b'20American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(FIREcontinued from page 6) Thetwocranesarethedenly became a lot more com- opmentandjobcreationacrossall rose at double-digit rates over the fire was fully contained andfirst of four new ship-to-shoreplicatedwhentheAmericaurban and rural Washington com- the first nine months of 2025. shortlythereafterthevesselcranesplannedforTraPacsFirst trade agenda introducedmunities, improve export accessThe FAO trade partner data returnedtoPortwhereteamsOaklandterminal.Twoaddi- newtariffsinMarch2025,aforeasternWashingtonagricul- also indicates that net imports by havebeenworkingtosafelytionalcranesarescheduledtomonth after the modules begantural and industrial products, andtheRussianFederationrecov-removetheaffectedcargoandarrive later this year. their sea voyage.attractnewbusinessesinvolvederedtonearlytheirpre-war water used to fight the blaze. The cranes are fully electric,USimporttariffshadin global trade to the state.levels over the first eight months which helps reduce reliance onbeen the same for years, so weof 2025, on the back of restored h ighLighting thei MPortanCe fossil fuels and supports the Portunderstoodallofthemwell,transportroutesandstrength-ofP eoPLe andt raining of Oaklands ongoing efforts toJollet-Gergov says. Matt Byko- (BANANAScontinued fromeneddiplomaticrelationswith McCorklesaidthatthosecutemissionswhilemoderniz- wski,ourdirectorofCompli- page 18) Ecuador,themainsupplierof eventshavehighlightedtheing its infrastructure. ance,didextensiveresearchAvailable data as reportedbananas to the Russian Federa-importance of people and train- whichincludednumerousindicate that the average importtion. Over the full year, imports ing even in an age of automationemailsandphonecallstodif- unit values for shipments arriv- bytheRussianFederationare and AI where the human element(ADVENTUREScontinuedferent government agenciestoing in the European Union andthereby expected to rise by 18%, is supposedly less important. Asfrom page 10) ensurethatourcustomeronlytheUnitedStatesofAmericato1.4milliontonnesin2025. a result, he is looking forwardandfeasibilityreportinJulypaid what was required for thewitnessedrespectiveyear-on- However, the FAO reports, it is totrainingthenextgeneration2024.Followingareviewthatimportedcomponentssotheyear growth of around 4 percentimportant to note that at the time of terminal managers and staff:December, the project was givenproject wouldnt incur unneces- and 8 percent over this period,of writing, direct monthly import Whenyouseethatyouthfulthe green light in January 2025.sary costs. while wholesale prices rose bydatafromtheRussianFedera-enthusiasmandyouseethatRight from the start, though,Oncethemodulesarrivedsome7percentintheUnitedtion could only be obtained up to glint in their eye just wantingwe had concerns when the man- intheUnitedStates,LyndenStatesofAmerica.However,February 2025, rendering a pre-to take it all in and theyve gotufacturerinformedusthereagain sprang into action. At theindustrysourcesreportedthatcise assessment of recent devel-thiswholeadventureinfrontwasadelayinproducingthePort of Tacoma, a fleet of trucksproducermarginsinmostori- opments difficult. of them on the waterfront! Andunits,Jollet-Gergovrecalls.was ready to transport the mod- gins remained under pressure, asThe Russian Federation imports I dont usually need a lot to getWescheduledsomebufferules to Seattle for loading ontoaverage export unit values frombananas almost exclusively from firedupbecauseImkindoftime but emphasized the need toAlaska Marine Lines barges formost suppliers grew only mini- Ecuadorviapreviouslyagreed naturally fired up anyway. Ivehurrygiventheresalwaysthethe voyage to Nome.mally while costs for inputs suchcontracts,whicharesettledin loved this industry since the timepossibilitythatvesselswillbeJason Bergman came downas labor continued to rise.US dollars. Available data from I got into it. The adventure ofdelayed en route or at a port. from Alaska and saw how wellThe outlook for the indus- Ecuadorshoweda25%year-it, the variety of it, the dynamicLyndensexpertcustomsthemoduleshadbeentrans- trytherebyremainsdifficult,on-year expansion in shipments of it. Its unlike anything youllbrokerageteamprovidedTBIportedbeforeweloadedthemwith low and shrinking marginsto the Russian Federation over experienceinbusiness.ThereConstruction with detailed cus- onto barges, Jollet-Gergov adds.hinderingproducersabilitythe period January to Septem-are other businesses, in all duetoms guidance well ahead of thetocopewithhighproductionber 2025. respect, that have similar things,scheduled arrival in the UnitedL andingv iaL andingC raft costs and environmental threats. The FAO says the banana butthewaterfrontisspecial.States.Wetookapro-ac- When the modules arrivedHowever, it is important to noteindustry has been characterized AlanMcCorklewasnamedtiveapproachtoensurethereinNome,Lyndenhandledallthat the data available at the timeby strong downstream pressure PresidentandCEOofYusenwould be minimal governmenttheshoresideoperations,andof writing were of preliminaryonmargins.Thishasmadeit Terminals LLC in August 2019holds or clearance delays, Jol- oncetheseaicesufficientlynature only and may be subjectverydifficultforproducersto assuming the day-to-day leader- let-Gergov says.brokeup,safelydeliveredthetocorrectionsoncefinaldataraise prices in response to surg-ship of the Company. McCorkleThe US customs clearancemodulesbylandingcraftves- have been released. ing production costs. Slim mar-joined YTI in 2014 as Vice Pres- was required not only for the pre- sels to Savoonga. TheFAOspreliminarygins were already an important ident.PriortojoiningYusenfabricated units built in Finland,BergmanapplaudsLyn- estimatesindicatethatglobalconcerntoproducersbefore TerminalsandNYKPorts,but also the separate internal fix- denstotalefforts.Itwasaexportsofbananasmayexpe- theCOVID-19pandemic,but McCorkle was a team membertures and food processing equip- greatexperience,withgoodrienceanexpansionof6per- the significantly higher produc-oftheA.P.MollerMaerskment sourced from other globalcommunicationsfromDay1,cent in 2025. Total exports aretion costs since 2020/2021 have Groupfor25yearsholdingsuppliers. With these modulesand great assistance throughoutthereby estimated to reach someamplified the situation.diversepositionsofincreasingand their related equipment des- the process, especially in terms20.8 million tonnes.TomStenzel,executive responsibility.Heheadedthetined to handle food preparation,of navigating the suddenly vol- Similarlytothemaindirector of the Banana Associa-development of the Pier 400 ter- we made sure we provided allatiletariffsituation,Bergmantrendsin2024,developmentstion of North America (BANA), minal in Los Angeles, becomingthe necessary information fromsays. I also know that this proj- in the first nine months of 2025atradeassociationrepresent-its Managing Director when thethe Food & Drug Administrationect,whichinvolvednearlyallshowed strongly diverging trendsingimportersandmarketers facility opened in 2002.(FDA),EnvironmentalProtec- locallabortoinstallandwillamong global banana exportingincludingChiquita,DoleFood tion Agency (EPA), and Depart- continuetoprovideemploy- countries,withkeysuppliersCo.,FreshDelMonteand mentof Agriculture(USDA),ment, is a great source of pridefromCentralAmericaaffectedFyffesNorthAmerica,said (SUPPORTScontinued fromsays Jollet-Gergov.to the Savoonga community. bydeclines,andSouthAmeri- smallincreasesatretailhelp page 8) The completed 11-foot-highcan and Asian suppliers mostlyfundastrongerbananaindus-cranesarrivedascomponentsby44-foot-longmoduleswereseeing large increases, in severaltry through better research and and will be assembled on site.each wrapped in plastic film at(UPGRADEScontinued fromcases even at double digit rates. productiontechniques.Hesaid They are expected to be placedthemanufacturingfacilitytopage 12) On the import side, the FAObananas remain a bargain.into service by May 2026. minimizepotentialdamageinshipments. The Northwest Sea- reports while demand in devel- Bananascontinuetobe Once operational, the cranestransit. They were loaded ontoport AllianceCo-ChairandPortoped markets showed only mod- one of the lowest-cost produce willstandmorethan440feettrucksforthe108milesfromof Tacoma Commission Presidenterate growth, procurements fromitems in North America.Retail-tallapproximatelytheheightthe plant in Kauhajoki in west- Dick Marzano, said The invest- China and the Russian Federationershavetraditionallyusedthe of a 40- to 45-story building ern Finland to Finlands Port ofment in modernized facilities posi- displayed large increases over thebananacategoryaslow-cost providingincreasedoutreachRauma on the southern part oftions the NWSA to handle cargofirst nine months of 2025.attraction.But research shows and lift capacity. They will allowthe Gulf of Bothnia. They weremore reliably and competitively.Growthinimportswasthatconsumersdontreally TraPac to service vessels up tonexttransferredontoafeederadditionally supported by higherknowhowmuchtheypayfor 24 containers widecurrentlyvessel headed to Bremerhaven,i nLandL ogiStiCSh uB availabilities of export suppliesbananas,andfarover-estimate the largest vessels afloat. TheyGermany, where they were putNWSA along with the Portfromkeyproducingcountries,the cost, Stenzel said. For the canoperateupto11contain- onspecialtrailersandtowedof Benton, Port of Pasco and Portespecially from Ecuador and thebanana sector to reinvest in new ershighon-deck,significantlyonto a roll-on roll-off ship des- of Walla Walla, signed a strategicPhilippines. These higher avail- varieties, technologies and sus-expanding the terminals abilitytined for the Port of Tacoma. agreement to develop an Inlandabilitiesparticularlyboostedtainableproductionpractices, toincludelarger,next-genera- No international freight for- LogisticsHubintheTri-Citiesthelevelofimportquantitiessmallincreasesinretailprices tioncontainershipsmoreeffi- warder can be successful withoutregion of southeastern Washing- receivedoverthisperiodbycouldbetterenabletheentire ciently and reduce time at berth.great partners around the worldton. This partnership establishedChinaandtheRussianFeder- supply chaingrowers through The cranes are fully electric andbecause you just cant be every- aframeworkforjointeffortsation,whichtogetheraccountretailto deliver the high-qual-align with TraPacs sustainabil- where all at once, Jollet-Gergovtoenhanceinternationaltrade,for some 17% of global imports.ity produce consumers want.ityobjectivesandthebroaderemphasizes. Were truly grate- expandcargomovementandAvailablemonthlytradedata environmental initiatives of theful to our exclusive ScandinavianstrengthenWashingtonstatesshowthatnetimportsbythe Port of Oakland. partnersfortheirprofessional,supply chain infrastructure. EuropeanUnion,thelargest(CAPACITYcontinued from Thesenewcranesrepre- transparent and positive responseThe envisioned Inland Logis- importerofbananasglobally,page 18)sent a significant investment intoourneedsinthisandotherticsHubwillleverageexistinggrew by some 2 percent year-on- decision is at the core of what the long-term future of the ter- projects, asking us what do youregional assets, including availableyear over the first eight monthswe are doing at SeaCube. minal,saidCameronThorpe,need? as soon as we indicatedindustrial-zonedlandandaccessof the year, pointing to a full yearAJOT: Is reducing the stan-PresidentandCEOofTraPac.this project was a go. toClassIrailroadsandmajorestimate of 5.5 million tonnes indardcoldchaintemperature Theyimproveterminalcapa- Jollet-Gergov adds that find- highways with direct connections2025. Industry sources reportedfrom -18 C to -15C a realis-bility,increaseefficiencyanding and collaborating with trust- to the coastal seaport. The hub willthat,amidpersistenteconomictic idea?help move the terminal towardworthy overseas agents is one ofalso support the development ofpressures, demand in the Euro- Sappio: SeaCube is proud our sustainability goals. the most fulfilling aspects of hernew logistics capabilities, includ- pean Union continued to benefitto be the only container lessor to Weareveryexcited,andjob. These are people I know Iing intermodal transfer operations,from bananas being among thebe a member in the Move from this is part of the Ports broadercanrelyupontorepresentanddistributionandwarehousingcheapest fruits available. -18Cto-15C.Wedothinkit modernization efforts, said BryandeliveronLyndensbusinessfacilities and barge facilities withTradedatashowthatChi- is possible and think the cross Brandes, Maritime Director at thecultureandvaluesoutsidetheaccesstotheColumbia-Snakeneseimportsofbananasfromcollaborationamongstindustry Port of Oakland. Were focusedUnited States and Canada. River system. Viet Nam, the Philippines, Ecua- stakeholders will be the key to onmakingimprovementsthatTheportsviewanInlanddor and Cambodiathe largestsuccess here. It will take all of supportreliableoperationsandt ariffC oMPLiCationS LogisticsHubasavehicletosuppliers of bananas to China inus to come together, supported long-term environmental goals. On this project, matters sud- drive increased economic devel- declining order of magnitude by technology to succeed.'