MTMC puts Philadelphia port to test with large shipment
The U.S. Military Traffic Management Command put the Port of Philadelphia to the test Oct. 17 with the movement of combat equipment for the 10th Mountain Division, which is headed for operations in Iraq.
This is the first major military shipment handled by the port since its designation as a strategic port by the Defense Department last year. Ports are designated as strategic to handle military cargoes in times of contingencies. Philadelphia is one of 14 ports with this status.
“The selection of a commercial seaport as a strategic seaport is based on the types of facilities in the region, the port’s capabilities related to military requirements and accessibility by road and rail,” said Doug Anderson, MTMC’s deputy director of deployment operations.
The 10th Mountain Division’s equipment came from Fort Drum, N.Y. by rail and was loaded on the Military Sealift Command’s combination container and roll-on/roll-off vessel, “USNS 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin,” at Philadelphia’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.