Race-to-the-Top: East and Gulf Coast Ports Prepare for a Post-Panamax World

Abstract

Kurt Nagle, president of the American Association of Port Authorities, and David Matsuda, maritime administrator for the United States Department of Transportation, have both labeled the Panama Canal expansion project as a "game-changer" for seaports in the United States. The true effects of the canal’s expansion will not be definitively known for years to come. Yet such uncertainty has not reduced the anticipation of economic benefits to a number of East and Gulf Coast ports. The prospect for increased cargo being shipped to East and Gulf Coast ports, and consequently away from West Coast ports, has generated an assortment of activity at numerous ports, as each prepares for an increase in both cargo volume and the size of incoming vessels.