For professionals and experts in the freight and logistics industry, the Delaware River is commonly referred to as “the Delaware Valley’s highway to the world.” The river accommodates many uses, but it is the activity of large cargo ships on the Delaware River that most impresses casual observers and offers visual confirmation of the region’s linkages to the global economy.

Geographically, the Delaware River can be considered the region’s binding force. (In fact, DVRPC’s stylized logo prominently features the Delaware River as a diagonal bar upon which crescents depicting New Jersey and Pennsylvania converge.) The flowing waters of the Delaware River stretch from north to south through the region, serve as a partial boundary for seven of the nine DVRPC counties, and are fed by the Schuylkill River and innumerable streams and creeks.

Ships sailing on the Delaware River are true multi-national enterprises. The country of origin of the captain, the crew, the cargo, and even the ship itself are most likely varied. On any given day, container ships, Ro-Ro (i.e., roll-on, roll-off) ships, tankers, barges, and tug boats may all transit the river.

A major project to deepen the main channel of the Delaware River from 40 feet to 45 feet is currently underway. The project coincides with the widening of the Panama Canal and will ultimately permit larger, deeper drafting ships to call on the river.

Notes about this layer:

• Sections of the Delaware River (referred to as channels, ranges, or bends) have been designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An information window for a specific section of the Delaware River will be displayed by clicking on a point within that section of the river.

Anchorages are designated places along the Delaware River where ships temporarily stop and drop their anchor. The anchorages are areas that are adjacent to, but not within, the main shipping channel. As such, they are similar in purpose to shoulders along a highway or sidings along a rail line.

One reason a ship may utilize an anchorage is that the port facility that the ship is destined for may be fully occupied and, thus, an open dock may not be available. This requires that the ship wait until a slot opens up and it is able to pull into a dock. Instead of idling in the main channel, a ship will use an anchorage during this time so that other ships may safely proceed.

In the DVRPC area, there are three main anchorages. They are evenly spaced apart, with one near Marcus Hook (i.e., Marcus Hook Anchorage), one alongside the Philadelphia International Airport (i.e., Mantua Creek Anchorage), and one just near the Walt Whitman Bridge (i.e., Kaighn’s Point Anchorage).

Notes about this layer:

• A user can click on any anchorage icon on the map to display additional information. As a user zooms in towards an individual anchorage, its limits will also be highlighted. A user may click on the highlighted area to display the same information as clicking on the icon.

Two very distinct types of port facilities are well represented in the Delaware Valley: general cargo terminals and bulk terminals.

General cargo terminals are designed to handle either containerized cargoes or break-bulk cargoes (i.e., smaller, divisible, more manageable shipments). There are currently 13 active general cargo port terminals in the region.

Each port facility has a certain amount of linear berthing which dictates how many ships can dock at the same time, and this helps determine the overall capacity of the facility. Some of the signature general cargoes handled by Delaware Valley ports include: fresh fruit, steel, paper, finished automobiles, cocoa beans, and frozen beef.

Bulk cargo terminals are generally privately owned. Typically, ships and barges transport raw materials for on-site manufacturing operations, with the resulting products then being distributed locally. The term, “bulk cargo,” refers to mass commodities (either wet or dry) which are carried loose and customarily loaded and unloaded by pumping, shoveling, or scooping.

There are 17 active bulk terminals in the DVRPC region. One of the primary imported commodities is crude petroleum because many of the bulk terminals are, in reality, refineries. Other goods handled at bulk terminals are gypsum, liquid chemicals, coal, salt, sugar, fertilizer, and gravel.

Notes about this layer:

• A user can click on any port icon in the map to display additional information about that facility. As a user zooms in towards an individual port facility, the land associated with it will also be highlighted. A user may click on the highlighted land to display the same information as clicking on the icon.
• In the port information screen, a link to a DVRPC Freight Center profile may also appear (if applicable).