Category : News

The South Jersey Port Corporation proudly welcomes Richard F. Altomare to its team as the newly appointed General Manager for Security, Public Safety, and Emergency Management and Facility Security Officer. As the former head of the TSA’s Federal Air Marshal Service in Philadelphia, Altomare brings a wealth of law enforcement expertise and decades of experience to his new role.

“We’re delighted to have Rich’s extensive and impressive decades of law enforcement expertise leading our security team and emergency management efforts,” said Andrew Saporito, SJPC’s Executive Director and CEO. “He not only enforced the regulations, tactics, strategies and policies to protect America’s air flights and borders, he wrote them at the TSA and taught them as an adjunct professor.”

Altomare’s career spans from a military policeman in the Army, to a police officer in Brigantine, New Jersey, and then rising through the ranks at the Transportation Security Agency. In 2023, he was awarded the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security’s Exceptional Service Gold Medal in recognition of his exceptional leadership.

He led law enforcement and security operations over numerous maximum transportation security/mass-attendance events, including Super Bowl LI, 2016 NCAA Final Four Championship Game, and “Operations Allies Welcome.”

While simultaneously performing his duties with the Transportation Security Administration, from 2013 to 2023, he served as Adjunct Professor/Course Developer at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, delivering graduate-level lectures on Homeland Security and Criminal Justice studies.

Altomare holds a Master of Science in Administrative from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Stockton University.

We are thrilled to congratulate our very own South Jersey Ports board member, Sheila Roberts who recently received the prestigious Camden Hero Award at the Camden Community Partnership’s Annual Meeting. 

The Camden Hero Award is a testament to Sheila’s lifelong dedication to her beloved city and its residents. It recognizes her unwavering commitment to making Camden a better place for everyone, and her impact has left an indelible mark on the community.

Sheila Roberts is not just a resident of Camden; she is a true community leader. Her journey has been defined by selfless service and advocacy, as she has tirelessly championed the causes she holds dear.

For over two decades, Sheila has served as the President of the Cooper Lanning Civic Association, tirelessly advocating for the Cooper Plaza neighborhood and partnering with the adjacent Lanning Square neighborhood. Her dedication extends far beyond her role in the association; she contributes to area food banks, supports homeless shelters, and collaborates with organizations to provide essential items to those in need throughout the year.

Sheila’s commitment to social determinants of health is evident in her partnership with the Food Bank of South Jersey, where she facilitates regular food distributions. She has also played a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining a community garden in Cooper Plaza, providing a source of fresh produce for neighbors.

Sheila’s involvement in youth sports underscores her commitment to providing recreational opportunities for Camden’s youth. Her dedication to the Camden Promise Neighborhood Initiative further highlights her passion for creating opportunities and resources for children and families.

Her dedication to improving the quality of life for Camden residents has led her to volunteer and serve on numerous boards and committees. Her background as a retired teacher from the Camden City Public Schools and her education at Rutgers University-Camden have equipped her with the knowledge and passion needed to effect positive change.

Sheila Roberts is not just a board member; she is a Camden hero. Her unwavering commitment to the city and its residents has made a profound and lasting impact, exemplifying the spirit of resiliency, selflessness, and betterment that the Camden Hero Award celebrates.

“We are immensely proud to have Sheila as a part of the South Jersey Ports family, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations on this well-deserved honor. Sheila’s dedication is an inspiration to us all, and we look forward to continuing to make a positive impact alongside her in the city,”  said Andy Saporito, South Jersey Ports Executive Director & CEO.

The team at South Jersey Ports recognizes that its presence in the communities of Camden, Paulsboro, and Salem is not just about business and the supply chain; it’s about people. This understanding has fueled our commitment to community outreach efforts, which have become an integral part of our mission.

One of the standout initiatives is our participation in local job fairs. We recognize the importance of providing employment opportunities to residents in the area. It is our mission after all to foster regional economic development and that means creating local jobs. We partner with local organizations and schools to ensure we are actively recruiting from the local talent pool.

South Jersey Ports’ outreach efforts extend far beyond just job fairs. We understand that the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. That’s why we regularly organize student tours and career days at port facilities. These events provide students with an up-close look at the maritime industry and the career possibilities it holds. They inspire young minds to consider careers in logistics, engineering, and various other fields, paving the way for a brighter future for our communities.

Participation in neighborhood clean-ups is another crucial aspect of the ports’ community involvement. We recognize that a clean environment is essential for the well-being of our neighbors. By actively participating in clean-up initiatives, we hope to not only contribute to a healthier living environment but also foster a sense of togetherness with our neighbors. Our teams roll up their sleeves, put on gloves, and work side by side with residents and other stakeholders demonstrating our shared commitment to being responsible stewards of the environment.

Moreover, the ports’ commitment to the community goes beyond the physical boundaries of our facilities. We actively engage with local organizations and support various community projects and events throughout the year.

The philosophy behind all these efforts is clear: our organization views itself as an integral part of the South Jersey community. We don’t just want to coexist with our neighbors; we want to thrive together. We understand that our success is intertwined with the well-being of the communities we call home.

In the end, our commitment to community outreach efforts isn’t just about being a good neighbor; it’s about being a true partner in the growth of our host cities. By fostering relationships, providing opportunities, and making a positive impact, we are not only helping build a stronger community but also setting a standard for responsible corporate citizenship. Our mission isn’t just about shipping goods; it’s about building bridges of goodwill and collaboration that benefit everyone involved.

A Remarkable Half-Century of Collaboration

Forging lasting partnerships can be a challenging feat for any organization, often discussed but not always realized. The collaboration between Macsteel International and South Jersey Ports (SJP) is a shining example of such partnerships and a remarkable testament to the enduring power of strong alliances.

For over 116 years, Macsteel International has been a leading manufacturer, merchandiser, and distributor of steel and value-added products. With a global presence encompassing cities around the globe such as Amsterdam, Dubai, New York, Houston, Camden, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Melbourne, Macsteel has firmly established itself as a key player in the steel industry, boasting $244 million in revenues and a dedicated team of 500 employees.

A Handshake Deal That Lasted 50 Years

The partnership between Macsteel and SJP began in the mid-1970s when William (Bill) Matteo, an executive at the time, forged a connection with the port’s then-executive director, Joseph Balzano. Remarkably, the deal was sealed with a handshake, and it has stood strong for half a century.

According to Michael J. Purpura, International Domestic Shipping and Logistic Manager for Macsteel International, who now oversees the SJPC-Macsteel partnership, “We’ve forged a very close relationship through a succession of natural management iterations. Currently, we are working closely with Brendan Dugan, Assistant Executive Director/Chief Commercial Officer who shares the same commitment, focus, and attitude that we do—ensuring excellence in customer service.”

The South Jersey Ports’ Advantages

For Macsteel, the port’s facilities are ideal. Purpura notes, “South Jersey Ports allow easy access to our customers in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and the Midwest. It’s centrally located on the U.S. East Coast and offers excellent facilities, warehousing, laydown areas for our cargo, and superb highway and rail connections from the port to our customers.”

Moreover, it’s the seamless, “hand-in-glove” relationship that has flourished over five decades that truly sets South Jersey Ports apart. The no-nonsense, “let’s get to it” approach of the port team members resonates deeply with Macsteel, emphasizing the shared commitment to delivering cargo promptly to customers.

Market and Tonnage

Macsteel’s imports through South Jersey Ports vary between 5,000 to 10,000 tons of diverse steel products, largely driven by customer demand. While the Biden infrastructure plan promises a significant surge in steel demand over the next decade, immediate concerns, such as labor issues and supply chain disruptions, are at the forefront of customer priorities.

Purpura explains, “Right now, customers are cautious, managing inventories, and awaiting resolution of labor issues.  However, Macsteel and South Jersey Ports remain steadfast in our commitment to delivering, as we have for years.”

As Macsteel and South Jersey Ports continue to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the steel industry, their enduring partnership serves as a beacon of stability, dedication, and collaboration. Here’s to the next 50 years of success and shared achievements.

“Over the past 50 years, we’ve built a relationship based on trust and a shared goal of superior customer service and meeting supply chain demand. It’s a true honor to celebrate this remarkable milestone together as we look forward to the future,” said Andy Saporito, Executive Director & CEO of South Jersey Ports.

Celebration Commemorating the City’s Role in the International Supply Chain Held on October 24, 2023
CAMDEN, NJ – Clipper Bulk Shipping Ltd, a renowned international shipping company, honored the City of Camden, New Jersey, by naming one of its state-of-the-art vessels, the “Norse Camden,” in recognition of Camden’s vital role in the global supply chain. This remarkable tribute underscores the deep and enduring partnership between Clipper Bulk Shipping and the South Jersey Port Corporation, as well as the significance of Camden as the company’s largest U.S. port of call.

For more than three decades, Clipper Bulk Shipping has been a steadfast partner in Camden City, importing steel from Northern Europe, with a focus on tinplate in coils, steel coils, and structural steel. This enduring relationship has not only been beneficial for trade and commerce but has also contributed to Camden’s reputation as a pivotal gateway in the international maritime industry.

Camden Mayor, Vic Carstarphen expressed his enthusiasm for this symbolic gesture, stating, “We are honored to have our city’s name associated with Clipper Bulk Shipping’s Norse Camden vessel. This event highlights the importance of Camden in the global supply chain and reinforces our commitment to fostering strong international partnerships.”
State Senator Nilsa Cruz Perez also emphasized the significance of this occasion, saying, “Clipper Bulk Shipping’s decision to name a ship after Camden showcases Camden’s integral role in international trade. It reflects the commitment of our local, state, and international partners to the prosperity and economic growth of our community and state.”
Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. added, “This event is a testament to the dedication of our stakeholders, the City of Camden, South Jersey Port Corporation, Delaware River Stevedores, and Terminal Shipping, who have tirelessly worked together to strengthen our relationship with Clipper Bulk Shipping. We’re proud to be a part of this partnership.”

Clipper Bulk Shipping Ltd, a privately held company founded by Torben G. Jensen in 1972, continues to thrive under the leadership of Chairman Frank G. Jensen and Partner and Member of the Board Niels G. Jensen. Clipper Bulk Shipping is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with operational offices in Houston, Hong Kong, and Cape Town and operates a fleet of approximately 90 vessels.

Andy Saporito, Executive Director & CEO of South Jersey Ports, highlighted the significance of the Norse Camden, stating, “The Norse vessels are a remarkable addition to the international supply chain and symbolize a more modern and eco-friendly approach to shipping which aligns with our sustainability and port modernization goals. We are proud to host the Norse Camden and are excited to continue our partnership with Clipper Bulk Shipping as we embark on a new chapter in our shared maritime history.”

NJ State Assemblyman Bill Moen expressed his excitement for the celebration of this milestone for Camden saying, “The Norse Camden is not only a testament to the ingenuity of maritime engineering but also a reflection of the global partnerships that drive our state’s economy. It’s inspiring to witness this ship’s journey from its construction in Japan to its vital role in our port in Camden, New Jersey.”

The Norse Camden is the fifth vessel in a series of eco-friendly ships, constructed primarily in Japan. This series, named after main steel ports worldwide, emphasizes the connection between global trade and the dedicated ports that facilitate it.
The official berthing of the Norse Camden at Balzano Terminal in Camden came on October 22, 2023, and was celebrated at Balzano Terminal in Camden on Tuesday, October 24. This event was a significant moment in the maritime history of Camden, celebrating its rich legacy and vibrant future in the global supply chain.

“South Jersey Port Corporation has been a great business partner for us for many, many years,” said Peter Svensson, senior vice president and head of Clipper Americas. He emphasized the incredible milestones achieved through this enduring partnership, “The millions of tons of steel that our ships have moved over three decades through Balzano Marine Terminal in Camden are a testament to the trust and reliability that defines our relationship. This is a great way to celebrate The Norse Camden and the tremendous growth and success we’ve made together.”

About the Norse Camden: The Norse Camden, a remarkable addition to Clipper Bulk Shipping’s fleet was meticulously constructed at the renowned Shikoku Dockyard Company Ltd. in Takamatsu, Japan. With a displacement of 48,617 metric tons and a deadweight of 40,020 metric tons at a draft of 35.52 feet in full load condition, the vessel boasts impressive dimensions. Her overall length extends to 600 feet, while her beam spans 99.7 feet, providing ample capacity for the transportation of cargo. Powered by a robust Mitsui-Man B&W engine producing 6,120 kW of power at 99 revolutions per minute, the Norse Camden cruises at a maximum speed of 14.2 knots. Launched on September 7, 2021, and delivered on January 17, 2022, this state-of-the-art vessel is registered in Singapore.

About the South Jersey Port Corporation: The South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) provides world-class facilities and beneficial services that support and accommodate the transportation of goods and commodities, both by water and land. It is the mission of the SJPC to foster regional economic development through revenue generation in a financially and environmentally sustainable manner to support facility, staffing, and infrastructure investment for the benefit of our Port District, including the cities of Camden, Paulsboro, and Salem, New Jersey.

U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today announced $750,000 in new funding that the congressman secured in the FY 2023 omnibus package. The money will be used to stabilize Berth 1 at the Balzano Marine Terminal so the port can meet increasing business activity.
“The ‘liquid highway’ that is the Delaware River is an economic lifeline for South Jersey and the surrounding region,” said Congressman Norcross. “By investing in our critical infrastructure, we are increasing the capacity of our ports and local businesses to access markets not just here in South Jersey, but across the country. Additionally, this funding will create good-paying jobs. I’m proud to have fought for this funding in Congress and look forward to seeing the positive economic impact this project has on our region.”

“We want to thank Congressman Norcross for his advocacy in Washington and his ongoing support of our mission at the South Jersey Ports,” said Andy Saporito, executive director and CEO of the South Jersey Port Corporation. “This investment directly translates into job retention and creation – from the construction workers who will build it, to the dockworkers loading and unloading ships, to the truckers hauling the cargo, to jobs in the industries on the end of the supply chain. It’s a multiplier that is great for our link in the global supply chain.”

“The Port of Camden is one of the busiest along the east coast, so this funding will go a long way to ensure it remains an economic engine,” said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen. “I am grateful to Congressman Donald Norcross for fighting for this critical funding, grateful for his commitment to invest in much-needed infrastructure upgrades, and grateful for new employment opportunities coming to Camden and this region.”

The funding is one of 15 local projects Congressman Norcross secured funding for in the FY 2023 omnibus funding package. In total, he brought back over $10 million in community project funding for New Jersey’s 1st Congressional District.

When plywood cargo is stalled because of damaged shipping crates importers call Matt DeLuca, Sr. at Federal Warehousing located at South Jersey Ports’ Broadway Marine Terminal to the rescue. “Importers call us to make their distressed cargo shippable,” explained DeLuca, Sr. “For 25 years we have been their quality-control team. We make sure that the cargo is ‘reworked.’ We repair the crates, from repairing damaged edges to an entire rebuild of the crates and repackaging of the cargo. We make sure the cargo is secured and safe for shipment by truck, rail, or ship. And we do it quickly and at the right price.”

It’s a service that is good for the importers’ bottom line and, good for the environment – and, for the DeLuca Family, an affirmation that the South Jersey Ports is a ladder of opportunity, that even without a college degree, you can have a prosperous career and even start your own business.

While millions of tons of cargo move undamaged throughout the port, a tiny fraction becomes un-shippable because of weak crating and/or rough conditions, creating a niche business opportunity for DeLuca, Sr. DeLuca’s Federal Warehousing has been servicing 20 plywood importers at South Jersey Ports’ terminals and traveling to other ports for his clients to survey cargos that need to be “reworked.”

The plywood Federal Warehousing salvages results in significant savings and less impact on importers’ narrow profit margins. The repurposing of plywood also reduces waste in landfills and results in reducing use of one of our most precious natural resources…trees that have many benefits to our environment.

In the grand scheme of port operations, “reworking” distressed plywood cargo is a niche – but it’s a vital niche that requires skilled labor learned on the docks of the South Jersey Ports. Matt DeLuca, Sr. learned “by doing” and by developing the expertise in ‘reworking’ the cargo and earning the trust of the importers.

“It’s developing skills and relationships that three generations of the DeLuca Family learned working at the South Jersey Ports,” Matt, Sr. said. “My Dad, Joe, Sr. worked at South Jersey Ports for decades and my brother Joe Jr. and I followed in his footsteps and now my son Matt, Jr. is working at South Jersey Ports, keeping up the family tradition.”

“We’re grateful to South Jersey Ports for good jobs that made it possible to raise our middle-class families and for the opportunities where you are measured by your performance to get the job done, not by diplomas or college degrees.”

South Jersey Ports networks its’ people into an extended port family of companies, relationships and port people who mentor and share their knowledge to hone their skills and ensure the supply chain needs are met.

“I developed a relationship with one of our (South Jersey Port’s) tenants who mentored me constantly,” DeLuca, Sr. said. “They taught me the ropes of the port operations from the shippers’ and importers’ eyes. They encouraged me to take a risk and now I have my own business.”

In 1984, Dan Szustowicz, Sr. and his wife Mary founded D&M Transportation Services, Inc., a family owned and operated trucking company. D&M offers trucking and logistics solutions to South Jersey Ports’ terminal customers and other businesses others along the Delaware River and has been headquartered for 33 years at South Jersey Ports’ Broadway Marine Terminal in Camden, N.J.

D&M is a flatbed trucking company that services the supply chain in the Northeast region of the United States by transporting a wide variety of commodities (steel, aluminum, tin-plate, and wood) including coils, plate, tubing, lumber, and roofing materials. D&M offers full truckload and less than truckload (LTL) service for loads with either import or domestic origins. Their drivers are TWIC compliant and have extensive knowledge in handling a variety of materials including specialty cargo.

With a passion for quality control and customer service, D&M Transportation Services, Inc. has also developed itself as expert haulers of a variety of specialty steel cargos including high-quality rolled steel, flat plate steel, and structural steel beams.

Dan Szustowicz, Sr. was in high school when he started in the trucking industry. Over the ensuing decades, with the exception of a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, he mastered all aspects of the trucking and logistics industry from a management / operations perspective. He has done it all. He worked his way up from company to company mastering key aspects of trucking and logistics with increasing responsibility: inbound/outbound foreman, city dispatcher, and operations manager. In 1974, Ohio Fast Freight (a steel hauling carrier) hired him as a terminal manager, where he honed his operational skills and expertise in handling steel cargo.

“Ten years later, D&M (Dan & Mary) Transportation Services was born,” said Lisa Szustowicz-Colella, Dan Szustowicz’s daughter who was hired in 1987, soon to be followed by her younger brother, Dan Szustowicz, Jr. in 1994.

“We started out using owner-operators and once business grew, my father started to purchase his own equipment and hire drivers. He also obtained his CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) to back up our team. Dan Sr. would often jump into a truck, at the last minute, to deliver a shipment for a customer in need. He always kept an extra truck open for shipments like that.” said Lisa Szustowicz-Colella.

D&M’s equipment consists of late model Peterbilt tractors, flatbed Conestoga trailers and flatbeds with side kits. Their tractors are ELD compliant and equipped with GPS tracking, providing customers with real time status of their loads. Their fleet services a 150-mile radius of their home terminal in Camden, NJ. Being a tenant of South Jersey Ports has been key to D&M’s business growth within the region.
To give its import customers a greater geographic reach into the United States, the Szustowicz family also operates, D&M Services, Inc, a full-service transportation logistics company formed to service their customers’ growing transportation needs and to assist import customers with longer hauls out of the ports of New Jersey and Philadelphia.

“We have expanded to service other ports such as Baltimore, Savannah, New Orleans, Houston, as well as the Great Lakes ports,” explained Lisa. With a network of more than 5,000 contract carriers, D&M Services, Inc. provides customers with excellent transportation services at a reasonable cost. They offer full truckload (T/L), less than truckload (LTL), long-haul and container services.

“When we moved to South Jersey Ports Joe Balzano, then executive director, made sure we felt like were part of the port community. He helped to market us by introducing D&M to new customers and always included us in meetings with existing customers. We shared a common 24/7 work ethic and commitment to our customers. Mr. Saporito, his successor, has the same passion. Andy came in with a plan and immediately started improvements to both terminals. He’s making major upgrades to the infrastructure by upgrading the equipment and facilities,” said Dan Szustowicz, Jr.

For more information, please visit them on the web at: www.dandminc.com or call
1 (800) 220-3806 or (856) 963-0099.

February 27, 2023
CAMDEN CITY, NJ – U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today announced $750,000 in new funding that the congressman secured in the FY 2023 omnibus package. The money will be used to stabilize Berth 1 at the Balzano Marine Terminal so the port can meet increasing business activity.

“The ‘liquid highway’ that is the Delaware River is an economic lifeline for South Jersey and the surrounding region,” said Congressman Norcross. “By investing in our critical infrastructure, we are increasing the capacity of our ports and local businesses to access markets not just here in South Jersey, but across the country. Additionally, this funding will create good-paying jobs. I’m proud to have fought for this funding in Congress and look forward to seeing the positive economic impact this project has on our region.”

“We want to thank Congressman Norcross for his advocacy in Washington and his ongoing support of our mission at the South Jersey Ports,” said Andy Saporito, executive director and CEO of the South Jersey Port Corporation. “This investment directly translates into job retention and creation – from the construction workers who will build it, to the dockworkers loading and unloading ships, to the truckers hauling the cargo, to jobs in the industries on the end of the supply chain. It’s a multiplier that is great for our link in the global supply chain.”

“The Port of Camden is one of the busiest along the east coast, so this funding will go a long way to ensure it remains an economic engine,” said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen. “I am grateful to Congressman Donald Norcross for fighting for this critical funding, grateful for his commitment to invest in much-needed infrastructure upgrades, and grateful for new employment opportunities coming to Camden and this region.”

The funding is one of 15 local projects Congressman Norcross secured funding for in the FY 2023 omnibus funding package. In total, he brought back over $10 million in community project funding for New Jersey’s 1st Congressional District.

About the Infrastructure Improvements at Berth 1 of Balzano Marine Terminal
Berth 1, which is adjacent to the location of the Battleship New Jersey, has been progressively collapsing over the past 20 years, rendering the structure unsafe and off-limits for use. At the west wall of the adjacent Transit Shed 1 building, which is used to store cargo and load rail cars, voids have developed due to the washout of the shoreline. The recent surge in business activity necessitates these repairs to enable the Port to better utilize the shed for cargo storage and transfer to rail cars for transcontinental delivery.

The scope of work will entail removing the northern portion of existing collapsed Berth 1 material and placing riprap stone to reestablish shoreline stability, thus preventing further washout of the material and voids from forming at the existing west side of the Transit Shed 1 building. This early-action construction project is part of a planned program for the Balzano Marine Terminal berth improvement program when additional funding sources become available.

About the South Jersey Port Corporation
The South Jersey Port Corporation was created in 1968 to operate marine shipping terminals in the South Jersey Port District which consists of seven counties: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Mercer and Cape May. The SJPC is a quasi-state agency, which reports through the Department of Treasury to the Governor of New Jersey.
The purpose of this state-created corporation is to provide meaningful public employment, tax ratables and business incentives to the South Jersey region. The SJPC owns and operates the Joseph A. Balzano and Broadway Marine Terminals in the Port of Camden, the Salem Marine Terminal at the Port of Salem, and is constructing the second phase of Paulsboro Marine Terminal at the Port of Paulsboro.

The successful 30-year partnership between Clipper Americas shipping lines of Copenhagen and the South Jersey Ports was marked – not by bands or the popping of champagne corks – but by the orchestra of cranes, forklifts, and cargo-moving equipment as crews off-load rolls of high-quality European steel coils, tin, and structural steel from Clipper ships. The materials are then instantly dispatched and transported to manufacturers and construction projects throughout the heartland of America and Canada.

“Our business and tonnage grew tremendously at the South Jersey Ports from one ship a month 30 years ago, to now when we have three to four off-loading in Camden in a month,” said Peter Svensson, Senior Vice President, Clipper Americas. “Tonnage to Camden grew from under 200,000 tons a year to over 1 million last year. Our customers, especially our specialty steel customers, expect quality service and that is what our partnership delivers.”

It’s a partnership that has prevailed – and continued to thrive – over several economic recessions, a near-depression, changes in trade policies and a global pandemic that leaves persistent impacts.

Now add to the challenges-climate change and the need for everyone, from individuals to large corporations, to reduce their carbon footprint to protect our planet. “We survived 50 years in this industry by adapting to the challenges before us,” Peter explained. “Climate change is real. Reducing carbon emissions is a shared priority for our company and South Jersey Ports,” said Peter. “Working with South Jersey Port on our dunnage recycling program has virtually saved a small forest. Our fleet will continue to be among the most energy-efficient on the seas.”

Clipper is attacking the problem on a variety of fronts including investing in an increasingly efficient fleet with dramatically lower CO2 emissions and the dockside recycling of dunnage.
In the past, it was simply cheaper to dispose of the wood dunnage used in transit to support steel cargo than hauling back to the originating port. The wood dunnage that went into the landfill was replaced by freshly cut lumber. Climate concerns have changed that. The wood dunnage is now loaded by crews into cargo containers and returned to the originating port, and as the wood loses its viability, it is being replaced by plastic and rubber dunnage with a greater shelf-life that can be recycled.

New ratings of ships for CO2 emissions, set by the European Common Market, go into effect in 2024 that will impose increasing financial penalties on levels of CO2s the vessel releases into the atmosphere. The lower the efficiency rating of the ship, the more it must pay to sail, giving a competitive edge to ships with higher efficiency ratings and lower CO2 emissions.

“We’re confident our current fleet will be rated among the most highly efficient,” predicted Peter. “I’m also confident that as technologies evolve and our fleet turns over, it will continue to be a leader in reducing emissions. It’s good business. It’s good for the environment. It’s the right thing to do as we and our families share this planet too.”

It’s a business axiom that has been the foundation of the partnership between Clipper and the South Jersey Ports. “As a marine terminal operator, we can’t control global economics, trade policy or pandemics but we sure can control two things: our carbon footprint and the quality of customer service that we and our partner Clipper and the stevedores provide to our mutual customers,” said Andy Saporito, Executive Director and CEO of the South Jersey Port.

Good customer service translates into higher efficiency and lower emissions. “Get in, get off,” Peter explained. “The quicker we get into the port, off-load, and get off to sea, the more efficient our ships run which lowers emissions. Good for business. Good for the environment.”

Clipper is a vital link in the steel supply chain to North America. The flow of specialty metal products from the steel and tin plants throughout Europe course through the ports of Belgium to Clipper’s ships and ultimately to manufacturers in North America for cars, appliances, building, and highway construction.

Over three decades, South Jersey Port’s Balzano Marine Terminal in Camden, New Jersey became a franchise port of call for Clipper. It’s importance and tonnage grew, especially in winter months, as shippers of European specialty steel for manufacturers along the Great Lakes found the Camden port a reliable, efficient, and skilled replacement for the Saint Lawrence Seaway. Now “winter-steel” business at Camden is growing towards a year-round port of choice.

“Location is important, and Camden has excellent road and rail connections to the industrial heartland, everything is within hours of our terminals – a day at most,” said Saporito. “But the x-factor is the partnership and the cargo expertise that has been forged over these decades with Clipper, the stevedores, and South Jersey Port. There is a seamless relationship with one goal: a happy customer keeps coming back and spreads the word to new customers.”

Lehigh Hanson, a core South Jersey Port Corporation tenant/partner, and aggressive ally in battling climate change, is working hard to reduce its environmental footprint and is committed to becoming carbon neutral.

“The climate is changing in ways that impact our planet and contribute to rising temperatures, rising seas, flooding, and droughts,” said Lusmerlin Lantigua, Plant Manager of the Lehigh Hanson slag grinding facility in Camden. “We all must strive to reduce our energy use, conserve water, and protect our natural resources. As a company, we are committed to achieving net zero emissions. ”

HeidelbergCement, the global parent company of Lehigh Hanson, is one of the world’s largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions, with leading market positions in aggregates, cement, and ready-mixed concrete. As a forerunner on the path to carbon neutrality, HeidelbergCement crafts material solutions for the future.

As part of its commitment to be a worldwide leader, the company has increased its focus on sustainable products, driving the circular economy through an emphasis on recycling and recycled products and working to decarbonize the industry.

“Lehigh Hanson has been a good business partner in creating good paying jobs through its operations and importing and exporting millions of tons of product to support the region’s infrastructure needs and it is admirably, a leading ally in the port’s commitment to becoming, with great urgency, a better neighbor by operating cleaner and greener,” said Andy Saporito, CEO and Executive Director of SJPC. Saporito noted that SJPC is in the process of purchasing $6.6 million worth of electric cargo handling equipment and installing an electric charging station at its Balzano Marine Terminal.

Lehigh Hanson’s carbon-neutral strategy goes beyond reducing the carbon footprint of its plant. It also focuses on the cement, concrete, and other construction materials it produces. “Cement is the key ingredient in concrete, the most widely used building material in the world,” explained Lantigua, manager of the Lehigh Hanson plant located at SJPC’s Broadway Marine Terminal in Camden. “Our slag cement significantly lowers the environmental impact of concrete.”

Slag cement is 1.2 times stronger than Portland Cement and, more importantly, emits six to fifteen times less carbon into the air than regular Portland Cement. The slag is the waste from making steel and is repurposed to make stronger concrete to build dams, bridges, highways, airports, and buildings which in turn will reduce overall emissions at upwards of fifteen times.

The alchemy in the Lehigh Hanson strategy is converting a waste product to reduce carbon emissions, a win-win for the environment. With two slag cement plants in North America, they are the market leader for slag cement.

With a capacity for 600,000 tons annually, Lehigh Hanson’s highly efficient Camden plant at Broadway Marine Terminal is 90% automated and employs fourteen full-time employees, not including the stevedores, truck drivers, and other supporting workers. It imports steel slag from Japan and, by barge and truck, supplies its slag cement product for the construction industry throughout the mid-Atlantic, from Virginia to upstate New York.

Supply chain discussions are often dominated by global corporate giants, but the world’s supply chain depends on thousands of local small companies like Page Lyons’s Tri-State Bulk Handling to be the ball bearings that make the global trade machine run smoothly.

“America is built on small business and so is the world’s supply chain,” said Lyons whose family-owned-and-run stevedoring companies have moved tens of millions of tons of bulk cargo at the South Jersey Port Corporation’s marine terminals in Camden.

“Page is a fantastic partner who we, at the port, and his customers trust to get the job done,” said Andy Saporito, Executive Director and CEO of the South Jersey Port Corporation. “He is successful because he is customer-focused and handles cargo the way the customer wants: fast, safe, and efficient. And, by the way, he is a people person which is important in our industry where personal relationships are the coin of the realm.”

An affable man with a quick wit and an appetite for prudent risks, Lyons is a first-generation port man pro, born in the steel town of Weirton, West Virginia. Graduating in 1972 from Bethany College, a small Christian liberal arts college in his native state, he moved with his college sweetheart to Malvern, Pennsylvania, where they started a family. He spent the next nine years bouncing from job to job until his gig as the charming tennis pro at a local club landed him a job as manager of bulk sales and operations at Lavino Shipping Company.

A quick learner with a gnawing ambition to branch out on his own, three years later, Lyons took the biggest risk of his life. At age 37, he started his own stevedoring company, Tri-State Bulk Handling, and the clients he developed at Lavino followed him to South Jersey Port’s marine terminals in Camden, New Jersey, which is a national leader in bulk and breakbulk cargo. Nine years later, he would take another risk and create Broadway Conveyor Corporation to improve the efficiencies of his operations.

“It’s all about relationships in this industry and the trust you build,” said Lyons. “You maintain clients by delivering beyond what is expected and by developing trust with everyone who is moving that cargo, from truckers to machine operators, from the terminal management to the ship’s crew. There are robust discussions and strong opinions that are resolved by relationships. You help them to be successful, they help you be successful. It’s mutual success.”

A case in point is the contract that Lyons has today with Lehigh Hanson Cement to move 600,000 tons of bulk slag cement annually. From 1984 to 1999, Lyons handled iron ore, coal, pet coke, sand, and magnesite on lease parcels at SJPC’s port terminals in Camden. He always evolved with the changing times and changing market needs. In 1999, the South Jersey Port Corporation wanted to lease Lyons’ parcel to Saint Lawrence Cement (the predecessor of Lehigh Hanson). Lyons gave up his leases as part of the deal to land St. Lawrence Cement which included significant capital investments along the pier and a new crane and economic development in Camden. Saint Lawrence gave Tri-State a 10-year contract and it has been renewed by multiple owners since – a testament to the service his company provides.

To better serve his customers, he created the Broadway Conveyor Corporation and invested $5 million to a state-of-the-art conveyor system to move the granular materials efficiently. With the exception of a one-hour “hiccup,” the Lyons’ team has fed the cement manufacturing plant for 23 years without shutting it down. The final loading of the barges and trucks from the silos is completely automated through an underground system to prevent dust. Additionally, Lyons’ team at the Balzano Marine Terminal helps feed 100,000 tons of gypsum annually to the Georgia Pacific operations.

Lyons has a strong commitment to his operation’s host city, Camden. Most of his fourteen employees are city residents. He even invested in a local restaurant but equally important is his sensitivity to the impact of his operations on the community. “We are always working to be a good neighbor,” he said.

All of Tri-State’s bulk-moving equipment are powered by Tier 4 diesels, the Environmental Protection Agency’s strictest emissions requirement for off-highway diesel engines. “In time, we’ll move to an electric fleet to further reduce our carbon footprint” Lyons predicted.

(September 2022) The Board of Directors of the South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) strengthened its management team with the recent appointments of Lisa M. McLaughlin as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer and August E. (Gus) Knestaut as Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs.

“These are two excellent, highly-experienced and accomplished professionals who now have responsibility for some of the most critical aspects of the SJPC’s legal, regulatory and financial operations,” said Andy Saporito, the ports’ Executive Director and CEO. “They have the skills and, just as importantly, the personalities and work ethic that synchs well with the executive leadership team we have built over the past two years.”

McLaughlin is a Certified Public Accountant with an MBA from Georgian Court College who served as Chief Financial Officer for Monmouth County Ocean Hospital Service Corporation. She has decades of experience in budgeting, finance, auditing, and billing and collections.

McLaughlin lives in Seaside Park, N.J., and graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor of Science degree. She served on the adjunct faculty of and taught Federal Income Tax Accounting at Ocean County College.

Knestaut has decades of experience as a lawyer and manager, both in the private and public sectors. He has successfully navigated the complexities of governmental regulations at local, county, state, and federal levels.

Knestaut previously served as First Undersheriff to the Gloucester County Sheriff and Assistant Gloucester County Counsel. A graduate of Widener University Law School, he has been admitted to the bar in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court, and the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. He served as solicitor or prosecutor for numerous municipal-level entities. Born in Woodbury, N.J., he grew up in Paulsboro and graduated from Paulsboro High School (Class of 1984). He and his wife, Angela and their two children (Cassandra and Matthew) live in West Deptford, N.J.

The South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) was created in 1968 to operate marine shipping terminals in the South Jersey Port District, consisting of seven counties: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Mercer, and Cape May. SJPC is a national leader in bulk and breakbulk cargo, shipping and receiving to and from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe. SJPC’s four international seaport facilities in South Jersey handle more than four million tons of bulk, breakbulk, and containerized cargoes annually.

The South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) has deployed its first all-electric terminal tractor, the vanguard of 27 cargo-handling “green machines” which are funded by a $6.6 million grant from Governor Phil Murphy’s Administration. It’s all part of the Governor’s $100 million initiative to grow the green economy by creating new jobs while battling climate change by turning to clean energy alternatives and making New Jersey fully powered by clean energy by 2050.

“As we work determinedly to safeguard New Jersey against the impacts of climate change, we must electrify not just light-duty vehicles, but the medium- and heavy-duty tractors and equipment upon which our thriving logistics industry depends,” said Governor Murphy. “There is no better place to continue our efforts than at the South Jersey Port Corporation, which is contributing to our state’s national reputation as an offshore wind hub. Here in South Jersey, we’re proving that transitioning to clean energy both complements and catalyzes the growth of new industries and the generation of good-paying jobs.”

“Creating family-sustaining jobs is one of our prime objectives,” said SJPC Executive Director & CEO Andrew Saporito. “But, as Governor Murphy warns us, there will be no jobs if we destroy our planet and communities in the process. Jobs are inextricably connected to how we protect our environment and shrink our carbon footprint to zero. We strive to be a better neighbor in the communities we serve by making our operations cleaner and greener while also building the green economy on initiatives such as offshore wind development.”

The governor is funding his “green machine” initiative by leveraging proceeds from the reentry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and money from the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund. In addition, New Jersey and private corporations are investing a billion dollars to build port facilities and infrastructure to make New Jersey the epicenter of the job-rich $100 Billion offshore wind energy industry.

“This is another important step in the Murphy Administration’s commitment to improve air quality in communities overburdened by air pollution and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles that fuel climate change across New Jersey,” Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette said.

With this $6.6 million investment, SJPC will replace twenty-seven pieces of older gasoline and diesel forklifts and cargo handling equipment with new electric-powered units and associated charging stations. SJPC aims to systematically convert all of its energy-consuming assets to zero-carbon within the next decade as suitable replacement equipment becomes commercially available.

From steps as simple as planting trees in its host cities to updating warehouse lighting to LED to investing millions in improving direct ship to rail access, SJPC has been working aggressively to reduce its carbon footprint. Instead of retrofitting its vehicles – it can afford to convert its fleet from carbon fuels to electric.

SJPC has become the cornerstone of New Jersey’s growing Green Energy Economy. Its unparalleled location combined with available land and warehouse space and an integrated network of highway, rail, and marine facilities provide the infrastructure to support offshore wind energy investments along the Atlantic Coast. It’s Paulsboro Marine Terminal (PMT) has already emerged as the prime manufacturing site for components of offshore wind turbines.

South Jersey Port Corporation moved their corporate headquarters to the Camden waterfront last week. We are occupying office space in the Ferry Terminal Building which is just a short drive from the Balzano Marine Terminal. The new office will allow SJPC to consolidate the executive, engineering, administrative, and accounting departments into one location allowing for better efficiency and meeting space for business development and administrative functions. The move will also result in creating additional space to meet future port operational and space needs. Our new address is 2 Aquarium Drive, Suite 100, Camden NJ 08103.

“2021 was our best business year ever,” Michael J. Amato, president of Camden Yards Steel Company at the South Jersey Ports’ Broadway Terminal proclaimed proudly as he cast an optimistic but cautious eye toward 2022.

Sales volumes and imported tonnage of steel all hit record levels in 2021 for the family-owned-and-operated steel fabricator which, in turn, contributed in part to an overall record tonnage year for the South Jersey Ports. The company increased its steel imports by 20% to 200,000 tons last year.

Camden Yards Steel is an International Organization for Standards (ISO) certified prime flat rolled steel service company that specializes in the processing and distribution of full truckload quantities flat rolled steel. With over fifty years of experience in the steel industry, they service customers across the entire United States and parts of the Mid-Atlantic region.

“Camden Yards Steel has been a great long-term partner of ours and is an example of the type of family-owned business that is the backbone of our economy,” said Andy Saporito, Executive Director and CEO of South Jersey Port Corporation. “We congratulate them on their record-breaking year and look forward to continuing to support their growth and success.”

 “Our business has grown steadily since we opened in 2002 and we just invested another $10 million in our Camden facility to upgrade our equipment and sharpen our business in a very competitive sector that demands high quality and tight margins,” Amato added.

The investment has increased efficiency and productivity and propelled Camden Yards into a new business sector of galvanized steel for HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) manufacturers where other long-time suppliers, according to Amato, had grown complacent.

“We are very, very service oriented and very, very customer-oriented,” he boasted. “We showed we provide service and quality at a competitive price and as a result our galvanized steel business has grown consistently and dramatically, from 200 tons a month six years ago to 4,000 tons a month last year and it keeps growing from Maine to Florida to Ohio,” he said. “The leadership at South Jersey Ports helped us find laydown space to support our business growth, which was appreciated given the overall space constraints at ports nationwide.”

While optimistic about the future, the steel-eyed businessperson in Amato is cautious about predicting a consecutive record-breaking year in 2022.  While it would be nice, realistically businesses just do not keep having endless record-breaking years especially in a business hostage to variables in steel prices.

Camden Yards, with fifty full-time employees to support in Camden, was able to navigate the whipsaw impacts of COVID, steel tariffs, supply-chain shortage in 2021 in which steel prices rose to $1.00 a pound with pent up demand; and then, suddenly dropped to 30-cents a pound, sticking the company with high priced inventory to meet its commitments.

“Half of our business is contractual, and half is transactional,” he explained. “We are committed to our customers to deliver what we said we would deliver, when we said we deliver and at the price we agreed on.”

It just happens that the price for steel goes way, way too high and then suddenly goes way, way too low.

“We try to buy on the down but it’s like trying to catch a falling knife without getting cut,” Amato explained. Sometimes you catch the handle, sometimes you don’t. Whatever, the outcome, Amato protects his customers. “That’s how we earn the trust and business of our customers,” he said. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is expected to have a major impact on the world economy in 2022, especially on steel prices. “We don’t use Russian steel for our products, so we don’t anticipate any dramatic impact for our customers, but we’ll deal with whatever high and lows as we have in the past. It’s the nature of our business.”      

The South Jersey Port Corporation is pleased to announce the recent appointment of veteran engineer Chris Perks to the organization’s team. Perks was appointed as the Director of Engineering to support the agency’s growth strategy and continue to provide quality customer service for current and future tenants and customers. The appointment of Perks comes as the port closed on a record-breaking year for cargo handling and a flurry of capital projects, improvements, and milestones of the burgeoning offshore wind energy industry in South Jersey. Ensuring a strong leadership team has been a mission of Andrew Saporito, the agency’s Executive Director and CEO, who has assembled an experienced leadership team since first being appointed in 2019.

Perks has extensive experience in local public works engineering and construction markets and experience in project engineering related to design and construction of multi-disciplined large capital projects. He has previously and successfully participated in numerous capital improvement programs for a wide variety of clients, including many public and state agencies. In addition to his vast public experience, Perks was responsible for integrating and completing over sixty projects in Camden City, home to the port’s headquarters and Balzano and Broadway terminal facilities.

Perks will add value through his rich experience and prolific ability to direct all design, construction, and maintenance activities at the port. With a solid engineering skillset, Perks will be tasked with executing significant tenant improvements, capital projects, major operation works, and construction programs. Moreover, Perk’s expertise will allow the port to rely on his capabilities of capital program management, ensuring port facilities remain in good condition and meeting and exceeding expectations for efficient operations.

“SJPC has a long tradition of hard-working employees who go the extra mile for our customers. Ensuring our facilities are meeting standards and keeping up pace with our plans for growth is key to our continued success and customer satisfaction. Having Chris on the team is a critical part of our strategy and we welcome him,” said Andrew Saporito, Executive Director & CEO.

“My experience has taught me that capital program management is not just to keep the facilities in good condition, but more importantly to support excellence in operations. I am excited to get to work and be part of a top-notch team with the mission of expanding economic opportunity in the South Jersey region,” said Perks.

The final numbers are in and the South Jersey Port Corporation closed out 2021 with an all-time record-breaking cargo volume of 4,636,097 tons, a 54% increase over 2020, breaking the previous record by 6%. 

“That’s the best in the history of the South Jersey Ports and we’re expecting 2022 to be a very strong year that may top 2021,” reported Andy Saporito, Executive Director and CEO of South Jersey Port Corporation at the monthly meeting of the Board of Directors.  “This milestone is a testament to the skilled workers and partners who keep goods moving through the supply chain while our team seeks solutions to improve efficiency, attract business and build for the future.  The ongoing collaboration with SJPC’s labor force and industry partners lifted the port to this extraordinary record during the challenging time of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Saporito.

The dramatic increases in tonnage came from nearly all the SJPC’s prime cargo sectors: steel, plywood, recycled metals, cocoa beans, cement, and gypsum. The lone laggard, sand exports, is expected to increase as the national infrastructure plan is implemented.  

Rebounding steel imports led the way with 2,399,076 tons, a 141% increase over 2020.  The majority of this increase occurred at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal which moved 1,760,018 tons of steel slabs.  Plywood import tonnage increased by 98% totaling 220,812 tons demonstrating the Camden terminals as a premiere plywood portal on the East Coast.  Cocoa beans totaled 76,108 tons, a 36% increase verses 2020 totals. Exports of recycled metals increased by 10% and cement increased by 8%. 

The number of ship days was 960 days compared to 549 ship days in 2020, a 75% increase. “Ship days is the number of days a ship is loading or unloading at its terminal” explained Kevin Duffy, Assistant Executive Director / Chief Operating Officer. “We’ve worked hard to ensure we continue to operate safely and efficiently to move the increased cargo and have space to meet our customers’ needs”.  

Brendan Dugan, Assistant Executive Director / Director of Business Development, expects the cargo activity at South Jersey Ports to remain strong for the foreseeable future due to the national infrastructure plan and New Jersey’s leadership role in the $109 billion offshore wind industry.  EEW Group, which is building a $300 million manufacturing plant at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal to provide the massive steel monopiles for the offshore wind farms along the entire eastern seaboard, will ultimately require 150,000 tons of imported steel annually to meet their customers’ demand.  To build on this momentum, SJPC is conducting a study of the Port of Salem, which is a smaller port just down river from Paulsboro that could become an important supply port for the local offshore wind support services industry.  

“The challenge is to build the infrastructure to grow the port while operating more efficiently to meet current demands,” said Dugan.  South Jersey Ports received a $6 million grant to upgrade the rail infrastructure at one of their Camden terminals and a $9 million grant for wharf infrastructure improvements at the Salem Terminal.  “We identified an old building that we might refurbish to put another 40,000 square feet of storage space online and meet long-term customer demands.” 

“We continue to focus on upgrading technology and automation to optimize the fluid movement of cargo through our terminals and to ensure our customers’ storage and inventory needs are met”, added COO Kevin Duffy.

The South Jersey Port Corporation was created in 1968 to operate marine shipping terminals in the South Jersey Port District, consisting of seven counties: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, Mercer, and Cape May. The South Jersey Ports is a national leader in bulk and breakbulk cargo, shipping and receiving to and from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.  Their four international seaport facilities in South Jersey handle more than four million tons of bulk, breakbulk and containerized cargoes annually.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) and Congressman Donald Norcross (D-N.J.-01) today announced $1,010,800 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to support the operations at Balzano Marine Terminal at the Port of Camden. The South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC), which operates the marine terminal, will use the funding to purchase two American-made, low emission reach stackers, which will help improve operations and throughput at the terminal.

“With billions of dollars of goods coming through New Jersey’s ports every year, we must invest in their infrastructure to secure our competitiveness and keep our state and national economies moving,” said Sen. Menendez. “This federal grant will ensure Balzano Marine Terminal can continue moving goods and products in and out of the facility everyday smoothly and efficiently. Throughout my career, I have always advocated for our ports and I will continue fighting to make sure they have the critical resources they need.”

“We know that investing in South Jersey’s port infrastructure is a proven way to spur economic development, bolster our region’s economy, and create jobs,” said Sen. Booker. “I stand committed to continue fighting alongside Senator Menendez and Congressman Norcross for the federal resources needed to maintain the Port of Camden’s strength and economic competitiveness.”

“The Balzano Marine Terminal is a critical link in our supply chain and handles cargo that feeds directly into the broader economy,” said Rep. Norcross. “Increasing the number of low-emission reach stackers at the terminal will grow its capacity to offload and move goods, ease bottlenecks, and contribute to the South Jersey economy.”
Balzano Marine Terminal offers one-stop service for breakbulk and bulk cargoes. The facility handles steel, project cargo, wood products, cocoa beans and other bulk cargoes on a regular basis.

“Senator Menendez, Senator Booker and Congressman Norcross have been forceful and effective advocates for our ports in southern New Jersey,” said SJPC CEO Andrew Saporito. “This grant will support our continued efforts to operate the Balzano Marine Terminal more efficiently and utilize the marine highway which reduces the number of trucks on our roadways and neighborhoods. This is even more critical as we are moving record cargo volumes.”

Standing on the docks of the Port of Salem on November 9th, United States Senator Robert Menendez announced that South Jersey Ports will receive a $9 federal grant to upgrade its Salem Marine Terminal to strengthen New Jersey’s leadership in building, supporting, and manufacturing key component for the offshore wind energy industry blossoming off the Atlantic coast.

The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant, which has been in the works for more than a year, comes as President Biden was preparing to sign the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that will mean an unprecedented investment of tens of billions of dollars into New Jersey’s ports, roads, airports, and other critical infrastructure over the next decade.

Added to the billions of dollars of public and private investments in South Jersey ports and specialized manufacturing to support offshore wind energy farms, the grant helps to fuel the state’s leadership in the $100 Billion offshore wind energy industry.

“The potential for the Port of Salem to take on millions of dollars in new business is tremendous. But when opportunity comes knocking you have to be ready to open the door,” said Senator Menendez. “That’s why every penny we invest to upgrade the Salem Marine Terminal today is setting the stage for new business in the green energy space.

“We want to thank Senator Menendez and Senator Cory Booker for their continued support for South Jersey Ports. They’ve been working in tandem with Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, Congressman Donald Norcross, Congressman Jeff Van Drew, and regional leaders to make South Jersey a national leader of this dynamic, new green industry while also improving our overall capacity to service our current and future marine cargo customers,” said Andrew Saporito, Executive Director and CEO of South Jersey Port Corporation.

This is another example of the broad bipartisan support in Trenton and in Washington D.C. for the ongoing development of the marine terminals of South Jersey into the premiere logistical, manufacturing, and support center for a job-rich, carbon-free, Green Economy growing along the East Coast. The grant will be used to rehabilitate a 150-linear-foot bulkhead at the Salem Marine Terminal and extend it to 400 linear feet.

Salem Marine Terminal – with multi-modal rail connections, its barge, and navigation expertise along the Salem River, close links to interstate highways and bridges, and its sibling South Jersey marine terminals – will be ideal for logistical and maintenance support for the huge ocean wind-energy farms.
New Jersey is on track to invest $1 billion to lead the offshore wind energy industry in the United States. The South Jersey Port has already invested $400 million to develop the Port of Paulsboro into a general cargo marine terminal that was built with heavy-load decks to accommodate the massive weight of offshore wind energy components. For the past year, EEW America Offshore Structures, a worldwide leading producer of monopoles, has been building a $300 million state-of-the-art monopole plant at Paulsboro.

Doubling down, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority is building a $250 million “Wind Port” in Lower Alloways Township – 11 miles from the Salem Marine Terminal – to manufacture, assemble, and deploy the huge offshore turbines and blades.

Congressman Donald Norcross and new Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen honored us with a visit at Balzano Marine Terminal in Camden on June 3.

Throughout his career as a labor leader, state senator, and congressman, whose congressional district spans our terminals in Camden and Paulsboro, Congressman Norcross has been a tireless advocate for our mission to maximize our maritime assets to create and support family-sustaining jobs throughout South Jersey.

“South Jersey Port plays an integral role in connecting our region to the global economy,” said Norcross. “It has brought with it countless jobs in manufacturing, construction, and agriculture, and is now the epicenter of America’s $100 billion offshore wind energy industry. As we work to build back better, it is a top priority to steer federal funding and advance policies that support job creation and infrastructure improvements throughout South Jersey, including our ports.”
Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen, who grew up in the city he now leads, sees the two SJPC marine terminals in Camden as foundations of its economy and growth.

“The port is a job multiplier, supporting multiple jobs beyond their own payroll: truckers, engineers, restaurants, businesses,” he explained. “Whether you want to be a laborer hauling bags of cocoa beans, or a college graduate with a business or accounting degree who wants a career in logistics and global trade, South Jersey Ports provide that opportunity.”

State Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez and her legislative counterparts in the 5th Legislative District Assemblyman Bill Spearman and Bill Moen joined Camden City Councilman Angel Fuentes for a tour of the Balzano Marine Terminal on July 16.

The legislative team whose district includes Camden City, home to Balzano Marine Terminal and Broadway Marine Terminal, continues to be strong champions of the SJP’s mission in the New Jersey State Legislature and advocates for the needs of their constituents from quality of life to job creation and economic stability.

“The port is a pillar of Camden’s economy and with that comes the responsibility to the people of the city,” said Senator Cruz-Perez. “And it’s important that the port continues to be a good corporate citizen that runs its business respectful of the people are the backbone of our city.”

“Yes, jobs matter,” added Assemblyman Moen. “But just as important is improving the quality of life of our neighborhoods and this tour affirmed to me the SJPC’s commitment toward that mission, too.

Assemblyman Spearman and City Councilman President Angel Fuentes, who also toured the port, agreed.

“The port is taking some important steps. Big steps like switching from diesel to electric to power its equipment fleet and some small steps like switching to LED lighting to reduce its carbon footprint, which takes investment,” said Assemblyman Spearman.

“We are fortunate to work hand-in-hand with government leaders,” said Andy Saporito, Executive Director and CEO of SJP. “Creating jobs is our mission, but being a good neighbor is equally important. Reducing our carbon footprint is important, but so is reducing the impact of truck traffic to and from our terminals on neighborhoods. By working with our legislators, city government, and residents we can improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.”

“South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) has been a great business partner for us for many, many years,” said Peter Svensson, senior vice president and head of Clipper America said, reflecting on the millions of tons of steel that his ships have moved over three decades through the SJPC’s Balzano Marine Terminal in Camden and the record tonnage projected through 2023.

“Although South Jersey Ports is a state organization, they manage and run it as a private company,” Svensson explained. “They are great partners. The key for us is having adequate docking and adequate warehousing space so we can move our cargo as efficiently as possible. And most importantly, so our ships aren’t unnecessarily burning money moored at the dock waiting to move cargo. Time is money. And SJPC has consistently delivered for us.”

Customer service and satisfaction is the operating imperative of the team at SJPC which is led by their Executive Director and CEO, Andy Saporito. “It’s personal to us because our customers, like Peter, are personal to us,” Saporito explained. “We all have our bottom lines. A ship unloading at the dock is costing Peter and his company upwards of $35,000 a day. That is factored into the rate he charges his customer. If that ship is idle at the dock, the increase in cost is something that comes out of our customer’s pocket and it is our job to ensure our terminal is the best option.”

South Jersey Port is committed to earning the trust and business of its partners like Peter at Clipper America. “We earn that trust by being a solid, dependable partner who focuses on our customers’ needs,” said Brendan Dugan, Assistant Executive Director/Director of Business Development for SJPC. “Our team here proactively works to mitigate any obstacles to our mutual success. SJPC is expert in the handling of high-value, high-quality cargo like the coiled steel and tin plate that Clipper America entrusts to us.”

That commitment and expertise is paying dividends with SJPC eclipsing Houston as Clipper America’s top American port of call.

“In the old days, our first port of call in the United States from Antwerp would be New Haven/New London Connecticut and we’d sail down to Camden offload 15,000 to 17,000 tons and then go to Savannah, Houston, and the Gulf ports,” Svensson explained. “Now our ships go directly from Antwerp to Camden and we’re delivering full shiploads, with upward of 30,000 tons. This year is probably our strongest year ever in Camden, probably around 400,000 tons and we project that will last another two years into 2023.”

COVID and the tariffs on imported steel had a devastating impact on shipping and the global supply chain. “March and April of 2020 weren’t the end of the business, but it was pretty gray and dark,” Svensson observed. “When Summer came, shipping went up and stayed that way from much of the second half of 2021. Q1 of 2021 “took off like a space shuttle to Mars and it is still going strong. A year ago, in February of 2020, you could get a ship for $5,000 to $6,000 a day. Today, you’re lucky to get it for $34,000 to $35,000 a day.”

The disruption to the supply chain won’t be fixed soon. Millions of empty cargo containers need to be relocated to exporters, warehouses are clogged with cargo because there are not enough trucks and rail to move it, or the workers to do the work.

Fortunately, SJPC has the available warehousing, trucking, rail, and workers to get the job done and has become the default port for coil steel and tinplate imports for manufacturers in the mid-west and along the Great Lakes.

“Camden is a funny beast,” Svensson explained. “It has two seasons for the steel that is destined for manufacturers on the Great Lakes. When the Saint Lawrence Seaway is closed from December to April, Camden is booming. Typically, when the weather improves, the Saint Lawrence Seaway reopens, and we see a decline in volume in Camden. But that is not the case this year. We’re into August with the Saint Lawrence Seaway fully opened and we’re moving full ships with 27,000 tons of steel coil directly to Camden.”

To grow a job-rich offshore wind industry while mitigating the damages of climate change, construction at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal is moving feverishly and on time to build a $250 million factory to manufacture the massive monopiles which are the bedrock of the wind-energy industry along the Atlantic coast.

South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC)and the State of New Jersey are investing over $500 million throughout southern New Jersey to build the maritime facilities and expertise which will serve as the manufacturing and support center of the emerging $100 billion off-shore wind-energy industry… and it’s paying off.

EEW Group, the world’s premier manufacturer of monopiles, is replicating its German monopile factory at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal. The $250 million project is on schedule with the first building to be completed in early 2022, one year after ground-breaking.

The facility will produce monopiles up to 400 feet high and 40 feet in diameter. Barged out to sea, each monopile weighing up to 5 million pounds, will be hoisted by a specialized heavy-lift sea crane and driven into the seabed. They will rise above the surface of the water to support the gigantic tower, blades, and turbine rising another 800 feet. EEW-Paulsboro plans to produce the monopiles for both Orsted projects (Ocean Wind 1 and 2) and for EDF/Shell’s Atlantic Shores project. They are also in talks to provide monopile foundations for other offshore wind-energy projects along the East Coast.

“Our intention is to supply monopiles for every project in North America,” Lee Laurendeau, the CEO of EEW American Offshore Structures told National Geographic.

By 2024, EEW’s Paulsboro facilities will include six massive manufacturing buildings and an estimated 500 employees – working three shifts a day, six days a week – churning out 100 massive monopiles a year. To feed the production line, EEW will require approximately 150,000 tons of steel per year.

The first assembly building, which will be used for circumference welding, is expected to be completed in early 2022. Totaling 100,400 square feet, the building requires 10,000 tons of concrete and 12,000 tons of steel to construct. It will be topped off with the final steel beam this month with the final skin, mechanicals, power, and massive welding and manufacturing equipment installed over the following months. The facility’s office building is also expected to be completed by early 2022.

Construction of the 40,652 square foot Paint and Blast building will begin this September and is scheduled to be finished in Summer 2022. It will be fitted out with machinery and an air filtration system to protect the integrity of the monopiles and ensure their finishing can withstand decades of saltwater and waves in the Atlantic Ocean. Although fully integrated manufacturing won’t be operational until 2024, assembly of the monopiles will begin in 2023 for Orsted’s Ocean Wind 1 project. In the initial transitional phase, EEW American Offshore Structures will import from Germany semi-completed monopiles in three sections to Paulsboro for final circumference welding and finishing. It’s a process that is maximizing the facilities as soon as possible and gearing up expert training with a focus on quality control, technical expertise, and safety of an emerging American workforce.

When all six manufacturing buildings are completed and fully operational, all aspects of manufacturing including rolling steel into massive cylinders, welding, and painting, will be produced in Paulsboro, New Jersey, employing an anticipated 500 employees.

The South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC) and Holt Logistics Corporation have created a beneficial partnership that drives their mutual success and is a cornerstone to New Jersey’s efforts to be the epicenter of the $100 billion offshore wind energy industry.

“We succeed when our tenants, customers, and partners succeed,” explained Andy Saporito, the SJPC’s Executive Director and CEO. “We share the mission of fueling a robust economy for South Jersey and growing and supporting jobs throughout the region.”

Leo Holt, president of Holt Logistics Corporation agrees: “We’re job-providers… providers of family-sustaining jobs across our ecosystem of many different platforms that go beyond dockworkers, teamsters, and machinists.”

The partnership is a vital part of the supply chain supporting manufacturing, construction, and industrial jobs – as well as that of their suppliers and vendors, throughout New Jersey and the region stretching to the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes regions.

“It’s the virtuous byproduct of what we – Holt and South Jersey Ports – do,” added Holt.

As a stevedore operating company, warehousing, and ship operator headquartered in Gloucester City, New Jersey, the Holt family company has been a fierce maritime competitor along the Delaware River since 1926 and has built a worldwide reputation as a top origin to market logistics provider.

Today the once competitive relationship between SJPC and Holt has morphed into a partnership. Holt leases and operates two of SJPC’s most important assets: Pier 5 at Broadway Marine Terminal, the refrigerated fresh-fruit center of the port; and the newer Paulsboro Marine Terminal the keystone of the emerging offshore wind energy industry.

At Pier 5, Holt provides importers and exporters with a vertically integrated supply chain solution. There are three reefer buildings with more than 200,000 square feet of refrigerated warehouse space and 100 reefer plugs. Pier 5 has one berth with 1,135 linear feet at a depth of 35 feet. There is direct highway access to I-295 via I-676 and connections to Class 1 freight rail lines owned by NS, CSX, and Conrail.

SJPC invested $400 million to construct Paulsboro Marine Terminal, which Holt now operates. By building a terminal with heavy lifting load capacity, the port has the unique capacity to accommodate the huge and heavy monopiles for offshore wind farms while also accommodating much lighter general cargo as well as the steel slab imports for buildings, highways, cars, and appliances. This has positioned Southern New Jersey as a key import location for the steel industry and for the manufacturing, construction, support, and maintenance for the Atlantic coast wind energy industry.

The Paulsboro Marine Terminal is at a depth of 45 feet. It has three berths with 3,200 linear feet, two Liebherr mobile harbor cranes, trucks, lift equipment, reach stackers, and trailers. There is the ability to discharge or load heavy cargo direct to or from rail and the ability to load two trains simultaneously because there is a loop track and center loading track. For transportation, there is direct road access to Interstate 295 and on-dock rail that connects to Class I Freight Railroads: Norfolk Southern, CSX, and CP Rail. So far, with many new projects in the planning phase, Holt has invested nearly $15 million into the operation.

EEW, the German manufacturer of the massive steel monopiles is constructing a $250 million, six-building industrial complex at Paulsboro Marine Terminal to manufacture 100 monopiles a year for contracts it already has. Holt and its steel manufacturing client, NLMK, plan to compete to supply the 150,000 tons of rolled steel EEW will need each year to be fabricated into monopiles.

Even before Paulsboro was officially opened, Holt was unloading Russian steel at the terminal for NLMK Group’s steel plant in Farrell, Pennsylvania. In 2016, Holt moved 1.6 million tons of steel slabs through the port. In the following years, NLMK and other steel importers were hit with massive Federal tariffs on steel imports in an effort to boost domestic steel production. As a result, NLMK’s tonnage plummeted to one million tons annually as its steel plant, was starving for affordable steel slabs as domestic producers simply raised their prices. Then COVID recession hit shrinking demand and starving the supply chain. Holt responded by investing millions in employee safety protocols and preparing for the rebound.

Holt credited NLMK for its smart mitigation. It successfully reversed the tariffs by proving that it is an American manufacturer and diversified its supply chain for steel slabs to include Brazil and Mexico. It reworked its labor contracts that both benefitted its employees and freed up capital to finance a $200 million “Walk-in Beam Furnace” that will improve NLMK’s productivity and produce massive steel beams.

Now, the steel market can’t keep up with the demand as the global economy rebounds. “If you want to build a building, you can’t get the steel joists because Amazon has it bought for six to eight months out to build its fulfillment centers,” Holt observed.

The American supply chain needs more imported steel slabs to fuel the recovery and mitigate inflation. Holt anticipates its slab imports at Paulsboro will rebound past the previous high of 1.6 million tons annually to 2 million tons and more for the foreseeable future.

South Jersey Ports will receive a $9 Million grant from the US Department of Transportation for expansion of its barge capacity and intermodal rail connectivity at the Port of Salem.  This Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant supports the port’s existing sand and concrete shipments while strengthening New Jersey’s leadership in building, supporting and manufacturing key components for the offshore wind industry off the Atlantic Coast.  

The project will rehabilitate a 150-linear-foot bulkhead and extend it to approximately 400 linear feet; perform site preparation, improvements, and refurbish a multi-modal rail connection. 

“This is another example of the broad support for the ongoing development of South Jersey’s marine terminals to be the premiere logistical, manufacturing and support center for a job-rich, carbon-free, Green Economy growing along our coast… as well as our general cargo mission,” said Andrew Saporito, Executive Director and CEO of South Jersey Ports.

“We want to thank our Congressional delegation, especially U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator Cory Booker, Congressman Donald Norcross and Congressman Jeff Van Drew for their consistent support for South Jersey Ports. They’ve been working in tandem with Governor Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assemblyman John Burzichelli and Assemblyman Adam Taliaferro to make South Jersey a national leader of this dynamic, new economy while also improving our overall capacity to service our current and future marine cargo customers.”

Salem Marine Terminal – with multi-modal rail connections, close links to interstate highways and bridges, barge and navigation expertise along the Salem River, and its sibling South Jersey marine terminals – provide an integrated port network to support the development of the offshore wind farms.

New Jersey has attracted billions of dollars in investment in its offshore wind industry and has awarded over 3,700 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, which is the most in the country.  South Jersey Ports has already invested $400 million to build the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, which handles one million tons of steel cargo annually. Engineered with heavy-load decks to accommodate the massive weight of offshore energy components, Paulsboro Marine Terminal will soon transport the 5 million pound monopiles which are the foundation components of the offshore wind towers.  For the past few months, EEW Group, a global-leading manufacturer of monopoles, has been building a $250 million state-of-the-art monopole plant at the Port of Paulsboro.

Doubling down, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority is building the New Jersey Wind Port in Lower Alloways Creek Township – 11 miles from the Salem Marine Terminal – to manufacture, assemble, and deploy the huge offshore wind turbines to the Atlantic Ocean.

In January, SJPC was officially notified that our Camden facilities have been added to the Mid-Atlantic Marine Highway by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). The marine highway links the ports of Norfolk, Baltimore, and Philadelphia via a container barge service operated by Columbia Coastal Transport. Over the past year, SJPC has identified import and export business opportunities for the barge service and works with customers and other partners to identify container lines to utilize the service.

“This designation will allow us to expand our service possibilities for both current and new customers,” said Brendan Dugan, Assistant Executive Director/Director of Business Development for South Jersey Port Corporation.

Discussions with MARAD representatives detailed upcoming funding opportunities for Camden and Salem terminals. SJPC, in conjunction with TRIAD Associates, Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant for the Port of Salem. The grants team is currently preparing a FEMA Port Security grant submission for new CCTV camera systems at Camden Terminals. They are also working with TRIAD on potential submissions to MARAD for additional Marine Highway funding and the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) and Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants.

Inclusion in the MARAD marine highway program allows SJPC to apply for grant funding for equipment and infrastructure to accommodate the container barge business. Commercial agreements are still required for importers and exporters to book enough container cargo for Camden.

The federal government finances the marine highway to remove truck traffic from congested U.S. roads and reduce pollution. It is an efficient and cost-effective option for moving cargo.

Governor Phil Murphy’s administration is awarding $6.6 million to the South Jersey Port Corporation to support its ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, operate more efficiently, and be a better neighbor.

It’s all part of the Governor’s $100 million initiative to reverse climate change by turning to clean energy alternatives and to make New Jersey fully powered by clean energy by 2050.

The Governor is funding his initiative by leveraging proceeds from the reentry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and money from the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund.

With this $6.6 million investment, SJPC will replace 27 pieces of older gasoline and diesel forklifts and cargo handling equipment with new electric-powered units and associated charging stations. SJPC aims to systematically convert all of its energy-consuming assets to zero-carbon within the next decade as suitable replacement equipment becomes commercially available.

“Our prime mission is the creation of family-sustaining jobs by attracting cargo through international maritime trade,” said SJPC CEO Andrew Saporito. “But as Governor Murphy warns us, there will be no jobs if we destroy our planet and communities in the process. Jobs are inextricably connected to how we protect our environment and shrink our carbon footprint to zero. We strive to make our operations cleaner and greener while also building the green economy on initiatives such as offshore wind development.”

From steps as simple as planting trees in its host cities to updating warehouse lighting to LED to investing millions in improving direct ship to rail access, SJPC has been working aggressively to reduce its carbon footprint. Instead of retrofitting its vehicles – it can afford to convert its fleet from carbon fuels to electric.

SJPC has become the cornerstone of New Jersey’s growing Green Energy Economy. Its unparalleled location combined with available land and warehouse space and an integrated network of highway, rail, and marine facilities provide the needed infrastructure to support offshore wind energy investments along the East Coast. Its Paulsboro Marine Terminal (PMT) has already emerged as the prime manufacturing site for offshore wind turbines.

“Like our mission, this grant received the strong support from our partners in the state Legislature, especially Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Assembly members John Burzichelli, Adam Taliaferro, Bill Spearman, and Bill Moen,” said Saporito.

Combined with being at the epicenter of the offshore wind movement in New Jersey, this grant puts SJPC at the forefront of the clean energy movement. The Port is a prime example of how green energy can translate into good-paying union jobs.

Implicit in these new grants is SJPC’s commitment to sustainability and being a better neighbor to its host communities.

“Camden City officials, who supported this grant opportunity for SJPC, have been a great partner in our efforts to grow jobs and reduce our carbon footprint at our Camden facilities,” Saporito added. “As we work to build new jobs, we remain steadfast in our commitment to creating more sustainable port operations, and we appreciate the city’s support of these initiatives.”

The Americanization of the $100 billion offshore wind energy industry is now roaring to life at the South Jersey Port Corporation’s (SJPC) Paulsboro Marine Terminal (PMT), where EEW American Offshore Structures is constructing a state-of-the-art factory to manufacture massive monopile foundations that support huge offshore wind turbines. EEW is the first company to set up a tier-one factory in the United States, with many more offshore wind companies to follow.

For the SJPC, it means jobs and an increase of 250,000 tons of steel cargo flowing annually through PMT. For New Jersey, it means a break away from the pack of states competing for the bounty of jobs and economic development in the green energy economy, with strong support from President Biden and Governor Murphy.

It’s a game-changer in an industry pioneered and developed by Europeans who took the early risks to build and refine a highly reliable and maturing industry whose technologies are now being exported to PMT, giving New Jersey a competitive advantage.

Offshore wind turbines are constructed with monopile foundations that are driven into the ocean floor, the tower that bolts to the monopile, the nacelle that produces the electricity, and the three (3) blades that extend from the nacelle. All of these components are currently manufactured in Europe. Once constructed, EEW will manufacture monopiles at PMT, and more of the offshore wind components and manufacturing are expected to follow.

It’s a critical leap in the Americanization of the supply chain to support the Nation’s offshore wind energy industry and a validation in New Jersey’s heavy investment to fight climate change while also creating family-sustaining jobs in a green energy economy.

New Jersey is going big.

So is President Joseph R. Biden, who has designated New Jersey as the epicenter for the development of 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy farms and is backing it up with $3 billion in federal loan guarantees.

New Jersey has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the industry, and even more investment is planned in the future. In 2005, the SJPC acquired a defunct petrochemical tank farm in Paulsboro, New Jersey, and invested $300 million to turn it into a marine terminal now known as PMT. From the outset, the PMT was engineered with heavy load decks to accommodate the massive weight of offshore energy components.

Doubling down, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority is building a $300 million “Wind Port” in Lower Alloways Township to assemble and deploy the offshore turbines and blades. Turbines and blades are on the New Jersey shopping list.

Monopiles are the indispensable foundation of offshore wind energy farms. They are driven 150 feet into the ocean floor, rise to the surface to support the massive wind towers, turbines, and giant blades that are 850 feet high above the ocean at the highest point.

“Monopiles are massive, and they keep getting bigger as the size of turbines grows, which means we have to keep adapting and making the monopiles larger. We are now targeting diameters of up to 40 feet and lengths of 400 feet long,” said Lee Laurendeau, CEO of EEW American Offshore Structures, the American subsidiary of Germany’s premiere monopile manufacturer EEW Group.

Laurendeau is the New Jersey engineer who built major hi-tech projects worldwide, including the 500,000 square foot Holtec nuclear vessel manufacturing facility at the SJPC’s Broadway Marine Terminal in Camden.

He is building the $250 million clone of EEW’s Rostock, Germany facilities on 80 acres of land at PMT. When it’s complete, he will staff and operate it.

“Our monopiles are five-inch-thick rolled steel cylinders,” he explained. “Comparable in size to the Saturn rocket that sent the astronauts to the moon, a monopile can weigh as much as 5 million pounds each. The final assembly building, currently under construction, is larger than a football field and requires a four-foot-thick solid concrete floor to take the weight.”

Site prep for the 500,000 square foot building complex is well underway. Concrete foundations will be poured this Spring. Construction of the steel frames, roof, and skin is scheduled throughout the Summer—installation of mechanicals throughout next fall. The facility is planned for operations by 2023 to deliver monopiles for Orsted’s 1,100 MW project off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The factory construction will create hundreds of union construction jobs and when in full operation, will employ hundreds of workers from welders to accountants.

Building a monopile is similar to building a ship. Massively powerful machines roll the long slabs of steel into rings. The rings are joined together to make the massive pipe. The portion of the monopile exposed to seawater is sandblasted and given three coats of epoxy paint for protection.

Initially, the rolled steel rings will be imported as the Paulsboro plant ramps to full capabilities. The company will rely on both domestic and foreign steel predicated on quality, price, and availability.

The 2,500-ton monopiles are moved horizontally onto barges by multi-wheeled heavy-lift carriers, barged out to the ocean construction site, and driven 100 to 150 feet into the ocean floor.

While construction of the turbine farms is a summer job, building the monopiles is a year-round job. EEW will manufacture about 100 monopiles a year, store them on open land until deployed in the Summer.

EEW and New Jersey are strategically located to service the entire Atlantic Coast offshore wind industry and expect to be producing monopiles for decades to come.

Want to know more? View the Southern New Jersey Economic Development Council’s roundtable discussion here.

New York Times article discussion here

SJPC’s Camden terminals had their busiest day in recent memory, loading out 235 trucks on March 8. Thank you to our employees and customers in collaborating to make this happen during this unprecedented import surge!

Governor Phil Murphy’s administration is awarding $6.6 million to the South Jersey Port Corporation to support its on-going efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, operate more efficiently and be a better neighbor.

It’s all part of the Governor’s $100 million initiative to reverse the scourge of climate change by turning to clean energy alternatives and by 2050 to make New Jersey fully powered by clean energy.

The Governor is funding his initiative by leveraging proceeds from the state’s re-entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and money from the Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund.

With this $6.6 million investment, the SJPC will replace 23 pieces of older gasoline and diesel forklifts and cargo handling equipment with new electric-powered units and associated charging stations. SJPC aims to systematically convert all of its energy-consuming assets to zero-carbon within the next decade as suitable replacement equipment becomes commercially available.

“Our prime mission is the creation of family-sustaining jobs by attracting cargo through international maritime trade,” said SJPC CEO Andrew Saporito. “But as Governor Murphy warns us, there will be no jobs if we destroy our planet and communities in the process. Jobs are inextricably connected to how we protect our environment and shrink our carbon footprint to zero. We strive to make our operations cleaner and greener while also building the green economy on initiatives such as off-shore wind development.”

From steps as simple as planting trees in its host cities to beautify the neighborhoods while capturing pollutants and stormwater to switching out warehouse lighting from incandescent fixtures to LED lights and investing millions in improving direct ship to rail access, the South Jersey Port has been working aggressively to reduce its carbon footprint. Instead of retrofitting its vehicles – it now can afford to start converting its fleet from carbon fuels to electric.

The SJPC has become the cornerstone of New Jersey’s growing Green Energy Economy. Its unparalleled location combined with available land and warehouse space and an integrated network of highway, rail, and marine facilities provide the needed infrastructure to support offshore wind energy investments along the East Coast. Paulsboro Marine Terminal has already emerged as the prime manufacturing site for offshore wind turbine farms.

“Like our mission, this grant received the strong support from our partners in the state Legislature especially Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Assembly members John Burzichelli, Adam Taliaferro, Bill Spearman, and Bill Moen,” said Saporito.

Combined with being at the epicenter of the offshore wind movement in New Jersey, this grant award puts SJPC at the forefront of the clean energy movement. The Port is a prime example of how green energy can translate into good-paying union jobs.

Implicit in these new grants is SJPC’s commitment to sustainability and being a better neighbor.

“Camden Mayor Frank Moran, who supported this grant opportunity for SJPC, has been a great partner in our efforts to grow jobs and reduce our carbon footprint at our Camden facilities,” Saporito added. “As we work to build new jobs, we remain steadfast in our commitment to creating more sustainable port operations and we appreciate the Mayor’s support of these initiatives and we thank him and his administration”

Officials from the State of New Jersey and South Jersey Port Corporation recently announced the nation’s largest investment to date in industrial offshore wind energy. The state committed to a $250 million investment in EEW manufacturing facilities for Ørsted at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal to develop and support wind-energy turbine farms off the Atlantic coast.

The investment will turn the once defunct petrochemical tank farm at Paulsboro Marine Terminal, a major deep-water port along the Delaware River, into a manufacturing hub for offshore-wind energy while continuing to be a general marine terminal for a host of cargos.

The development of the New Jersey Wind Port in Lower Alloways Township, together with the construction of the new manufacturing facility at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal, is a monumental step forward in solidifying New Jersey as the country’s leader in offshore wind and clean energy procurement.

“Developing New Jersey’s offshore wind capabilities has been a key priority of my administration since taking office in 2018,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “Offshore wind is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that allows us to protect our environment while significantly expanding and securing the state’s economy for the immediate and long term. This is the largest industrial offshore wind investment in the United States to date and will create hundreds of high-paying jobs at a time when New Jersey’s economy has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Coupled with the creation of the New Jersey Wind Port that I announced earlier this year, this investment will continue to cement New Jersey as the leader in offshore wind in the United States.”

“This is an important step forward that will support a new era of economic development and job growth in South Jersey with the ability to produce economic benefits for generations to come,” added New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney who has been on a 20-year mission to turn the Paulsboro tank farm in into a regional economic engine. “Wind energy is our future – it’s clean, it’s safe, and it offers the opportunity for New Jersey to be a dominant leader in creating a new sector to our economy. Bringing offshore-wind manufacturers to New Jersey is key to making the state a hub of the supply chain for wind energy products and services. The new headquarters for EEW will locate a leading manufacturer of monopiles to the Paulsboro Terminal, where it will help make the port a thriving center of commerce. The collaboration between the public and private sectors to get this done is a powerful reminder of what we have to do to create economic opportunities and what we can do to promote offshore wind energy.”

“This is where the dream of protecting our planet, protecting and creating family-sustaining jobs, and building a new industry becomes reality,” said Andy Saporito, CEO and Executive Director of the South Jersey Port Corporation. “It becomes a reality because of the vision and commitment of the State of New Jersey, our Governor, Senate President, legislature, and congressional delegation.”

“EEW is delighted to establish our latest manufacturing operations in New Jersey, as a major step forward for the offshore wind industry, and further establishing EEW as the global leader in monopile foundations,” said Christoph Schorge, CEO EEW-group based out of Erndtebrück Germany. “EEW’s manufacturing technology and years of experience will bring forward a factory capable of producing the world largest foundations required to support the ever-increasing wind turbines of the future”

“The Governor’s announcement of this massive manufacturing facility at the Port of Paulsboro demonstrates New Jersey’s commitment to clean energy and the creation of hundreds of long-term manufacturing jobs,” said Lee Laurendeau, CEO of EEW-American Offshore Structures. “This state-of-the-art factory will be a catalyst for change in Paulsboro and the surrounding area, creating much-needed construction, manufacturing, and supply chain jobs for many decades. Along with the New Jersey Wind Port, the Paulsboro monopile factory will secure New Jersey’s position as the manufacturing epicenter of the emerging Offshore Wind Industry. EEW would like to thank the Governor and Orsted for their commitment and support in enabling this exciting opportunity for South Jersey.”

“This announcement represents a significant milestone for the Ocean Wind project and New Jersey’s offshore wind goals,” said David Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of Ørsted Offshore North America. “New Jersey is poised to be a leader in the American offshore wind industry with key investments in its port infrastructure, like the Port of Paulsboro and the New Jersey Wind Port. As the state looks to rebuild its economy post-COVID-19, Ørsted will be there to partner with the state to create jobs, and opportunities for local suppliers to enter into this new American industry.”

The two-phase investment in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to build steel components, known as monopiles, for offshore wind turbines that will serve the entire United States offshore wind industry. The facility, which will be located at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal in Gloucester County, is the largest industrial offshore wind investment in the United States to date and will create more than 500 high-paying jobs at full build-out. Construction on the facility will break ground in January 2021, with production beginning in 2023.

In June 2020, Governor Murphy announced plans to develop the New Jersey Wind Port in Lower Alloways Township, a first-in-the-nation infrastructure investment that will provide a location for essential staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities related to offshore wind projects on the East Coast.

“This major investment shows that America’s clean energy future is being built right here in South Jersey. The new wind turbine manufacturing site will power our economy by building the clean technology that will power our homes and businesses,” said Congressman Donald Norcross. “The need to transition to a clean energy economy is more important than ever before, and I applaud Governor Murphy, Senate President Sweeney, EEW, and Holt for recognizing that and taking action. Critically, this project will generate hundreds of union construction jobs and I look forward to seeing the great work of our local building trades members.”

“This headquarters agreement to support offshore wind projects will lead to the creation of hundreds of high-paying, sustainable jobs which will greatly benefit the region and its residents,” said Assemblyman John Burzichelli. “I applaud Governor Murphy for helping us take a major step in cementing New Jersey as the leader in offshore wind projects along the eastern seaboard. This is a prime example of public investment paying dividends for the residents of our state.”

“Offshore wind presents an amazing opportunity for New Jersey to build a stronger, fairer economy while creating more clean energy and advancing important environmental justice goals. The offshore wind industry is growing rapidly, and thanks to Governor Murphy’s vision, New Jersey is well-positioned to be a hub for the American industry,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “As the first major offshore wind supply chain investment in the northeast, EEW’s manufacturing headquarters in Paulsboro will create new opportunities for New Jersey businesses and attract more offshore wind companies to New Jersey. EEW’s strong track record of apprenticeship programs will also help position New Jersey’s workers for the best opportunities in offshore wind. Along with the New Jersey Wind Port in Lower Alloways Creek, this project will pave the way for long-term, equitable economic growth throughout New Jersey.”

“I have no doubt that through offshore wind we are laying the foundation for a prosperous and equitable future,” said a New Jersey Board of Public Utilities representaive. “Establishing New Jersey as the East Coast hub of this exciting industry is paramount to the Governor’s vision for a clean energy innovation economy that works for all residents. The Board selected Ocean Wind as New Jersey’s first offshore wind project for the economic benefits and supply chain development opportunities, like Paulsboro Marine Terminal, that would bring additional value to the state. I applaud Ørsted and EEW for their commitment to these aims, and look forward to the success of offshore wind in New Jersey.”

“Whether on the road or in the water, strong transportation access is at the heart of economic success,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “The New Jersey Department of Transportation takes pride in being a part of this important port project by providing funding for road infrastructure and dredging operations.”

“The South Jersey Port Corporation welcomes EEW and Ørstedto Paulsboro,” said Andrew Saporito, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, South Jersey Port Corporation. “This new public-private project positions our ports as the epicenter of the rapidly growing Offshore Wind Energy projects, both in New Jersey and along the East Coast. This partnership represents a pivotal next step for the development of the Paulsboro Marine Terminal. It will bring jobs to the region during the construction of the facility and new highly-skilled full-time jobs to staff it upon completion, as well as additional jobs for waterfront labor responsible for handling the associated cargo and completed monopoles.”

“The Governor’s announcement represents a major investment in the future of wind energy in New Jersey,” said Tom Holt Jr., Principal of Paulsboro Waterfront development, the Holt real estate arm that serves as landlord of the Paulsboro Marine Terminal. “But it also creates exciting potential to support hundreds of new jobs in the wind energy logistics business – that is, the creation of new business opportunities to support wind energy in New Jersey. We applaud the Governor’s leadership on wind energy, and we look forward to partnering in the development of a whole new wind logistics support industry in Paulsboro and all along the Delaware River and Atlantic Ocean.”

“I’m proud to be part of this landmark event that will provide long term sustainable jobs for the southern New Jersey economy, while also helping the Governor meet his goals for his Energy Master Plan and providing another milestone project that provides green energy,” said Dan Cosner, IBEW 351 and South Jersey Building Trades.

The South Jersey Port Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of its newest board member William R. Higgins of Monroeville, NJ. The highly decorated retired New Jersey State Police captain served on SJPC’s senior management staff from 2007 to 2012 and returns now as a board member.

“We’re delighted to have Billy on the board,” said board chair Richard A. Alaimo. “He is the first former employee of the SJPC to serve on the board and he brings with him vast institutional knowledge and experience of the daily operations of our terminals. That perspective is valuable as we work to achieve our service goals while facing the unique challenges of these times.”

Governor Phil Murphy appointed Higgins to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Fran Smith. Board members serve 5-year terms and are responsible for adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance for operations of the port, ensuring a sustainable future.

Higgins served in various leadership roles during his 25-year career in law enforcement with the New Jersey State Police including a detail on the New Jersey State Police Executive Protection Unit protecting Governor James J. Florio, commands with the Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement and Casino Gaming Enforcement units, and chief of the Intelligence Bureau. He also led a 100-trooper contingent reinforcing Camden Police Department in its fight against gang violence in the community.
Following his retirement from the New Jersey State Police as a captain in 2006, Higgins served five years as a member of the senior management staff of the SJPC, where he became SJPC’s Director of Port Facilities Security, Human Resources, and Safety Officer. Serving with distinction, he learned all aspects of the SJPC’s services, organizational objectives, rank and file concerns, as well as the management structure.

In 2012 he returned to law enforcement as Deputy Chief of County Detectives for the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office. He retired again in 2014 to become the President & CEO of RSP Command Inc, a security firm based in Atlantic City.

“I’m looking forward to returning to SJPC and serving on the board. Building on the success of the port and maintaining growth is critical to our regional economy and I am committed to that mission,” said Higgins. The port has grown in recent years from handling 2 million tons of cargo annually to 4 million. With the opening of the Port of Paulsboro and the development of wind energy, SJPC is poised to continue that growth in the coming years.

Higgins resides in Monroeville with his wife Beth and they are proud parents of five grown sons and have three grandchildren.

The cocoa bean season has begun. Read coverage in the Courier Post. https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/2020/12/18/cocoa-beans-south-jersey-port-camden-international-commodities-wheeler/3932341001/

South Jersey Port terminals are open and cargo handling activities have resumed thanks to our team members who worked around the clock to remove the snow.

South Jersey Port team members are working around the clock to keep our Camden terminals open during the snowstorm, so that cargo handling activities can safely resume tomorrow December 17th. Click here to see our team in action.IMG_5183

SJPC is monitoring the potential for a winter storm arriving Wednesday Dec 16 into Thursday Dec 17. Realizing that this may be lighter or heavier than expected, we are nevertheless making preparations with snow removal and salting equipment at the ready. As of now, we are planning to keep our Camden terminals operating, but will make allowances if any cargo handling activities need to be modified for safety reasons.

The executive leadership team and the Board of the South Jersey Port Corporation recognized Thom Johnson for his 33 years of service to the Port and the community it serves at their board meeting today.  Thom joined the South Jersey Port team as a clerk on in 1987 and worked his way up through a variety of critical and challenging terminal assignments – to become a key member of the management team taking leadership roles in marketing, operations, safety and foreign trade.  

A life-long resident of Camden with an engaging personality and infectious smile, Thom understood the importance of hard work, training and education in his career objectives. So, after a full day at the Port – the graduate of Father Michael Doyle’s Sacred Heart in Camden went to Rutgers University-Camden at night to earn his Bachelor’s degree and eventually a Masters’ degree in Public Administration.

Thom will retire at the end of this year and begin the next phase of his life by using the skills he developed over the past 33 years to continue to give back to the community. He has been a valued team member and we all wish him well for his continued success.

Attention South Jersey Port Trucking Partners! Deliver holiday cheer this season and drop off a gift for our 2020 Holiday Toy Drive on your next stop at South Jersey Port. Donate NEW UNWRAPPED toys or books and bring a smile to a child this Holiday Season. Collection bins are located at the Balzano Marine Terminal by the check-in hallway and at the Broadway Marine Terminal next to the check-in window. Bins are open through Wednesday, December 16th. Happy Holidays.

American democracy prevails under the wings of the veterans who we celebrate today. They are individuals of all races, religions, and cultures with family roots stretching around the globe and across time with an undying devotion to our nation.

They’ve fought our wars and maintained our peace for 250 years. They are our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, uncles, aunts, cousins, and co-workers. They are our American family.

We at the South Jersey Port Corporation honor them all, especially our military veteran co-workers.

WE SALUTE YOU ALL!

John Lawrie Tubulars, specialists in the supply of steel tubulars for piling to the construction industry, has been expanding its services across America. Recent investment in a new yard and the expansion of existing sites as well as new equipment has meant the company is better placed to service the construction market now more than ever.

In May, the company expanded its footprint in Camden with an 8.5-acre lease with SJPC to complement its existing five sites across Texas, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma. The expansion includes both warehouse and office space.

Situated close to the excellent intermodal transportation links at South Jersey Port’s Balzano Marine Terminal, the new acreage provides John Lawrie with the additional capacity to store thousands of tons of pipe that is ready to ship to clients in the Northeast and across the country. Plans are also underway for capital investment converting the warehouse space to a state-of-the-art, full-service fabrication operation for cutting, beveling, and welding pipe to exact client specifications. The improvements are scheduled for completion by the end of this year. 

“John Lawrie is a national leader in the supply of steel pipes and we are excited to see the commitment they are making to the City of Camden with this long-term lease with the South Jersey Port Corporation,” said Executive Director & CEO Andy Saporito.  “We are committed to the highest level of customer service and working to meet the infrastructure needs of customers and support continued growth of our marine terminals”.

Continued heavy investment in inventory at John Lawrie Tubular locations gives customers a greater selection of sizes, walls, and grades of domestic steel pipe.

John Lawrie Tubulars has a clear focus on continuing to further enhance its capabilities for the supply of more products to the pipe pile, micropile, and helical pile industry. With an inventory of over 90,000 tons of ready to ship steel pipe across six national locations, John Lawrie Tubulars is ideally suited to meet the steel pipe piling requirements of construction and deep foundation markets. In-house services include beveling, plasma and saw cutting, splicing to length, inspection, as well as cleaning, blasting, profiling and adding endplates.

“It has been a pleasure working with SJPC in developing our new facility in Camden. As we continue to grow our business, we see our new Camden facility as a vital strategic location, not only to service the Northeast construction market but the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic markets as well.  We look forward to a strong continued partnership with SJPC and will continue our capital investment in the Camden facility to make sure we can provide our clients with the highest quality products and service in the piling industry,” said Vic Sinclair, CEO, John Lawrie.