Sean Mahoney, director of marketing, PRPA, outlines current port expansion projects in his presentation to the WTCGP CEOs' China Operations Club members on June 12, 2007

The WTCGP CEO’s China Operations Club meeting was hosted by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) on June 12, 2007. Members and guests came together to learn about planned port expansion projects in China and the U.S. and their impact on trade between our two countries.

For the PRPA, May 17, 2007 marked one of the most influential dates in its history as Governor Rendell announced plans to dredge the Delaware River from 40 to 45 feet and invest $300 million in Philadelphia port infrastructure. These plans, held up by 20 years of debate, specify the PRPA as the local sponsor for the dredging project which will allow more global destinations and larger ships to service the Philadelphia region. In his presentation to the WTCGP COC members, Sean Mahoney, director of marketing at the PRPA, detailed the project and outlined positive regional impacts stemming from larger vessels being able to enter the port and generate new businesses within the tri-state Philadelphia area. Mr. Mahoney explained developmental efforts with Chinese shipping lines contacts, including Captain Wei of the Chinese Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) and other Chinese officials, which helped draw the attention of one of the largest U.S. trading partners to the Port of Philadelphia. Mr. Mahoney stressed that even though Philadelphia’s port projects are around 10 years from completion with estimated costs upward of $302 million dollars, the prospects of regional development are phenomenal. Philadelphia-area businesses will derive additional benefits to their international business from the current port developments.

Next, Fred Young, formerly of the Harvard Business School Asia-Pacific, shared his knowledge of Chinese port projects, COSCO, and China’s explosion of container shipments. Similar to Philadelphia situation, the capacity of Shanghai’s main port is constrained by its location on the Yangtze River Estuary, where the depth reaches a maximum of 23 feet. Thus, third and fourth generation container ships can only come in and out at high tide. The port's shallow approaches and constant silting led Chinese officials years ago to develop a plan to build a deepwater port on nearby Yangshan Island to handle 9-10 million TEU by 2010. To “bridge the gap” from mainland to the Yangshan island, the six lane 32.5 kilometer (20 miles) long East China Sea Bridge was completed in May 2005. This biggest navigable passage allows deep seas access to the depth of over 15.5 meters (50 feet), thus enabling 8000TEU container ships to use the port. The new Yangshan deep water port will absorb much of China’s rapid cargo handling demand, which is expected to rise by more than 50 percent in the next five years. Mr. Young, who resided in China for 10 years and has substantial research experience and first hand knowledge of Chinese industries, was able to share his expertise as he addressed the WTCGP COC members’ questions on a variety of topics during the roundtable discussion.

The June COC meeting concluded with a PRPA facilities tour, where guests learned about loading and unloading procedures, storage containers, security checks, and the regional port expansion plans, including rail line development.

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