The US becomes less pleasing
APM Terminals investment in Mexico's Lazaro Cardenas is seen as part of a carefully planned Americas strategy
The crisis in US port development is growing and the country is slipping further behind in modern facilities.
A maritime coalition called Building America's Future Education Fund says the situation is now so serious that the World Economic Forum ranks the US 22nd in the world in quality of port infrastructure and 15th in the national network of roads, rail and bridges.
A startling claim made by the coalition is that the 59 busiest ports in the US are only operable 35% of the time. This needs to be put into context, as it means that the maximum channel dimensions are only available 35% of the time – silt and debris limit navigability the rest of the time.
Federal government spending is compounding the woes, as ports receive only 0.5% of the Department of Transportation's annual outlay of about $100bn. Roads get 65%.
Political posturing and points scoring are taking their toll. Accusations that Canada is stealing traffic from West Coast ports and has to be punished are part of the reason for a continuing lack of foreign investor interest.
Maritime pressure groups pin the problem almost solely on a reduction in dredging operations by the Army Corps of Engineers, which in turn says funds have been cut drastically by Congress.
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