Nova Scotia, Philadelphia ports sign pact

Nova Scotia, Philadelphia ports sign pact    A group planning to build a large container port in Nova Scotia said Thursday it has entered into an alliance with the Ports of Philadelphia.
   Sydney Marine Group (SMG), which wants to build a $200 million deepwater terminal to serve large containerships calling North America from Asia via the Suez Canal, outlined a plan to transship cargo to Philadelphia.
   “This alliance creates a completely unique solution for the container industry on the East Coast,' said Jim Wooder chairman of SMG. 'The big ships will arrive at Sydney, discharge their cargo that will in turn will be loaded onto smaller vessels (4,000 to 6,000 TEUs) and move into key U.S. markets via ports on the Delaware River.'
   SMG said memoranda and a letter of intent were signed by the International Longshoreman's Association District Council, Ports of Delaware River Marine Trade Association and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority.
   SMG said environmental assessment approvals have been received for both dredging and terminal construction and it has requests for proposals this month to dredge the terminal's channel.
   A number of business and labor leaders attended a press conference in Nova Scotia to make the announcement.
   Patrick Dolan, president of the Ports of Delaware River Marine Trade Association, said the alliance “puts our membership firmly into the big ship play (which we are now precluded from given the constraints of our river) and allows us to further leverage our hard earned reputation for competitive economics and customer focus.'
   Jim Paylor, ILA's Atlantic Coast district vice president, said the alliance, if successful, could create several hundred jobs for ILA members and others.