Philly's port prepares for further growth: Bigger ships, expanded cargoes, new cranes, more jobs12/27/2017
Via Philadelphia Inquirer At the Port of Philadelphia, two harbor cranes, as large as any in the world, will arrive in early March. The first ship taking used-car exports will leave Philadelphia for Africa next month, and the largest ship ever to sail up the Delaware River will dock here in January with cargo from South America. Work will wrap up soon to strengthen ship berths at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. The design of new warehouses at the former Philadelphia Produce and Seafood Terminal will be completed and go out to bid. Ground will be broken on a 100,000-square-foot warehouse at the Tioga Marine Terminal in Port Richmond. Building a vehicle-processing center for Hyundai and Kia imports is also expected to begin at the Southport terminal at the Navy Yard. “Construction of the warehousing improvements will all be done in 2018, a really significant growth expansion process,” said Gregory Iannarelli, senior director of business development and chief counsel for the port, known as PhilaPort. Sounds like a busy 2018. It follows on the heels of a bang-up 2017 at the port, which saw more containerized freight, more cars, more cargoes such as wood pulp, and the promise of those larger cranes, capable of unloading larger ships.  PORT OF PHILADELPHIA - An aerial photo of Pier 122 (center pier with a red-and-white crane), which is now a second berth for the arrival of Hyundai and Kia vehicles from South Korea to the Port of Philadelphia. At left is Pier 124; to the right is the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia. The Philadelphia port is getting four new cranes, capable of unloading cargoes from the world’s largest container ships. The first two cranes are ready and will arrive in March. The port signed a $23.5 million deal to buy two additional post-Panamax gantry cranes expected to be delivered in April 2019.The first two cranes, as big as any in New York Harbor, are on their way from Shanghai, China. Port officials recently announced the $23.5 million purchase of two additional New Panamax-size container gantry cranes, which will arrive in April 2019 and enable Philadelphia to double container cargo volumes and create jobs.
The changes came after the Wolf administration pledged $300 million, the first major capital investment in four decades for terminal improvements, wharves, warehouses, and cranes. The state is landlord and owner of 16 piers and terminals on the Delaware River. PhilaPort, which leases and manages the piers and terminals, spent $10 million in June to buy the former Produce and Seafood Terminal from Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. The 29-acre parcel at Third Street and Pattison Avenue will be used to relocate warehouses and increase container capacity at Packer Avenue. All these improvements at the port are expected to create up to 2,000 waterfront jobs, and nearly 7,000 total jobs for truckers, rail workers, suppliers, and port-related businesses over the next decade. “Right now, we can’t build fast enough,” said port CEO Jeff Theobald. “We have to get through this construction as quickly as possible to get those jobs going. And then move on to Phase Two. Clearly, we need more warehouse space. We’re trying to look at properties available.” Holt Logistics, which operates the Packer terminal for PhilaPort, has shifted empty containers, chassis, and other equipment from the main yard to a 45-acre lot next door, increasing space at the dock. Containerized cargoes are up about 20 percent over last year, said Eric Holt, vice president of sales and marketing. “The goal right now is to free up as much terminal operating area as possible, because the number of containers has grown to the point where, if we don’t, we’re going to become congested,” Holt said. For 2017, the port is on track to reach a record in containers handled in one year. “All forecasts are indicating another exceptional year,” Iannarelli said. “We have topped a half-million containers, which is the first time ever.” Last year, the port handled 459,000 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent units, the standard size of international containers). “This year, we are going to handle roughly 540,000. That’s pretty good growth.” By another measure, the port expects 6.8 million metric tons of cargo in 2017, up from 6.2 million last year. “We exceeded all of 2016’s cargo by the end of November,” Iannarelli said. The goal is to position Philadelphia to attract shippers that currently go to rival ports in New York and Baltimore. Instead of retrofitting an existing terminal at Tioga, port officials shifted gears and decided to add 100,000 square feet of “food grade” warehouse space for wood-pulp shipments. Fibria Celulose, the world’s largest producer of eucalyptus pulp, sends 400,000 tons of pulp from Brazil to Tioga annually. A second pulp customer, CMPC Celulosa, also ships to Tioga, and now other wood-pulp producers want to come, too. “We have a lot of interest from not only expanded Fibria volumes, but also from other customers,” said Robert Palaima, president of Delaware River Stevedores, the terminal operator at Tioga. “This new warehouse will give us a lot more flexibility to really become a premier forest products distribution center in the Northeast.” With the 103-mile deepening of the Delaware River navigation channel to 45 feet from 40 feet, begun in 2010, nearly completed, bigger ships are coming to Philadelphia through the expanded Panama Canal. Next month, the largest ship ever to sail up the Delaware — a vessel 11,000 TEUs operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co. — is scheduled to bring cargo from Chile and Peru, port officials said. More than 154,000 new Hyundai and Kia vehicles arrived at the port from South Korea as of Nov. 30, headed to dealer showrooms. The state will invest $93 million at the Southport site to build a new processing center and provide additional acreage for autos. In January, a twice-monthly shipping service will take used-car exports from Philadelphia to Tema, Ghana; Cotonou, Benin; and Lagos, Nigeria, Iannarelli said. The first ship, MV Glovis Cosmos, is due to load cars on Jan. 10. Looking to the future, the port’s chief executive wants to develop a ship berth on 30 to 40 acres and 2,000 feet of waterfront at the eastern end of the Navy Yard. It would be welcome news to the International Longshoremen’s Association and others, who have long wanted a marine terminal at Southport. In November 2016, the port suspended the bid process for the 195 acres known as Southport. Although six groups initially expressed interest in developing the property, five dropped out. The port required that any developer of the 119 waterfront acres had to build a wharf and two ship berths, making the project expensive — about $500 million. At that time, the state was looking predominantly for private money. “I want to have a group seriously look at how we would start developing that additional berthing capability at Southport,” Theobald said recently. “We have a permit already for Southport, adding a berth there. We have the ability to do it, and I don’t want to lose the permitting right.” Who would finance such a project? “That’s a tough one, because it’s a lot of money,” he said. “But I think that’s the next step to expand the berth capabilities” between Packer and Southport “just south of Pier 124. It’s about 30 or 40 acres of land that we could use and about 2,000 feet of berth. We’ll probably be dusting off our studies to see what that would cost, and how would we finance it, and who would be interested. We’ll probably go down that path again. “It’s a challenge, but I think there may be a way to put that deal together again,” Theobald said. “It’s good for the port. It’s good for jobs. That’s the only piece of berth that we actually have available to grow. We’ll have to try to work our way to make that happen.”  www.arabhealthonline.com/en/Home.htmlChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is excited to have a presence at the Arab Health Conference in Dubai from Jan. 29 – Feb. 1, 2018. Our booth is located in the main Hall 5, A25. Our expert physicians and staff will be there to discuss recent breakthroughs in pediatrics, and services we offer international patients and families. We would like to offer one-on-one meetings with our pediatricians in our booth. If you would like to schedule a meeting or discuss a specific topic, please complete this form. You can also drop by our booth anytime during the exhibition as our staff and experts will be present throughout the conference. CHOP physicians who are attending the conference and available to discuss breakthroughs in care include:
CHOP Global Medicine Team Exhibition Hall 5, A25  Via U.S. Trade and Development Agency   The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is hosting the India Refineries Performance Optimization Reverse Trade Mission to introduce Indian government and industry decision-makers to U.S. technologies, equipment and processes in the refining sector.
As part of the itinerary, USTDA will host a Business Briefing on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 in Houston, TX from 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM. Attend the Business Briefing to:
Topics of Discussion Will Include:
BACKGROUND
For program inquiries, please contact: Marycella Dumlao, Meeting Manager [email protected] (703) 239-7446 To learn more about this event and opportunities to participate, please visit: http://goveventscenter.com/india-rtm/ By Graziella DiNuzzo, Director of Communications and Development - World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia  The United States, Canada and Mexico are heading into the sixth round of talks on NAFTA in mid-January 2018, and on December 11th, The Consulate General of Canada in New York, together with Canada’s Trade Commissioner in Philadelphia, Vince Finn, held a roundtable discussion and luncheon to discuss the “Modernization of NAFTA.” Over 50 business people gathered at Duane Morris to hear the Honourable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO, of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, talk about the opportunities and challenges of NAFTA in an interview led by Ram Mudambi, Professor of Strategy for Temple University’s Fox School of Business.
Mr. Beatty commented on Canada’s commitment to build a stronger relationship with the United States and make trading easier. He also talked about working together to strengthen the Canadian border – the largest land border in the world. The photo of the burger (pictured) summarizes the integrated supply chain between Canada and the U.S. – and that is just this burger. Canada and the United States have been long trading partners - $1.2 million in bilateral goods and services every minute of every day! Some more statistics:
“Why are their different standards in Canada and the US for a can of soup?” Mr. Beatty asked. If you want to sell a can of soup each country requires a certain amount of salt, and the size of the can is different. The extra manufacturing costs aren’t necessary.” Mr. Beatty ended the interview with a reference to the protectionist measures of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (sponsored by Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Willis C. Hawley), which was passed by the US Congress in 1930. The tariff, an attempt to help protect domestic farmers and other US businesses against stepped-up imports after World War I, has been said to have prolonged the dire international economic climate of the Great Depression. “We run the risk that in January; we could destroy the most successful relationship between two countries” Phyllis Yaffe, Canada’s Consul General in New York added: “Canada is fully committed to these negotiations, and will continue to engage constructively in order to develop mutually-beneficial approaches to improving the agreement. We are concerned with a number of U.S. proposals, which are deeply counter-productive, and would only serve to roll back the benefits provided by NAFTA. Canada’s approach is focused on making a good agreement even better, and making updates that improve NAFTA’s alignment to new realities in trade and investment. We count on political and business leaders across Pennsylvania to make clear to the Administration that American families, businesses and communities have much to gain from open and balanced trade, and much to lose if our negotiations are unsuccessful. Nothing less than our joint prosperity is at stake. Following the meeting, Vincent Finn offered the following information: • Canada has engaged constructively throughout the NAFTA renegotiations. From the very beginning at Round One, we delivered prepared text for all areas, which we had promised, including a comprehensive proposal on improving the ISDS system. • The unconventional US proposals are not supported by US industry and stakeholders, and will not help the negotiations move towards the ‘win-win-win’ outcome that VP Pence alluded to in July during the National Governors’ Association meeting in Rhode Island. • Canada will continue to be flexible during the negotiations and look for solutions that spur job creation and growth of the middle class in the US, Canada and Mexico. Background on specific clauses: • A sunset clause: This would create an unstable business environment and hamper foreign investment in North America. NAFTA has provided a stable framework for businesses and investors in North America, and this needs to be maintained. • Rules of origin for the automotive sector: The U.S. auto proposal would require a regional value content requirement of 85%, a 50% U.S. content requirement and tracing of all inputs. The proposal is wholly unworkable and would not only be damaging to the Canadian and Mexican auto sectors, but to the U.S. auto sector as well. North American supply chains supporting the production of North American cars are deeply integrated and highly efficient, making the North American cars we build together competitive. Auto manufacturers in the United States (as well as Mexico and Canada) have been adamant that the existing NAFTA is working and that modernizing the agreement should be done with a view to do no harm. • On trade remedies and dispute settlement: Effective, transparent, and enforceable dispute settlement provisions are a critical part of any free trade agreement, and they have been essential to the success of NAFTA. Dispute settlement mechanisms under NAFTA, including the binational panels for anti-dumping and countervailing duties, have proven to be beneficial to all three NAFTA parties since its inception in 1994. • Government procurement: The U.S. has tabled a “dollar-for–dollar” proposal, which would virtually eliminate Canadian access to the U.S. procurement market under NAFTA. Canada and the U.S. are each other’s largest trading partners. Our view is that we should approach this negotiation with the aim of giving each other the best access possible to our respective government procurement markets. Linda Conlin, President of WTCGP stated, “The WTCGP was pleased to partner with the Consulate General of Canada in NY to organize Canadian Chamber President Perrin Beatty’s discussion with our business community. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with other members of the North American World Trade Centers where we were briefed by the US Chamber of Commerce on their efforts to advocate for a successful modernization of the NAFTA agreement. Together with our fellow world trade centers, we support progress on this important trilateral agreement and applaud all efforts to expand worldwide the growth of economic opportunity and prosperity through trade.” By Sherwin Pomerantz, President - Atid EDI Ltd.  Israel, known world-wide as the startup nation, has earned the title and continues to punch above its weight achieving much more than one would expect from a country of 8.743 million people living in the challenging Middle East.
Proof of that statement was seen earlier this week when San Francisco-based CB Insights, published their AI 100 list of the best emerging companies using artificial intelligence as their base technology. While 75% of the companies on the list are based in the U.S., 7 Israeli companies were honored as well, an amazing statistic for a small country. Even among the U.S. based companies were two whose founders and chief technology officers are Israeli and who also have offices in Israel. The other big winner among non-U.S. companies was China (also with 7 companies on the list), while Britain with 4, and Canada, Japan, Portugal and Singapore, with one each brought up the rear. This year’s list was culled from over 1,000 applicants and includes companies using artificial intelligence in industries as diverse as drug discovery, cybersecurity, robotics and legal tech. Inclusion in this list is a prestigious honor and has proven to contribute to a company’s growth as well. Last year’s AI 100 saw 55 of the companies raise additional funding totaling $2 billion while 5 were acquired by larger firms. But this is not the only field in which Israel excels. Israel is also a rising star in space and satellite technology. Several key developments in recent years highlight Israel’s growing contributions in the field, including the successful launch of the Venus satellite on August 2nd. Venus, a micro-satellite weighing 586 pounds (265 kilograms), was jointly designed by the Israel Space Agency (ISA) with the help of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and its French counterpart, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) for the purpose of monitoring climate change. The cutting-edge satellite observes 110 sites on five continents every two days, and closely monitors the impact of human activity on vegetation, water and carbon levels. “The satellite is uniquely suited for monitoring agricultural crops in accordance with the concept of ‘precision agriculture,’ offering high-spatial resolution of 16 feet (five meters) and a 48-hour revisit time,” said Prof. Arnon Karnieli, lead researcher on the satellite project, who heads the laboratory at BGU’s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (in a release issued by BGU on October 19th). “Israel is one of the few countries that has the entire chain of satellite capabilities, which means launch, design, construction and operation,” according to Avi Blasberger, director general of the Israel Space Agency at Israel’s Ministry of Science. “It’s an entirely self-sustained program. Israel is one of the few countries in the world that can be proud of this.” Preceding the launch of Venus, Israel launched its first nanosatellite, BGUSAT, in mid-February as part of a BGU academic initiative that enables researchers to study climate change as well as agricultural and other scientific phenomena. Slightly larger than a milk cartoon, the nanosatellite is outfitted with a visual and short wavelength infrared camera and hovers at 300 miles above the Earth’s surface – allowing researchers to study a broad array of environmental conditions, including atmospheric gases like carbon dioxide. The list of such achievements is virtually endless and demonstrates potential for companies abroad to develop industrial cooperation partnerships that benefit both partners to the project. There are even a number of funding agencies, both in Israel and world-wide that provide significant financial support to such cooperative ventures. EDI is well positioned to assist interested companies across the globe to find R&D partners in Israel for their projects. Company futurists who are seeking the next technological breakthrough in their fields, would do well to look at Israel as a source for such developments. Via National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce  H.E. Madjid Bouguerra (center), Algeria's Ambassador to the United States, accepts the Ambassador of the Year award from David Hamod (left), NUSACC's President & CEO, and Nancy Ziuzin Schlegel (right), NUSACC Board Member and Vice President of International Government Affairs at Lockheed Martin, Lead Sponsor of the award luncheon.
Washington, D.C. -- The National U.S. - Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) this week named H.E. Madjid Bouguerra, Algeria's Ambassador to the United States, as the 2017 "Ambassador of the Year." One hundred business and government leaders participated in the awards ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, drawing VIPs from across the United States.
H.E. Madjid Bouguerra (center), Algeria's Ambassador to the United States, accepts the Ambassador of the Year award from David Hamod (left), NUSACC's President & CEO, and Nancy Ziuzin Schlegel (right), NUSACC Board Member and Vice President of International Government Affairs at Lockheed Martin, Lead Sponsor of the award luncheon. The annual award, which began in 2004, recognizes an Arab diplomat who has contributed significantly to U.S. - Arab commercial relations. Bouguerra is the first Algerian ambassador to receive this prestigious award. The veteran Algerian diplomat said, "It is indeed an immense honor for me personally, as well as for the entire team at the embassy, particularly when this recognition comes from such a distinguished institution as NUSACC. This recognition is, I believe, strong testimony to the high quality relations between Algeria and the United States, with both countries resolutely committed to a confident, dynamic, and promising partnership." The award luncheon was made possible through the generous financial support of the following sponsors: Platinum Sponsor: Lockheed Martin (Lead Sponsor) Gold Sponsors: Blumberg Grain, Orus Group, PhRMA, and Raytheon Silver Sponsors: Dow, General Electric To read the complete report, click HERE. For more information on NUSACC and its mission, please click HERE. The National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce, widely regarded as the voice of American business in the Arab world, is in touch with business communities across the United States and serves as the U.S. point of contact for the national chambers of commerce in the 22 Arab nations. On a daily basis, NUSACC works closely with leaders throughout the Arab world, as well as high-level decision makers in the U.S. business community, public policy research centers, multilateral institutions, nongovernmental organizations, media, and the U.S. Government.   Asia Pacific Business Outlook April 16 - 17, 2018 ~ Los Angeles Special Discount for U.S. Commercial Service Clients, enter code: USCS-AP2018 Now in its 31st year, Asia/Pacific Business Outlook (APBO) is North America’s premier event for business leaders who want to expand their trade and investment in the Asia/Pacific region. The USC Marshall School of Business and the U.S. Department of Commerce have been working together on APBO since 1988 to help exporters take advantage of tremendous opportunities and overcome challenges in the constant changing economies of Asia. More than just a business conference, APBO is a comprehensive networking and learning experience designed to provide business leaders with the contacts and the latest, relevant and valuable information available–all focused, organized and distilled into two invaluable days. The conference attracts a nationwide group of about 300 American executives who operate throughout the Asia/Pacific region. The conference provides a unique mixture of over 50 leading academic, business and government experts to advise a diverse audience of American firms on how to become more competitive in the dynamic Asia/Pacific marketplace, including private one-on-one appointments with senior commercial officers from American embassies and consulates in 18 economies. Access 18 Markets in Two Days Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam Contacts for APBO: [email protected] or tel: 213.740.7130 www.apboconference.com U.S. Commercial Service Contacts Jason Sproule - U.S. Commercial Service, Los Angeles. Tel: 949-283-0690, [email protected] Erica Ramirez - U.S. Commercial Service, Irvine, Tel: 949-660-7105, [email protected] Highlights
The Asia Pacific region has many high potential growth markets for the Healthcare industry. According to Frost and Sullivan, Asia Pacific’s healthcare market is estimated to contribute close to 33% of the global healthcare market and estimated to be valued at $521 billion, with trends in the medical device industry in Asia mainly centered on imaging, cardiovascular, and healthcare IT. Including the aforementioned, the Asia Pacific Business Outlook Conference in 2018 will host 18 global markets from the Asia Pacific region and allows for direct access to industry and market experts. Learn More. Japan
 ENIPE - ENERGY EFFICIENT INDUSTRY & PRODUCTS EXPO & SUMMIT 11-14 January 2018 ENIPE - Energy Efficient Industry and Products Expo and Summit will be held on January 11-14, 2018 at Istanbul Expo Center, under the organization of World Trade Center Istanbul, with the support of Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning of Turkey, and in partnership with Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Istanbul Chamber of Industry. The summit will take place in conjunction with the exhibition, and it will be organized in partnership with MUSIAD (Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association). Titled "Energy Efficiency and Innovation in Buildings", the summit will bring domestic and international sector specialists together with buying delegations.  We aim our exhibition to be a meeting point for the influencers in energy sector, as well as to raise awareness in public regarding energy efficient products.
You can visit ENIPE free of charge by visiting the following link: REGISTER  The U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute, LNG Allies, and the 27th World Gas Conference, along with other U.S. industry partners launched the U.S. Gas Infrastructure Exports Initiative, including a call for initial proposals from project sponsors in emerging markets or U.S. companies working with project sponsors in emerging markets. These entities are invited to submit an initial concept paper (not to exceed five pages) on gas infrastructure-related projects to USTDA no later than January 15, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to be considered for funding.
The proposal should include a brief description of the project's size and status, including project location, economic fundamentals, equipment and technology requirements, legal and regulatory considerations, potential U.S. exports and the purpose and amount of USTDA funding requested. The proposal should also outline the sponsor's experience, potential options for financing the project, risks that the project faces, and estimated potential for U.S. content in the project's implementation. For reference, USTDA's full proposal guidelines along with Frequently Asked Questions are available here. USTDA projects are assessed for viability, including proven technologies, as well as their social and environmental impact, and potential for U.S. exports. USTDA funding is open to private and public beneficiaries on a 100 percent grant basis. The U.S. Gas Infrastructure Exports Initiative, launched on November 17, 2017, aims to connect U.S. expertise to priority infrastructure projects across the gas value chain in emerging economies. For over 25 years, USTDA has been facilitating new business partnerships between U.S. companies and overseas gas project sponsors, including 307 projects across 75 partner countries. Review of proposals is anticipated to take less than one month, depending on the volume received. We will request more thoroughly developed proposals (including terms of reference and budget) for those projects that are determined to be the most competitive for USTDA funding. We anticipate issuing additional calls for proposals in the future. For questions, please first refer to our Frequently Asked Questions section detailed within the proposal guidelines and submit proposals and other questions to [email protected]. |
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