SIMIC

Port executive director Gene Seroka announced at the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association's sixth annual State of the Port address that a late-year surge in consumer spending helped boost volumes to near 2019 levels.

Mr Seroka said truck inefficiencies caused by container volume surges continued to be a problem. Drayage trucks currently handle about three-quarters of all import and export containers moving through the port.

Mr Seroka announced a new Truck Turn-Time and Dual-Transaction Incentive Programme. Starting in February, the programme will financially reward terminal operators who move containerised cargo faster and more efficiently through the terminals.

The port's third- and fourth-quarter 2020 cargo volumes increased 50 per cent over the first half of the year, with the port handling a remarkable 94 per cent more traffic the week before Christmas than during the same week in 2019.

Mr Seroka said 2021 plans included job creation, infrastructure investment, accelerating zero emission technology development and deployment.

He called for nationwide port data connectivity that could provide enhanced visibility, efficiency and choice for cargo owners, as well as a more stable supply chain.

He noted the progress of US$473 million in port capital projects, which include eight major terminal, rail and roadway improvements. The port also moved forward on its goal of zero-emission terminal equipment by 2030 and a zero-emissions drayage fleet by 2035. It currently has 16 demonstration projects underway involving the testing of 134 pieces of advanced equipment, including 78 zero-emissions trucks.

"Our success is a credit to the cargo owners who place their trust in us, and to the tireless efforts of our longshore workers, our terminal operators, our truck drivers, and all the essential workers across the supply chain who keep our economy moving even in the toughest times," he said.