FMC’s Anderson says more Florida dock space needed for increased trade

FMC’s Anderson says more Florida dock space needed for increased trade The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission’s chairman-designate wants Floridians to get ready for an inevitable increase in trade once the Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2014.
   “South Florida and Florida ports are uniquely positioned to take advantage of shifting trade patterns, which will take place because of Panama’s ambitious and visionary expansion on the Canal,” wrote Paul Anderson in an editorial published in Friday’s Sun-Sentinel.
   Anderson, who worked 10 years in Port Everglades for Seabulk Marine, before coming to Washington, urged elected officials to take the Panama Canal’s potential economic impact on South Florida seriously.
   “Consequently, for South Florida’s ports, it will be crucial to expand ship berths and ensure adequate harbor depth, as the larger ships will be the norm,” Anderson said.
   He also highlighted the recent work by the Broward County Commissioners in December to approve the majority of the Port Everglades Master/Vision Plan, specifically lengthening a vessel berth in the existing Turning Notch.
   “The Turning Notch expansion will accommodate the larger cargo ships that will be able to transverse the Canal once it is expanded, and will create a new berth for vessels carrying crushed rocks,” Anderson said. “Commissioners will consider the project and its alternatives in a workshop on March 11.”