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Pacific Northwest ports SEATTLE — The Port of Seattle, along with the ports of Tacoma and Vancouver, BC, have released their first annual Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy Implementation Report. This regional partnership was developed to reduce maritime and port-related diesel and greenhouse gas emissions in the Pacific Northwest that affect air quality and climate change. The goal of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy is to reduce air emissions in the Pacific Northwest from current and future maritime port operations through specific strategies and actions within each category of port operation. The Implementation Report set goals for transparency, progress, and clarity around air quality. Although there are a number of technical reporting standards to clarify between the three port agencies, there have been good benchmarks established for future collaboration, as environmental goals are met in the coming years. Go to http://www.portseattle.org/seaport/ for the full Clean Air Strategy Report .
Panama Canal Authority PANAMA CITY — Moving ahead with its Expansion Program, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will soon solicit bids for the fourth and last dry excavation project. The project will be the final phase in creating an access channel that will link the new Pacific locks with the Canal’s existing Gaillard Cut (the narrowest stretch of the Panama Canal). As the second most significant contract of the Expansion Program, the scope of work will include the excavation, removal and disposal of approximately 27 million cubic meters of non-classified material. Moreover, the solicitation will call for the installation of an approximately 1.8-kilometer long backfilled cellular cofferdam water barrier and the construction of a 3.5-kilometer long impervious clay core-rock fill dam. The ACP expects to make construction plans, specifications and contractual requirements available by the end of the month.
COSCON joining
Evergreen TAIPEI — To help minimize the impact of soaring bunker price and to respond to the deteriorating market conditions between the Far East and South Africa/ East Coast South America, COSCON/Evergreen will combine their existing jointly operated ESA and FAX services into a new ESA service. The new service, which is expected to start on July 6, 2009 from Shanghai, will comprise 11 vessels with a capacity of 3,500 TEUs. COSCON will provide four vessels and Evergreen will provide seven vessels separately. The first vessel to depart will be "MASS 0816W' from Shanghai on July 6, 2009. Port rotation is as follows: Shanghai / Ningbo / Kaohsiung / Yantian / Hong Kong/ Singapore / Tanjung Pelepas PTP / Durban / Cape Town / Montevideo / Buenos Aires / Paranagua / Santos / Durban / Singapore / Hong Kong / Shanghai. Port of Kaohsiung and Paranagua are served by Evergreen's vessels only.
Paragon Shipping sets ATHENS — Paragon Shipping Inc., a global shipping transportation company specializing in drybulk cargoes, has announced that it has entered into new two year time charter contracts for the CALM SEAS and the CORAL SEAS. Both vessels have been forward fixed on period time charters for 23 to 26 months at a gross daily rate of $15,775 per vessel with Intermare Transport GMBH.
Corps gives
guidelines PORTLAND — As the nation’s largest federal provider of water-based recreation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stresses water safety and urges extra caution while in or around water during the upcoming Independence Day holiday. Many people include water-based recreation as part of their Fourth of July festivities. Unfortunately, some celebrations end tragically due to accidents in, on and around the water. The Corps urges the public to observe the following water safety tips to ensure a safer recreation experience over the holiday and throughout the year. Wear your life jacket: About 6,000 people drown in the United States each year. This is the second leading cause of accidental death for persons 15 to 44 years of age. The majority of these tragedies could have been prevented by simply wearing a life jacket. Please do your friends and loved ones a favor – wear your life jacket. Learn to swim and don’t overestimate your skill: Once you know how to swim, ensure that you always swim with a buddy. Don’t rely on inner tubes or water toys to keep you afloat. Know your limits. Each year many people drown by overestimating their swimming skills and swimming beyond their limits. Beware of cold water temperatures: Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it. This can happen in any season, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where water temperatures remain low all year. Don’t drink and boat: About half of adolescent and adult deaths associated with water recreation involve alcohol use. Just one beer can impair your balance, vision, judgment and reaction time, thus making you a potential danger to yourself and others. Don’t include alcohol in your outing if you are planning to have fun in, on, or near the water. For more information on these and other water safety tips please visit the Corps’ water safety Web site at http://watersafety.usace.army.mil/safetytips.htm. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: E-mail your thoughts and comments to the Editor about news and issues for publication in the newspaper. Give us your name, company and phone number. Phone number is not for publication. Just click this e-mail : dsnews@europa.com |
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West Coast 