Authors James Morgan and James “Jay” Campbell of Opportune LLP examine how a proposed carbon levy is the latest in a wave of change potentially facing the global shipping industry.

Proposed floating wind farms off Northern California’s Humboldt Bay could generate power for the San Francisco Bay Area utilizing an underwater transmission line system extended over 250 miles and costing upwards of $3.1 billion, according to a Humboldt State University report.

In its first-ever virtual State of the Port Address, Executive Director Griff Lynch and Will McKnight, chairman of the GPA Board took the Georgia Ports Authority’s online audience for a long-term view of the Georgia ports expansion plans.

The Port of San Francisco’s recently released Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment (MHRA) warns that the City and Port of San Francisco could face up to $30 billion in damage by 2100 from the combined effects of sea level rise flooding and a major earthquake.

Mario Cordero, executive director, Port of Long Beach told AJOT that the Port experienced a 12.5% increase in container volumes for September, compared to September 2019, and expects the Port to have a “strong” fourth quarter in 2020. But Cordero is more cautious about 2021 stating “a lot depends on the impact of the Covid virus on the economy.”

Imports and exports have rebounded at the Port of Oakland which expects a “strong fourth quarter for 2020.”

On September 25th, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) applauded passage of his amendment to the “Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act” (H.R. 4447) by the U.S House of Representatives. Garamendi’s amendment clarifies that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, a 1953 law governing offshore mineral and energy development, applies to lease sales for non-fossil fuel energy sources such as wind power, hydrokinetic, or ocean thermal energy conversion.

A Mercator study commissioned by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) warns that high U.S. rail costs and other factors could cause U.S. West Coast (USWC) ports to lose between 15% to 45% of intermodal import business to British Columbia (BC) ports by 2030.

​The pandemic has not only taken a personal toll on nearly everyone in the world, it has also rocked global economies to its core causing financial strain across industries, including healthcare, retail and automotive, among other sectors.

American seaports are vital to the U.S. economy, providing a gateway to the global marketplace. Today, however, they are in need of critical infrastructure and technology improvements.