The U.S. Public Port Industry The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) represents more than 80 public authorities in the United States. These state, county and city government agencies own and develop seaport facilities to handle both domestic and international maritime commerce being imported to or exported from the United States. U.S. ports and waterways handle more than 2.5 billion tons of trade annually. The majority of our nation’s overseas cargo flows through AAPA member ports’ facilities. While some public ports operate their own cargo terminals, many serve as “landlord” ports, leasing portions of their facilities to private terminal operating...