Phila. to dock military ships

Recent signs of life for shipping are carrying optimism to Philadelphia’s port.

Like most other industries, the global shipping business has taken a hit during the recession. But recent signs of life for shipping are carrying optimism to Philadelphia’s port.

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[audio: 090821sbship.mp3]

After more than a year without military cargo ships, Philadelphia will load and send three ships to the Middle East in the coming months. The first one will leave in September laden with military vehicles and other equipment.

Consultant Susan Howland says in the past year, the military has begun using other ports like Charleston, South Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida. She’s been working with Philadelphia port officials to bring military cargo ships here

Howland: We developed new strategies, just continued to persist because we found ourselves in direct competition with these South Atlantic and Gulf Coast locations.

Docking the ships in Philadelphia is expected to pump $4 million dollars into the regional economy.

The Department of Defense is the largest shipper in the world. The two largest private shippers, Maersk and Mediterranean also use the port.