Protest activities at the Port of Oakland subsided at the end of the day Aug. 19, but port officials said they resumed Aug. 20. The protests involved dozens of independent truckers who expressed frustration at what they perceive as the growing backlog at the port. They were blocking the entrance to at least one facility, causing at least one terminal to be closed.

The Port of Long Beach has had six straight years of air quality improvements and has cut diesel particulates by 81 percent since 2005, according to a 2012 analysis released Aug. 19. According to a press release from the port, “all of the key air pollutants from port-related sources were reduced in 2012.” Smog-forming nitrogen oxides were cut 54 percent and sulfur oxides 88 percent, while greenhouse gases were lowered by 24 percent, the port said. The analysis, or "emissions inventory," also indicated the reduction in pollutants “far outpaced a 10 percent decline in containerized cargo activity” during the same time.

U.S. imports declined almost 3 percent from May to June, according to data from Zepol. These low numbers have changed the steady 1 percent increase in the volume of U.S. ocean imports since 2012, the report said on July 11. Zepol data also said that imports are 1.6 percent below twenty-foot containers (TEUs) seen in June 2012. The Zepol report finds that import volume for the first half of 2013 remains stagnant in comparison to the first half of 2012, and has actually decreased by 0.3 percent. However, Zepol’s CEO Paul Rasmussen said that 2013 still has potential to “rise above” in July and August, the “busiest months” for U.S. imports.

Traffic mitigation fees (TMF) will increase by 8.1 percent at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, effective Aug. 19, said the West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA). The increase will sustain continued operation of PierPass OffPeak gates amid labor cost increases, the group said. Beginning Aug. 19, the TMF will be increased by $5.00 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) to $66.50 per twenty-foot container or $133.00 per forty-foot container. The current TMF rates are $61.50 and $123.00.

The Port of St. Louis has lost power due to Friday’s storm, and operations will be conducted from the Terminal 2 Lambert Airport International location instead, said CBP in a CSMS message. However, CBP said that the Trade Community may continue to deliver entries to the port office.

Longshoremen on the East and Gulf coasts ratified a new six-year Master Contract, covering about 14,500 waterfront workers belonging to the International Longshoremen's Association, the union said. It said the contract was "overwhelmingly" approved in a ratification vote at ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast.

Port of Corpus Christi Commissioners approved a long-term lease agreement with voestalpine Texas Holding, during an April 9 meeting. Voestalpine selected the authority's La Quinta property as their preferred location. The agreement "will drive import and export cargo through the Port of Corpus Christi," said Mike Carrell, chairman of the Port Commission. He said the commitment by the port and the Army Corps of Engineers to fund and extend the La Quinta Ship Channel to the site of the La Quinta Trade Gateway "was a significant factor in the negotiations." Voestalpine will lease about 475 acres of upland property and about 11 acres of submerged land for an initial lease term of 50 years, with two 15-year options and use it for a $700 million Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) plant and a 1,060-foot long high-performance dock capable of unloading iron ore pellets and loading HBI. The authority said voestalpine will anchor development at La Quinta Trade Gateway facility. The voestalpine group is based in Austria.

Growth in imported steel of more than 38 percent and other break-bulk cargo gains led the Port of New Orleans to a third straight year of healthy tonnage increases, it said. Total general cargo tonnage at the port grew 8.6 percent to 7.55 million tons in 2012. Containerized cargo was virtually flat with a record year in 2011. Port CEO Gary LaGrange attributed part of the growth to improvement in the general economy. The port also completed several cargo projects in 2012, including adding two new post-Panamax gantry cranes and a new 40,000 square-foot Riverfront Cold Storage Facility.

The Port of Los Angeles and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the port's 10-year, $370 million Main Channel Deepening Project is complete. The project "has been our single-most, important infrastructure project," said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz. It involved deepening the port's 45-foot deep main channel, West Basin channel and East Basin channel to a 53-foot depth. The Port of Los Angeles is in the midst of a five year, $1.3 billion Capital Improvement Program to modernize and upgrade terminals, to increase rail capacity and improve roadways in and around the port.

Cities that do not invest in port and transportation infrastructure put their economies at serious risk, according to a recent report from international commercial real estate firm Colliers International. The group’s third annual North American Port Analysis was released April 8 and examines trade patterns stemming from the upcoming Panama Canal expansion. The report recommends further development of basic modes of transportation -- including inland waterways, roads and airports -- especially since the American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave America’s overall infrastructure a D+ grade. The report also found that the often-overlooked “fourth coast” Great Lakes region is the leader in bulk cargo trade, and intermodal transportation reached an all-time high in 2012 and is the "next transportation growth segment." The report also ranks the top 10 North American ports, including the fastest-growing port (Port of Virginia) and the best logistics (Georgia Port Authority). Read the complete report (here).