Ports – Professional Mariner

19 Jan

New CEO ‘thinking big’ for Port of Long Beach

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPorts, shipping

(LONG BEACH, Calif.) — The Port of Long Beach is defining what’s possible as the "Port of the Future" by spurring innovation and building the infrastructure needed to double its cargo throughput by 2050, Port CEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba said Thursday during his first State of the Port address. While announcing a record-setting 2025 with nearly 9.9 million cargo containers…

14 Jan

Limestone trade down 5.9 percent last year on Great Lakes

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — Limestone shipments on the Great Lakes totaled 26.6 million tons in 2025, a decrease of 5.9 percent compared to the previous year. Loadings in 2025 were below the trade’s five-year average by 6.7 percent. Shipments from U.S. quarries decreased 5 percent from 2024 to 21.7 million tons. Loadings from U.S. quarries were also 5 percent below their five-year…

12 Jan

Great Lakes iron ore trade down 12.8 percent in 2025

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 4.2 million tons in December, a decrease of 8.8 percent compared to 2024. Shipments were also below the five-year average for the month by 7.6 percent. The year-end total for the iron ore trade decreased by 12.8 percent to 43.4 million tons. Iron ore loadings for 2025 were down…

10 Jan

Coast Guard releases report on fatal ship fire at Port Newark

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsPorts, U.S. Coast Guard

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis recently released a report of investigation (ROI) regarding the fire on the Italian-flagged cargo vessel Grande Costa D'Avorio and subsequent fatalities of two Newark Fire Department firefighters. The vessel was conducting cargo operations at Berth 18 at Port Newark, N.J., on July 5, 2023, at the time…

06 Jan

MarAd takes over deepwater port licensing from Coast Guard

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsMarAd, Ports, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) announced on Monday that it will take on oversight of deepwater port licensing from the U.S. Coast Guard. This change will streamline environmental reviews, accelerate license approvals, and lower domestic energy costs. “The Deepwater Port Program is a key pillar of President Trump’s energy dominance strategy. With this change, we’ll soon accelerate project approvals…

19 Dec

Shipbuilder sought for all-electric ferries in San Diego

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsferries, Ports, propulsion, shipbuilding

(SAN DIEGO) — Flagship Cruises & Events, in partnership with Aurora Marine Design and with the support from the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, has released an official bid package inviting shipyards to compete for the opportunity to build California’s first newly constructed all-electric passenger ferries. This milestone marks a pivotal step in the San Diego Zero-Emission Sustainable…

18 Dec

LA cargo up slightly in 2025 despite trade uncertainty

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPorts, shipping

(LOS ANGELES) — The Port of Los Angeles processed 782,249 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in November, a decrease of 12 percent compared to last year’s elevated cargo levels. With one month left in the year, the port has handled 9,447,731 TEUs, 1 percent more than 2024. “Even with all the trade uncertainty, we’ll finish 2025 north of 10 million TEUs,…

15 Dec

Port Everglades posts best year for cruise, cargo, energy

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsPorts, shipping

(FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.) — Broward County's Port Everglades has set a new benchmark for performance, breaking its own records across all three of its core business sectors – cruise, cargo and energy – based on preliminary fiscal year 2025 numbers. For the first time in the port's recent history, Port Everglades simultaneously surpassed its highest volumes in cruise, cargo and…

15 Dec

Noel Hacegaba confirmed as Port of Long Beach CEO

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry NewsPorts, shipping

(LONG BEACH, Calif.) — The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Dec. 8 unanimously appointed Noel Hacegaba as the incoming chief executive officer (CEO) of the Port of Long Beach, effective Jan. 1, 2026. Hacegaba, a longtime port executive currently serving as chief operating officer (COO), succeeds departing CEO Mario Cordero amid an era of significant growth at the…

01 Dec

Four crewmen injured in boxship fire at Port of Wilmington

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsPorts, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(WILMINGTON, Del.) — Four crewmembers were injured, one seriously, after fire broke out aboard a containership Wednesday in the Port of Wilmington. At about 9:30 a.m., the crew of the Liberian-flagged Chiquita Voyager reported a fire in the engine room. Personnel from multiple agencies responded to the incident, including units from the Wilmington Fire Department, New Castle County Emergency Management…