The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) submitted to Congress Wednesday the “U.S. Port and Inland Waterways Modernization: Preparing for Post-Panamax Vessels” report, an examination of options for future modernization of U.S. ports and inland waterways.
The USACE Institute for Water Resources (IWR) in Alexandria, Va., was responsible for the development of the report as directed by Congress in Public Law 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 (H.R. 2055), in December 2011. The act required USACE within 180 days to submit to the Senate and House committees on appropriations a “report on how the Congress should address the critical need for additional port and inland waterways modernization to accommodate post-Panamax vessels. ” The submission to Congress Wednesday met the 180-day requirement.
“Post-Panamax vessels today make up 16 percent of the world’s container fleet, but account for 45 percent of the fleet’s capacity, ” said Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, USACE deputy commanding general for Civil Works and Emergency Operations . “ Those numbers are projected to grow significantly over the next 20 years.”
“The United States is a maritime nation, ” continued Walsh. “ This report provides to Congress and the public an analysis of the challenges and opportunities presented by the post-Panamax vessels, and outlines options on how the nation might address the port and inland waterway infrastructure needs required to accommodate these new vessels.”
“U.S. Port and Inland Waterways Modernization: Preparing for Post-Panamax Vessels” identifies capacity maintenance and expansion issues associated with the deployment of post-Panamax vessels to trade routes serving U.S. ports. This identification was accomplished through an evaluation of the future demand for capacity in terms of freight forecasts and vessel size expectations, and an evaluation of the current capacity of the nation’s inland waterways and coastal ports.
The report, along with a summary, reflects the information available at the time of its writing. It addresses the factors Congress identified with chapters on: Discussion of Demand for Future Capacity, Current Capacity, Evaluating Capacity Maintenance and Expansion, Environmental Impacts of Capacity Expansion, Financing Options for Funding U.S. Port and Inland Waterway Infrastructure Needs, and Additional Considerations. This is a technical report and does not necessarily reflect program and budgeting priorities inherent in the formulation of a national Civil Works construction program or the policy perspective of higher review levels within the executive branch.
The report makes the following observations and findings:
Maintaining the capacity of the nation’s major ports and waterways and expanding port capacity when, where, and in a way that best serves the nation will require leadership at all levels of government, and partnership with ports and the private sector. The main challenges are to continue to maintain the key features of our current infrastructure, to identify when and where to expand coastal port capacity, and to determine how to finance its development.
[mappress]
Source: USACE, June 22, 2012