FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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Office
of the Governor
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Governor
Rendell Promotes the Keystone State
 With
over 300 years of experience, Pennsylvania maintains a strong
legacy in the global transportation, distribution and manufacturing
industries. The Port of Philadelphia is now a DOD beta site
for next generation rapid and secure global distribution solutions
for commercial and military shippers. The Port of Philadelphia
is currently working with the Department of Defense to become
the first port in the nation to offer DOD assured long-term
access for the movement of military cargo to and from the
war theater. The Philadelphia Shipyard is the most modern
commercial shipyard in the nation and is successfully delivering
new ships to the market. As Governor Rendell explains, Pennsylvania
is unique in that it combines an assortment of assets ranging
from strategic highway corridors, three Class-1 railroads,
a highly-trained and experienced work force, as well as strategic
partnerships throughout the commercial and military industries.
is able to maximize the advantages of these services and relationships
to meet the dynamic and essential requirements of commercial
and military customers, while transporting their cargo rapidly
and securely to protect our national security and infrastructure.
So please, take a minute and find out what Governor Rendell
has to say about the great state of Pennsylvania and all that
it has to offer
Click
Here to View the Governor's Message
To learn more about the exciting
developments and economic opportunities in the great state
of Pennsylvania , please
visit Governor Rendell's website! |
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CHAIRMAN PRESKI LEADS CREW
OF NAVY'S NEWEST DESTROYER ON TOUR OF PORT OF PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia,
July 3, 2006
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA)
was part of the warm welcome received by the Navy’s newest
destroyer, USS Farragut, during her first official port visit here
over the Independence Day holiday.
PRPA Chairman Brian J. Preski
boards the USS Farragut. His wife, Kelly A. Preski, is directly
in front of him. Mrs. Preski is a member of the board of directors
of the Philadelphia Council of the Navy League of the United States.
PRPA Chairman Brian J. Preski hosted the crew
on a tour of the Port of Philadelphia on July 3, 2006, followed
by a visit to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Philadelphia
and lunch at a popular spot in South Philadelphia.
The USS Farragut, commissioned June 10, 2006,
is named in honor of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut. Admiral Farragut
is famous for his rallying cry during the Battle of Mobile Bay,
one of the most acclaimed victories in American naval history.
Members of
the USS Farragut crew were treated to that grand Philadelphia tradition—cheesesteaks—at
Geno’s Steaks in South Philadelphia, courtesy of Pennsylvania
Speaker of the House John M. Perzel.
He shouted: Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”
while leading 17 of his 18 ships safely through the channel.
The destroyer is a multimission ship capable
of conducting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously.
Crew members participated in a number of celebrations during the
Independence Day festivities in Philadelphia, including parades,
concerts, and historic activities.
Our relationship with the community we serve is
an important one,” Chairman Preski said. Our status as a Strategic
Military Seaport creates a vital bond between the United States
Navy and the Port of Philadelphia. There is no better way to enhance
these ties than to support our active and retired military in every
way possible.”
PRPA Chairman Brian J. Preski,
right, and his wife, Kelly A. Preski, spent time with veterans from
the U.S. Armed Forces at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in
West Philadelphia. The veterans were presented with certificates
of appreciation from the Navy League of the United States and Pennsylvania
Speaker of the House John M. Perzel.
Joined by members of the Philadelphia Council
of the Navy League of the United States, Chairman Preski and crew
members from the USS Farragut visited with veterans of the U.S.
Armed Forces at the veterans’ center. They were presented
with certificates of thanks from the Navy League and Pennsylvania
Speaker of the House John M. Perzel of Philadelphia.
"An important mission of the Navy League
is to support the welfare and morale of our veterans", said
Philadelphia Council president Rob Bender. "It is important
that those who currently serve link with those who have served in
the past. The continuing chain of support and service benefits everyone
involved."
The Chairman’s wife, Kelly A. Preski, is
a member of the Navy League board of directors. Along with fellow
board member Fran O’Brien, Mrs. Preski accompanied the crew
on the tour.
PRPA Chairman Brian J. Preski,
second from right, and members of the crew of the USS Farragut,
spend time with veterans at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center
in West Philadelphia.
After spending time and speaking with the veterans,
the crew was treated to another Philadelphia tradition . . . cheesesteaks!
Everyone enjoyed a festive lunch at Geno’s Steaks in South
Philadelphia, courtesy of Speaker Perzel.
PORT OF PHILADELPHIA’S
PIER 84 COCOA FACILITY HANDLES RECORD-SIZE SHIPMENT OF COCOA BEANS
Philadelphia, April 24, 2006
Since the arrival of the M/V Global Explorer on
Sunday, April 16, the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority’s
Pier 84 cocoa bean-handling facility has been busy discharging the
largest shipment of cocoa beans that the facility has handled to
date. Workers at Pier 84 are expected to finish discharging the
cargo from the vessel early this week.
The M/V Global Explorer a Japanese-owned charter
vessel, arrived with 18,500 tons of cocoa beans on April 16, amounting
to approximately 300,000 bags of the product. The cocoa beans originated
in Indonesia, one of the world’s major cocoa bean producers.
Seven different shippers are responsible for
this record-size load, which is the biggest shipment of cocoa beans
moving from one port overseas to one port in the United States,
said Harvey Weiner, President of Dependable Distribution Services,
Inc., which operates PRPA’s Pier 84 facility. Most of this
cargo will go to Pennsylvania end users, though some is associated
with New York Board of Trade business. Central Pennsylvania is a
major destination for the world’s cocoa bean cargoes, thanks
to the high concentration of major chocolate manufacturers in the
region, including Hershey Foods, M&M Mars, Wilbur Chocolate
and Blommer Chocolate. Pier 84’s convenient proximity to those
end users is a major reason for the facility’s success in
recent years.
This has been a particularly busy year for PRPA’s
cocoa facility at Pier 84. In recent months, we’ve handled
six vessels from the Ivory Coast, two from Ghana, and- with the
arrival of the Global Explorer- four from Indonesia, said Mr. Weiner.
Different countries have different growing seasons for cocoa beans,
assuring a practically uninterrupted, year-round flow of beans to
the Port of Philadelphia. For example, Indonesia’s growing
season is April to October, meaning that other shipments from that
country will likely be arriving at Pier 84 in the coming weeks and
months.
Since assuming operations at Pier 84 about a decade
ago, Mr. Weiner’s company has worked with PRPA to make a number
of improvements to the facility, resulting in a number of value-added
services in addition to discharging the cargoes that arrive. These
services include on-premises extended storage and super sacking,
which is transferring the beans from their original smaller burlap
bags into the oversize sacks many end users prefer. One weather-proof
super sack can hold the contents of dozens of smaller burlap bags.
"We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished
at Pier 84, but we still have so much we want to do here,"
said Mr. Weiner. "With the help of the Philadelphia Regional
Port Authority, we added a 40,000 square foot, frame-supported movable
warehouse to the pier property a few years ago, and made other improvements.
But we’re optimistic that, working with PRPA and our leaders
in the state capital, more improvements will be on the horizon."
Mr. Weiner pointed out that space is a particular
challenge in the cocoa bean business, as storage- both short term
and long term- is always an issue. Over the years, we’ve rented
over 500,000 square feet of off-terminal storage space in the Delaware
Valley, mostly in Pennsylvania, to store the beans we handle, said
Mr. Weiner. In fact, we recently gave up space in New Jersey and
added more space in Pennsylvania, as we really see ourselves as
a Pennsylvania-based business. Most recently, for example, Mr. Weiner
signed a 5-year lease at a warehouse facility in Chester, Pennsylvania,
just outside of Philadelphia, enabling him to service a new cocoa
bean processing plant in adjacent Eddystone, Pennsylvania. That
new warehouse operation will encourage additional vessel calls at
Philadelphia’s Pier 84, due to the close proximity of Philadelphia
and Chester, Pennsylvania.
But added Mr. Weiner, "What we’d really
like to do is add additional storage space to Pier 84, so we wouldn’t
have to look off-site as much to store the beans that arrive. That
would truly make Pier 84 one-stop shopping for the world’s
cocoa shippers. This is a highly-competitive business, and if we
don’t make these improvements, other ports will. In fact,
other ports are already making these improvements."
For now, though, Pier 84 is proud to have the
facilities and expertise to efficiently handle the M/V Global Explorer’s
record-sized cocoa shipment to the Port of Philadelphia. As pointed
out by Mr. Weiner, the vessel is being discharged smoothly, safely,
and quickly, which is the regular order of business at Pier 84.
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA)
is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged
with the management, maintenance, marketing, and promotion of publicly
owned marine terminals located along the Delaware River in Philadelphia,
as well as strategic planning for maritime-industrial activity in
the port district. Port activity is responsible for thousands of
direct and indirect jobs in Philadelphia and throughout the tri-state
region of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Philadelphia
Regional Port Authority Welcomes Mediterranean Shipping Company
to Port of Philadelphia
#2 Steamship Line in the World Will Now Service PRPA’s Packer
Avenue Marine Terminal
Philadelphia, PA, March 30, 2006...
With the arrival of the merchant vessel MSC Boston at the Philadelphia
Regional Port Authority’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal on
Sunday, March 19, Mediterranean Shipping Company’s new East
Coast of South America service commenced at the Port of Philadelphia.
Noted for the distinctive dark yellow containers carried on its
vessels, the Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) operates
288 containerships worldwide, with a total capacity of 839,962 containers.
"MSC is the second largest container line
in the world, and is recognized around the globe for the quality
customer care it provides," said PRPA Director of Marketing
Sean Mahoney. "MSC is a valuable addition to our portfolio
of shipping lines."
Like PRPA’s other connections with South
America, MSC’s new weekly service will take advantage of the
growing trade between South America and the United States. In particular,
the Port of Philadelphia’s reputation as the #1 perishables
port on the East Coast of the United States was a prime reason for
the line’s establishment of its new service here.
The "MSC Boston", which will be a regular
part of the service’s rotation of vessels at the Packer Avenue
Marine Terminal, can carry up to 3,469 containers. While it was
docked in Philadelphia for its maiden call, longshoremen loaded
and unloaded 107 containers, a number that will rise as MSC increases
its customer base in the Philadelphia area.
"This new service will provide many jobs
for Philadelphia area longshoremen, truckers, and freight forwarders,
as well as offer more shipping options for Delaware Valley exporters,"
noted David Harvey of the Port's Strategic Planning Department.
"MSC’s new service makes our already impressive connections
with South America stronger than ever.”
Leading up to the March 19 call in Philadelphia,
the ship and its crew of 22 sailed from Salvador, Brazil to Freeport,
Bahamas before heading to Norfolk, Virginia. The next stop was Baltimore,
and then Philadelphia. After leaving the Port of Philadelphia, the
ship sailed to the Port of New York & New Jersey to the immediate
north. While docked at PRPA’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal,
PRPA Senior Marketing Representative Dominic O’Brien presented
an engraved pewter plate to the vessel’s Chief Officer Ernesto
Chavez to commemorate the occasion.
The facilities of the Philadelphia Regional Port
Authority, in particular the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, moved
over 204,912 containers in 2005. The Port's container numbers grew
by 15% in 2005, following 20% growth in 2004. This recent performance
places the Port of Philadelphia among the leaders in growth for
US East Cost ports.
The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA)
is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged
with the management, maintenance, marketing, and promotion of publicly
owned marine terminals located along the Delaware River in Philadelphia,
as well as strategic planning for maritime-industrial activity in
the port district. Port activity is responsible for thousands of
direct and indirect jobs in Philadelphia and throughout the tri-state
region of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
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