b'FeBRuaRy 8 - 21, 2021delaware river ports19South Jersey Ports: Coming backSJPC looking for 50% steel jump from COVID-19 in early 2021Facilities are poised for 2021 breakbulk spikes By Peter Buxbaum, AJOTBy Peter Buxbaum, AJOT The South Jersey Port CorporationAround40%ofthewintersteel anticipates steel volumes, savaged bymovingthroughSJPCsBalzano Interruptions in international tradeship Four Diamonds at the Joseph A.theCOVID-19globalrecessionandMarine Terminal in Camden is trans-thanks to Trump administration poli- Balzano Marine Terminal in Camden, apunishing Trump tariffs, will increaseported by rail in box cars and covered cies and the ravages of the COVID-19facility operated by the SJPC.significantly this winter as manufac- coil cars to manufacturing locations in pandemictooktheirtollonthevol- ArrivingonDecember16,theturersreplenishinventoriestogearIllinois,Michigan,Ohio, Wisconsin, umesofsomecommoditieshandledcargoaboardtheFourDiamondsup production and as COVID-19 vac- Tennessee, North Carolina, and South atthefacilitiesofSouthJerseyPortmeant that the annual flow of cocoacines come online, signaling an antici- Carolina. Conrail provides the switch-Corporationin2020.Butindicationsbeans from West Africa began a monthpated control of the pandemic. ing service at the port, while Norfolk point to a nice rebound this year. Thereearlierthanusual,pointingthewaySJPCs Camden terminal handledSouthern and CSX provide the Class I have also been swift movements in thefor another healthy year in 2021. The461,000tonsofsteelcoilin2020,rail service to points west and south.development of the wind energy indus- West Africanimportseasonwillrundownfrom529,000in2019,a13%The SJPC recently completed the try in southern New Jersey which willthrough April, to be followed by sev- decrease.Steelslabshandledattherebuilding of its rail loading dock and rebound to the benefit of local ports.eral months of imports of cocoa beansPaulsboro Marine Terminal were downrailsidingandisinvesting$7mil-SouthJerseyPortCorporationfrom Central American growers. to 535,000 tons in 2020 from 1.2 mil- lionforfurtherupgrades.TheNew facilitiesarebestknownfortheirThetonnagehandledin2020lion tons in 2019, a 55% drop.Jersey Department of Transportation breakbulk capabilities, handling steel,madeCamdenthepremiercocoaEarly indications of 2021s volumes(NJDOT) NJDOT has provided SJPC cement, gypsum, wood products, andbeanimportterminalontheEastshow a potential 50% increase in over- with over $10 million in the last five cocoa beans. Steel volumes handled atCoast, according to Andy Saporito,all steel tonnage handled at South Jerseyyearsforrailimprovementprojects SJPC facilities in Camden and Pauls- CEO and executive director of SJPC.ports during the first quarter, accordingthrough the states Rail Freight Assis-boroplummetedlastyear,buthaveThe beans off-loaded in Camden headto Brendan Dugan, assistant executivetance Program (RFAP), which grants alreadybouncedbackin2021.(See(BACKcontinued on page 20) director at the South Jersey Port Corpo- funding of between 70% and 90% of sidebar next column) ration. If that pace is sustained, 2021sapproved rail project costs. Cement tonnage dipped by 5% lastvolume would still put the port aroundTataSteelEuropeandThyssen year and gypsum by 30%, while wood20% below 2018 steel levels. KruppSteelNorth Americausethe productssawanincreaseof35%inSteelvolumesinCamdenandBalzano Marine Terminal throughout 2020. Cocoa beans was another com- Paulsboro normally increase betweentheyearbutparticularlyduringthe modity that did not suffer during 2020JanuaryandMarch,notedDugan,wintertobringsteelcoilsfromthe at SJPC, actually more than tripling tobecause the Saint Lawrence SeawayNetherlandsandGermanytotheir 55,803 tons, as compared to the 17,452is not available for shipments to themanufacturing plants in Pennsylvania tons handled in 2019. Last years cocoaindustrialMidwest.SJPCportsareand Ohio and to other buyers, includ-numbers received a boost toward the endwithin a days truck haul of industrialing automobile manufacturing plants, oftheyearwhen215,000150-poundfacilitiesintheNortheast,theMid- throughouttheMidwest.In2019, sacks of beans were off-loaded from theandy Saporito, CeO of SJPC west, and eastern Canada, he added.(JUMPcontinued on page 20)South Jersey Port CorporationADVANTAGESWorld-Class Deep-Water PortsExcellent Highway & Rail AccessAlways Customer FocusedDiversified Cargo Handling and Services101 Joseph A. Balzano Blvd. Camden, NJ 08103 www.southjerseyport.com(856) 757-4969'