Cooper Marine & Timberlands Expands Its Logistics and Business Development Team

MOBILE, ALABAMA, Dec. 7, 2020 - Cooper Marine & Timberlands (CMT) has expanded and strengthened its logistics and business development team through its promotion of Strickler Adams to Director of Marine Logistics and hiring of Alan Dodd as Director of Business Development.

“Strickler has played a key role in growing our inland marine footprint and providing an unmatched level of customer service for our clients,” said Angus R. Cooper, III, President of Cooper Marine & Timberlands. “Strickler’s leadership will ensure that our team continues to provide the efficient, safe, and reliable operations needed to support our customers’ current and future needs.”

As Director of Marine Logistics, Adams will lead the Cooper Marine & Timberlands vessel and barge logistics team, coordinating the movement of the company’s 400+ barges and 20 towing vessels.

Adams began his career with Cooper Marine & Timberlands in 2013 as a management trainee, where he first learned the company’s marine operations as a linehaul deckhand. Later, Strickler served as Logistics Coordinator and, most recently, as Sales Manager.

Adams is a graduate of The University of Alabama, where he majored in finance and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration.

Alan Dodd has 17 years of industry experience and joins the Cooper Marine & Timberlands team from T. Parker Host, where he was Commercial Development Manager for Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Prior to his most recent role, Alan was Operations Manager for T. Parker Host’s Houston operation. He began his maritime career with Norton Lilly International, where he served as Marine Operations Agent in Long Beach, California, Customer Service Representative in Charleston, South Carolina, and Port Manager in Tampa, Florida, Corpus Christi, Texas, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Alan obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration at The University of Alabama, where he studied Marketing and Computer Science.

“Alan brings with him a wide breadth and depth of industry knowledge and relationships that will greatly complement our commercial development team,” noted Angus R. Cooper, III. “Alan is charged with ensuring our customers are treated with the highest level of service and that we’re consistently meeting their needs and exceeding their expectations. I have no doubt that Alan is up for that challenge.”

Cooper Marine & Timberlands marine operations are powered by a fleet of 20 towing vessels and more than 400 dry bulk barges. The company’s footprint includes the Tennessee-Tombigbee River system, Ohio River, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Illinois River, Arkansas River, Cumberland River, Black Warrior River, Tennessee River, and Mississippi River. The company’s Port of Mobile stevedoring operation includes two deep-draft terminals for loading and discharging a wide variety of dry bulk commodities.

SOURCE: Cooper Marine & Timberlands

Port of Tarragona Removes Over 12,000 Tons of Wood Chips as Safety Precaution

Dec. 2, 2020 - The Port of Tarragona, together with a stevedoring company, has completed the removal of the 12,626 tons of wood chips located in the docks of Navarre and Aragon of the Tarragona port area.

Since October 21, about 600 tons per day of wood chips (biomass) have been hauled away by truck. The aim of the Port of Tarragona has been to speed up work to remove the chip to its destination and final function to prevent any future incidents of self-combustion.

The operation has served to remove material that went into self-combustion on September 25, fueled by strong gusts of wind present in those days. At the time of the incident the biomass batteries located at the Aragon dock were waiting to be loaded onto a ship.

In addition, the Port of Tarragona intends to pass along the removal costs to the owners of the biomass material.

The Port of Tarragona has also tightened the conditions for admitting wood chips to prevent new incidents arising from the deterioration of stowage. At this time, it is essential that any wood chip storage is assigned a confirmed ship departure date that, in addition, does not exceed the estimated period of biomass deterioration that could generate self-combustion episodes.

Since last November 2019, the Port of Tarragona has had an authorized occupation of wood chips distributed at the pier of Navarra with 6,700 tons and at the pier of Aragon with 5,926 tons.

After an extended period of outdoor storage, wood chips can undergo self-combustion processes. Inside the chips are a series of physical, chemical and biological processes that lead to an increase in temperature and variations in moisture content, causing a chimney effect, with air circulation from the sides towards the top of the stack.

In the event of this eventuality, the Port of Tarragona ensures that preventive measures are taken to cool the goods in order to avoid risks, such as: reduction of the height of the wood chip piles to 1.5 meters, separation of wood chips into several smaller piles, and expanding the area where the chips are stock piled. In addition, the wood chips will be actively and continuously removed in order to cool and stabilize the temperature.

Source: Port of Tarragona

Prince Rupert Port Authority Says Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor Over 75 Percent Complete

Nov. 30, 2020 - The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) today announced the Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor is now over 75 percent complete.

The Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor is a five kilometre road stretching along the southwestern edge of Kaien Island. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, crews from the Coast Tsimshian Northern Contractors Alliance, a local First Nations joint venture, have safely worked 24-hours a day on rotating shifts to build this critical piece of infrastructure. In addition to nearly completing dredging work, teams have placed rock along the full length of the road, with one third now at sub-grade elevation and ready for the paving structure. The project remains on track for completion in Q2 2021.

The $115 million Connector Corridor project will be fully activated when DP World’s Fairview Terminal expansion is completed in 2022. This will enable container truck traffic to be rerouted away from public roads to the new Port Authority-owned route, which will reduce the journey from 20 kilometers to 5 kilometers.

“The Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor is designed to get trucks off downtown streets, improve safety as we grow, and reduce the environmental impacts of trucking activities in Prince Rupert,” said Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority. “We anticipate the changes will cut emissions for each truck trip by about 75 percent.”

The Connector Corridor is integral to the sustainable growth of Prince Rupert’s intermodal ecosystem, and will create new supply chain efficiencies through the development of logistics services, like the Ridley Island Export Logistics Platform and South Kaien Import Logistics Park.  These projects will generate new jobs and economic advantages for local communities and First Nations, as well as reduce the impact of port operations on the environment.

The Prince Rupert Port Authority manages the Port of Prince Rupert, Canada’s northernmost trade gateway on the west coast. The Port of Prince Rupert anchors one of the fastest and most reliable supply chains between North America and Asia. To learn more, visit: www.rupertport.com.

SOURCE: Prince Rupert Port Authority

Port of Antwerp to Launch Certified Pick up for Containers in Jan. 2021

Nov. 18, 2020 - The digital, secure and integrated solution called ‘Certified Pick up’ will soon replace the existing system of PIN codes for the release of containers in the Port of Antwerp. The new digital container release process is due to launch in January 2021. In the first phase, CPu will provide transparency about the status of your container. The PIN code system will then be phased out and replaced with a digital container release process.

Currently, you need a unique PIN code to collect a container from one of the port terminals. The PIN code is passed between various parties, from the shipping company to the truck driver, which is time-consuming and increases the risk of misuse. Certified Pick up makes the import process more secure, transparent and efficient.

NxtPort will provide the neutral data platform in the port of Antwerp. The first phase of CPu will start in January. By connecting to the CPu platform, all parties in the import chain will be able to view a container's status at different times, enabling the various players in the chain to carry out their work more efficiently. The transition period gives shipping companies, terminals and stakeholders sufficient time to prepare for the next phase, the new Certified Pick up system.

In the next phase, the various chain partners will switch to a new processing method. The existing process with PIN codes will be phased out and replaced with a digital process, which only allows a container to be collected on the basis of a digital right and its identity.

SOURCE: Port of Antwerp