US targets Chinese-made container cranes in spy crackdown

Owners and operators of over 200 Chinese-made container cranes at U.S. ports will be subject to new cyber-risk management requirements aimed at reducing China’s ability to spy on America’s domestic supply chains.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday announced that owners or operators of Chinese manufactured ship-to-shore (STS) container gantry cranes may now obtain copies of Maritime Security Directive 105-4, which spells out required cyber-risk management actions related to the cranes.

The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-targets-chinese-made-container-cranes-in-spy-crackdown

Ports benefit from more than $241 million in federal grants

Twenty-five port projects in 19 states got an early Christmas present last week in the form of grant money through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program.

The federal government awarded more than $241 million in grant funding to both inland river and coastal ports and the Great Lakes ports, according to a Thursday release. Among the priorities of this year’s funding round were those related to job creation, climate change and environmental justice impacts. 

The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ports-benefit-from-more-than-241-million-in-federal-grants

Biden unveils sweeping $2 trillion infrastructure plan

The White House has released an outline of President Joe Biden’s vision for infrastructure: a $2 trillion, 10-year American Jobs Plan that includes upgrading transportation infrastructure as well as renewing the electric grid, high-speed broadband to all parts of the U.S. and delivering clean drinking water.

Biden envisions the plan fully paid for within 15 years – but only if he is able to pass an adjoining plan to increase corporate taxes from the current 21% passed under the Trump...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/biden-unveils-sweeping-2-trillion-infrastructure-plan

Multibillion-dollar offshore wind plan targets US ports

The U.S. maritime sector stands to reap major benefits from an offshore wind initiative announced Monday by the White House that would jump-start billions of dollars of investment into ports and U.S.-made cargo ships.

The proposal, which involves oversight from several cabinet-level departments including the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), aims to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind in the United States by 2030. Meeting the target will spur more than $12 billion per year in...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/multibillion-dollar-offshore-wind-plan-targets-us-ports

US Maritime Administration chief resigns post after Capitol riots

U.S. Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby left his position last week in the wake of the riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Buzby was nominated to lead the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd), the agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation responsible for the country’s waterborne transportation system, by President Donald Trump in 2017. He became the second leader within the department to resign as a result of the riots after DOT Secretary Elaine Chao resigned last week.

“I no longer believe that...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-maritime-administration-chief-leaves-post-after-capitol-riots

DOT spending $220 million to speed cargo at 18 ports

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Thursday released $220 million in federal funds for 18 coastal and inland ports aimed at speeding freight through the supply chain.

Rail and truck connections were highlighted at 11 of the 18 facilities receiving money. Eight of the grantees are located in “opportunity zones” created to improve economically distressed communities.

This latest round of Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) funding, made through the U.S. Maritime...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/dot-spending-220-million-at-18-ports