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Philadelphia, strategic military seaport

Successful debut as a strategic military seaport 
May 6, 2006
 
Henry J. Holcomb, Philadelphia INQUIRER

Philadelphia, designated a strategic military seaport one year ago,
handled its first big Army shipment this week - 700 pieces of heavy
military equipment.

The huge shipment included 20 helicopters and scores of fuel tank trucks
and other vehicles of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort
Drum, N.Y., which is joining the military operation in Iraq.

"The port's performance was excellent. There were the normal challenges,
but no showstoppers," said Maj. Dave Wortman of the New Orleans-based
Army logistics unit that managed the operation.

The successful deployment solidifies the port's long-sought role as a
strategic military seaport. This designation certifies that it meets the
Pentagon's cargo-handling and security requirements.

It moves the port higher on priority lists for federal port-improvement
and homeland security dollars.

Under the harsh desert conditions of Iraq, equipment must be brought home
for major repairs more frequently than anticipated. So port officials,
though unable to predict precise amounts, expect to do a brisk military
business here.

The equipment loaded this week arrived at the Packer Avenue Marine
Terminal in South Philadelphia by truck, rail and air (the helicopters
flew here).

The huge military shipment was a boost for the dock workers, who have
worked 1,600 hours on the project since Monday. "This is very important
right now in the slow economy," Sal Candelaria, president of Local 1291
of the International Longshoremen's Association.

To bolster the port's effort to get military business, State Rep. William
F. Keller (D., Phila.), a former longshoreman, arranged to have union
members trained at the United Defense Ground Systems Division plant in
York.

"They learned how to start, drive the equipment, load it on a ship, and
lash it down," said Susan Howland, executive director of the Delaware
River Maritime Enterprise Council.

Col. Maynard "Sandy" Sanders, commander of the Army logistics unit
handling the project, said he had worked with 14 U.S. seaports and
several abroad.

Philadelphia is the only port, he said, that has made a "major investment
in training workers to handle military equipment. They were already a
well-seasoned workforce. With this training, they didn't miss a lick,"
said the colonel, whose hometown is Mobile, Ala.

"Becoming a strategic military port was a real coup," Sanders said. "In
the next 10 years, the Department of Defense is going to pump millions
into strategic ports."

Also, the military is the world's largest cargo shipper, even in
peacetime.


Two developments have enhanced the importance of strategic seaports, he
said.
First, the military learned a lot from the Persian Gulf War in 1991, for
which it took the United States four months to assemble its fighting
force in Kuwait. The Pentagon concluded, Sanders said, that future
adversaries "would not allow such a slow buildup."

Now, the Pentagon's goal is to move five military divisions to any point
in the world in just 30 days, down from the old standard of 120 days.

"And the cost of moving massive amounts by air is prohibitive," Sanders
said.
The anticipated military spending will include improved rail access as
well as equipment and other improvements that speed cargo handling. Both
will benefit port businesses when the military is not using them, Sanders
said.

The strategic-port designation also enhances the value of seven military
bases in Pennsylvania and two in New Jersey at a time when the Pentagon
is planning another round of base closures, Howland said.

As a strategic port, Philadelphia will be home to two of the Navy's new
960-foot, Bob Hope-class, medium-speed military cargo ships.

The first of those ships, the USNS Mendonca, to be kept at the Tioga
Marine Terminal in Northeast Philadelphia, arrived yesterday. It glided
past the Packer Avenue Terminal early yesterday afternoon, during a
ceremony celebrating the port's passing this first military test.
 
  
 
 Port of Philadelphia has emerged as a key supply channel for Iraq  
 Successful debut as a strategic military seaport  
 
 Port of Philadelphia has emerged as a key supply channel for Iraq 
July 9, 2006
 
Henry J. Holcomb, Philadelphia INQUIRER

A massive shipment of helicopters, trucks, weapons, heavy equipment and
supplies is passing through the Port of Philadelphia on its way to Iraq,
the biggest test to date of the waterfront's emerging role as a strategic
military seaport.
The first of four ships is being loaded this week under tighter-than-ever
security, using undisclosed methods developed since the port was
certified to handle military shipments two years ago.

The ship now at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia
is the 10th to come here to pick up cargo bound for Iraq or return
damaged equipment.
The port has handled as many as three military vessels in a single month,
but this is the first four-ship project.

Some aspects of the security will be highly visible. Coast Guard patrol
boats, armed with heavy machine guns, will keep boats away from the
terminal. Coast Guard and Civil Air Patrol aircraft are also providing
aerial surveillance.

Much of the cargo has already arrived by truck and rail. Some is being
stored across Columbus Boulevard from the terminal, where the state plans
to build a new home for the Philadelphia Regional Produce Terminal.

Helicopters will begin flying to the dock today, where they will be
shrink-wrapped for the long sea voyage.

No ammunition or explosives are in these shipments. Only government-owned
terminals in sparsely populated areas handle such hazardous cargo.

This series of shipments is part of Operation Iraqi Freedom III, the
third phase of the Persian Gulf conflict. The equipment is from the Army
National Guard's 42d Infantry Rainbow Division, which is being deployed
for the first time since World War II.

The Port of Philadelphia, in just two years, has emerged as one of the
four busiest seaports serving the Iraq war, military logistics officials
say. The others are Charleston, S.C.; Corpus Christi, Texas; and
Jacksonville, Fla.
Philadelphia is part of a military effort to develop what it calls "agile
ports" - terminals that can handle major military cargo "surges" without
disrupting normal civilian business.

That concept will be put to the test at the Packer Terminal this week,
said Tom Holt Jr., whose family-owned firm operates the facility.

Packer will work simultaneously on a military vessel and three commercial
ships. One of the commercial ships will be unloading slab steel; the
other two are ships carrying cargo in truck-size containers that are part
of scheduled service between here and both Australia-New Zealand and
South America.

Port officials hope their success with the complex military shipments
will attract new commercial business. "The port is demonstrating that it
is a sophisticated operation, that it can handle the most complex
shipments," said William B. McLaughlin, Philadelphia Regional Port
Authority public affairs director


The military vessel here yesterday was being handled by 150 members of
the International Longshoremen's Association, Holt said. He estimated,
based on previous military vessels, that each ship would generate 3,600
hours of work for the union.

Adding to the economic impact, the ship bought fuel and supplies, and
required security personnel. Commercial truckers and the CSX Corp.
railroad unit have hauled much of the equipment to the docks.

"It is having a significant economic impact beyond what's readily
apparent," Holt said.

The Army's Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command is
responsible for bringing the cargo to Philadelphia and overseeing the
docks. The ships are owned or chartered by the Navy's Military Sealift
Command.

The port's role has been coordinated by the Delaware River Maritime
Enterprise Council, a nonprofit agency created by the state legislature.
With $5.5 million in state and federal funds, the council has assembled a
team of retired logistics executives, military officers, and law
enforcement agents for the new work.

"Every agency involved has done its job well. But there still needs to be
a lot of coordination. We've become the go-to folks," said Gregory Adams,
a retired Coast Guard captain on the council's team.

State Rep. William F. Keller (D., Phila.), who is chairman of the
maritime enterprise council, said the agency's primary focus remained
building the port. "While everybody is working in the trenches, we also
try to look ahead and develop opportunities," he said.

Another council team member, William Shephard, a former strategic
planning executive with the logistics unit of Union Pacific Corp., is
developing a system for tracking military cargo.

"Every commercial carrier has the ability to track cargo under its
control," he said. His project seeks to eliminate the lapses that occur
when cargo is shifted from one transport mode to another or stored, he
said.

These lapses, he said, result in losses, theft or excess orders from
commanders who cannot find out when what they ordered will arrive.

The maritime enterprise council has been awarded a $1.5 million federal
contract to continue its work in 2005 and develop a model for global
military shipments, said Susan Howland, a logistics consultant who is the
council's executive director.
Port officials are using the military exercises to build a case for
spending more than $100 million in federal and state money to enhance its
ability on military and commercial cargo. This would include improved
security, paving, additional cargo-lifting cranes, faster rail access and
extending the Packer Avenue terminal onto the eastern tip of the old
Philadelphia Navy Base.