A port is considered “post-Panamax ready” if it has a channel depth of about 50 feet with allowances for tide, as well as sufficient channel width, turning basin size, dock, storage, and crane capacity. West Coast ports at Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, and Oakland, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, California, all have at least 50-foot channels. Eastern U.S. ports at Baltimore and Norfolk also have 50-foot channels to accommodate larger ships, with more ports scheduled to reach that depth soon.
New Construction
The Port of New York and New Jersey can now accept post-Panamax vessels as improvements continue at this site. USACE contracted for the port’s expansion to a 50-foot depth, which will be completed in its entirety by next year. This expansion is significant, as the port is the largest on the East Coast and includes 240 miles of shipping channels. When complete, four container terminals will have a depth of 50 feet at a cost of $1.6 billion.
Elsewhere, new construction and studies of new construction are driving growth at other U.S. ports. For example, Congress added an extra $385 million for navigation in the 2014 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, including the first new-construction starts since 2010. Studies and design to deepen channels to accommodate post-Panamax vessels continue at the ports of Boston; Baltimore; Norfolk; Charleston; Savannah; Jacksonville; Port Everglades; Mobile; New Orleans; and Port Freeport and Brownsville, Texas. New studies also will assess expansion at sites such as Houston, Long Beach, and Seattle. Still, McKee noted, “There are far more needs than there are funds to go around.”
On Jan. 24, 2014, then-Under Secretary of the Army Joseph W.Westphal visited crew members of the drill boat Apache. They were conducting a blasting operation as part of the final New York/New Jersey harbor deepening project. The Port of New York and New Jersey can now accommodate post-Panamax vessels that draw to a depth of 50 feet in preparation for the completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2015. USACE photo
This activity is a dramatic change from six years ago, when a worldwide economic downturn affected shipping. “Commodities dropped during the recession [of 2008-2011] but they have started to increase again,” McKee said. Economists also forecast that this expansion will continue in the future.
The Port of Miami is undergoing expansion – called the Deep Dredge project – funded largely through state government and outside investors. Congress authorized the deepening to 50 feet in 2007, but did not provide construction funds, prompting involvement from state government and business leaders.
“If a non-federal sponsor wants to fund expansion, the Corps can still help maintain the new project,” McKee said – provided Congress has authorized the expansion and the sponsor has submitted and received approval of the necessary reports. “We can’t assume maintenance of expanded channels if the projects have never been authorized,” he said. Overall, USACE devotes about 70 percent of its annual navigation operations and maintenance budget for coastal projects at ports with more than 10 million tons of cargo each year.
Other ports in the south Atlantic and along the Gulf of Mexico are likely to see increases in ships as well. For example, USACE studied expansion of the Port of Savannah, Georgia, and found a $652 million investment would bring far larger benefits. The recently enacted Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 authorized deepening projects for Boston Harbor, Savannah Harbor, Jacksonville Harbor, Lake Worth Inlet Palm Beach Harbor, Canaveral Harbor, Sabine Neches Waterway, and Port Freeport. “It’s clear that we’re going to see increased attention to navigation in the southeast U.S.,” McKee said.
While modernization at U.S. ports likely will not be complete by the time of the Panama Canal’s expansion, the overall trend for these sites is a positive one.
Charleston; Morehead City, North Carolina; Mobile; New Orleans/Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Houston, Galveston, Texas City, Port Freeport, and Corpus Christi, Texas; and San Diego are other ports that can accommodate ships that draw 45 feet or less. In some cases, they may be able to accommodate the larger ships during high tide, he said.
Beneficial Dredging
When USACE expands a port, the work generally includes extensive dredging on the ocean, Gulf, bay, or river floor to increase its depth. This dredged material can have many beneficial uses, such as providing new sand to restore sand lost to erosion on a beach. USACE uses dredged material to create new wetland habitats or create new barrier islands for various uses including birdwatching and storm prevention.
Dredging is a particular priority for projects in the Gulf of Mexico, where depths are shallower than at ocean ports. “Often you need to go out several miles” to deepen a Gulf port, McKee said. Most projects require extensive cost-sharing and investment in non-federal channels and facilities so that states, localities, or the private sector work with the federal government to jointly fund projects.
In some cases, partial expansions can be effective. For example, USACE may perform dredging to construct a wider passing lane to and from the port rather than widening an entire channel. “Instead of just a one-way road, there’s a two-lane road for ships,” McKee said.
The container ship Regina Maersk is pushed through the Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina. The harbor is one of several ports that can accommodate ships that draw 45 feet or less. Studies and design to deepen channels to accommodate post-Panamax vessels continue at Charleston Harbor, as well as at other major U.S. ports. Photo by USACE
While modernization at U.S. ports likely will not be complete by the time of the Panama Canal’s expansion, the overall trend for these sites is a positive one. “Even ports without the capacity to accept larger ships will see a cascading effect of increases in ship size as a result of the Panama Canal expansion,” McKee said. “It’s clear that waterborne commerce will continue to increase.”
Gatun Lake spillway, Panama Canal, circa 1914. As the canal celebrates its centennial anniversary this year, work is underway to expand and deepen the canal to accommodate larger ships.
The Port of Miami as seen in 2012. The port is currently being deepened to 50 feet. Congress authorized the dredging project in 2007, but did not provide construction funds. Outside investors and state government are subsidizing the project, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will help maintain.
On Jan. 24, 2014, then-Under Secretary of the Army Joseph W. Westphal visited crew members of the drill boat Apache. They were conducting a blasting operation as part of the final New York/New Jersey harbor deepening project. The Port of New York and New Jersey can now accommodate post-Panamax vessels that draw to a depth of 50 feet in preparation for the completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2015.
Post-Panamax Ships a Reality
Even with the Panama Canal expansion not yet complete, many of the world’s shipping companies have long since made a transition to larger vessels, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
In its June 2012 report, “U.S. Port and Inland Waterways Modernization: Preparing for Post-Panamax Vessels,” USACE’s Institute for Water Resources noted that expanded canals reflect an integral part in global trade. “Post-Panamax vessels are a reality today,” the report stated.
For 2012, post-Panamax vessels made up only 16 percent of the world’s container fleet but accounted for 45 percent of the fleet’s capacity. By 2030, these ships are projected to represent 27 percent of the container fleet yet transport 62 percent of its total tonnage. “The efficiencies of scale they provide drive the deployment of more and more of these vessels,” the report concluded.
This article first appeared in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Building Strong®: Serving the Nation and the Armed Forces 2014-2015 Edition.