Sea Grant’s Interest in the
field of marine transportation
 Sea
Grant embraces the principles of sustainable development.
We need our Ports AND we need a healthy environment.
Solutions to port needs, environmental needs, and
security needs must be based on sound science. Sea
Grant provides credible scientific information related
to the issues facing the nation’s maritime transportation
industry, enabling it to meet its challenges in a
safe and responsible manner.
Importance of marine transportation
to the national economy
 Did
you know?....
- On average, every
state in the U.S. relies on 13 to15 ports located
throughout the country to manage its trade.
- Wal Mart is the nation’s No. 1 importer of
containerized goods.
- The Marine Transportation System includes:
-
1000 harbor
channels
-
300 ports
-
25,000 miles
of inland, intracoastal and coastal waterways
-
1,900 deep-draft
terminals
- All of which are connected to
-
152,000 miles
of rail
-
60,000 miles
of pipeline
-
45,000 miles
of interstate highways
U.S. Foreign Trade via Ocean Container
Transport
20 Largest U.S. Exporters
| Rank |
Exporter |
Product |
Rank |
Exporter |
Product |
| 1 |
America Chung Nam, Inc. |
Wastepaper |
11 |
DaimlerChrysler |
Mfg-Automobiles |
| 2 |
Weyerhaeuser Company |
Forest/Paper Products |
12 |
Tyson Foods, Inc. |
Food |
| 3 |
E.I. duPont de Nemours & Company |
Chemicals |
13 |
General Electric Company |
Conglomerate |
| 4 |
Cargill, Inc. |
Food-Diversified |
14 |
Altria Group Inc. |
Food, Beverages, Tobacco |
| 5 |
Cellmark Group |
Paper |
15 |
ConAgra Foods, Inc. |
Food-Diversified |
| 6 |
Georgia-Pacific Group |
Forest/Paper Products |
16 |
BASF Corp. |
Chemicals |
| 7 |
MeadWestvaco Corp. |
Paper/Paper Products |
17 |
J.C. Horizon Ltd. |
Paper |
| 8 |
International Paper Company |
Paper/Paper Products |
18 |
Englehard Corp. |
Chemicals/ Metals |
| 9 |
Dow Chemical Co. |
Chemicals/ Plastics/ Agricultural |
19 |
Allan Co. |
Paper |
| 10 |
Procter & Gamble Company |
Mfg-Consumer Products |
20 |
Dunavant Enterprises Inc. |
Cotton |
Source: Journal of Commerce, Volume
5, Issue 22,
May 31-June 6, 2004
U.S. Foreign Trade via Ocean Container
Transport
20 Largest U.S. Importers
| Rank |
Importer |
Product |
Rank |
Importer |
Product |
| 1 |
Wal-Mart |
Retail |
11 |
Payless Shoe Source Inc. |
Retail |
| 2 |
The Home Depot |
Retail |
12 |
Ashley Furniture Industries |
Mfg. Furniture |
| 3 |
Target Corporation |
Retail |
13 |
Matsushita Electric Corp. of America |
Mfg. Electronics |
| 4 |
Dole Food Company |
Food |
14 |
Sony Corp. of America |
Conglomerate |
| 5 |
Chiquita Brands Intl. Inc. |
Food |
15 |
American Honda Motor Co. |
Mfg. Auto & Transport |
| 6 |
Lowe's Companies |
Retail |
16 |
General Electric Co. |
Conglomerate |
| 7 |
Kmart Corporation |
Retail |
17 |
Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.. |
Mfg. Auto & Transport |
| 8 |
Heineken USA, Inc. |
Beverages |
18 |
Pier 1 Imports Inc. |
Retail |
| 9 |
Interbrew SA. |
Beverages |
19 |
Big Lots Inc. |
Liquidator Retail |
| 10 |
Ikea International A/S |
Retail |
20 |
LG Group |
Conglomerate |
Source: Journal of Commerce, Volume
5, Issue 22,
May 31-June 6, 2004
Ports & Harbors Outreach
The Ports and Harbors program is involved in Sea
Grant’s traditional functions of research, outreach,
and education/communication. This involvement includes
activities such as the following:
-
Increasing the
understanding among many federal, state, and local
agency officials about the importance of the marine
transportation industry by lectures, speeches, and
papers delivered by the marine transportation specialists.
-
Providing a link
between the marine transportation industry and academia
by active involvement in a number of associations
focused on maritime transportation.
-
Increasing public
awareness of marine transportation issues by lecturing
and hosting public meetings on issues such as pollution,
security, and economic impacts.
-
Increasing awareness
among graduate students in public policy about the
issues surrounding marine transportation by teaching
courses and guest lecturing.
- Functioning as an honest broker of science to aid
in the decision-making process for ports, harbors,
and marine transportation issues.
Critical Issues
The following is a partial list of the many critical
issues facing the marine transportation, especially
port authorities:
-
Supply chain security
-
The impact of ever-increasing
ship size on ports and the connected transportation
network
-
Non-port land uses
which are encroaching on some seaports
-
24/7 terminal operations
-
Lack of room for
many ports to expand operations inland
-
Rail/road traffic
at ports handling containerized cargo
-
Air emissions from
ships and trucks
-
Habitat degradation
from port operations and construction
-
Invasive species
(ballast water concerns)
-
Effect of operations
on endangered species
-
Dredging and disposal
- Trade and regulatory policies
- Waterway infrastructure maintenance
- Environmental monitoring and management requirements
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