How East Coast Ports Are Getting 'Big-Ship Ready'

It takes a big port to handle a big ship. Can East Coast ports meet the challenge of handling the new generation of mega-container vessels? Container lines are engaged in a frantic race to build ever-larger ships, which promise to have a ripple effect throughout the global transportation network. For their part, ports must invest billions of dollars in new and expanded facilities in order to accommodate the big ships. They need deeper water, longer berths, taller cranes, bigger container yards and improved connections to trucks and trains. Such projects also have the potential to alter the competitive landscape. On this episode, we speak with Andy Saporito, deputy director of the port department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Capt. Eric Wiberg, marketing manager with McAllister Towing and Transportation Co. They talk about how U.S. East Coast ports are taking advantage of the big-ship trend, as well as the impact of the recent widening of the Panama Canal.