Alberto Alemán Zubieta, CEO, Panama Canal Authority

Panel discussions explored global commerce,  trade and transportation, as well as the Panamanian government’s plans to meet its future energy demands. The business forum was sponsored and chaired by The Economist.

The conference concluded with the president of Panama,  Ricardo Martinelli, discussed his vision and economic priorities  in a “Keynote Conversation” with Justin Thody, Regional Director for Latin America, Economist Intelligence Unit. Panama is in the midst of a booming economy and infrastructure development.

Foreign corporations were the primary audience,  some with U.S. representation – Global agribusiness giant, Syngenta, has a U.S. NAFTA office, while Hamburg Sud is a port tenant at Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT). Domestic corporations included  Procter and Gamble, Caterpillar, Ernst & Young, and Merrill Lynch.

Alberto Alemán Zubieto, the CEO of the Panama Canal Authority underscored that the canal is positioning itself to become the transportation and logistics hub of the Americas.

There are many opportunities to capture the value of our location, particularly by investing in logistics and infrastructure. Panama offers something very unique to world commerce. It is a port with terminals in two oceans.

(L-R): Mayor John Peyton (Jacksonville, FL), Alberto Alemán Zubieta, Rick Ferrin and JAXPORT Board of Directors Chairman, David Kulik

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AGREEMENT PANDEMONIUM  ~~~

The ACP has signed 18 Memorandums Of Understanding (MOU) with U.S. Eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico  port authorities as of April 22, 2010. For competitive reasons Flipside Florida is really only interested in Jacksonville – America’s Logistics Center.

PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 20, 2010 –   The Panama Canal Authority and Jacksonville Port Authority launched a strategic partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

In essence, the parties agree to undertake a joint marketing effort to generate new shipping business. These joint marketing efforts may include, but are not limited to:  advertising activities aimed at promoting all-water routes;  joint exhibitor booths at maritime events;  joint press conferences; and editorial. An ACP press release was helpful for this particular article.

This partnership is especially important as both the ACP and JAXPORT undertake landmark expansion projects to spur trade and increase economic opportunities. Further, it is emblematic of the Canal’s goals to constantly look for creative ways to serve the  needs of the international maritime community and provide safe, reliable and efficient service to our customers. — Mr. Alberto Alemán Zubieta.

JAXPORT is already strongly connected to the Panama Canal by 13 ocean carriers and more than 600 annual calls in Jacksonville. We regard the opening of the new locks as the beginning of a profound transformation in global cargo patterns, specifically for cargo flowing from and into the United States. We’ll be ready for the completion of the new locks and the dramatic increase of our Canal cargo volume. —   Rick Ferrin, CEO, Jacksonville Port Authority.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Meanwhile, JAXPORT needs to dredge the St. Johns River another 10 or so feet. Its current depth is 40 feet. The Army Corps of Engineers – Jacksonville District will release a cost and benefits analysis next year to see if deepening the St. Johns River up to 50 feet is worth $500 million. At the same time, the St. Johns River Water Management District is studying how Orlando’s use of the   St. Johns for drinking water is affecting salinity levels and/or the river’s basic ecosystem.

SAVANNAH, Georgia —  The Georgia Port Authority is light years ahead of the State of Florida in terms of  coordinating its port authorities.  Florida has 14 ports each operating as separate entities with inadequate State funding  to develop its very lucrative trade potential.

In fact, published in the ground-breaking and quite popular magazine, Dredging Today, is Georgia Port Authority explains Savannah River Dredging Impact . The State of Georgia would like to remind  the Jacksonville Port Authority that:

Let us also not forget that Savannah is the only East Coast harbor that is tide regulated.

Panama Canal May 2010 courtesy of ACP

Flipside Florida assumes  the ACE – Jacksonville District will have “learned from past mistakes” to find a $500 million dredging expenditure to be cost effective in a year’s time.

The Florida Times-Union has an interesting overview of Ports 2010, a conference organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers, where this study was announced.

Update REBUTTAL:

I take issue with the Georgia Port Authority (portion).  Florida has 14 ports operating as separate entities and we have inadequate funding. However, you leave out the reasons Georgia might is able to be “light years” ahead. There are only TWO ports there AND they are state owned and operated. JAXPORT is quite content as an independent agency acting as a landlord not an operator. Our tenants prefer to be allowed to run their facilities as they see fit. It is an attractive part of our situation here and does attract business to JAXPORT!

~Nancy Rubin,  Director of Communications, JAXPORT

Lowe is a Public Affairs Officer for joint forces U.S. Transportation Command [USTRANCOM] at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. It directs logistical movement of equipment and supplies for earthquake recovery. Usually, USTRANSCOM reports to the Sec. of Defense;  in this crisis  it supported FEMA and State Dept.’s USAID [United States for International Development].

Currently, the U.S. military presence in Haiti is drawing down, Lowe said, as commercial, humanitarian and Haitian response capabilities improve. As mentioned in the previous Haitian earthquake recovery post, Crowley is commercial contractor for USTRANSCOM, and has and will continue to play an integral role in rebuilding Haiti’s infrastructure.

Crowley has been AMAZINGLY responsive and adaptive in meeting USTRANSCOM’s needs in this crisis ~ Maj. Lowe.

Which, in a  roundabout  way, brings us back to JAXPORT.  Crowley is based in Jacksonville, operating out of Jaxport’s Talleyrand terminals, just north of downtown.

JAXPORT (Blount Island and Dames Point) Terminals Director Victoria Robas described  the port’s role following the earthquake:

JAXPORT is designated as member of the National Port Readiness Network: one of thirteen strategic ports (under the Dept. of Transportation) which support the initial surge of military deployments to foreign theaters of conflict (i.e. Afghanistan, Iraq). The day following the earthquake, relief cargo began arriving to be loaded into barges. Within the week, the port was notified it was to be the strategic port of operation for Operation Unified Response. Robas began the immediate coordination with port tenants to accommodate OUR crisis response at its Blount Island terminal ( just east of the Dames Point Bridge at Interstate 9A).

JAXPORT - Haitian-bound cargo awaits transfer from Blount Island to barge in the first day following the earthquake.

JAXPORT has a long-term relationship with the military, and in partnership with our tenant properties, we work together to meet the challenges of strategic port designation. Somebody always steps up to the plate to help ~ Victoria Robas

One significant challenge was coordinating available space for the FEMA semi-trucks arriving daily – their large containers had to be off-loaded and then reloaded into smaller containers because the Port-au-Prince harbor piers were demolished. …

Meanwhile,  in support of U.S. Southern Command’s Joint Task Force – Haiti, the U.S. Army 832nd Transportation Battalion (long-term tenant of Jaxport at Blount Island),  mobilized for duty.

Maj. Frank Ras, the battalion’s executive officer, recounted the 832nd’s mission:

The day following the earthquake, the 832nd recieved a “warning order” from the Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) to prepare for movement. Four days later, the battalion, along with its Cape Canaveral detachment, was notified of  a “standing order” – it was to be the Army’s “center of gravity” for supply-chain management for the duration of the U.S. military’s involvement in Haiti. Personnel were dispatched to Haiti for on-site coordination and distribution. Over the coming weeks the 832nd processed over 600 vehicles and millions of gallons bottled water and packaged ready-meals.

832nd loaded this barge at JAXPORT and offloaded in Haiti for USAID

The Army’s 82nd Airborne Division also received its deployment orders within 24-hours of the disaster –  approximately 1,000 troops flew into Haiti from Ft. Bragg, N.C. –  its equipment and supply movement was also coordinated through the 832nd at Jaxport and Cape Canaveral.  The 82^nd Airborne Division  was deployed in Haiti for over a month, returning today, Feb. 25th, to the United States. Initially, the division provided security at the Port au Prince Airport and the U.S. Embassy. Other tasks included medical treatment, aid distribution and security for relief organizations.  The distributed or supported distribution of water,  medical supplies, shelters, and more than 20 million pounds of food.  The unit also treated or evacuated 10,310 patients and facilitated the removal of rubble from 25 city blocks.

With its standing mission to Haiti, the 832nd continues supply-chain management for Operation Unified Response. Ras said a limited group of 832nd personnel are on the ground  in Haiti as support.

Note: Further updates possible …

Additional links:

First U.S. paratroopers to return from Haiti [U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs, Feb.24]

Operation Unified Response Joint Task Force  - Haiti [Facebook]

U.S. Southern Command -SOUTHCOM [Facebook]

Anyway, Jeff Price is also my buddy at the Florida Times-Union, which was a surprise to both of us  because we both have mysterious pen names. Jeff is named Scene from Florida. He claims, “I run my own biz when I’m not on the clock at JAXPORT.”

So back to JAXPORT IN THE NEWS:

[one] The following is actually from an invitation to a luncheon commerating:

” A HISTORIC EVENT!!!The Puerto Rico Chamber of Northeast Florida and the Jacksonville Sister Cities Association [announced Monday, August 24th]

Cordially invite you to attend and be a sponsor at the luncheon commemorating the signing of an international Sisters Cities agreement between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Jacksonville, Fla.

The Honorable Mayor Jorge Santini and The Honorable Mayor John Peyton October 2, 2009 – From 11:30am – 1:30pm OMNI HOTEL – 245 Water St., Jacksonville, FL 32202

Via PRCNF:

Puerto Rico is Jacksonville’s largest trading partner.  The Port of Jacksonville handles over 75% of the U.S. marine traffic to Puerto Rico.  The economic impact on our community delivers revenues to Jacksonville of over $1 billion dollars annually. The twinning of these two cities will serve to further increase Jacksonville’s economy, increase tourism and open DIRECT FLIGHTS from Jacksonville to San Juan.

Flag of Puerto Rico

[Jacksonville Sister Cities:  Bahia Blanca, Argentina; Curitiba, Brazil; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Nantes, France; Murmansk, Russia; Yingkao, China; Mason, South Korea]

[two] Via Cargonews Asia: The ka-ching of Cash for Clunkers is being heard at the Southeast Toyota Distributors processing centre at the Port of Jacksonville, the Florida Times-Union reported. The sound is still more of a rustle than a roar. But Southeast Toyota, which shrunk its workforce to deal with a brutal downturn in business, expects the second half of 2009 will be busier than the first six months.

[three] Any word on Carnival? @jaxport Isn’t the port having a FASCINATION networking party soon – sometime in Sept., I thought. @flipsideflorida While JAXPORT isn’t organizing any events, two groups have reserved the terminal for meetings: CSCMP on 9/8, IVC on 9/17 .

[four] JAXPORT CEO Rick Ferrin accepts a certificate of appreciation from Capt. Tuohy/Jax Council-Navy League/ after port speech. >>>twitpic<<<

[last] Via JAXPORT news & notes:  UNF’s Small Business Development Center is offering a six-part International Trade Certificate Program for small businesses interested in international exporting. In 2008, this program was quite helpful for Heavy Equipment Resources of Florida Co., who began exporting agricultural equipment in containers through JAXPORT after completing the program.

The End

TWITTER UPDATE:    via @milleratcrowley

Crowley delivers for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) New Electrical transformers to benefit island residents

(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico.; Aug. 28, 2009) Crowley has safely and successfully transported one of seven new electrical transformers slated for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). The transformer arrived on the island Tuesday, following its journey from Mumbai, India to the U.S. mainland. The transformer will be installed at the Buen Pastor electric sub-station to provide improved electric service to island residents.

Read on!

]]> http://www.flipsideflorida.com/san-juan-es-la-ciudad-hermana-de-nuevos/feed/ 4 http://www.flipsideflorida.com/jaxport-begins-hanjin-terminal-bidding-process/ http://www.flipsideflorida.com/jaxport-begins-hanjin-terminal-bidding-process/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:27:22 +0000 k. a. gardner http://www.flipsideflorida.com/?p=1095 [Aug. 3, 2009] Via Nancy Rubin, Communications Director, Jacksonville Port Authority

Hanjin Terminal Dames Point courtesy JAXPORT

We have begun the process of building the Hanjin Terminal by putting out the first bidding opportunity to businesses today.

It is a request for design firms to send us their qualifications to design the $300 million terminal.

Once this design contract is awarded, the project will start benefitting businesses and individuals (jobs and dollars) long before the terminal actually opens in late 2012 or early 2013.

You can find info on all of this here.

In December 2008, JAXPORT executives and representatives of the Hanjin Shipping Company of Seoul, Korea signed a 30-year lease agreement calling for construction of a 90-acre container facility at the Dames Point Marine Terminal in north Jacksonville. The $300 million Hanjin Container Terminal at Dames Point is expected to open for business by summer 2013 and will be a key hub operation for Hanjin’s east coast port activity.

If you have a question about contracts for the design or construction of the terminal, email Louis Naranjo, JAXPORT’s Manager of Procurement, and the answer will be posted on jaxport.com within the Hanjin contracts frequently asked questions (FAQ).

See here for more from the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The $50,000 $55,000 Workforce Florida grant was awarded to the Alliance in February. JAXPORT’s manager of community outreach and environmental advocacy, Joanne Kazmierski, updated current status:

Curitiba~

We will train 100 people representing corporations, small businesses and entrepreneurs in preparation for business and cultural relations with Curitaba. The classes will be held at University of North Florida.   The Alliance will hire  ISD [Instructional Systems Design] curriculum writers, keeping the cost between $10,000-$20,000. Lake City Community College will assist in the process. This will be a 20-hour course. There will be focus-group meetings with local corporations to determine educational needs  for classes.  Small-business classes  start this fall – dates are to be determined. Once classes are over,  Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance members will network with the class participants. Questions about training to be addressed to Joshua Rodriggs, manager of Latin American and Intermodal sales, or Joanne Kazmierski.

A job-posting forum will be developed on the Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance Web site  for members-only to post  resumes and/or job descriptions to promote business between members and non-members in need of qualified a Brazilian workforce.

Rodriggs reported status of the first Brazilian trade mission meeting with Lad Daniels, president of First Coast Manufacturers Association. The power- point presentation for the trade mission has  been presented to Mayor Peyton, which he approved. Daniels is working with Mayor Peyton’s office and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce to coordinate  dates  for the trip -  possibly October.

In closing, the Alliance currently has  a $3,000  bank account. Over $800  will be used to finalize donations to Brazil.

Rodriggs and  Kasmierski will speak to Mayo Clinic about sending one of  Mayo Clinic’s physicians to Brazil with this donation money for pro bono surgeries on children in need.

JULY 16TH — MARK SZAKONYI HAS AN UPDATE :

The head of a trade group devoted to stimulating trade between Jacksonville and Brazil has left the Jacksonville Port Authority to focus on the organization.

Joshua Rodriggs said he will now be able to devote more time developing business and trade opportunities through Jacksonville and the booming South American country through the Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance of Northeast Florida.

The alliance has ramped up its efforts in recent months. The alliance helped host the signing of a sister cities agreement with Jacksonville and Curitiba, Brazil. The group was also recently awarded a $55,000 grant from Workforce Florida.

The alliance has partnered with the Florida Banner Center for Logistics and Distribution, University of North Florida and Florida State College to develop curriculum and train 100 businesses in 2010. The group has also gained financial support from major companies, including Holland & Knight LLC, CSX Corp., Mayo Clinic and ICS Logistics Inc.

To find out more about the alliance’s entrepreneurship. business training and networking events, and trade missions, contact Rodriggs at (904) 703-2200 or at jrbrjax@gmail.com

The alliance’s annual meeting will be held 11:30 to 1 p.m. Aug 14 at Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Cornerstone Division office, 3rd Floor Hadlow Board Room. RSVP your attendance to info@braziljacksonville.org

Categories: Education

Companies: Holland & Knight, University of North Florida, Florida Banner Center, Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance, Jacksonville Port Authority, CSX Corp., Mayo Clinic and ICS Logistics Inc., Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce

In Commentary, state Rep. Jim Merrill, former House majority leader, representing House District 99 in Berkeley and Charleston counties, on March 28, 2009, wrote:

For the State Ports Authority, the last 10 years have been a litany of missteps. Daniels Island, Jasper County, expansion plans, charging rent to Dept. of Transportation during construction of the Ravenel Bridge, the ongoing saga of the Navy base access road, handing out unwarranted bonuses, potentially losing Maersk, being unable to accommodate BMW, discouraging public/private partnerships, and planning major terminals without railroad access, are examples of its general lack of direction and a shocking inability to analyze existing realities.

These missteps occurred under the current board system — and I believe that system must be changed if we are going to achieve the sense of purpose and level of accountability that today’s global market demands. …

courtesy of Port of Charleston

Rather than support a Senate bill that is a clarion call for the status quo, I introduced legislation to eliminate the SPA Board and place its Executive Director in the Governor’s [Sanford] Cabinet.

After years of observing and working on port and state economic issues, it has become painfully clear that our single greatest problem is a result of compartmentalization and an insulated board that does not talk to its business partners or other state agencies.

To read the rest of Merrill’s commentary is equally as painful. Unfortunately for the Lowcountry, it gets worse:

In a featured Letters to the Editor, entitled Amtrak station needs replacing (photo credit: Tyrone Power/staff)   Bruce D. Mullen, Bainbridge Drive, Charleston,

also on March 28, 2009, wrote:

Well, here we are amid the hoopla over Gov. Mark Sanford rejecting money he wants to use to pay down debts, and our CARTA [Charleston Area Transportation Authority] officials decide to use federal stimulus money to buy new buses that have to be built in another state, thus creating zero jobs in the Charleston area. Where is the logic in that situation?

The perfect answer was to build the intermodal facility that would have replaced the rundown Amtrak station in North Charleston and would have brought all forms of transportation into this location, all the while creating hundreds of local jobs.

Charleston AMTRAK courtesy J. Stephen Conn/Flickr

Has anyone been to the Amtrak station lately? In my entire life of living in Charleston, I can’t believe this is what we want people who come to our area to see. How do we let this facility exist? The station is totally embarrassing.

Replacing buses is an ongoing issue that will repeat itself over and over. That is something that should be funded with local dollars that are generated through revenues from CARTA, not federal stimulus money. We are just using the stimulus money to do whatever politicians decide to do with it.

Conversely, in the State of Florida, and without a single mention of the Florida Times-Union’s Ron Littlepage, jacksonville.bizjournals.com on March 31, 2009, published:

Insiders discuss Jacksonville’s trade future

[A discussion on] the challenges facing the growth of trade in Jacksonville Tuesday morning. The participants were Jerry Mallot, executive director of Cornerstone; Dennis Kelly, TraPac Inc. regional vice president; and Peter Anderson, Pattillo Construction Co. vice president. The panel was moderated by Lad Daniels, First Coast Manufacturers Association executive director.

Do we have the workers here to meet the port and related industry’s need?

Mallot: I think today we are more ready to go because we have a down economy. We did a survey that we have 40,000 people who are capable of working at the port or within the supply chain. As the market grows, I think we will need to build on that capacity.

Kelly: The established trade has been vessels needing a 2 or 3-gang operation. Of course, we have six cranes that we want to fully utilize one day. We work with the International Longshoreman’s Association.

All those guys are going through a learning process because we have a new unique, fully automated terminal The main skills we need are crane operators and tractor drivers.

Anderson: With a 9 percent unemployment rate, we have labor. We need to continue to attract companies that will employ the labor. We need to help educate our workforce.

What are we doing to address the infrastructure concerns regarding the shortage in funding?

Mallot: We are all looking at third-party relationships to build infrastructure. We don’t have the funding to fund outer beltway so we are going to have to enter into a public-private partnership. The port will have to do the same. That obviously has to have some return on investment. I am going to hope a turnaround of the economy in next few years will help get our state in a more stable position.

THE FUNNIEST PART OF THIS DISCUSSION?

Mallot: We have to expect some levels of opposition. Traditionally in our area people understand that we do economic development responsibly. Preliminary studies show that this is a reasonable and effective way to go about the process. THE WILD CARD IS HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO FIGHT THROUGH OBJECTIONS AND PROTESTS.

– k. a. gardner

"Jacksonville Terminal, Jacksonville, FLA." "Beautiful Florida: The Winter Playground of the Nation" Published circa 1920s by Curt Teich & Co. Chicago, USA. Postcard collection of Roy Winkelman.

courtesy of Jaxport

Ron Littlepage, the Florida Times-Union’s overly-opinionated LOCAL POLITICS columnist, on March 30, 2008 2009, continued his relentless assault on his seeming nemesis, the Jacksonville Port Authority.

A complicated eminent-domain case, which involved multiple parties and environmental impact studies, has ended after four years. Although a circuit-court  judge ruled an appellate court may reduce [Brigham Moore] attorney fees by 73 percent, Jaxport has chosen instead to save time by settling with the firm for $6.6 million.

Once again, Littlepage disregards all facts in which he has no need.

He writes:   If it had been a prizefight, the Jacksonville Port Authority would be flat on its back seeing stars and talking gibberish.

The authority make the mistake of picking a fight with Keystone Coal and threw the first punch.

As this PRIZEFIGHT was ongoing, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ Trapac Container Terminal is up and running just west of the Dames Point Bridge. Hanjin Shipping Co., South Korea’s largest carrier, is slated to open an adjacent 90-acre site in 2011.

Carnival Cruise is a Jaxport tenant until that time.

St. Johns Ferry courtesy Jaxport

St. Johns River ferry, connects State Road A1A between historic Mayport and Ft. George Island and is operated by Jaxport, which supports maintenance at its own expense.

The Jacksonville Port Authority, one of 14 ports in the State of Florida, is under the jurisdiction of the Florida Dept. Of Transportation.

Littlepage doesn’t “understand why heads haven’t rolled at Jaxport.”

Perhaps Jaxport’s predominant business of international trade is far beyond LOCAL POLITICS and well over …

LITTLEPAGE’S head.

– k. a. gardner

The Jacksonville Port Authority Board has agreed to sell about 38 acres of waterfront property to the man who successfully prevented the authority from taking his nearby land through eminent domain a little more than a year ago.

Keystone Coal Co. owner Tom Scholl will receive $6.6 million for the property in exchange for paying his attorney’s legal fees of $10.5 million, which the authority was ordered to pay. Under the arrangement, Scholl won’t pursue legal action against the authority for business allegedly lost when the 70 acres at the northern terminal of Talleyrand Avenue were under threat of eminent domain.

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