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Rates of illness, injury and death among
male seafarers have been documented
at 11.5 times higher than those of
similar male workforces onshore.
Berth 23 on the north side of the Port of New
York and New Jersey’s Port Newark Channel
provides on-dock rail and direct access for
trucks without height restrictions. Its weight-bearing
capacity has been fortified to handle 1,000 pounds per
square foot, twice that of a typical container berth. The
capabilities at Berth 23 represent a growing trend in
many ports that serve the needs of those shipping bulk,
heavy and large cargoes such as wind turbines, large-
capacity power plant generators, yachts, boats, and
other non-containerized cargo. For such cargo, things
are looking up.
SSA Marine workers at the Port of Long Beach’s Pier F
complete the heavy-lift offloading of windmill equipment.
3. heavy lift
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2013WWW.MARITIME-EXECUTIVE.COM
66
Big Stuff
“Movement of out-of-gauge, oversized,
and over-dimensional project cargo, pri-
marily connected to the energy business,
will continue to grow at ports as authori-
ties pursue this cargo as a replacement for
the slowdown in container movements,”
explains Hagood Morrison, Principal
with Colliers International in Charleston,
South Carolina. “Existing terminals have
the shore-side storage space to accommo-
date this cargo for the time being.”
Like the Port of New York and New
Jersey, other East Coast ports are build-
ing their heavy-lift cargo volume as well
by working closely with customers who
need large capital equipment moved from
origins such as Europe.
For example, the Port of Baltimore
is working with Bucyrus International,
which supplies heavy equipment to the
mining industry from its plants in Ger-
many. “Their surface and underground
mining machinery offers challenges that
we are uniquely capable of handling,”
notes Lew Vrinios, Midwest Business
Development Manager for the Mary-
land Port Administration. “The Port of
Baltimore handles their containers, over-
dimensional breakbulk and heavy-lift
cargoes. We have provided heavy lifts on
various occasions for freight weighing in
excess of 190,000 lbs.”
Morrison adds that Mitsubishi re-
cently established a large manufacturing
facility in Savannah, Georgia. “The com-
prehensive manufacturing and service
facility will provide critical components
and services for some of the largest, most
advanced gas and steam turbines in the
world. This facility will likely drive more
export project cargo through the Port of
Savannah.”
Wind and Gas Turbines
The Port of Baltimore’s embrace of Euro-
pean technology exemplifies a new spurt
of shipments from the power industry.
“European countries have embraced
the natural gas-powered steam turbine
industry, which has led to growth in this
line of business for GE, Westinghouse
and Siemens,” says Morrison. “Coal-pow-
ered domestic power plants are closing,
and we should see more of the natural gas
plants coming online to replace them.”
Europe also has an earlier start in
wind farm construction. Both shippers
and ports stand to benefit from their
demand. For example, in 2010 Maersk
leased about 100,000 square meters of its
facility on the Danish island of Funen to
a manufacturer of wind turbine towers to
facilitate its supply chain operations. And
Maersk – the world’s biggest container
line – continues to develop its fleet to
carry heavy lift as well as project and
breakbulk cargo out of many different
ports around the world.
The Maersk Illinois, a newer, multi-
purpose heavy-lift vessel, is one of two
sister vessels the company acquired
in September 2011 and recently re-
flagged to U.S. registry. It will provide
breakbulk and project cargo service for
shippers requiring U.S.-flag service. The
19,600 dwt ship is 148 meters long and
can carry 20,000 cubic meters of cargo.
With two onboard cargo cranes with a
combined maximum lift of 480 metric
tons, she is ideally suited for handling a
wide variety of heavy and bulky cargo
such as generators, locomotives, wind
and gas turbines, hazardous materials
and the like. The newly reflagged vessel
sailed on her maiden voyage from Mo-
bile, Alabama to Ghana.
UNITED STATES
PORT 2012 2011
Albany 52,940
Baltimore 3,296,976 3,009,558
Beaumont 485,991 285,675
Boston 49,344 44,690
Brunswick 1,162,215 1,138,340
Canaveral 19,673 128,342
Charleston 1,031,248 788,288
Cleveland 391,838
Corpus Christi 391,040 306,631
Duluth 49,206 24,407
Eastport 453,687 453,687
Everett 360,982 35,778
Fernandina 324,115 544,105
Freeport 444,027 385,535
Galveston 819,429 692,680
Georgetown 532,472 408,744
Grays Harbor 251,810 347,882
Greater Baton Rouge 20,778
Hampton Roads 347,558
Hilo (fy) 112,065
Honolulu (fy) 807,360
Hueneme 448,965 653,553
Houston 7,625,930 5,651,755
Jacksonville (FY) 816,036 894,366
Kahului (HI) (fy) 617,244
Kalaeloa Barbers Point (HI) (fy) 1,509,216
Kaumalapau (HI) (fy) 21,673
Kaunakakai (HI) (fy) 34,962
Kawaihae (HI) (fy) 95,265
Lake Charles 573,004 589,180
Long Beach 1,105,852
Longview 665,375 1,039,074
Milwaukee 156,345 105,404
Mobile 5,875,895 5,968,853
Morehead City 251,296 201,331
Nawiliwili (fy) 114,799
Palm Beach 71,043 67,341
Panama City 477,672 756,922
Pascagoula 376,381
Pensobscot Bay, Maine 429,059 330,104
Philadelphia 1,096,714 1,157,335
Port Arthur 362,245 293,474
Port Everglades 94,921
Port Lavaca/Point Comfort 208,753
Port Manatee 422,095 434,042
Portland(ME) 428,627 409,457
Portland(OR) 985,259 941,120
Saint Bernard 561,697 372,761
San Diego 360,509 260,255
San Francisco 28,117 42,902
San Juan (fy) 663,218 596,637
Savannah 1,318,346 1,188,563
Seattle 74,732 69,835
Stockton 75,048 52,573
Tacoma 259,915 154,378
Tampa (FY) 899,859 989,094
Toledo 73,476 55,678
Vancouver(WA) 864,734 956,015
Wilmington(DE) 491,275 392,903
Wilmington(NC) 303,498 291,713
BREAKBULK CARGO - Short Tons
Source: AAPACANADA
PORT 2012 2011
Halifax 148,757 143,174
Montreal 61,339 54,180
Port Metro Vancouver(BC) 18,402,918 17,698,380
Quebec 48,335
Saint John 149,603 180,315
Heavy lift, breakbulk, and project cargo
volumes are robust for U.S. ports as the
energy and industrial sectors drive demand.
4.
5. heavy lift
September/october2013WWW.MARITIME-EXECUTIVE.COM
68
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Big Business
Breakbulk and heavy lift cargoes are an important part of the
volume in many Gulf Coast ports as well. In 2012 Alabama Ports
generated some $34.2 million in revenues from iron, steel and
forest products, with steel representing its largest volume at 3.9
million tons – a 26 percent increase over the previous year.
The Port of New Orleans saw a 38 percent surge in imported
steel among its breakbulk cargo gains. New Orleans
is certified by the London Metals Exchange to
handle and store non-ferrous metals and steel billets
traded on the exchange. It operates some 13,511
feet of berthing space at six facilities tailored to
breakbulk cargo and 1.6 million square feet of tran-
sit shed area for temporary storage. The facilities
allow cargo to be loaded to or from barge and rail.
On the West Coast, several ports handle heavy
lift and project cargo. The Port of Long Beach can
handle some cargoes no other ports are capable of
accommodating. For example, windmill towers
come through here because of the capability to di-
rectly discharge the cargo onto rail cars next to the
vessel. “Long Beach also enjoys ample rail height
clearance to Midwest destinations, so large ma-
chinery can be transported out of the area without
any hindrance,” says Brett Mascaro, a spokesper-
son for the port. “In addition, Long Beach is closer
to Asia, so fuel cost is lower compared to Gulf and
East Coast ports.”
Much of the project cargo Long Beach handles is related to
large-scale projects funded either privately or publicly. “As more
money has been made available for these projects, we will see
more components coming through here,” says Mascaro. “A good
example of this is the recent surge of windmill towers heading to
the Midwest.”
Windmill turbine parts are transported by rail directly from the dock in Long Beach.
6. September/october2013WWW.MARITIME-EXECUTIVE.COM
69
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70
Niche Ports
California’s Port Hueneme, north of Los Angeles, handles a vari-
ety of high and heavy cargoes. Stevedoring companies at the port
utilize special-purpose cranes, including a Liebherr LHM 320
mobile harbor crane owned by Ports America. The skilled steve-
dores, labor force and flexible facilities found at Port Hueneme
combine to ensure rapid load-outs and discharges of all oceango-
ing project cargoes.
The Port of Stockton, California continues
to develop its niche as a seaport specializing in
non-traditional cargo. “Breakbulk, project cargo
and heavy lift have always been accommodated,
and the Port of Stockton has developed facilities
over the years specifically to handle these types of
cargoes that are not readily handled in the larger
seaports situated on the U.S. West Coast,” explains
Mark Tollini, Deputy Port Director. “With our
proximity to Interstate 5, service by the Union Pa-
cific and BNSF railroads, and 15 deepwater berths
with on-dock rail, the Port of Stockton provides
shippers with optimal overland transport choices
to fulfill their needs.”
Tollini explains that the recession that began
in 2007 brought a downturn in breakbulk and
project cargo, but it was short-lived: “The good
news is we are seeing a recovery with a resumption
of imports of steel products such as steel beams,
rebar, large- and small-diameter pipe, coils and wire rod that is a
clear indicator that new construction is either planned or under-
way. We expect the trend to continue into the foreseeable future.”
The Port of Vancouver USA handles project cargo specifically
tied to the import of wind energy components. Its infrastructure
is built to facilitate it, and the port gives preference to vessels
loading and unloading project cargo. “In 2011, 106,182 metric
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2013WWW.MARITIME-EXECUTIVE.COM
72
tons of wind cargo crossed Port of Vancouver docks, making it
the port’s best year ever in terms of wind turbine components,”
explains Alastair Smith, Senior Director of Marketing and Op-
erations. “This topped the port’s previous record of 101,104 metric
tons in 2009, which was also the year the Port of Vancouver USA
was identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as the top U.S. port for
handling wind energy cargo.”
The demand for shipments, Smith explains, has been tied to
government incentives offered to energy. Last
year the port experienced a precipitous 55 percent
decline in wind energy cargo, which can be traced
directly to delays in extending the federal produc-
tion tax credit (PTC) for renewable energy. The
first half of 2013 continues to be slow in regard
to wind energy imports, but there are signs such
imports are picking up. Thanks to the renewal of
the PTC, the port anticipates that 2014 will be a
very good year for wind energy.
“The port’s niche is bulk and breakbulk cargo –
specifically heavy lift,” adds Smith. “And fortu-
nately, thanks to infrastructure investments and
innovative marketing efforts at the Port of Van-
couver, our overall import trends have remained
relatively steady.”
Steady Growth
As the energy industry and other sectors experi-
ence good development prospects and incentives, the demand for
heavy and bulk cargo shipments should benefit ports on all three
U.S. coasts, and on the Great Lakes as well. “Ports can expect the
momentum of breakbulk, heavy lift and project cargo movements
to continue,” concludes Hagood Morrison of Colliers.
Jim Romeo is a freelance writer based in Chesapeake, Virginia.
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SSA Marine crew unloads wind turbine equipment on Pier F at the Port of Long Beach.
MarEx
