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Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Portsmouth to become ‘international hub' for shipping of agriculture products, mayor says
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — As part of his State of the City address Friday, Mayor Shannon Glover announced the waterfront could soon be known as 'an international hub for the shipment of grains, soybeans and livestock feed to cities all over the world.' Portsmouth betting on new hotel at Rivers Casino to drive economic growth Later this month, The DeLong Company of Wisconsin will break ground on a new Agricultural Intermodal Export Facility at the CSX yard that formally served the Portsmouth Marine Terminal. Less than a mile away in Port Norfolk, Canadian-based Ray-Mont Logistics plans to do just the same at the Norfolk Portsmouth Beltline Railroad. While both are seeking grants to offset their investments, Glover said the new industry for the city can only be beneficial. 'It puts us on the map for something different,' Glover said. 'In addition to that, it's business. It brings business, which brings tax revenue, which does good things for the city of Portsmouth. So anytime we can bring a new business and a new concept, perhaps, that may attract other similar businesses that may want to come to Portsmouth as well.' A view of what The DeLong Company plans to construct off Harper Lane in Portsmouth Virginia. (Courtesy: The DeLong Co.) The DeLong facility will have the capability to receive unit trains and transload product into containers for export, according to a release from the company. When operational, whole grains and feedstuffs produced and processed locally and throughout the Midwest will be brought to the CSX yard by train and trucks. The product will then be transloaded into shipping export containers and trucked to the Port of Virginia. The facility is expected to handle 15,000-20,000 containers annually and help cut down on empty containers being placed on ships. 'This project represents a major step in strengthening the economic, agricultural and logistical landscape of Virginia and the greater East Coast to Midwest regions,' said Brandon Bickham, vice president of exports at The DeLong Co. said. 'We have been collaborating on this project with the Port of Virginia and CSX Railroad, and we are excited to bring this project to Portsmouth. The new facility will not only open new markets to agricultural producers, but also contribute to the area's long-term growth and success.' The project will be the first transload facility on the East Coast that can handle 90 car shuttle trains carrying renewable energy feed by-products, according to a presentation to the Portsmouth Port & Industrial Commission in March. Two 70-foot diameter concrete bins will be constructed, along with optimized rail loading equipment. In total, it's estimated that the two phase project could cost nearly $40 million. DeLong has applied for a $750,000 Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation rail industrial access grant and will apply to the Port Infrastructure Development Program for funds as well. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida port official fears Trump's funding freeze
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's executive order freezing infrastructure funding authorized by Congress is putting billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of thousands of projects at risk, according to Democrats in Congress. The head of a major American seaport agreed. 'Our entire industry is very alarmed and concerned about the pause on grant funding,' Paul Anderson, president and CEO of Port Tampa Bay, told lawmakers at a House Transportation and Infrastructure maritime subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. Anderson, a past chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities, said the concern was significant enough to warrant an emergency meeting of representatives from ports around the country. 'There's a lot of uncertainty, and [the funding pause] will be very difficult and burdensome for ports that have had strategic planning involving the use of federal grants.' But Anderson also believes it's too early to panic. 'We're very early on in this new administration. I think we need patience to let this work its way out,' he told the committee. 'I think once this is reevaluated and looked at, pragmatism will win the day. We can't just stop delivering funds – these grants … are critical to competing on the world stage.' Two competitive grants that ports rely on for expansion projects, the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) and the Marine Highway Grant Program, were swept up in Trump's recent executive orders and policy memos that halted federal project funding. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $2.25 billion for the PIDP program over five years (2022-2026), with $450 million made available for fiscal year 2025. A memo issued last week by the Office of Management and Budget rescinded the funding freeze, but lawmakers and port executives are still unsure of the status of project money that has already been approved. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., the ranking member of the subcommittee, said the subcommittee 'has yet to get clear answers' from the U.S. Maritime Administration, which administers the grants, about whether any port projects have so far had to be halted. U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said that property adjacent to the Port of Anacortes in his district 'has been sitting unused to its maximum job potential for a long time, and now that's on pause,' due to funding uncertainty. 'Imagine that story being told in every Democratic and Republican district in this country right now, because of this uncalled for pause.' Trump's plans to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development is also taking a toll on the U.S. maritime sector, the subcommittee was told, because much of the international cargo included in programs administered by the agency is required to be hauled by U.S. flag ships. 'Right now for us this is a major issue,' Brian Schoeneman, legislative director for the Seafarers International Union of North America, testified before the subcommittee. 'I've talked to one of our biggest food aid carriers, they have ships currently sailing. One of them already has been laid up because they don't have cargo. Another one is on its way back from Africa, and it will get laid up when it gets here. Every time they lay a ship up, that's 20 to 30 jobs for my members, and we don't know how long these ships are going to be out of service.' He said one U.S. flag carrier is still owed $6 million under its government contract and 'they're worried about never getting paid.' Democrats see budget cuts aimed at making the federal government more efficient as weakening America's ability to compete in the maritime sector with foreign adversaries. 'Continued threats and actions to claw back infrastructure funding are sowing chaos and will have devastating impacts on the maritime industry, national security and economic security,' Larsen said. 'China heavily subsidizes port and maritime operations, while the U.S. does not.' Schoeneman asserted those subsidies amount to billions, if not trillions, of U.S. dollars. 'In less than 30 years, China has emerged as the dominant commercial maritime power,' he said. 'They are the world's largest shipowner, the world's largest shipbuilder, and they control most of the world's trailer chassis, maritime cranes, and shipping container supply. 'In that same period, the United States has invested a pittance. While we aren't failing when it comes to our infrastructure, we're on the brink. We as a nation have not made maritime a priority, but our opponents have, and the proof is all around us.' House lawmakers crack down on Chinese ocean freight data Ports call out 'sensationalized' targeting of foreign container cranes Red Sea cargo diversions could affect 2024 holiday shipping Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher. The post Florida port official fears Trump's funding freeze appeared first on FreightWaves.
