USTDA Sector Brief - Maritime

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) supports a wide range of maritime and port sector development activities in developing and middle-income countries. USTDA has provided training, technical assistance, and early investment analyses on the development of secure and efficient transportation systems, including enhanced compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, supply chain management, and port development activities. Our grant-based assistance has been provided to ministries of finance and transportation, maritime and port authorities, and private shipping and port operators. The following is an illustrative list of recent maritime and port sector projects that USTDA has supported:

Algeria

Port of Algiers Container Terminal – This $610,655 activity will provide detailed analysis and recommendations to the Entreprise Portuaire d'Alger in its efforts to establish a second container terminal at the Port of Algiers. If implemented, the second container terminal project would greatly improve the physical infrastructure at the port, which would increase its overall operational efficiency to handle increased container traffic.

APEC Regional

ISPS Code Training – This $230,000 technical assistance activity will provide ISPS Code compliance training to several developing APEC and Pacific Rim economies. This training will help these economies to enhance their compliance with the International Maritime Organization's (IMO's) International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) is the contractor for this activity.

Bangladesh

Chittagong Port Secure Trade and Container Scanning – USTDA is providing a $293,615 technical assistance grant for the Chittagong Port Secure Trade and Container Scanning System Project, to help facilitate secure trade and revenue collection at the Port of Chittagong and to comply with international standards. In coordination with the ADB, this activity will assist the National Board of Revenue, under the Ministry of Finance, to assess technology options, define procurement needs, and recommend suitable training to improve its operational processes and business procedures related to container scanning.

Cape Verde

Transshipment Port Development – This $420,480 investment analysis will support the establishment of a major transshipment port in Cape Verde. The new port facility would use Cape Verde's strategic geographic location to take advantage of trans-Atlantic and Europe-Africa shipping routes. The project would have substantial developmental impacts for the country by providing modern infrastructure, lowering transportation costs, and substantial local employment.

Chile

Port of Valparaiso Secure Supply Chain – This $451,350 feasibility study grant will help the Empresa Portuaria Valparaiso (EPV), the state-owned port company, to improve the efficiency and security of its logistics chain. EPV is planning the new infrastructure projects to improve access to the port and is also modernizing the port community systems, the computer networks that link the port with its users, including truckers, rail companies, shipping lines, feeder ports, shippers, customs agents and customs officers.

China

Bohai Sea Integrated Coastal Management and Emergency Response System – USTDA approved $442,500 for a study to evaluate the technical and financial requirements for the Bohai Sea Integrated Coastal Management and Emergency Response System Project (ICMERS). If implemented, ICMERS will help China’s State Oceanic Administration to pinpoint sources of pollution into the sea, as well as prevent and respond to other environmental hazards affecting its overall health. URS Corporation is performing this technical assistance.

Colombia

Cartagena Secure Port Initiative – This $399,962 technical assistance will support Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Cartagena S.A. in its efforts to improve maritime cargo security at the Port of Cartagena in Colombia. The Cartagena Secure Port Initiative would promote security enhancements at the Port of Cartagena, which ships over one-quarter of its total container volume to the United States.

Estonia

Tallinn Port Security – USTDA provided $160,130 to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications for technical assistance in devising a strategy and implementation plan for the Port of Tallinn to become a “secure link” in international trade. SAIC of McLean, VA, provided the assistance.

Ghana

Ports of Tema & Takoradi Master Plans $698,150 – USTDA granted funding to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority in 2007 for an update and expansion of Master Plans for the Ports of Tema and Takoradi. New port developments at Tema and Takoradi are planned to serve multiple purposes, such as streamlining operations, managing increased container traffic, and facilitating the export and import of bulk goods. Work on this study commenced in April 2008.

Honduras

Port of Cortés Dry Bulk Unloading Terminal – This $470,000 feasibility study for Empresa Nacional Portuaria (ENP) examined the development of a dry bulk unloading terminal, which will improve the overall infrastructure and efficiency of operations at the Port of Cortes.

Indonesia

Seafarer’s Identification Document System – USTDA sponsored a $358,000 technical assistance activity to aid in the development and design of a system to produce rapid, accurate and verifiable identification documents and a database for Indonesian seafarers that meets International Labor Organization requirements. This assistance will help Indonesia to enhance its compliance with International Labor Organization and International Maritime Organization standards.

Latin America Regional

ISPS Code Certification and Implementation – USTDA provided $253,870 in funding to support the Latin America & Caribbean Port and Vessel Security Technical Symposium, which was held in Jacksonville, FL in November 2004. The symposium was designed to provide guidance and training on ISPS Code certification and implementation to 40 Latin American and Caribbean government and port officials.

Latvia

Integrated Master Port Security Plan – USTDA is providing $390,740 to the Ministry of Transport for technical assistance in developing an integrated master port security plan for the ports of Riga, Ventspils, and Liepaja. The assistance will re-engineer the security processes at each port to provide a layered comprehensive security system. Sullivan Cove Consultants of Baltimore, MD, is providing the assistance.

Lithuania

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminal – USTDA is providing $826,501 to partially fund a feasibility study on the construction of an LNG import terminal at one of three potential sites along Lithuania’s Baltic Sea coast. The proposed LNG import terminal would boost regional energy security and enhance energy market competition. SAIC of McLean, VA, is conducting the study.

Morocco

Port Security and Supply Chain Management – Tangier Port Security: USTDA is providing a $374,000 grant to the Tangier-Mediterranean Special Agency (TMSA), a private company operating under an agreement with the Government of Morocco, to implement, coordinate and manage the Tangier Mediterranean Project (Tangier-Med). Tangier-Med is a new port complex that consists of a deep-sea harbor and logistics necessities, including container and cargo terminals, and industrial, commercial, and tourism zones. The grant will fund the cost of technical assistance (TA) in port security and safety related to International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, and Container Security Initiative compliance for Tangier-Med. The TA will also assist TMSA in developing tender documents for the procurement of safety and security equipment and services.

Romania

Black Sea Coastal Erosion Control Program Phase I – USTDA is providing $385,772 to the Romanian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development for technical assistance on an Integrated Coastal Zone Modeling System, which will develop analytical tools to assess erosion control measures along Romania’s Black Sea coast. This technical assistance activity represents the first of four phases in the Ministry’s Coastal Erosion Control Program. Black & Veatch of Alpharetta, GA, is providing the assistance.

Sub-Saharan Africa Regional

Smart and Secure Tradelanes Pilot Project – USTDA provided $602,450 to co-fund a smart and secure logistics chain pilot project to enhance trade capacity and supply chain security for the Southern African Customs Union. The study, which is being overseen by the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport), will examine transportation security technologies along both land-based and seagoing trade lanes connecting Walvis Bay, Namibia; Cape Town, South Africa; and the United States.

Vietnam

Transport Logistics System – USTDA sponsored a $148,170 grant to partially fund a detailed feasibility study that will help Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) implement a transportation logistics system at their port operations in greater Ho Chi Minh City. The study would provide detailed recommendations to improve both the efficiency and security of cargo movements in and around greater HCMC, particularly at operations jointly owned by Vinalines and SSA Marine, the prime contractor.