b'34American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comPhilaPort isnt satisfied with status quo in dynamic East Coast port racePhilaPort is in expansion mode and interest from ocean carriers cargo owners is boosting interest.By Andrew Meadows, AJOTOnce considered a hiddengrowing demand for refriger-gem lying in wait amid biggerated goods.EastCoastports,PhilaPortA&EConstructionCo. spent much of last year finish- isonscheduleandworking ing the process of becoming adiligentlytocompletethe full-fledged polished diamond.building. As of February 1st, InMarch,Philadelphiaadditionalrooftoprefrigera-welcomedthelargestvesseltion units were placed, ongo-ever to call a Delaware Rivering steel installation, progress portthe CMA CGM MarcoonCMUblockwalls,LMP Polo with a capacity of 16,200wallscontinuebeingplaced TEUs - to the Packer Avenueonthefreezer,andconcrete MarineTerminal(PAMT).pour took place. Racking ven-The event was made possibledorswillstartinstallingas bydeepeningtheshippingsoon as the certificate of occu-channel to 45 feet and signifi- pancy is given in September cantinfrastructureupgrades.(RACE continued on Itsignaledtothemaritimepage 36) PhilaPort reported another year of significant growth.world that PhilaPort is ready to handle the next generation of Super Post-Panamax ships.Butinthedog-eat-dog maritimecargoworld,ports must always look ahead. Wearecurrentlydraw-ingmoreinterestfrombig ships, the campaign from 45 feet to 50 feet is well under-wayandgainingtraction, saidChristianHolt,Sales and Marketing Representative forHoltLogistics,afamily-owned global logistics service providerwithalmostacen-tury of experience in the Port of Philadelphia. The process doesnothappenovernight; ittakesyearsofhardwork and communication. Through partnershipswithcity,state, private, and public companies, efforts are underway to speed up the timeline.The top 10 ocean carri-ers continue to invest in Super Post-Panamaxships,driving bigger ships with more cargo. If the river stays at 45 feet, the Port of Philadelphia will not beabletohandlethelarger ships, causing the carriers to skipPhiladelphiaandcon-tinue to NY/NJ or Baltimore. t heP aceq uickensMeanwhile, facility expan-sion at PhilaPort moves for-ward at a swift pace. Construction of the 165,000 square foot Philadelphia Dis-tribution CenterCold (PDC Cold) warehouse is proceed-ing on target, Holt said. Havingastate-of-the-art,cold,neardockware-housingallowsPhilaPortto continue to accommodate the growth of refrigerated cargo thatpowersthePort,he said. Additionally, it opens moreopportunitiesonthe terminals for more container densification, in other words handling more containers on the same footprint.Slated for completion in 2026, the facility will signifi-cantlyincreasecoldstorage capacity, meeting the regions'