24 American Journal of Transportation American Journal of Transportation ajot.com FCL, LCL, TL AND AIR CARTAGE CONTAINER FREIGHT STATION U.S. CUSTOMS BONDED TRANSLOADING Providing Transportation and Warehousing Solutions to the Philadelphia Trade Community Since 1989 CMSTRANS.COM | 610.586.4304 growth in volumes and storage Moroccan Clementine Volumes Have Increased Enstructure is actively coordinating with government agencies on ongoing Delaware River dredging, enhancing navigability and future capacity. The company continues to emphasize improving container operations and crane reliability which has been an issue. Enstructure invested $1.5 mil- lion in warehouses and equipment to optimize cold storage and fumigation capacity ahead of peak fruit season. Completed multiple success- ful fumigations for Chilean grapes, working closely with ILA and local partners to uphold food safety stan- dards and handle peak volumes. For Dinyovszky, taking the top job at a thriving Port Wilmington was an obvious decision. “Coming back to the United States, I had a few options of employ- ers, but the energy and ambitions of the Enstructure team were such a great fit that it was an easy choice,” she said. “Ports play such an important role in the community. They are pivotal to supporting the economic well-being of both businesses and employees. I see this role as a great place to bring posi- tive benefits to both.” (POSITIONED – continued from page 23) with commercial operations targeted for 2030. This includes development of the intermodal yard, construction of the terminal and installation of ship-load- ing equipment at the site. The CIB suggests that its participa- tion helps minimize the project’s cost of capital, allowing the Montreal Port Authority to maintain its investment grade credit rating while preserving cash flows for ongoing operations. Ironically enough, the massive financing component was divulged just a few days after the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) announced that Julie Gascon has “ceased her position” as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately on April 3. No reason was given for what was widely interpreted as a dismissal – which remained a mystery at the time of writ- ing. Gascon had occupied the helm of Canada’s second biggest container port after Vancouver since February 2024. The port’s press release indicated that a committee composed of mem- bers of the Board of Directors will ensure the leadership of the organiza- tion on an interim basis in close col- laboration with the members of senior management, during the recruitment process to find a replacement. A Bold Act of Faith “With the Contrecœur terminal expansion project actively progressing, the Port of Montreal is entering a new phase in its development, which will take place as part of a new strategic cycle for the MPA. The organization is in an excellent position to fulfill its mandate and contribute to Canada’s competitiveness in global markets,” comments Nathalie Pilon, Chair of the Board of Directors of the MPA. Rejecting the view of some industry analysts that traffic volume at the terminal may not justify the investment, Pilon frames her thoughts with this act of faith: “Canada’s trade future depends on infrastructure that is ready before demand arrives.” From the outset of her tenure of just over two years, Gascon under- lined the importance of completing the Contrecoeur container terminal as a vital component for expanding Canadian trade diversification, espe- cially with Europe. The departure of Gascon also came on the heels of a recent high-profile decision by Paul Bird, chief commercial officer of the Port of Montreal in charge of the Contrecoeur expansion, to jump ship. He has moved to the executive team of ALTO seeking to organize Can- ada’s first high-speed passenger rail net- work. ALTO is in fact headed by Martin Imbleau, who was CEO of the Port of Montreal prior to Gascon. Meanwhile, on the cargo front, total volume declined in 2025 by 3% to 34.3 million metric tons from 35.4 million tonnes in 2024, and the con- tainerized sector posted an increase of 3.6% at 1.5 million TEUs. The early months of 2026 showed a single-digit decline in total and container cargo. Port of Halifax For its part, the Port of Halifax released annual statistics which show a 10.4% decline in total traffic and a marginal drop in container cargo in 2025. Global geopolitical pressures, shipping alliance shifts and eco- nomic uncertainties have continued to impact results, the port said. Total throughput amounted to 8.6 million metric tons versus 9.6 million tons in 2024. Exports remained stable through- out the year, with strong performance in the first three quarters tapering in the fourth quarter. A 1.4% con- tainer cargo decline to 502,000 TEUs overall from 509,000 TEUs in 2024 stemmed from the absence of one-off diversions or ad hoc calls later in the year, the port noted. Port of Saint John In a year that saw the completion of investments totalling $247 million at its west side container terminal, Port Saint John touted 2025 as a banner year for container operations at the growing global gateway in New Brunswick. Container volumes increased by 29.4% between 2024 and 2025, rising from 184,879 TEUs to 239,364 TEUs. Compared to 86,949 TEUs in 2021, this represents a five-year container through- put growth of 175.2%. Highlights include a new Mediterranean service by Hapag-Lloyd to the Port of Saint John. (MILESTONE – continued from page 6) them more productive, make them more efficient.” And from PANYNJ’s perspective it was a two-pronged effort, provide a lease term that would encourage the terminal operators to invest in “densification of their facilities.” The first one of these leases to be “modernized” came about with CMA CGM’s acquisition of what was pre- vious called Global Container Ter- minals (GCT). The provisions in the GCT lease allowed PANYNJ to open the lease and change provisions. For PANYNJ as Rooney described it, an “opportunity to modernize our leases and to put requirements in, not only for near-terminal capacity expansion, but to determine, to compare rather, a master terminal development plan and to identify with us that when the terminal’s capacity meets a cer- tain threshold, [triggering] additional investment that would be made in even more capacity. There are perfor- mance measures in those leases that have never existed.” Establishing A New Tradition In some respects, this PANYNJ approach is breaking new ground for a landlord port authority. “Tradition- ally, …port authorities around the world… rent the land out and collect rent but we have now modernized those leases to ensure that the prop- erty is used in the best way possible,” Rooney says of the new lease agree- ments. The modernized leases also readjust the port authority and tenant relationship. Rooney says, this “also means that we put into the leases that there is a responsibility on the part of the terminal operators on how they interact with the trucking commu- nity…because 85% of our cargo was out by truck, the relationships with the truckers and the trucking community is vitally important — the interaction between the trucker has to be one of essentially mutual respect, right? We’re all in this together, and if we are going to grow as a gateway, it will be good for the terminal operator, the (PLAN – continued from page 2) ocean carriers, the rail carriers, the truckers, the longshoremen, the ware- house operators, and everybody else in the ecosystem. And therefore, we need to cooperate and think like stra- tegic partners that are in this for the good of the whole.”
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