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PRPA conducts inbound Mexico trade mission; promotes new shipping service

[ July 1, 2016   //   ]

The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) reveals that it is experiencing positive developments and generating useful leads as a result of a recent three-day seminar-style trade mission to help grow trade between Pennsylvania, the US Northeast, Canada and Mexico, via the new SeaLand Atlantico Service, which calls at the Port’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.
The trade mission was conducted June14-16 and brought Mexican produce growers and meat packers together with buyers from throughout the US.  In addition, officials of PRPA, Holt Logistics LLC (operators of PRPA’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal), SeaLand, USDA, US Customs, and the Mexican Consulate gave presentations. Private transportation service providers, the trade group Ship Philadelphia First, and other relevant parties also attended.
Surpassing expectations, the number attending the event was 134, and included 40 representatives from Mexico.
“While a large aim of our trade mission was to promote our new SeaLand Service and its ability to serve the needs of shippers moving cargo, particularly perishables, from Mexico to the US northeast, we wanted to start by simply bringing growers and buyers together, because that is a useful thing for everybody,” said PRPA Director of Marketing Sean Mahoney.  “Already we have received numerous comments from attendees on how valuable they found the trade mission, and how much business they conducted during the one-on-one meetings that were a key component of the event.”
With a structure in place to advance traditional business operations between Mexican growers and regional buyers in Pennsylvania and through the US Northeast, the trade mission then undertook a key secondary mission: changing minds about how cargo can move between Mexico and the US Northeast, and how a new shipping service at the Port of Philadelphia could be the main tool in making shippers think in new ways.
Specifically, the Port’s weekly SeaLand Atlantico service, which commenced earlier this year following its announcement by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf in February, stands out among the Port of Philadelphia’s many other shipping services in that it targets cargoes that have traditionally moved via truck between Mexico and the US Northeast, in particular perishable cargoes.  Thus far, the service has shown promise in the form of growing cargo volumes, but port and business officials here wanted to better publicize the new service to the regional shipping community.
SeaLand’s Atlantico service connects the Mexican ports of Veracruz and Altamira with the Port of Philadelphia, moving cargoes such as avocados, limes and meat, as well as a variety of other commercial cargoes.  The all-water transit to the Port of Philadelphia eliminates the traditional truck transport of these cargoes, bringing about many benefits, including  improved supply chain integrity, as cargo no longer has to be transloaded at the US/Mexico border in Texas prior to moving to inland US locations; increased cargo payload on an all-water service versus an all-motor or motor/rail combination; elimination of cargo damage to perishables and other retail cargoes due to road vibrations; significantly reduced CO2 emissions result by moving cargo via all-water rather than truck; reduced highway congestion, as fewer trucks will be moving these cargoes; and great connectivity.
he Port of Philadelphia’s superior highway and rail connections will speed Mexican cargoes to their final destinations once they arrive at the port.

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