AAPA Seaports
Here at The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) we recognize that we are entering a new era of technology at ports, and it is happening at a breakneck pace. The pandemic highlighted fragilities in the supply chain which we were able to address through partnerships, planning, implementing new solutions, and ushering in investments in operational efficiency. We continue to build upon those tools and connections as we also develop new programs that meet the needs of our customers and community stakeholders.
The maritime industry’s crucial transition to zero emissions is also highlighting the need for multi-faceted investment in technology solutions for many aspects of the supply chain. A renewed focus from the federal government — both in port infrastructure and significant new funding being made available for the clean energy transition — means that ports can position themselves to take action toward the next wave of innovation on our waterways. In 2020, NWSA made the voluntary commitment to reduce maritime emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner. Achieving our commitment requires a broad variety of technology shifts, including cargo handling equipment, zero-emission drayage truck technology to serve our terminals, and transitioning fuels that move cargo vessels themselves.
The NWSA is currently developing a roadmap to transition the 4,000 drayage trucks that move cargo across our harbors to zero emission technologies. This roadmap is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, and in the interim we are launching a zero-emission drayage truck pilot program to put this technology into action. Additionally, after collaboration with many partners, including local utilities, our gateway implemented the first pieces of zero emission cargo handling equipment alongside Rail Management Services. This new technology offers operators lower maintenance costs and efficient cargo performance while supporting cleaner air for workers and surrounding communities. In addition, we are investing heavily is shore power infrastructure to eliminate emissions while vessels are at berth, including two berths at the recently modernized Terminal 5 and upcoming construction completion at Husky Terminal.
The NWSA is on a journey to be an industry leader in operationalizing our data to better serve our customers and maritime stakeholders. We believe that accurate and transparent data is foundational to drive best-in-class operations through our gateway. The NWSA strives to deliver the single source of data truth to support our labor partners in workforce planning, marine terminal operators in proactive yard planning, Class 1 rail partners in car supply and network planning, and the local trucking community in resource planning. We are leaning into opportunities to collaborate with world class technology partners that can help us gain visibility of predictive vessel arrivals and detailed cargo analytics in advance of vessels arriving in our harbors. We pride ourselves in enhancing the experience for shippers and stakeholders using our gateway. The more actionable data we can provide, the more benefits we can provide to our customers.
To meet these milestones and continue to bring new technology solutions to our gateway, collaboration is needed at all levels. The NWSA recognizes that partnership is critical to moving forward, and by working together we can bring better value to our customers and the region. By establishing partnerships, we are driving solutions that enable us to fund and implement successful technologies to the supply chain challenges of today and the future. Through this work, we have already achieved significant results are even more excited about the work ahead.
