b'18American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(BUSINESScontinued froming popularity in the US, but Galves- generate a significant cash flow so weto40,428tons.Theportimported page 16) ton Wharves is not just coming to thecan do all that work on the West End17,875 BMWs and Mini Coopers in chief financial officer at Port Canav- party.Wevebeendoingwindtur- Cargo Complex. 2023.Thenewcarsareprocessed eral in Florida. bines here long, long before I arrived,and accessorized at an on-port vehi-Headdedthattheportisalsomainlybecauseoftherailroadswef ourthC ruiset erminal cle processing center before they are nearingcompletionofatwo-milehave on the portthe BNSF and theThefourthcruiseterminalwilltransported to dealerships.long$3.15millioninteriorroad- Union Pacific, says Rees. We havebe built on the site where Del MonteAsalandlordport,Galveston wayreconstructiontomovecruisereally good clearances. Foods has long brought in a weeklyWharvesmainro/rocustomersare andcargotrafficmoreefficiently,However,theportdirectorsaysbreak bulk ship from South AmericaWallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean, Ameri-while helping alleviate congestion onprojectcargogrowthislargelybyloaded with fresh fruit. Rees says thecanRoll-OnRoll-OffandK-Line nearby downtown roadways. Galvestonsnaturallocationandgiant food company bought two shipsthroughaleasewithPortsAmerica. theon-premisesrailroadsavailabil- and is switching over to containers forWeve been a popular ro/ro port for P ort ofe verythinG ity. The biggest factor that everybodyits fruit. They told us of their plansmore than two decades because of our Indeed,GalvestonWharvesis(project shippers) likes us is becauseseveral years ago and asked us to letskilled labor and ideal location, says not making its changes from a stand- these(railroad)tracksbypassPortthemoutoftheirlease.WeagreedRees. In fact, this year weve already ing start. It has long been known asof Houston and that we are so closebecause we did not have the space toseen volumes of new cars equal to all the Port of Everything. It shares itsto open water. In 30 minutes outsidehandle containers. Del Monte exitswe had coming in last year. One reason space as an import and export centerourchannel,youareintheGulfofthe port in April. weve received a lot more BMWs this ontheGulfwithawaterfronttour- Mexico. You save that big, long trekItcouldcomeback.Reestoldyear is because there have been supply istareawithrestaurantsandmuse- through the Houston ship channel toAJOT, We are teaming up with thechain issues in other countries.ums and three cruise terminals with aPort of Houston. The port also has aPort of Houston to develop a master fourth to open next year. short line railroad, called the Galves- plan to determine the highest and bestn ewB usinessStill,theportsmaritimeopera- tonRailroad,whichfeedsthetwouse of land owned separately by theAsked if the port will seek addi-tionshavebeengrowinginternallymajor on-port railroads. portsofHoustonandGalvestonontional foreign automobile manufactur-and is expected to continue the trend.In addition, highway access to thePelicanIsland.Abridgefromtheers as customers, Rees says he doubts it In 2023, the port moved more than 3.6port is improving, Interstate Highwayisland to land is slated for construc- now. We just dont have the lay down million tons of cargo including long- 45 is undergoing a widening that willtion 2027. Were working on tryingspace. The port had discussions with time staples of bulk liquids, bulk fer- take it from Galveston to Houston, ato get rail over there which is a bigVolkswagen that moved its imports out tilizer, roll on/roll offs, breakbulk, andbenefit to big rig trucks among others. project, he adds. The port owns 200of the Port of Houston, but it did not freshfruitaswellasmorerecentlyRees credits the state of Texas foracres on the island and a facility. have the 100 acres required to accom-windturbinecomponentsandothermaking the improvements at the portAshiningstaratGalvestonmodate the German automaker.projectcargoes.Now,emphasizespossible. For the first time ever, theWharves are ro/ro cargoes which areLooking ahead at other potential Rees, the port is shifting away fromTexas legislature, which had a $26 bil- increasing year over year, particularlycargoes, Rees says the port is planning its traditional commodities like grainslion surplus, gave ports money. Lastnew cars and large construction andseveral export shipments of 2000 head and fresh fruit to more profitable andsession, it allocated Texas ports a totalagricultural equipment, according to aof live cattle to the Mideast, handled in-demand ro/ro shipments like newof $640 million for inside and outsideport press statement. by Metro Ports. One cattle-filled vessel automobiles, project cargo and break- the gates and ship channel improve- Exportsofnon-automobilecar- shippedlastyear,andanotherone bulk cargo businesses. Freight trafficments. We received $52 million.Forgoeshitalmost500,000tonsinmoved so far this year, with a couple is on its way to reaching four millionus, were investing heavily in infra- 2023, up 13.6% over 2022. New carmore planned for this year. The ani-tons in 2024, he adds.structureimprovementsincludingimports,primarilyBMWsimportedmals are briefly kept in a corral on port Onshore alternative energy is gain- anothercruiseterminalwhichwillfrom Germany, jumped 71% last year(BUSINESScontinued on page 20)EUROPE - GREAT LAKES SERVICELiner servicebetween Europeand the Great LakesContainer service between Antwerp and Valleyfield, Cleveland and Duluth CONTAINERS Liner owned equipment door-to-door serviceBULK CARGOMore info:www.spliethoff.com or [email protected] CARGO'