by Lloyd's List

15 November 2024 (Lloyd's List) - THE Biden administration has announced plans to invest nearly $580m in port grants that will go towards 31 projects in 15 states and one US territory.

The funds will come from the Maritime Administration’s (Marad) Port Infrastructure Development Program, which received $2.25bn from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2022.

The programme provides “planning support, capital funding, and project management assistance to improve the capacity and efficiency of ports”, Marad said in a statement Friday.

The largest awards went towards a wharves reconstruction project in the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico ($53.5m); an emissions reduction project at Port Everglades, Florida ($53.3m); and the construction to a new general purpose cargo terminal the Don Young Port of Alaska.

In addition, the Garden City Terminal in the Port of Savannah received $49.9m for a “power resiliency” project, and Port of Oakland received $49.5m to modernise infrastructure at its Outer Harbor Terminal.

“Modernising America’s port infrastructure is essential to strengthening the multimodal network that supports our nation’s supply chain,” said Maritime Administrator Ann Phillips.

“Approximately 2.3bn short tons of goods move through US waterways each year, and the benefits of developing port infrastructure extend far beyond the maritime sector. This funding enhances the flow and capacity of goods moved, bolstering supply chain resilience across all transportation modes, and addressing the environmental and health impacts on port communities.”