA expects fruit
levels to make a major jump during the upcoming 2005-06 winter fruit
season at the Port of Philadelphia, boding well for both 2005 and
2006 fruit numbers here.
In summary, the Port of Philadelphia’s containerized
cargoes were up 27%, breakbulk cargoes were up 12%, and liquid bulk
cargoes were up 7%, resulting in an overall increase of 16.6% in
total cargoes handled at PRPA facilities in 2004 as compared to
2003.
“With big challenges- such as our Southport
expansion plan and the deepening of the Delaware River’s main
channel to 45 feet- still yet to be accomplished, the Port of Philadelphia
nevertheless experienced a banner year in 2004,” said Mr.
McDermott. “Knowing how well we did last year, we truly look
forward to our potential once those needed projects are completed.”
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA)
is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, charged
with the management, marketing, and promotion of publicly owned
maritime facilities in Philadelphia, as well as strategic planning
in the port district.
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