Home

March, 2011

NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, March 31, 2011

Portland Airport runway work
to start up on April 4

PORTLAND — Portland International Airport neighbors should expect some changes when construction resumes April 4, beginning the completion of major runway improvements. The work is the third and final phase of a three-year runway rehabilitation program that continues through early October. This phase will completely reconstruct the airport’s south runway, worn by years of aircraft use. In 2009, the Port of Portland rehabilitated the north runway, and in 2010, extended the north runway from the former 8,000 feet to 9,825 feet. The longer runway is now capable of accommodating the larger aircraft departures when the south runway closes for reconstruction, keeping the airport fully operational. Increased flights over some airport neighborhoods are expected during the south runway reconstruction, because many aircraft that would normally use the south runway will now temporarily use the north or crosswind runways. In particular, the increased use of the crosswind runway will increase the number of flights over neighborhoods south of the airport.


Sea-Tac Airport road closures
reschuled to begin next week

SEATTLE — Overnight closures on the approach to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have been rescheduled for three days beginning Tuesday, April 5, to facilitate the installation of girders on the International Blvd. (SR99) bridge over State Route 518. The road improvements will add a new lane to the bridge to facilitate the entrance to the new Rental Car Facility, south of Highway 518, scheduled to open in spring 2012. closures are scheduled to occur during the overnight hours between 11 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. to lessen the impact to commuters. Three closures will allow four separate girder sections to be placed on the evenings of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, April 5 - 7. Vehicles will be detoured during each evening construction period. Detour routes will be marked and motorists are encouraged to use caution while traveling in the area. For a link to information, go to http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/traveler/roads.shtml.


Pair of Mitsui companies
to merge into one unit

ROTTERDAM — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has announced that two of its group companies - International Marine Transport Co., Ltd. and MOL Tankship Management Ltd. - have agreed to merge effective April 1, 2011, and continue and expand their business as MOL Ocean Expert Co., Ltd. The merger plan was approved by the shareholders’ meetings of both companies. The merger will integrate marine officers for dry bulkships, tankers, and LPG carriers belonging to both companies under the MOL umbrella to ensure more flexibility in seafarer allocation and streamline management.


Nasdaq warns TOP Ships
of plan to drop company's stock

ATHENS — TOP Ships Inc., an international provider of worldwide seaborne crude oil, petroleum products, and drybulk transportation services, has announced that it has received written notification from The Nasdaq Stock Market ("Nasdaq") dated March 28, 2011, indicating that because the closing bid price of the company's common stock for the previous 30 consecutive business days was below the minimum $1.00 per share bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, the company is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1). The applicable grace period to regain compliance is 180 days. This notification has no effect on the listing of the company's common stock at this time. The company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its common stock between now and September 26, 2011 and is considering its options in order to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Global Market minimum bid price requirement.


Crowley taps Suz Michel
as People Development VP

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Crowley Maritime Corp. has announced that Suz Michel has been promoted to vice president of People Development and Learning. Ms. Michel will relocate from Seattle to the company's headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla. Ms. Michel, who previously served as director of People Development and Learning, will report to Carl Fox, senior vice president, corporate services. As Vice President, Ms. Michel will continue her work in helping employees - both shoreside and on vessels - develop skills and competencies to improve organizational performance One of the key areas of focus is culture initiatives that focus on employee performance and alignment with Crowley's corporate objectives. Ms. Michel joined Crowley in 2004, in the company's Safety, Security, Quality and Environmental (SSQE) department where she concentrated on regulatory safety training. In 2007, she was promoted to director of People Development and Learning.


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Aqua Tek Kayak moving to
new location at Port of Everett

EVERETT — The Port of Everett is welcoming Aqua Trek Kayak and Marine Center to the port’s former marina office (1720 West Marine View Drive). The business, which used to operate as Popeye’s Kayak and Marine, has expanded its business plan to offer kayak rentals and supplies, tours, food, and beverages. The business has been around for some time now providing access to local waters with kayak tours throughout Puget Sound. These programs are offered through Edmonds and Lynnwood Parks and Recreation offices and Everett and Green River Community Colleges.


Foss Maritime's Line Service
takes home several PMA awards

TACOMA — A major maritime employer group has recognized the safety record of the Foss Maritime workers who tie up and release ships at Puget Sound ports. The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) – whose members include key Foss customers – honored the company’s ongoing commitment to safety and accident prevention with four awards. Foremost was the recognition of Foss Line Service for reducing its annual injury rate more than any of its Washington state-based competitors. Foss line-handlers recorded no time lost for injuries in 2010. In addition to being recognized for recording the greatest reduction in injury rates, Foss Line Services took home three other honors:
•First Place Safety Award, Washington state, based on incident rates as determined by
federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable injury reporting.
•First Place Accident Prevention Award, West Coast-wide, based on incident rates as
determined by OSHA recordable injury reporting.
•Accident Prevention Award, West Coast-wide, for a zero injury rate.


Crowley taps Carl Fox
as Corporate Services VP

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Crowley Maritime Corp. has announced that Carl Fox will assume the role of senior vice president of corporate services on June 1. Mr. Fox will continue to work out of the company's Jacksonville office while reporting to Bill Pennella, Crowley's vice chairman and executive vice president. In his new position, Mr. Fox joins the company's senior leadership team and will manage several departments, including Information Technology; Corporate Communications; Human Resources; Safety, Security, Quality and Environmental (SSQE); People Development and Learning; Strategic Projects, and Facilities Development and Travel. Within the Crowley organization corporate services are centralized and support needs of the company, its subsidiaries and business units. Mr. Fox, who is currently serving as vice president of strategic initiatives and marketing for the company's liner and logistics units, is replacing Susan Rodgers, who is transitioning to a part-time role where she will focus on leadership development, training and other special projects.


Greenbrier set to offer
$200 million in notes

LAKE OSWEGO, OR — The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. has announced that it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $200 million aggregate principal amount of Convertible Senior Notes due 2018 (Notes). Greenbrier intends to grant the initial purchasers a 30-day over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional $15 million aggregate principal amount of Notes on the same terms and conditions. Greenbrier intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with additional cash on hand, to purchase any and all of Greenbrier's outstanding $235 million aggregate principal amount of its 8 3/8 percent senior notes due 2015 (the 2015 Notes) that are tendered pursuant to a cash tender offer and consent solicitation, also announced by Greenbrier, pay the consent and other fees in connection with such cash tender offer and consent solicitation and redeem or otherwise retire any and all 2015 Notes that remain outstanding following consummation of the cash tender offer.


Genco takes delivery
of final ship of 13 vessel deal

NEW YORK — Genco Shipping & Trading Limited has announced that it has taken delivery of the GENCO RHONE, a Supramax newbuilding. The GENCO RHONE is the final vessel to be delivered to the company under Genco's agreement previously announced on June 25, 2010 to acquire 13 Supramax vessels from Setaf SAS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bourbon SA. The company also announced that it has reached an agreement to enter into a spot-market related time charter for the GENCO RHONE with AMN Bulkcarriers Inc. for 11 to 13.5 months at a rate based on 102 percent of the average of the daily rates of the Baltic Supramax Index, or BSI, as reflected in daily reports. Hire is paid every 15 days in arrears net of a five percent third party brokerage commission. Genco maintains the option to convert the balance of any period of this charter to a fixed rate based on the Baltic Supramax Index FFA values at 102 percent. The time charter for the GENCO RHONE is expected to commence on or about March 30, 2011 and is subject to the completion of definitive documentation. The company used its available cash to pay the remaining balance of approximately $32.13 million for the GENCO RHONE. On August 20, 2010, the company entered into its previously announced $253 million senior secured term loan facility and intends to use the credit facility to refund a total of $21.5 million associated with the purchase of this vessel to the company.


NEWS BULLETIN
Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Trade between NAFTA partners
up during month of January

WASHINGTON, DC — Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was 19.5 percent higher in January 2011 than in January 2010, reaching $67.7 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in January 2011 rose 42.7 percent in two years from January 2009, which at $47.5 billion had the lowest amount of trade of any month since January 2004. Trade value in January 2011 was up 4.0 percent from the early recession level of January 2008. Freight value in January rose 1.8 percent from December 2010. Month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors. Surface transportation includes freight movements by truck, rail, pipeline, mail, Foreign Trade Zones and other. In January, 85.1 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land, 10.7 percent moved by vessel and 4.3 percent moved by air.


Unified Command plans to dam
broken barge on Columbia River

PORTLAND — The Unified Command in charge of operations involving the removal of the barge DAVY CROCKETT has announced plans to build a cofferdam around the vessel. The decision to build the cofferdam and dismantle the barge on site was reached after agreements could not be met with local shipyards. The cofferdam will be comprised of 850 ft. of sheet piling that will encircle the barge allowing workers to safely dismantle the vessel while containing pollutants that may leak from the vessel. The DAVY CROCKETT was first reported aground in the Columbia River near Camas, Washington in January. A light sheen was reported in the immediate area of the vessel at that time.


Crowley's Puerto Rico facilities
net favorable court decision

SAN JUAN — Crowley Maritime reports that a U.S. District Court in San Juan issued a temporary restraining order on Friday in favor of Crowley Puerto Rico Services, Inc. The order prevents the Puerto Rico Ports Authority from beginning security inspections of Crowley's customers' cargo coming into the island from the U.S. mainland, while not inspecting the cargo of Crowley's competitors. According to Crowley, the Ports Authority eventually plans to inspect all cargo coming onto the island from the U.S. mainland. It is months away, however, from being ready to do so at facilities operated by Crowley's competitors. There are no plans to carry out similar inspections of cargo coming from foreign locations. Crowley's concern is that conducting the inspections solely at Crowley facilities would not improve security and yet put Crowley at a severe competitive disadvantage.


Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics
cuts CO2 emissions by 21 percent

OSLO — Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL), the global shipping and logistics company, reports it cut its CO2 emissions by 21 percent last year, compared to 2009. The company attributed the change to increased fleet optimization and utilization. The company also reported results of its low-sulphur fuel policy, which has allowed the company to cut its sulphur dioxide emissions (SO2) by 151,000 tonnes from 2000 to 2010. The figures are contained in the company's 2010 Environmental Sustainability Report, which last year became the shipping industry’s first emissions inventory report to receive 3rd party verification that it conforms to the accounting requirements of ISO 14064-1 and the GHG protocol. An online report (www.2wglobal.com/esr) contains WWL’s environmental performance metrics and information on the company’s other environmental initiatives.


Port of Camas-Washougal plans
cleanup event celebrating Earth Day

WASHOUGAL, WA — The Port of Camas-Washougal has announced a volunteer levee and beach cleanup celebrating Earth Day 2011 on Friday, April 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. "This year's Earth Day marks 41 years of environmental stewardship and we are continuing our tradition that began last year with a volunteer levee and beach cleanup at Captain William Clark Park," said David Ripp, executive director. As an incentive to participate, this year we are offering free t-shirts to the first 25 people to join us. Volunteers should be aware of the following:
--Cleanup is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 22, 2011.
--Meet near dugout canoe at entrance to Captain William Clark Park in Washougal.
--Wear closed-toed shoes appropriate for walking.
--Garbage bags and gloves will be provided.
--Light refreshments will be available.


NEWS BULLETIN
Monday, March 28, 2011

Pair of improvement projects
completed at Port of Anacortes

ANACORTES — The Port of Anacortes held two ribbon cutting ceremonies earlier this month, one to mark the completion of the “T” Avenue Improvements Project, and the second to mark the completion of the Wyman’s Ramp Rehabilitation Project, at and adjacent to the port’s Marine Terminal in Anacortes. The “T” Avenue Improvements Project was funded in part by the Community Economic Revitalization Board’s (CERB) Job Development Fund (JDF) under the Washington State Department of Commerce. The Project included a full roadway reconstruction of “T” Avenue, including utilities upgrades, replacement of infrastructure elements including sanitary sewer, storm and water systems. The project also relocated overheard franchise utilities to underground, constructed stormwater conveyance, rain gardens, landscaping and irrigation, made subgrade improvements, installed asphalt paving, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and made subgrade improvements and paving at the Wyman’s Ramp Access, and installed power upgrades to the eastern portion of Pier 2.The final contract amount with Culbertson Marine Construction was completed within the authorized construction budget. The Wyman’s Ramp Rehabilitation Project was funded in part by the Skagit County Economic Development Public Facility Grant tax fund. The Project included demolition of the existing, badly deteriorated ramp, site grading, installation of a new concrete ramp, crane and outrigger demolition, pile installation and dolphin removal, as well as site fencing and gates.


Sea-Tac Airport road closures
put on hold for time being

SEATTLE — Due to unforeseen conflicts, the overnight closures on the approach to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have been POSTPONED and will NOT occur this week. The new schedule for the closure will be announced as soon as it is determined. Overnight closures on the approach to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were scheduled for three days beginning today, to facilitate the installation of girders on the International Blvd. (SR99) bridge over State Route 518. The road improvements will add a new lane to the bridge to facilitate the entrance to the new Rental Car Facility, south of Highway 518, scheduled to open in spring 2012. For a link to information, go to http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/traveler/roads.shtml


Crowley adding St. Maarten call
to service calling Caribbean ports

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL — Crowley Maritime Corp. has enhanced its liner container shipping services by adding a direct, fixed-day sailing from Port Everglades,
Fla., to St. Maarten in the Caribbean. This new direct offering improves Crowley's service by reducing the time it takes to ship to St. Maarten from South Fla. by one full day. Additionally, cargo is now scheduled to arrive on Sundays, an advantage that makes Crowley one of the first carriers in St. Maarten each week and allows stores to be stocked before the week begins - particularly with perishable cargo such as fresh produce. Likewise the new schedule will allow for earlier delivery of shipments via feeder vessels to surrounding islands in the Caribbean, including Antigua, St. Kitts/Nevis, Anguilla, St. Eustatius, St. Barth's, Montserrat and Saba. With the new service, cargo is scheduled to arrive earlier on Mondays, instead of later in the day, or on Tuesdays, as was previously the case.


Lower Monumental locks
reopen following repair work

NEAR KAHLOTUS, WA — Inland commercial navigation between Lewiston, Idaho, and Portland resumed at 11 p.m. March 25, with the official reopening of the navigation lock at Lower Monumental Lock and Dam on the lower Snake River, near Kahlotus, Wash., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials announced. The locks at The Dalles, John Day and Lower Monumental dams were closed Dec. 10, 2010, to enable Corps and contractor workers to replace their aging downstream lock gates during a planned extended outage coordinated with the inland navigation industry. These three locks and the other five locks along the Columbia-Snake River navigation system are now back in service, providing passage for commercial shippers and recreational boaters. The reopening marked the end of the longest lock outage ever experienced on that navigation system. The towboat REBEL, pushing two barges – one loaded with shipping containers, the other with wood chips – was the first vessel to lock through Lower Monumental’s new gate at about 3 p.m. For more information about the 2010-2011 Columbia-Snake Rivers Extended Navigation Lock Outage, visit the Corps’ joint-district Web page www.nwp.usace.army.mil/navigation/lockoutage.asp.


Speedy work shortens span
of Mukilteo Terminal closure

MUKILTEO — Washington State Ferries (WSF) reports a third weekend closure of the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal April 1-3 won’t be necessary, as originally planned, because major preservation work was completed ahead of schedule on Sunday. Additional preservation work will continue for the next month during the evenings, but will not disrupt service. This is one of the busiest routes in the WSF system, carrying nearly 3.9 million passengers in 2010. During the closures, crews replaced the mechanical and electrical systems that control the transfer span and apron that link the vessel and the dock. Find more information on the terminal repairs at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/ferries/mukilteoterminal/preservation.


NEWS BULLETIN
Friday, March 25, 2011

Containers from Japan
clear Customs' radiation tests

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Customs and Border Protection gave global shipping line APL an all-clear this week for the first shipment of containerized cargo from post-earthquake Japan. According to Customs, technicians conducted radiation tests on 355 containers discharged at the Port of Los Angeles from the vessel APL KOREA. All containers were cleared for delivery to locations throughout the U.S. It was the first test of Japanese exports since a March 11 earthquake in Japan damaged nuclear reactors and raised radiation exposure concerns. The ship arrived March 22, at 5:15 a.m. By 11:45 a.m., technicians had completed their pier-side scanning.


Port of Bellingham seeking
food operators for airport

BELLINGHAM — The Port of Bellingham is soliciting proposals from interested parties to develop, construct and operate a food and beverage service at the Bellingham International Airport. The area offered for lease is approximately 1,400 square feet and is located in the secured area of the Bellingham International Airport terminal building. This is a nonexclusive lease and the proposer should know there are other food and beverage services at the Bellingham International Airport, including the potential for additional services in the secured area. In addition to the space offered above there are two smaller concession areas that are located in the secured area containing approximately 85 square feet each. The offer to lease these smaller concession areas is included in this request for proposals. Parties interested in developing, constructing and operating a food and beverage service at the Bellingham International Airport must submit six (6) hard copies of their proposals to:
Port of Bellingham
Attn: Shirley McFearin
Real Estate Development Manager
1801 Roeder Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98227
By the close of business, 5:00 P.M., Friday, April 15, 2011.
More information is available at www.portofbellingham.com


AAPA selects Jerry Bridges
as board chairman for 2011-12

ALEXANDRIA, VA — At its annual Spring Conference on March 21, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)-representing the interests of seaports throughout the Western Hemisphere-elected Jerry A. Bridges, executive director of the Virginia Port Authority (VPA), to serve as the international trade association's 2011-12 chairman of the board. Mr. Bridges is slated to be installed as chairman for a one-year term on the final day of AAPA's 100th annual convention, set for Sept. 11-15 in Seattle. He will assume the AAPA chairmanship from A.J. "Pete" Reixach Jr., executive port director for Port Freeport, in Freeport, Tex., who began his one-year term as the association's chairman in September 2010. Mr. Bridges came to the VPA in 2006 from the Port of Oakland, where he had served as director of maritime from 2001 to 2004 and as executive director from 2004 to 2006. Earlier, he was area vice president, Northern California, for Marine Terminals Corporation, and before that worked in various capacities for Sea Land Services and Roadway Express.


Rail freight traffic numbers
continue up during week

WASHINGTON, DC — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported rail traffic gains for the week ending March 12, 2011, with U.S. railroads originating 292,164 carloads, up 1.3 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week was also up, totaling 216,828 trailers and containers, up 6.5 percent compared with the same week in 2010. Twelve of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases from the comparable week in 2010. Those groups posting significant increases included: metallic ores, up 105.3 percent; pulp, paper and allied products, up 17.9 percent, and motor vehicles and equipment, up 17.7 percent. The commodity groups reporting a notable drop in weekly traffic were waste and nonferrous scrap, down 13.7 percent and primary forest products, down 12.6 percent.


Construction project closing roads
leading to Seattle-Tacoma Airport

SEATTLE — Overnight closures on the approach to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are scheduled for three days beginning Monday, March 28, to facilitate the installation of girders on the International Blvd. (SR99) bridge over State Route 518. The road improvements will add a new lane to the bridge to facilitate the entrance to the new Rental Car Facility, south of Highway 518, scheduled to open in spring 2012. The closures are scheduled to occur during the overnight hours between 11 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. to lessen the impact to commuters. Three closures will allow four separate girder sections to be placed on the evenings of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 28 - 30. Vehicles will be detoured during each evening construction period. Detour routes will be marked and motorists are encouraged to use caution while traveling in the area. For a link to information, go to http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/traveler/roads.shtml


NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, March 24, 2011

Port of Tacoma FTZ sees jump
in total dollar volume of cargo

TACOMA — The total dollar volume of cargo moved through the Port of Tacoma’s Foreign Trade #86 has tripled. For the U. S. federal government fiscal year 2010 (October 2009 through September 2010), the total dollar value of domestic and foreign status merchandise that moved through the Zone totaled more than $1.3 billion, up from approximately $440 million for the fiscal year 2009. Mazda and Kia were two major users of Tacoma’s FTZ during the 2010 fiscal year, using the FTZ to process imported autos. Puget Sound International (PSI) and Norvanco International also had activated FTZ facilities for the entire fiscal year. PSI provided FTZ services to companies involved in the storage of imported machinery, footwear, furniture and religious items. Norvanco provided FTZ services to companies involved in the storage of tableware, footwear and fabric totes. In addition, the Tacoma FTZ also sponsored the subzone for Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company’s Anacortes Oil Refinery, for whom the total value of domestic and foreign status merchandise that moved through the Zone totaled approximately an additional $1.35 In terms of total dollar value of foreign status merchandise being admitted into a zone, Tacoma’s FTZ ranks third among the 35 West Coast FTZ (behind Long Beach and San Diego), and 18th out of the 272 FTZs in the United States. FTZ #86 includes 19 parcels of land that cover more than 2,250 acres of both port land and privately-owned land. FTZ #86 was first established in 1983, and has been expanded three times over the years. Recently, the port applied to have its Foreign Trade Zone #86 reorganized under the U.S. Department of Commerce’s new Alternative Site Framework (ASF) program.


Port of Seattle joins King County
to reduce small business paperwork

SEATTLE — The Port of Seattle and King County are partnering to lessen the amount of paperwork required for small businesses to qualify as a small business vendor for the two agencies. Through a recently adopted agreement, small businesses that qualify as Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) can fill out one application to work with both agencies, and county staff will continue to certify applicants for the SCS program. The port will share the costs of the joint certification process, which will be managed by King County staff.


International Maritime Organization
inks Japan navigational warning paper

LONDON — The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has issued a circular letter advising shipmasters to comply with the latest navigational warnings issued by the NAVAREA XI Coordinator (Japan), in the wake of damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. The circular letter notes that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan has confirmed that, at present, all international sea ports not damaged by the March 11, earthquake, and the resulting tsunami, operate normally and, based on the results of measurements of radiation levels by local governments, no health risk has been detected around the ports. NAVAREA warnings are disseminated by the designated NAVAREA coordinators and can also be downloaded by following the relevant links from http://weather.gmdss.org/navareas.html, in particular: NAVAREA XI Japan http://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/jhd-E.html NAVAREA XII United States http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal


Hanjin takes delivery
of first ore carrying vessel

SEOUL — Hanjin Shipping has announced that it received its first ore carrier. Named after the Brazilian port with the country’s largest iron ore export, HANJIN TUBARAO is a Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC) of 300,000 ton-class. The ship is under long-term contract with POSCO and will be deployed in the transportation of iron ore from Brazil to Korea. Attending the naming ceremony held at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, Korea, Young Min Kim, president & CEO of Hanjin Shipping commented, “We are delighted with the delivery of our first ore carrier and that we secured long-term contract with one of the world’s major clients.” He added, “It will not only contribute to improving our profitability but also be a milestone for us as we continue our efforts to develop our bulk business.” Meanwhile, Hanjin Shipping also received its first Very Large Crude Carrier of 300,000ton-class recently. with the following port rotation: Bangkok - LaemChabang - Port Klang - TanjungPelepas - Jakarta - TanjungPelepas - Bangkok


Crowley awards scholarships
for maritime studies program

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Students Ali Stevens and Michael Roy are getting the chance to attend the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport this spring, thanks in part to Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships, which were presented recently by Crowley Maritime Corporation. Ms. Stevens is a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire majoring in political science and minoring in marine biology. Growing up on Long Island, N.Y., she was minutes away from the Great South Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and said that water is something she cannot live without. At Williams-Mystic, Ms. Stevens is studying the connections between individuals and the sea through an interdisciplinary curriculum that also allows for original research opportunities. Mr. Roy, a student at the University of Rhode Island and native of Westerly, R.I, grew up along the beaches, waterways and fishing communities of New England. He said the culture of fishing was ingrained in him at a young age and he chose to attend Williams-Mystic for its reverence of the aquatic community.


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Corps boosts avian deterrent
at The Dalles Dam

PORTLAND — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District is expanding the avian deterrent array at The Dalles Dam. Work started last week and is continuing through early April. The array is a series of wires supported by towers that deter birds from diving at juvenile salmon as they make their way downriver to the sea. The Corps is adding towers and wires to provide better coverage of areas downriver of the spillway, which 80 percent of juvenile salmon use to pass the dam. Last year’s expansion of the array at Portland District’s John Day Dam has proven very successful. Birds’ consumption of smolts was reduced by about 75 percent and the presence of gulls was reduced by more than 80 percent from 2009 to 2010. Avian hazing is also a requirement of NOAA Fisheries’ Biological Opinion for the operation of Columbia River dams. The project is part of the Corps’ ongoing efforts to support salmon recovery in the Columbia River Basin.


OOCL inks deal for
six 13,000 TEU container ships

HONG KONG — OOCL has signed a contract with Samsung Heavy Industries for the construction of six 13,000-TEU vessels. This marks the first newbuilding order OOCL has ever placed for mega container vessels of this size. The six container vessels are to be delivered by 2013.


Wilh. Wilhelmsen launches
largest RO/RO vessel

PORTLAND — The Wilh. Wilhelmsen group has launched its 150th anniversary Mark V class vessel, MV TONSBERG, into operation. The Mark V vessel is the largest of its kind, with a length of 265 meters offering a cargo volume of 138 000 cubic meters over six fixed and three hoistable decks. The pioneering roll-on roll-off vessel is built at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Japan. Four Mark V vessels will be delivered to Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA and its partner Wallenius Lines. The second vessel will be delivered in August and two in 2012.


Evergreen Line to start
Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia run

TAIPEI — Evergreen Line has launched a weekly Thailand-Malaysia-Indonesia (TMI) service, the carrier announced. The new trade route will enhance Evergreen Line's Southeast Asia service network and replace the existing Indonesia-Malaysia (IS1) service. The inauguration of the TMI service is in line with the increased demand to serve the domestic consuming markets of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and focus on their growing exports of natural resources. According to Evergreen Line, the TMI service is an expansion of the previous IS1 service extending its calls to Bangkok and LaemChabang in Thailand. One existing containership of 900-TEU plus an additional 820-TEU vessel will be deployed in the service with the following port rotation: Bangkok - LaemChabang - Port Klang - TanjungPelepas - Jakarta - TanjungPelepas - Bangkok


Spring sailing schedule
set for Washington State Ferries

SEATTLE — The spring sailing schedule for Washington State Ferries (WSF) begins Sunday, March 27. More sailings will be added to popular routes and the international route between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C., starts again. There will be one round-trip sailing per day between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C. To make reservations for travel on this route, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries or call 511.
Ferry service increases include:
Weekend inter-island vessel in the San Juan Islands.
Eight hours of afternoon service Monday through Thursday between Anacortes and the San
Juan Islands.
Adjusted sailing times to improve schedule reliability in the San Juan Islands.
Three-boat service on weekends on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route. The third boat
will operate eight hours a day on Saturday and Sunday.
The complete 2011 spring sailing schedule is available at www.wsdot.gov/ferries/schedule.
The spring schedule will be in effect March 27 through June 18.


NEWS BULLETIN
Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Harley Marine Services orders
three new double hull barges

PORTLAND — Harley Marine Services has announced they have recently signed contracts with two local shipyards to begin construction on three double hull petroleum barges. This construction phase will further the company's goal of reaching OPA 90 compliance before 2012. Since early 2006, Harley Marine Services initiated a new build program to replace all single hull barges with state of the art double hull petroleum barges. The program ties into the requirements of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), requiring all petroleum vessels and barges be double hull before 2015. The first barge, to be named DALE FRANK JR., is being built at Zidell Marine in Portland. It is a double hull petroleum barge measuring in at 289’ x 78’ x 24’ with a carrying capacity of 52,000 barrels. The vessel is the fourth in this class, and a sister barge to the WEBB MOFFETT. The DALE FRANK JR. is expected to be completed and delivered to Harley Marine Services in October 2011. The second barge, to be named BETSY ARNTZ, is being built at U.S. Barge in Portland. this vessel too is double hulled and measures in at 241’ x 64’ x 23’ with a carrying capacity of 24,500 barrels of IFO and 7,000 barrels of MGO. It is the sixth barge in this class, is a sister barge to the ANNE ELIZABETH, and will be delivered to Harley Marine Services in November 2011. The third barge, TBN 31,500, is also being built at Zidell Marine in Portland. It too will be a sister barge to the BETSY ARNTZ. The double hull barge measures in at 241’ x 64’ x 23’ with a carrying capacity of 28,000 barrels of IFO and 3,500 barrels of MGO. It will be the seventh of this class and will be delivered to Harley Marine Services in March 2012.


Truck tonnage index drops
during month of February

ARLINGTON, VA — The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 2.9 percent in February after increasing a revised 3.5 percent in January 2011. The latest drop put the SA index at 113.3 (2000=100) in February. In January, the SA index equaled 116.6. During December 2010 and January 2011, the SA tonnage index jumped a total of 6.1 percent. The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 102 in February, down 2.8 percent from the previous month. Compared with February 2010, tonnage climbed 4.2 percent, although this was smaller than January’s 7.6 percent year-over-year increase. Through the first two months of the year, tonnage is up 5.9 percent compared with the same two months last year. Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 68 percent of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Trucks hauled 8.8 billion tons of freight in 2009. Motor carriers collected $544.4 billion, or 81.9 percent of total revenue earned by all transport modes.


Repairs at Bonneville lock
proceeding on schedule

PORTLAND — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers alerts commercial and recreational mariners that repairs to the upstream navigation lock gates at Bonneville Dam are proceeding on schedule. The lock should return to service by 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, March 23. The Corp accommodated critical lockages using alternate upstream barriers until 7 a.m., March 20. Crews then jacked up the gate leafs, cut away the damaged steel, and ground and cleaned the cut areas. Fitting and welding of new steel sections and tensioning of diagonal braces will continue through March 22, with operational testing conducted March 23. The Corps' Portland and Walla Walla districts have also alered commercial and recreational mariners that it is extending the closure of the Columbia-Snake rivers navigation lock system due to unforeseen delays. Work on Lower Monumental Dam's downstream lock gate replacement experienced unforeseen delays due to recent high winds and rain, resulting in additional time needed to complete the work. Walla Walla District officials adjusted the lock's reopening date to 5 p.m. on March 26. The Dalles navigation lock is being tested to ensure a proper fit to the new navigation lock gates. If tests scheduled for March 22 reveal the gates are not fitting together properly, additional adjustments may be needed, which would require dewatering the lock in order to access the lower portion of the gates. At this time engineers anticipate that the navigation lock will open as planned at 11:59 p.m. on March 23; however if the additional time is required, work would delay The Dalles opening until 11:59 p.m. on March 25.


Jamaican Maritime Authority
says stay clear of Fukushima

BEDFORDSHIRE, UK — Concerns over the potential spread of radiation contamination in Japan have led to the Maritime Authority of Jamaica issuing a warning for operators of all Jamaican flag vessels to maintain a distance of at least 50 miles from the Fukushima nuclear facility.With the cooling systems not yet operating, unfavourable weather conditions anticipated and the head of the UN nuclear watchdog saying the situation "remains very serious”, vessels are being urged to avoid all Japanese ports that fall within this 50 mile zone. Rear Admiral Peter Brady, Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica says, ”We are recommending this action to protect the welfare of our crews and the integrity of cargo and vessels. Our sympathies are with the Japanese people at this time and we continue to pray for the success of the measures being taken to avert a nuclear crisis.”


Grand Alliance carriers adding
Cai Mep call to Asia-Europe run

TOKYO — Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd (HL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), have announced that there will be a direct Vietnam call at Cai Mep (Vung Tau) deepwater port on Loop D (LPD) of the Asia–Europe service from March 30, 2011. The direct Vietnam coverage on LPD will provide a 21-day transit time from Cai Mep (Vung Tau) to Southampton, and will offer an additional link to further improve the Grand Alliance service network. The port rotation of LPD will be enhanced as follows: Pusan - Qingdao - Shanghai (Yangshan) - Ningbo - Shekou - Yantian - Cai Mep (Vung Tau) - Singapore - Suez Canal - Southampton - Le Havre - Hamburg - Rotterdam - Suez Canal - Singapore - Shanghai (Yangshan) - Pusan. Formed in 1998, the Grand Alliance members are Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), NYK (Japan), and OOCL (Hong Kong).


NEWS BULLETIN
Monday, March 21, 2011

Bonneville Dam navigation lock
closed to repair damaged gate

PORTLAND — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers alerts commercial and recreational mariners that operation of Bonneville Dam’s navigation lock at Columbia River Mile 145 has been significantly curtailed due to damage to the upstream gate. The Corps is coordinating with commercial barge lines to accommodate critical lockage needs over the next few days using alternate upstream barriers; lockage times are likely to be three to six times longer than usual. The gate was damaged during a routine operation to flush debris out of the upstream channel and through the lock. The top of the gate was exposed to high water pressure and buckled when drain valves pulling water into the lock failed to fully close. The Corps is investigating the cause and extent of the damage to the gate. The lock is expected to re-open Wednesday, March 23 at 11:59 p.m.


Coos Bay committee votes down
Marine Reserves designation scheme

COOS BAY — The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay’s Marine Reserves Recommendation Committee voted Wednesday in support of “No Marine Reserves” by a majority vote. Three other options proposing a mix of marine reserves/marine protected areas failed to gain the 2/3-majority votes required by the committee’s voting guidelines. The committee’s decision will generate a recommendation to the Port of Coos Bay Board of Commissioners, which, after public discussion, will forward a recommendation to Oregon’s Ocean Policy Advisory Council. Prior to finalizing a recommendation, the committee will author majority and minority reports that will be submitted to the port commission. The committee consists of 34 voting members representing constituent groups, including the public at large; commercial, recreational and sport fishing; conservation groups; tribes; chambers of commerce and merchant groups; cities; ports; Coos County and research entities. The port convened the committee in May 2009 to assist the state in considering whether there is an appropriate area between Reedsport and Bandon for designation as a Marine Reserve and/or Marine Protected Area that would not cause economic harm to coastal communities.


United Nations organizations
report no travel restrictions for Japan

LONDON — International flight and maritime operations can continue normally into and out of Japan’s major airports and sea ports, excluding those damaged by the tsunami, according to the latest information available from the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization. While there is currently no medical basis for imposing restrictions, the United Nations organizations are monitoring the situation closely and will advise of any changes. Screening for radiation of international passengers from Japan is not considered necessary at this time. Currently available information indicates that increased levels have been detected at some airports, but these do not represent any health risk. Further information is available on the website of the World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/en/


Port of Portland presenting
Northwest Intermodal Conference

PORTLAND — Several hundred leaders from the shipping and logistics industry will converge on Portland for the Fourth Northwest Intermodal Conference at the Benson Hotel, on May 17 and 18, hosted by the Port of Portland. Organized by Cargo Business News, the Northwest Intermodal Conference is focused on the Pacific Northwest's shipping gateways to and from U.S. markets, and will address themes pertinent to the global supply chain’s vital connections to the region and its developing infrastructure. The 2011 Northwest Intermodal Conference will feature a thorough cross-section of speakers from a logistics supply chain that features several experts, beneficial cargo owners, service providers, and port and terminal operators. Organizations represented at the event's sessions will include: BNSF Railway, Food Shippers Association of North America, Maersk, NYK, Pacific Seafood, Panama Canal Authority, Schneider Logistics, Seven Seas Fruit, System Services of America, Total Terminals International, Washington State Department of Transportation, and the ports of Longview, Portland, Seattle and Tacoma. Session topics will include: the Panama Canal Factor, Pacific Northwest (PNW) Shipper Roundtable, Ask the Experts, Keynote Roundtable on the evolution of chassis provision, PNW niche cargo case studies, and a two-part PNW intermodal series. Registration is open, and attendees can take advantage of a discounted rate before it expires on March 31. For event details, including the agenda, sponsorship opportunities, hotel rates, registration and more, go to www.northwestintermodal.com.


The Greenbrier Companies reports
preliminary second quarter results

LAKE OSWEGO, OR — The Greenbrier Companies has announced preliminary unaudited selected financial results for its second quarter ended February 28, 2011. Based on the company's initial closing for the quarter, preliminary revenues are expected to be approximately $280 million. Greenbrier anticipates that it will report financial results near consensus analysts' expectations of a loss of $0.01 per share for its second fiscal quarter. The quarterly results are subject to further review by the company and should be considered preliminary and subject to change, as the company is still in the process of preparing its financial statements for the quarter ended February 28, 2011.


NEWS BULLETIN
Friday, March 18, 2011

Port of Everett opens
new Waterfront Center

EVERETT — Waterfront Center, located in the Port of Everett’s Marina District, is now open for business at 1205 Craftsman Way. The 83,000 square foot facility includes space for retail, office, marine shop space, with Event rentals available in the Blue Heron and Sandpiper rooms. Waterfront Center was created by remodeling the former Marine Spill Response Center concrete tilt-up structure and adding 15,000 square feet for port and marina administration offices and restaurant space. Waterfront Center is home to the Port of Everett’s administrative and marina offices, Scuttlebutt Restaurant and numerous other boat repair shops and marine retail. Approximately 30,000 square feet is still available for lease.


Port of Tacoma reports jump
in February container volumes

TACOMA — The Port of Tacoma’s container volumes for February continued to improve, showing a 15 percent increase year-over-year. This upswing was driven by a 33 percent increase in imports. This brings the port’s total year-to-date TEU volume to 221,773, an increase of 14 percent. Container intermodal rail lifts were also up 12 percent year-to-date. Other February port cargo highlights include:
* Breakbulk -- up 148 percent
* Auto imports -- up 38 percent
* Total tonnage -- up 14 percent
For additional Port cargo stats, see: http://www.portoftacoma.com/Page.aspx?nid=155


Rail freight traffic count
climbs again during week

WASHINGTON, DC — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports rail traffic gains for the week ending March 5, 2011, with U.S. railroads originating 300,953 carloads, up 5.5 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week was also up, totaling 214,343 trailers and containers, up one percent compared with the same week in 2010. Fourteen of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases from the comparable week in 2010. Those groups posting significant increases included: metallic ores, up 105.2 percent; motor vehicles and equipment, up 20.8 percent, and petroleum products, up 18.6 percent. The commodity group reporting a significant drop in weekly traffic was grain mill products, down 12.1 percent. Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 0.3 percent compared with last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was up 9.2 percent compared with the same week in 2010. For the first nine weeks of 2011, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,578,642 carloads, up six percent from last year, and 1,959,272 trailers and containers, up 7.9 percent from the same point in 2010.


US Navy taps Lockheed Martin
for construction of seventh LCS

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Navy has awarded a Lockheed Martin-led industry team $376 million to construct the nation's seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The fixed-price-incentive-fee contract provides funding for the second of 10 ships the Navy awarded to the Lockheed Martin team in December 2010. The contracts for the remaining eight ships will be awarded through 2015. Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, will construct the ships in Marinette, Wis., and naval architect Gibbs & Cox will provide engineering and design support. The Lockheed Martin industry team designed and constructed the nation's first LCS, USS FREEDOM. USS FREEDOM was commissioned in 2008 and has sailed more than 50,000 nautical miles. Based at its homeport of San Diego, Calif., the ship completed a successful maiden deployment in 2010 and is now fully integrated into the fleet. LCS 3, the Navy's future USS FORT WORTH and Lockheed Martin's second LCS, is more than 85 percent complete and was christened and launched in December 2010 – a milestone reached just 20 months after contract award. The program remains on schedule and on budget for delivery to the Navy in 2012.


MOL plans to upgrade
service linking Europe/West Africa

HONG KONG — MOL reports it is upgrading its current ARN product to a fixed day weekly service between Europe and West Africa, with connections via Antwerp for Asian and North American cargo. The new service will launch from Hamburg on April 6, calling Thamesport, Antwerp, Dakar (Senegal), Tin Can (Nigeria), Tema (Ghana), Antwerp, Hamburg. Abidjan will also be included in the schedule when the political situation in the Ivory Coast allows. French customers can benefit from connections between Le Havre and Antwerp southbound, and Le Havre and Hamburg northbound.


NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, March 17, 2011

Greenbrier nets orders
for 4,200 new railcars

LAKE OSWEGO, OR — The Greenbrier Companies has announced that it has received orders for 4,200 railcar platforms valued at $325 million. The majority of the orders are for double-stack intermodal platforms, with the balance consisting of boxcars, covered hopper cars of various types, and various car types for the European market. Delivery of these orders is anticipated to occur principally in calendar 2011. Of the additional orders, orders for approximately 1,800 of these units were received during the latter part of the second quarter ended February 28, 2011, with orders for the remaining 2,400 units received subsequent to the quarter end. All these orders are in addition to orders for 1,900 new railcar platforms, which were also received during the company's second quarter and which were previously disclosed by Greenbrier in January 2011. Greenbrier's new railcar manufacturing backlog as of February 28, 2011, was approximately 9,500 units with an estimated value of $720 million, compared to 8,100 units valued at approximately $580 million as of November 30, 2010.


Transportation secretary to visit
United Streetcar facility in Oregon

PORTLAND — Supporting President Obama’s proposed budget, on Monday, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will visit Oregon’s United Streetcar, a growing domestic manufacturer that recently produced the first modern streetcar to be made in the U.S. in nearly 60 years creating American jobs and providing new work to over 200 vendors across 20 states. Also attending the event at the United Streetcar facility in Clackamas, Oregon, will be congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Chandra Brown, president of United Streetcar and Barbara Byrd of the Oregon Apollo Alliance. With improved quality in mind, United Streetcar will reveal its latest investment: a brand new 3100 foot streetcar track for onsite testing – the only one in the United States – as well as a new 6400 square foot environmental testing bay. President Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2012 calls for improving our nation’s transportation system and spurring domestic job growth with investments of approximately $30 billion per year in public transit and rail. Since 2005, America has sent roughly $10 billion overseas to purchase public transit equipment. The Apollo Alliance estimates that $40 billion per year of federal investment in public transit and rail, coupled with the right policies, could create 3.7 million American jobs – 600,000 in the manufacturing sector alone – and begin to meet the currently estimated $77 billion that is needed just to bring existing systems up to good repair.


NAFTA partner trade
up 24.3 percent in 2010

WASHINGTON, DC — Surface transportation trade between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico increased by 24.3 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, reaching $791 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The 24.3 percent increase in trade was the largest year-to-year increase for the years covered by these data. NAFTA went into effect in 1994. BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), reported that despite the increase from 2009 to 2010, the value of North American surface trade in 2010 remained below the levels of 2007 and 2008. Total North American surface transportation imports increased by 25.1 percent in 2010 from 2009, and exports increased by 23.3 percent during the same period. In 2010, 86.2 percent of U.S. merchandise trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land. Total North American surface transportation trade value in 2010 increased by 13.4 percent compared to 2005, and was up by 37.5 percent compared to 2000, a period of 10 years.


Evergreen set to add
new Japan/Taiwan/China run

TAIPEI — In a further expansion of its intra-Asia regional network, Evergreen Line is set to launch a weekly Japan-Taiwan-South China Sea (JTS) service as of today. Three container ships of 900-TEU will be deployed in the service with the following port rotation: Tokyo - Yokohama - Nagoya - Osaka - Keelung - Kaohsiung - Shekou - Hong Kong - Hai Phong - Zhangjiang - Hong Kong - Shekou - Tokyo. Together with Evergreen Line's existing NSC (North East Asia-South East Asia-C) service from Hong Kong/Shekou to Japan, the JTS service will enhance a doubling of frequency between Japan and China.


Mitsui vessel grounded by quake
moves to safety under own power

TOKYO — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has reported that all the crew have returned to the MOL-chartered bulker C.S. VICTORY, which was carried toward a breakwater by the tsunami and grounded in the shallow harbor at Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Friday, March 11. The Panamanian-flagged, 20,212gt vessel was able to leave the area under its own power and is now safely anchored nearby.


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Bellingham Port Commission
Oks funds for small city projects

BELLINGHAM — Working with small city partners throughout Whatcom County to improve the local economy is a top Port of Bellingham priority. Port commissioners have approved funding to assist small cities with five important local projects. For the past several years, commissioners funded a special Small City Economic Development Fund and worked with a Small Cities Partnership group so that the leaders in those communities could determine their top priorities. “We are pleased to support our small cities in their economic development efforts,” said Commission President Michael McAuley. “Over the years we have seen how our funding has acted as a multiplier to help move these projects forward.”


Crowley taps Frank Larkin
as liner services/logistics VP

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Frank Larkin has rejoined Crowley Maritime Corporation as vice president of sales and customer care for the company's liner services and logistics groups. He is domiciled in Jacksonville and reports to Steve Collar, senior vice president and general manager, logistics; John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Latin America services; and John Douglass, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico and Caribbean services. Mr. Larkin will lead the domestic and international sales efforts for Crowley's container and breakbulk shipping services in the Caribbean Basin and the company's worldwide logistics services. Charlie Dominguez, vice president of national accounts; Pete Noyer, vice president of business development; and Rob Clapp, vice president of customer care, will report to Mr. Larkin. Mr. Larkin previously worked at Crowley from 1988 to 1999, serving in positions of increasing responsibility, including vice president and general manager of Crowley's South America services. When that business was sold to Hamburg Süd in 1999, Mr. Larkin went to work for the company as senior vice president and managing director for North America and served in that capacity until recently.


Portland Airport has parking deal
for travelers during Spring Break

PORTLAND — Portland International Airport is giving Spring Break travelers an additional break this year with parking discounts in the long-term parking garage. With the Spring Break Break, parking is $14 per day for those entering the garage between March 17 and April 3—a $2 discount per day. The change will introduce many travelers to the garage that opened last year, and help fully utilize parking spaces in the garage that are more available during Spring Break when there is less business travel. The garage is connected to the terminal building via tunnels and moving sidewalks. Motorists are also encouraged to use the short-term parking garage ($3 per hour) to avoid congestion on the terminal roadways when picking up guests. Parking along Northeast Airport Way is prohibited, except for emergencies, and parking curbside at the airport terminal is only allowed for immediate loading and unloading. Motorists can also park in the free cell phone waiting area, wait for a call announcing an arrival, and then quickly pull up to the terminal to pick up travelers. Signs on Airport Way and 82nd Avenue approaching the airport will guide motorists to the lot located on Air Cargo Road, just west of 82nd Avenue. PDX expects about four percent more travelers this Spring Break than last year, and travelers should expect busy conditions. During the busiest forecasted Spring Break travel days, March 18, 21, 24 and 25; PDX will serve approximately 40,000 travelers each day, up from the normal daily average of 35,000 for this time of year. Travelers can make their trips smoother by reviewing general travel tips and flight schedule information before leaving home. Tips and information are available at www.pdx.com and 877-PDX-INFO. The Transportation Security Administration also offers security-related travel tips and a complete list of items prohibited on flights at www.tsa.gov.


BNSF informs customers
of carbon footprint savings

FORT WORTH, TX — Customers shipping on BNSF realize major fuel efficiency and emissions reductions by shipping via rail instead of by truck. In 2010, BNSF customers reduced emissions by more than 21 million metric tons of CO2, which is also equivalent to reducing the consumption and resultant emissions of more than 2 billion gallons of diesel fuel. For the third year in a row, BNSF provided its intermodal, automotive, industrial products and agricultural products customers with customized letters that analyzed their total rail carbon footprint and savings compared to movements of those shipments via the highway. Calculations are based on commodity type and weight, and distance traveled by rail. The calculation also considers the different fuel efficiencies of trailer, container or carload shipments. The calculation methodology was developed in consultation with Clear Carbon Consulting.


Boeing earmarks millions
for Japan earthquake relief

CHICAGO — Boeing has announced that the company and its employees will contribute $2 million to assist with recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The funds will come from The Boeing Company Charitable Trust and employee contributions. Boeing is in discussions with relief agencies and other groups to determine how the company's portion of the contribution can best be used to support recovery efforts. Contributions from the Boeing's U.S.-based and international employees will go directly to the American Red Cross relief efforts. Boeing directly employs more than 200 people in Japan and has long-standing relationships with commercial and government customers, suppliers and industry partners, and various universities and community organizations. The company employs more than 160,000 people across the United States and in 70 countries.


NEWS BULLETIN
Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Port of Anacortes project
in line for federal funding

WASHINGTON, DC — Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced the awarding of more than $13.5 million in competitive grants to 11 states for 16 boating infrastructure projects. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awards these grants, which will help fund construction of docks, boat slips and other facilities to support recreational boating, through the Service’s Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program. The State of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, in cooperation with the Port of Anacortes and partners will receive $1,476,193 and match that with $1,447,532 to replace two docks with state-of-the-art floats and upgraded amenities for an estimated 54 transient slips. The project is located on a sheltered harbor on Fidalgo Bay in Puget Sound.


Federal Maritime Commission
announces compromise deals

WASHINGTON, DC — The Federal Maritime Commission has announced four compromise agreements recovering a total of $297,500 in civil penalties for alleged violations of the Shipping Act. The agreements were reached with five ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs), acting as non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs). The agreed penalties resulted from investigations conducted by the Commission’s Area Representatives in Los Angeles, South Florida, and Washington, D.C. Staff attorneys with the Bureau of Enforcement negotiated the compromise agreements. The parties settled and agreed to penalties, but did not admit to violations of the Act or the Commission’s regulations. The compromise agreements are: Allied Transport Systems (USA), Inc. and Centurion Logistics Services Limited; Atlantic Express Corp.; Prime Shipping International Inc.; and Speedy International LLC.


Marcon acting as broker
for integrated tug/barge

COUPEVILLE, WA — Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, Washington has announced they have been chosen as the exclusive broker to market the integrated tug and barge JANE ANN IV and SARAH SPENCER for sale or charter. Marcon had previously handled the purchase of this ITB unit as the sole broker in 2006. The tug and barge can be developed for outright sale, charter/purchase or sale with partial financing. The tug and barge are available for inspection in the Great Lakes by appointment through Marcon. Marcon International Inc. has brokered four sales to-date in 2011 with several additional sales expected to close by the end of this month. Looking back over the past 25 years, Marcon has averaged about 42 sales and/or charters per year. Since their first sale in 1983, Marcon has brokered a total of 1,214 vessels and barges.


Hanjin Shipping to partner
in new Japan/Indonesia service

SEOUL — Hanjin Shipping, CNC and KMTC have announced that they are launching a joint service connecting Japan and Indonesia starting from March 22. Offering a weekly voyage, this new service will cover the trade lane linking the major ports of Japan and Indonesia. Four vessels with nominal capacity of 1,700 TEU each will be deployed in the service among which Hanjin Shipping will provide two ships, CNC and KMTC one each. JPI (Japan - Indonesia) Service Port Rotation: Osaka – Kobe – Tokyo – Yokohama – Hong Kong – Manila – Surabaya – Jakarta – Manila – Hong Kong - Osaka


Helen Delich Bentley
to receive maritime honor

HOLMDEL, NJ — Helen Delich Bentley will be an honoree at the National Maritime Historical Society's Washington Annual Award Dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at the National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW, Washington, DC, 20045. A former Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission and five-term U.S. Congresswoman representing Maryland's 2nd Congressional District, Ms. Bentley's history of advocacy for the Port of Baltimore was highlighted in 2006 when the port was officially renamed The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore by Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich. Joining her as nominees at the award dinner will be Admiral John C. Harvey, Jr., USN, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and CDR Everett Alvarez USN (Ret.), representing all prisoners of war as the first Naval aviator shot down in Vietnam, subsequently held as a POW for more than eight years. CDR Alvarez holds numerous military decorations, including the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, two Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Admiral Harvey, who prompted the Navy to establish an office to commemorate the upcoming bicentennial of the War of 1812 and has assumed a lead role in the celebration, called Ms. Bentley a "mentor" because of her pioneering television series "The Port That Built a City." Ms. Bentley was also formerly maritime editor of The Baltimore Sun.


NEWS BULLETIN
Monday, March 14, 2011

Coast Guard looking for damage
on Oregon, Washington coastlines

SEATTLE — Thirteenth Coast Guard District units continue to assess Pacific Northwest infrastructures after tsunami warnings and advisories were issued for the Wash. and Ore. coasts, Friday. Coast Guard helicopter over flights reported no significant damage to Washington coast infrastructures, significant damage in Brookings, Ore., and minor damage to Charleston, Depot Bay, and Winchester Bay, Ore. "As the Captain of the Port, my primary objectives in Chetco River are to ensure the safety and well being of all responders, mitigate the effects of any pollution, and assess and restore the waterway in an effort to open the river bar to all traffic," said Capt. Leonard Tumbarello, COTP for Sector Columbia River, whose area of responsibility extends from the Salmon and Snake Rivers in the east, into Idaho, down the Columbia River to coastal Oregon & Washington.


Mitsui O.S.K Lines aiding
earthquake, tsunami victims

HONG KONG — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has begun support activities to help victims of the quake and to help restore their homes and cities, Including:
1. MOL has decided to donate ¥50 million to help support and rescue victims of the quake.
2. MOL executives and employees have organized a charity donation program within the MOL Group of companies, the proceeds of which will be donated to organizations that are working to support victims and rebuild their cities.
3. At the request of the government, MOL Ferry Co., Ltd. an MOL group company determined to cooperate for transporting members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) who were assigned to rescue operations in northeast Japan.
The carrier expresses its heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of those who lost loved ones in the earthquake. At the same time, OOCL wishes for the best for the victims of the earthquake. MOL has reported that the carrier is still gathering data concerning MOL-operated vessels that may have been affected by the Tohoku district - off the Pacific Ocean earthquake, but neither the quake itself nor the resultant tsunami caused any significant maritime accidents involving MOL-operated vessels. However, the MOL-chartered C.S. VICTORY, was carried toward the breakwater by the tsunami and now rests on the bottom of the shallow harbor at Ishinomaki (Miyagi prefecture). All the crew members left the vessel on orders of the harbor master, and none were injured. None of the cargo (kaolin) or fuel oil has spilled from the vessel.


Evergreen Group assisting
victims of Japanese earthquake

TAIPEI — Evergreen Group has announced that the group Chairman Dr. Yung-fa Chang has instructed that the group's resources including but not limited to the marine and aviation business be used to assist the rescue work for the unspeakable tragedy of earthquake and Tsunami that occurred in Japan on March 11. As an international transportation group, Evergreen has branch offices worldwide. "We will make every effort to provide any necessary assistance to Japan's Governmental offices or related international rescue organizations," said a company spokesperson. For example, EVA Air has extended its resources to transport at no charge the first Rescue Team from Taiwan to arrive in Japan on March 13 of 35 rescue team members and 3000 kilos (6,600 pounds) of materials by its flight BR2198 to Narita Airport. On March 14, the carrier again received request from local Ministry of Foreign Affairs to carry a large amount of goods needed for the livelihood of the Japanese people. Evergreen Group reiterated that appropriate agencies should take advantage of the group's resources to assist the ongoing emergency rescue and recovery work.


Sea-Tac Airport earns
on-time performance honor

SEATTLE — Flight tracking company FlightStats has honored Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with their first-ever award to an airport for on-time performance. Sea-Tac was honored for operational excellence in the category of Departure Performance among Major International Airports. Sea-Tac achieved a 2010 on-time performance record of 85.21 percent. The average on-time performance was 71.66 percent for the category, which includes airports that have a significant number of trans-oceanic or international departures spanning at least three continents with at least 91,250 departures operated annually (250 departures per day). Sea-Tac has invested millions of dollars in improvements in buildings, runways and facilities to improve the operational efficiency of the airport.


Hanjin takes delivery
of first tanker vessel

SEOUL — Hanjin Shipping has announced it has received its first tanker. With Hanjin’s tradition to name its ships after cities around the world, the company’s first tanker is named RAS TANURA, the major oil port of Saudi Arabia. HANJIN RAS TANURA is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) of 300,000 ton-class with a double-hull design based on Fuel Oil Tank Protection (FOTP). The ship is also equipped with a fuel-efficient and highly economic engine. Attending the naming ceremony held at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, Korea, Joo-sik YOON, deputy president of Hanjin Shipping commented, “We are very pleased with the successful delivery of our first tanker. We will continue to expand our bulk business in order to optimize our business portfolio, which currently concentrates on container business.” Hanjin Shipping operates over 90 bulk vessels including approximately 40 owned ships.


NEWS BULLETIN
Friday, March 11, 2011

Number of tar balls discovered
near wreck of DAVY CROCKETT

PORTLAND — The Unified Command in charge of operations involving the barge DAVY CROCKETT has discovered tar balls in the vicinity of the vessel near Camas, Wash. Members of the State of Washington Department of Ecology and Coast Guard collected approximately 25 tar balls from below the I-205 bridge for testing Tuesday and Wednesday. The tar balls are small, dark, sticky globs ranging in size from half an inch to three inches in diameter and do not appear to produce a sheen when disturbed. Tests have shown the tar balls do not contain PCBs or heavy metal contamination. It has been determined the tar balls were likely loosened and escaped into the river due to cleanup operations aboard the DAVY CROCKETT. Members of the public who discover what they believe to be tar balls down river of the response operations should contact the National Response Center hotline at 1-800-424-8802.


Horizon Lines reaches deal
for new credit arrangements

CHARLOTTE, NC — Horizon Lines, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a credit agreement amendment with its lender group, effective March 9, 2011, providing the company with additional flexibility as it moves forward with its overall debt refinancing efforts. The amendment waives a default under the senior credit facility that would have arisen from the $45 million fine that the company has agreed to pay to settle the Department of Justice investigation, upon acceptance of the Plea Agreement by the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. The amendment also adjusts the two financial covenants of the credit facility, providing relief from potential noncompliance under those covenants. As consideration for the amendment and waiver, Horizon Lines has agreed to a pricing increase of 2.50 percent per annum under the credit facility, an amendment fee of $0.5 million, as well as a reduction in the letter of credit commitment from $50 million to $20 million and in the swingline commitment from $20 million to $5 million. Horizon Lines also has agreed to other changes in the credit facility, including, but not limited to, an agreement not to issue a dividend, and certain reporting obligations.


OOCL joining Yang Ming
in new CIX2 service

HONG KONG — Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (YM) have announced the enhancement of China-Pakistan Express (CPX) service and the launch of CIX2 (YM code “CIS”) service starting from March 18 and 21, 2011 respectively. CPX is currently operated with five vessels of 3,500-4,000 TEU on the following rotation: Shanghai – Ningbo – Shekou – Singapore – Karachi – Pipavav – Nhava Sheva – Penang – Port Kelang – Singapore – Hong Kong – Shanghai. It will be restructured to provide a dedicated call to Karachi starting from March 18, from Shanghai with the following rotation on a round trip of 35-days: Shanghai – Ningbo – Shekou – Singapore – Karachi – Mundra – Penang – Singapore - Hong Kong – Kaohsiung - Shanghai. The new CIX2 service will be operated with five vessels of 2,700 TEU. The first vessel, MV THORSCAPE, will set sail on March 21, 2011 from Shanghai with the following rotation on a round trip of 35 days: Shanghai – Ningbo – Kaohsiung - Shekou – Singapore - Nhava Sheva - Pipavav – Colombo - Port Kelang - Pasir Gudang – Singapore - Hong Kong - Shanghai.


Rail freight traffic numbers
climb again during week

WASHINGTON, DC — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports freight traffic continues to register gains with U.S. railroads originating 296,980 carloads, up 8.2 percent compared with the same week last year, for the week ending Feb. 19, 2011. Intermodal volume for the week was also up, totaling 233,993 trailers and containers, up 16.9 percent compared with the same week in 2010. Sixteen of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases from the comparable week in 2010. Those groups posting significant increases in loadings included: metallic ores, up 77.6; stone, clay and glass products, up 20.2 percent; nonmetallic minerals, up 18.9 percent; coke, up 17.8 percent, and motor vehicles and equipment, up 16.3 percent. Those commodity groups reporting a drop in weekly traffic saw only single digit declines: grain mill products, down nine percent; waste and nonferrous scrap, down 7.2 percent, and primary forest products, down 0.8 percent.


Corps seeking public's help
to ID intruder near Oregon dam

PORTLAND — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who trespassed on Corps property during the early hours of March 2. At around 1:30 a.m. on March 2 Corps officials saw a white male inside the fenced perimeter of Lookout Point Dam, about 22 miles southeast of Eugene, Ore. He was seen photographing locations at the dam and left the property minutes before law enforcement officers arrived. For a copy of the CorpsWatch flyer visit http://go.usa.gov/4QE. Individuals who witness or suspect that a crime has been committed against Corps property are encouraged to call 1-866-413-7970 toll-free to report theft, vandalism, or any other threat or suspicious activity against Corps property, 24 hours a day. Callers may remain anonymous. This program does not replace the 911 emergency notification system.


NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, March 10, 2011

Grand Alliance bring back
Japan China Express service

VANCOUVER, USA — Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd (HL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) have announced the enhancement of their Trans-Pacific West Coast services. The Japan China Express (JCX) will be relaunched, in conjunction with the competitive restructuring of the Central China Express (CCX), South China Sea Express (SCX), and Super Shuttle Express (SSX), offering an improved and efficient Grand Alliance service network. Effective May 15, 2011 at Qingdao, the JCX will cover the Japanese ports currently called by the SCX, in addition to Qingdao port, which is currently called by the CCX. In addition, a new direct Kwangyang eastbound call will be introduced.
The port rotations of the JCX, CCX, SCX, and SSX will be as follows:
JCX relaunch effective May 15: Qingdao - Kwangyang - Kobe - Nagoya - Tokyo - Sendai - Los Angeles - Oakland - Tokyo - Nagoya - Kobe - Qingdao
CCX rotation effective May 19: Ningbo - Shanghai (Waigaoqiao) - Shanghai (Yangshan) - Pusan - Los Angeles - Oakland - Pusan - Ningbo
SCX as of May 8: Laem Chabang - Singapore - Cai Mep - Kaohsiung - Los Angeles - Oakland - Kaohsiung - Shekou - Laem Chabang
SSX implemented May 14: Yantian - Shekou - Hong Kong - Long Beach - Kaohsiung - Fuzhou - Xiamen - Hong Kong - Yantian


Maersk Line aiming for
zero emission in New Zealand

COPENHAGEN — As part of Maersk Line’s drive to cut sulphur emissions from its fleet towards zero, the shipping line continues to expand on its fuel-switch implementations. Today the program is implemented in New Zealand. Switching from bunker to low-sulphur fuel in New Zealand reduces sulphur to the air by 80-95 percent in port. The reduction is in this case nine- fold. As a first in the industry, Maersk Line applies its fuel switch program to a country. All nine ports of call in New Zealand and their respective coastal societies will benefit from the new country policy. To improve the air quality around ports, Maersk Line’s sustainability strategy pledges to reduce SOx emissions significantly with a drive towards ‘zero’. The shipping line has committed itself to implementing fuel switch programs at at least 10 global locations by 2015. Maersk Line pioneered voluntary fuel-switching in California in 2006, and has steadily extended the program to other regions, including ports in Texas, Hong Kong and the US Pacific Northwest.


Trade in goods, services report
shows exports rose during January

WASHINGTON, DC — The January 2011 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report has been released by the Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The report showed that U.S. exports of goods and services in January 2011 increased 2.7 percent from December 2010 to $167.7 billion, the highest level for monthly exports on record with record exports in both exports of goods ($120.5 billion), and exports of services ($47.2 billion). U.S. imports of goods and services increased 5.2 percent over this period to $214.1 billion, causing the U.S. trade deficit to increase 15.1 percent since December 2010 to reach $46.3 billion in January 2011. The increase in the goods and services trade deficit was due to increased imports of petroleum products, automotive vehicles and parts, consumer goods, and capital goods, which reached a record monthly level.


Oldest Coast Guard Cutter
set for decommissioning on Friday

JUNEAU — The 67-year-old Cutter ACUSHNET, the Coast Guard's "Queen of the Fleet", will be decommissioned during a ceremony at Base Support Unit Ketchikan Friday at 2 p.m. The ACUSHNET served as a medium-endurance cutter in the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean. Primary missions included search and rescue, homeland security, maritime law enforcement, and environmental protection. The cutter’s motto, “Juvate, Servate, Confirmate,” means “Help, Save, Strengthen.” The ACUSHNET was crowned "Queen of the Fleet" after the decommissioning ceremony of the Coast Guard Cutter STORIS on Feb. 8, 2007. The title representing the oldest Coast Guard cutter in service will be passed to the Cutter Smilax, a 100-foot inland construction tender commissioned in 1944 and based in Ft. Macon, N.C. The ACUSHNET was originally commissioned as a Diver Class Fleet Rescue and Salvage Vessel, USS SHACKLE (ARS 9) for the U.S. Navy Feb. 5, 1944. During the course of the cutter’s service, ACUSHNET crews have received the following awards for exemplary service: World War II Victory Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, two Coast Guard Unit Commendations, five Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendations, seven Coast Guard "E" Ribbons, Navy Occupation Service Medal, three National Defense Service Medals, two Humanitarian Service Medals, and two Coast Guard Special Operation Ribbons.


Target grant helps students
tour Port of Tacoma facilities

TACOMA — About 45 Puyallup elementary students recently got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Port of Tacoma, thanks to a grant provided by Target Corporation. The $450 grant was secured by Hunt Elementary teacher Carrie Perrin, who designed the field trip to help her fourth-grade students understand the impact of trade on their community’s history and economy. The students got an up-close look at the monster machines that move cargo on the docks and learned about how the port creates jobs in Washington state. They saw how some of their clothes, toys, TVs and games travel in large containers by ship and train on their way to local store shelves. The tour followed a classroom talk by Tacoma longshore President Scott Mason. In addition to providing funds for student transportation and admission to the Working Waterfront Museum at the Foss Waterway Seaport after the port tour, the grant enabled Ms. Perrin to purchase disposable cameras for the students to chronicle their trip. Students will share highlights and photos with port commissioners at their April 7, regular meeting.


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Todd Coleman named to position
of retiring Port of Vancouver director

VANCOUVER, USA — Port of Vancouver Board of Commissioners have announced the selection of Deputy Executive Director Todd Coleman as the port’s next executive director when Larry Paulson retires in April 2012. Mr. Paulson announced his decision to step down from the executive director position he has held at the port since 1999 at the board’s regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 8.


Crowley adding Ro/Ro service covering
Santo, Domingo, San Juan and St. Thomas

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Crowley Maritime Corporation's liner services group will launch a new Ro/Ro (Roll-on/Roll-off) liner cargo service March 17 between Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and St Thomas, USVI. The first sailing with the CROWLEY SHIPPER departs San Juan Thursday, March 17, for arrival in St. Thomas Friday morning. The ship will depart later that day and arrive back in San Juan on Saturday. From there, the vessel leaves Saturday for Santo Domingo, arriving on Sunday. The ship then returns to San Juan arriving on Monday. The rotation begins again on Thursday. Cargoes in the Northeast departing from Crowley's Pennsauken, N.J., terminal are scheduled to connect with the new Ro/Ro service on Thursdays, and cargoes in the South Atlantic, departing from Crowley's Jacksonville terminal, are scheduled to connect with the new service in San Juan on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.


Freight Transportation Index
up during month of January

WASHINGTON, DC — The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) rose 0.9 percent in January from a revised December level, rising for the second consecutive month, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reports. The revised Freight TSI rose 14.6 percent over the last 21 months, starting in May 2009, after declining 16.8 percent in the previous 16 months beginning in January 2008. The index has increased in 16 of the last 21 months. In January 2011, the freight index returned to 108.1, the same level as in August 2008 when the index was early in the decline. The Freight TSI rose 6.4 percent in 2010 based on revised numbers, compared to the 0.4 percent annual increase reported in the February release. The 6.4 percent rise was the largest annual increase in the Freight TSI since 2002. The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles, which are then combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.


Trucking association slams
roadside hazmat inspections

ARLINGTON, VA — The American Trucking Associations has asked the Obama administration to prevent the opening and inspection of hazardous materials shipments along the roadside, unless it is believed the shipment poses an imminent danger or does not comply with the hazardous materials regulations. In a petition filed March 7 with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, ATA asked the agency to “clarify” its rules regarding the opening and inspecting of hazmat packages by state law enforcement officers. “ATA supports PHMSA’s existing authority to require motor carriers to make records, equipment, packagings and containers available for inspection,” ATA Vice President and Regulatory Counsel Rich Moskowitz wrote. “Unfortunately, [that authority] is being interpreted in a manner that frustrates the safe and efficient transportation of hazardous materials.” Mr. Moskowitz told PHMSA that the agency’s rules are currently being interpreted, despite numerous regulatory clarifications discouraging the practice, to allow for the unloading and inspection of hazmat packages during roadside inspections. By specifying that most package inspections should occur at the point of loading or unloading, ATA said PHMSA could “improve the roadside inspection procedures, and avoid unnecessary delays and the additional handling of hazardous materials packages . . . while assuring the preservation of a robust hazardous materials transportation inspection authority for authorized representatives of the Department of Transportation.”


DHS, Customs expanding list
of airports providing Cuba service

WASHINGTON, DC — The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, has approved eight additional airports to provide passenger air service between the U.S. and Cuba. CBP has determined that the eight airports are suitable to accommodate flights traveling between the U.S. and Cuba and should be added to the authorized list that currently includes John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Miami International Airport. The additional eight airports are: Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Georgia; Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Aiport, Maryland; Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Texas; New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport, Louisiana; Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Illinois; Pittsburgh International Airport, Pennsylvania; San Juan Louis Munoz; and Tampa International Airport, Florida.


NEWS BULLETIN
Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Congressman gains funding
for Coos Bay rail improvements

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield, OR) has announced a decision by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to obligate $13.5 million in competitive grant funding to finish repairs on the Coos Bay rail line and restore rail service vital to the coastal economy. The funds got caught up in bureaucratic red tape and Rep. DeFazio intervened, asking DOT to expedite the approval process due to the passage of the House Republican budget, H.R. 1, which would cut certain types of unobligated DOT funding, including the Coos Bay grant. The Coos Bay Line was embargoed by the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad (CORP) in September 2007, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs and had negative impacts on businesses in Southwest Oregon. Since CORP embargoed the Coos Bay line, Rep. DeFazio has worked with the Port of Coos Bay, and state and local shippers, to get the line reopened. He testified before the Federal Surface Transportation Board to encourage them to approve the port’s application to force the sale of the line to the Port from CORP. The Congressman also secured $8 million in federal funds in March 2009, to help the Port of Coos Bay buy the rail line. The Port of Coos Bay applied for a competitive TIGER 2 grant to rehabilitate the Coos Bay Rail Line last summer. The $13.5 million federal grant was awarded to the port last October and will be matched by $1 million from the port. Rep. DeFazio supported the Port’s TIGER II application and personally called the Secretary of Transportation in support of the application.


PMSA hits planned increase
by San Francisco Bar Pilots

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) reports the harbor pilots who guide cargo ships in and out of the San Francisco Bay have submitted a petition seeking an increase in rates which could increase the average annual income for a harbor pilot from nearly $400,000 a year at present to over $600,000 in four years. The petition documents were submitted by the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association (SFBP) to the State Board of Pilot Commissioners, a state agency which makes recommendations on how much vessels must pay for the pilots that they are required by law to utilize. Both the SFBP and the PMSA have submitted petitions in advance of a rate hearing on April 6, 2011. The SFBP request is for a cumulative increase in the rates paid by vessels coming to ports in the San Francisco Bay and river system by 22.8 percent over four years (2012-2015). If granted, this request for annual increases of up to six percent would mean the 60 pilots who work in the Bay every other week could begin to make over $600,000 by 2015. PMSA, which represents the ratepayers who are required to pay the state-set rate for bar pilotage, has requested a reduction in rates to off-set years of already high increases in pilot income based on the work of Dr. Jon Haveman, economist and principal of Compass Economics. Current trends with PMSA’s adjustments would yield an average pilot income of about $425,000 a year in 2016. If rates are not reduced, Dr. Haveman’s estimates that average pilot incomes would reach $505,000 in 2015. Applying the SFBP’s cumulative 22.8 percent increase to this projection based on historic trends would place pilot income in excess of $620,000.


Alaska Airlines to begin
Portland to Montana flights

SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines has announced it is adding summer seasonal service between Portland, Billings and Missoula, Mont., starting June 5, 2011. The new flights are in addition to the carrier’s two daily flights to Billings and three daily flights to Missoula from Seattle. The flights will be operated for Alaska by Horizon Air using 76- seat Bombardier Q400s.


Green Alliance members
adding new NE6 service

TOKYO — KAWASAKI KISEN KAISHA, LTD. ("K" LINE) as a member of CKYH - the Green Alliance (COSCON, “K” LINE, Yang Ming and Hanjin Shipping) has announced the restructuring of its liner services between Asia and North Europe (called the “NE” Loops). In addition to the existing five loops (the “NE1” through “NE5” loops) a new service called NE6 will be introduced to offer more sailing frequency from major Asian ports to North Europe. This new NE6 service will offer the direct calls at Kwangyang, Pusan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Felixtowe, Hamburg, Rotterdam and Singapore. After the launch of NE6 loop, port coverage of NE5 loop will be adjusted. The new port rotation will be: Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Yantian, Ho Chi Minh, Singapore, Algeciras, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Algeciras, Singapore and back to Shanghai. The new service is scheduled to commence from the beginning of April 2011.


OOCL bringing onboard
new iPhone application

HONG KONG — OOCL has launched OOCL Lite iPhone App (OOCL Lite) which allows users to access real time sailing schedule of vessels any time, anywhere at their figure tips on iPhone. OOCL Lite is one of OOCL’s customer-focused and innovative IT products developed by CargoSmart™, an independently-operated company with OOCL investing in the development of its solution platform to enhance customer-service capabilities and operational efficiency for all transportation partners. OOCL Lite is now available for download at the App Store and the demonstration videos can be viewed in English on OOCL YouTube and Mandarin on Youku Channels.


NEWS BULLETIN
Monday, March 7, 2011

Port Tracker report finds
increase in container traffic

WASHINGTON, DC — Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be up 11 percent in March over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.2 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units in January, the latest month for which actual numbers are available. That was up five percent from December and 12 percent from January 2010. It was the 14th month in a row to show a year-over-year improvement after December 2009 broke a 28-month streak of year-over-year declines. One TEU is one 20-foot cargo container or its equivalent. February, traditionally the slowest month of the year, was estimated at 1.12 million TEU, which would represent an increase of 12 percent over February 2010. March is forecast at 1.19 million TEU, up 11 percent from a year ago; April at 1.24 million TEU, up nine percent; May at 1.32 million TEU, up five percent; June at 1.39 million TEU, up five percent; and July at 1.45 million TEU, up five percent. The first half of 2011 is forecast at 7.5 million TEU, up nine percent from the first half of 2010. For the full year, 2010 totaled 14.7 million TEU, a 16 percent increase over 2009. Last year’s percentages were high because 2009’s 12.7 million TEU was the lowest level seen since 2003.


Pacific Northwest Waterways
making annual trip to Washington

PORTLAND — The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) is taking their annual Mission to Washington DC this week. Approximately 55 representatives from Washington, Oregon and Idaho will be advocating for navigation, energy and trade priorities in the Northwest. They will highlight major repairs needed at the jetties at the Mouth of the Columbia River (MCR). The repairs will ensure the viability of the jetties for decades to come. The Corps has drafted a plan that maps out eight years of scheduled repairs from 2013-2020, with an approximate cost of $250M. This funding would be 100 percent federal. The MCR jetties maintain the depth and orientation of the navigation channel, and provide protection to ships entering and leaving the estuary. Intense and frequent storms have accelerated their degradation leaving them vulnerable. A potential breach could shut down commercial navigation along the Columbia Snake River System, and require expensive emergency repairs to the jetty, and dredging to restore channel depth. PNWA will be advocating for unfunded jetty needs in FY2012. The Corps has indicated that $5.5M is needed at the South Jetty to head off the possibility of a breach. $1.05M will also be requested for a detailed design report for capping the North and South Jetties. Without this report, major repairs are likely to be delayed. If fully funded, however, the Corps plans to procure jetty rock in 2013 and begin major repairs in 2014.


Mitsui tanker rescued
following pirate attack

TOKYO — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.(MOL) reports that at about 22:00 JST on Saturday, March 5 (about 17:00 on March 5 local time), the Aframax tanker GUANABARA was attacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean about 400 nautical miles east of Oman. The pirates were brought under control by U.S. and Turkish naval units about 17:20 on March 6 JST (about 12:20 on March 6 local time). None of the crew was injured and there was no leakage of oil or other petroleum products. The vessel is continuing under its own power toward safe waters. The ship took on a load of fuel oil at the port of Kerch, Ukraine, for delivery to Zhoushan, China.


AAPA spring conference set for
March 21-23 in Washington, DC

ARLINGTON, VA — Courtney Gregoire, director of the National Export Initiative (NEI) for the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Henrik Hololei, head of the transport cabinet for European Commission Vice President Siim Kallas, and Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D. (R-La.), chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee of the House Ways & Means Committee, together with a host of other transportation industry luminaries, will highlight the American Association of Port Authorities' (AAPA) 2011 Spring Conference on March 22 at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. The full conference runs March 21-23. AAPA's Spring Conference and "Washington People's Luncheon" typically attracts 200-300 seaport industry leaders, legislators, government officials and their staff members. During the "Washington People Luncheon" program on March 22 in which Ms. Gregoire will be the featured speaker, she will accept an award on behalf of the Department of Commerce which AAPA is presenting in recognition of the agency's leadership in promoting U.S. exports and supply chain competitiveness.


Evergreen Line to add
China to Jakarta service

TAIPEI — Evergreen Line has announced it will launch a new ocean route from Northern China to Jakarta, which is called the HBI service, to provide service between the regions. The company noted that Indonesia has a population of more than 200 million people and was the largest consuming market in South East Asia. Evergreen Line's new weekly HBI service will deploy three containerships of 1700-TEU and one 2000-TEU vessel. The calling ports will be as follows: Xingang -Dalian - Qingdao - Hong Kong -Shekou- Jakarta- Hong Kong - Kaohsiung - Shanghai -Xingang.


NEWS BULLETIN
Friday, March 4, 2011

Standard & Poor's gives AA- rating
to Portland Airport revenue bonds

SAN FRANCISCO — Standard & Poor's Ratings Services reports it has assigned its 'AA-' long-term rating to the Port of Portland's $57.5 million series 21 airport revenue refunding bonds, issued for the Portland International Airport (airport code: PDX). At the same time, Standard & Poor's affirmed its 'AA-' long-term rating and underlying rating (SPUR) on the airport's revenue bonds outstanding. In addition, Standard & Poor's affirmed its 'A' SPUR on the airport's passenger facility charge bonds outstanding. The outlook on all ratings is stable. According to Standard & Poor's, the stable outlook reflects the expectation that financial metrics will meet or exceed management's projections, that airline cost per enplanement will be manageable, that the liquidity position will remain strong, and that limited additional debt will be needed to fund the capital improvement program. A decrease in traffic demand beyond projections that puts pressure on these metrics would be a rating concern. The agency does not expect to raise the rating during the next two years.


Port of Seattle taps Tanga
as top police officer for 2011

SEATTLE — Twelve-year veteran Officer Julia Tanga has been honored as the Port of Seattle Police Officer of the Year for 2011. This award was established to recognize members who have demonstrated exceptional achievement, the highest standards of competence and professionalism, and show a genuine commitment to their profession, the department, and the public they serve. Officer Tanga has recently been appointed a team coordinator for the Peer Support Group, is a Field/Patrol Training Officer, was one of the original officers trained in identifying gang members around the SeaTac area, joined the Honor Guard in 2002 and is a member of the Police Benevolent Association Board of Directors. The native of Florida, came to the Seattle area in 1990. While working two jobs, she put herself through St. Martin's College in Olympia with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. The Port of Seattle Police Department consists of over 100 officers responsible for the security and safety of facilities stretching from Sea-Tac Airport to the Seattle waterfront including Harbor Island, Pier 69, and Interbay.


Columbia River Crossing project
gaining favor in Washington, DC

SALEM — Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire have said they are pleased with the support for the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project expressed by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Secretary LaHood praised the CRC as a great project when speaking at a meeting of 50 state transportation leaders in Washington, D.C. Gov. Kitzhaber and Gov. Gregoire met earlier this week with Secretary LaHood, and were joined by the heads of the Federal Highway and Federal Transit administrations. It was the first time the two governors and the three top federal transportation officials have met together to discuss the CRC. Secretary LaHood’s support follows recognition last month by President Obama and the Federal Transit Administration. CRC was included in the President’s budget after receiving a “medium-high” rating in the Federal Transit Administration’s Annual New Starts report. This is a strong rating and positions the CRC well to compete for New Starts funding. CRC has applied for $850 million from the federal New Starts program and is one of a few projects eligible to compete for $400 million that has been proposed for capital projects that are close to starting final design.


Trucking association president backs
surface transportation authorization extension

ARLINGTON, VA — American Trucking Associations President and CEO Bill Graves expressed his appreciation to Congress for passing a long-term extension of the surface transportation authorization, ensuring that the federal government will continue to fund important infrastructure and safety programs through the end of September. “Nothing is more critical to our members than highway safety,” Mr. Graves said in a statement following Senate passage of the extension. “This legislation will ensure that funding for important safety and enforcement programs, not to mention needed highway improvements, will continue unabated through the end of the current fiscal year. As a former governor, I am acutely aware of how important it is for states to have a stable source of funding for their highway and safety programs.” “We thank all the members of Congress who supported this extension, and urge President Obama to quickly sign it into law,” Mr. Graves said. “However, this stopgap is no excuse for a real, long-term highway bill that adequately addresses our need for improved highways to move the nation’s food, fuel, medicine and other essential goods."


Rail freight traffic numbers
continue to rise during week

WASHINGTON, DC — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports gains in weekly rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 12, 2011, with U.S. railroads originating 274,043 carloads, up 6.2 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week was also up, totaling 228,035 trailers and containers, up 18.5 percent compared with the same week in 2010. Sixteen of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases from the comparable week in 2010. Those groups posting significant increases in loadings included: metallic ores, up 105.1 percent; farm products excluding grain, up 27.4 percent; motor vehicles and equipment, up 24.6 percent, and nonmetallic minerals, up 24.4 percent. Those commodity groups reporting a drop in weekly traffic saw only single digit declines: grain mill products, down seven percent; food and kindred products, down 2.5 percent, and grain, down 1.5 percent.


NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, March 3, 2011

Congressman backs ruling
aiding US-flagged vessels

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Cummings has applauded the decision announced Tuesday by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) affirming that cargo preference requirements set forth in Title 46 apply to cargoes funded with loan guarantees created by the Energy Policy Act. This decision paves the way for American mariner jobs to be saved and created, and will result in more cargo being carried under the flag of the United States. In the 111th Congress, as chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Congressman Cummings convened several hearings to examine the status of the U.S.-flagged fleet in the foreign trade. During these hearings, the subcommittee closely examined whether cargo preference requirements would be applied to the cargoes supported by the Energy Policy Act loan guarantees. According to MARAD, the U.S.-flagged fleet, which was comprised of 94 vessels as of March of 2010, is currently carrying less than two percent of U.S. foreign trade. As a result of the DOT/DOE decision, U.S.-flagged ships will be used to the extent required by current law to move cargoes funded by the loan guarantees. Under Title 46, the government is required to ensure that at least 50 percent of the gross tonnage of equipment and materials transported on ocean vessels is transported on privately-owned commercial vessels of the United States, to the extent those vessels are available at fair and reasonable rates when the United States Government procures, contracts for, or otherwise obtains these items.


National Retail Federation hits
proposed trucking hours of service rules

WASHINGTON, DC — The National Retail Federation told federal transportation officials this week that a proposal to limit the number of hours truck drivers spend behind the wheel each day would increase costs for businesses and consumers while undermining intended safety benefits by putting more trucks on the road during the most- congested hours. “As a result of the current 11-hour daily driving limit, U.S. retailers have been able to achieve significant efficiencies within their supply chains and distribution networks,” NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said. “Any change to this daily driving limit will upset the careful balance and efficiencies that have been achieved and require changes to those new systems and processes. In addition, such changes could result in significantly higher transportation costs and could lead to less safety as additional drivers and trucks will be required to make up for the shortfall.” Proposed changes would increase transportation costs by anywhere from three percent to 20 percent depending on a specific retailer’s supply chain network and operations, “and would adversely impact the U.S. economy,” Mr. French said. FMCSA issued its proposal in December and has until July to issue final regulations.


Trailer Bridge taps Lugo
as Puerto Rico marketing boss

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Trailer Bridge, Inc. has announced that the company has appointed Roberto Lugo to the newly created position of general manager – Puerto Rico Marketing, Sales, and Administration. Mr. Lugo will be responsible for Trailer Bridge’s sales efforts in Puerto Rico. For over 35 years, Mr. Lugo has held managerial positions in the transportation and logistics industries. He has received numerous company and industry awards in the areas of sales and business development, and has extensive experience in the Puerto Rico shipping markets. In 2002, Mr. Lugo was elected to serve a two-year term as the president of the Puerto Rico Shipping Association (PRSA), where he directed port tariff negotiations with the Puerto Rico Ports Authority. Mr. Lugo has held managerial positions for Crowley Maritime Corporation since 1986, including serving as vice president & general manager, Puerto Rico since 1998. Mr. Lugo was responsible for all of Crowley’s sales and marketing efforts in Puerto Rico, including managing over 200 people and 160,000 annual container/trailer moves. Prior to that, Mr. Lugo served in managerial positions for Transamerican Trailer Transport and Puerto Rico Marine Management, Inc.


NYK joining service covering
Europe, India, Pakistan and ME

TOKYO — NYK has announced the commencement of a direct service beginning in April between Europe and northwest India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. This new service will be part of a joint-service agreement for the existing CMA-CGM Europe Pakistan India Consortium (EPIC) service. This service will commence with the westbound voyage of OOCL SAN FRANCISCO, which is expected to arrive at Jebel Ali on April 3. The first eastbound sailing will be OOCL SAN FRANCISCO’s departure from Southampton on May 1, 2011. The 56-day round voyage port rotation of EPIC is as follows: Jebel Ali (UAE) – Port Qasim (Pakistan) -Nhava Sheva (India) – Mundra (India) – Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) – Port Said (Egypt) – Malta (Republic of Malta) – Tangier (Morocco) – Southampton (U.K.) – Rotterdam (the Netherland) – Hamburg (Germany) – Antwerp (Belgium) – Le Harvre (France) – Khor Fakkan (UAE) – Jebel Ali. NYK currently offers a weekly service from Europe to the Middle East. The participation of NYK in the EPIC service will now mean that NYK can offer a second weekly service from Europe to the Middle East as well as a comprehensive fixed-day weekly westbound service from Pakistan (Port Qasim) and India (Nhava Sheva, Mundra) to Northern Europe (Southampton, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, Le Havre).


CharterFest event set for
April 9-10 in Bellingham

BELLINGHAM — Start planning now for the 2011 summer boating season by attending the seventh annual CharterFest at Squalicum Harbor April 9-10. Sailboats, yachts and trawlers will be on display to climb aboard and explore, with boats available for sale, charter or both. Representatives from local Bellingham boat sale and charter companies will be on hand to answer questions and offer special CharterFest discounts. To help keep kids safe on the docks, free loaner children’s life jackets will be available from the Squalicum Harbor Office. CharterFest will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 9-10 at the Gate 3 Visitor Dock at Squalicum Harbor. Gate 3 is near the Bellingham Yacht Club, 722 Coho Way in Bellingham. Parking and admission are free. This event is sponsored by the Port of Bellingham and participating charter companies, Bellhaven Charters, Bellingham Yachts, Sales and Charters, Blue Heron Yacht Sales, Lake Union Sea Ray, NW Explorations, San Juan Sailing and San Juan Yachting.


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, March 2, 2011

SeaPort Airlines ending service
between Portland and Astoria

ASTORIA — “SeaPort Airlines will cease scheduled flight operations between Astoria and Portland Sunday, March 13, 2011 with the final flight Saturday March 12, Astoria to Portland. We deeply regret this decision, and the impact this will have on SeaPort employees and their families, our customers, our vendors and other partners, and the communities in which they have been operating," Jack Crider, executive director of the Port of Astoria, and Rob McKinney, president of SeaPort Airlines, said in a joint statement. “It’s been our pleasure and privilege to serve Oregon’s north coast communities,” said Mr. McKinney.


Seattle Port Commissioners Ok
new contract for Tay Yoshitani

SEATTLE — The Seattle Port Commission reports it has negotiated and secured a contract with CEO Tay Yoshitani, ensuring that his leadership will continue to guide the port for several years. The contract will be in place for at least three and one-half years with a possibility of a one-year extension. Mr. Yoshitani declined his last two increases, citing economic pressures facing the organization; under this contract the commission awarded him a nine percent increase. The commissioners also approved the CEO’s goals and objectives for the coming 12 months. These include finalizing a finance plan for the port’s investments in the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Seawall Replacement Program and the Lower Duwamish Waterway clean-up; developing a roadmap for the real estate division to be self-sufficient; meeting annual budgeted net operating income goals; and completing the Century Agenda strategic planning process.


Seattle, Portland airports named
as top on-time performance winners

PORTLAND — FlightStats, a flight tracking and airport information service provided by Conducive Technology Corp., has announced a list of airports that are winners in the inaugural FlightStats' Airport On-time Performance Service (OPS) Awards program. The 2010 OPS awards recognizes airports around the world that delivered the highest percentage of departures from the gate less than 15 minutes after the published scheduled departure time. To determine the winners, FlightStats examined departure data for 2010 aggregated from global sources including civil aviation authorities, airlines, airports, and major airline reservation systems. Awards were presented for 2010 airport operational excellence to: Departure Performance among Major International Airports Winner: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) – Seattle, WA, US SEA achieved a 2010 on-time performance record of 85.21 percent. The average ontime performance was 71.66 percent for this category, which includes airports that have a significant number of trans-oceanic or international departures spanning at least three continents with at least 91,250 departures operated annually (250 departures per day). Departure Performance among Major North American Airports Winner: Portland International Airport (PDX) – Portland, US PDX achieved a 2010 on-time performance record of 86.02 percent. The average ontime performance was 75.29 percent for this category, which includes airports based in North America and operating at least 91,250 annually scheduled departures (250 departures per day).Other winners were: Oslo Airport (OSL), Itami Airport (ITM), Keahole Airport (KOA), Sola Airport (SVG) and Miyazaki Airport (KMI).


Coast Guard names first
female chief gunners mate

CAPE MAY, NJ — On March 1, 2011 in a small ceremony held at the Ida Lewis Auditorium aboard Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, N.J., Petty Officer 1st Class Kristin Werner accepted her anchors and the title as, the first female chief gunner’s mate. While the gunner’s mate rating was formally established in 1797, women have served in the rating for only the last 35 years. Gunner’s mates are small weapons specialists that work with everything from pistols, rifles and machine guns to 76mm gun weapons systems. They are responsible for training personnel in the proper handling of weapons, ammunition and pyrotechnics. Originally from Seattle, Petty Officer Werner graduated from Coast Guard Recruit Training in December 1995 with Whiskey 147 and is currently serving as a company commander. She graduated company commander school in September 2010 and is currently training her third company, Sierra 184.


Marcon acts as broker
in deal for dive support vessel

COUPEVILLE, WA — Marcon International Inc. of Coupeville, Washington has announced the sale of the dive support vessel OCEAN PROJECT from Oceaneering International, Inc. of Houston, Texas to private South American interests. The Vanuatu-flagged OCEAN PROJECT was built in 1972 by Bel-Aire Shipyard, Ltd. of North Vancouver, British Columba, Canada as an offshore supply vessel and classed ABS +A1, Ice Class A, Towing Service, +AMS, Unrestricted. New owners are having the vessel promptly delivered on its own bottom to Peru, where teh OCEAN PROJECT will be put into dry-dock and refurbished before re-entering oilfield service work. This is the second research / dive vessel sold by Marcon for Oceaneering and the first sale to the buyers. Marcon acted as sole broker in the transaction. Oceaneering is replacing OCEAN PROJECT with a new vessel under the same name. Marcon has several additional sales pending which are expected to close within the next 30 days.


NEWS BULLETIN
Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Trade between NAFTA partners
climbs during month of December

WASHINGTON, DC — Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was 13.8 percent higher in December 2010 than in December 2009, reaching $66.5 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico fell 2.2 percent in December 2010 from November 2010. Month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors. Surface transportation consists largely of freight movements by truck, rail and pipeline. In December, 84.8 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land. The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in December was up 12.6 percent compared to December 2005, and up 48.6 percent compared to December 2000, a period of 10 years. Imports in December were up 41.9 percent compared to December 2000, while exports were up 57.7 percent.


New Mitsui vessel to test
silicon-based anti-fouling paint

SEATTLE — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has announced the first use of a new silicon-based anti-fouling paint for a 38,000-class bulker now under construction at the Minaminippon Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Shitanoe Works. When completed, the new vessel will sail under a long-term charter with Doun Kisen Co., Ltd. This new fluoropolymer foul release coating, called “Intersleek900,” was developed by International Paint Ltd. MOL has promoted the Senpaku ISHIN project as one of its environmental strategies in the midterm management plan GEAR UP! MOL. The company has taken a proactive approach to introduction of various technologies that contribute to reduction of the environmental burden. The newbuilding bulker will be completed in early May. Based on a performance comparison between the new ship and a similar vessel completed in February that uses conventional anti-fouling paint, MOL will decide whether to proceed with a full-scale adoption of Intersleek900.


NYK adding Cotonou call
to South Africa/West Africa service

TOKYO — NYK has announced that the carrier will start regular calls at Cotonou, Benin, with the South Africa and West Africa Express (SWAX). This call will enhance current service to the growing West African market with more direct coverage to meet increasing demand. The new SWAX rotation is as follows: Shanghai (China) - Ningbo (China) - Shekou (China) - Singapore (Singapore) - Durban (South Africa) - Lome (Togo) - Tema (Ghana) - Lagos Apapa (Nigeria) - Cotonou (Benin) - Durban (South Africa) - Singapore (Singapore) - Shanghai (China) *non fixed date service. The first sailing with a Cotonou call will depart from Shanghai on March 9, 2011. SWAX is operated jointly with Nile Dutch Africa Line.


APL reports on time performance
at 95 percent in Trans-Pacific Trade

SINGAPORE — APL reports its on-time performance in the Trans-Pacific Trade was 95 percent last year. In its final report on 2010 vessel reliability, the Singapore-based carrier said that APL ships missed their arrival window just 12 times in 237 port calls to the U.S. West Coast. APL’s accounting of 2010 reliability, following a mid-year report last August, is being made available this week. It is visible at the carrier’s website: www.apl.com. The report measures reliability on the five Asia-to-U.S. West Coast services operated exclusively by APL vessels. The trade lane is watched closely as a barometer of global trade since it connects North American consumer markets with Asian manufacturing centers. APL considers vessels on-time if they arrive within four hours of their scheduled arrival. Most carriers measure reliability on arrival windows that range from 12-to-24 hours.


Coast Guard Cutter MIDGETT
returning to Seattle homeport

SEATTLE — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter MIDGETT will return to Seattle, Pier 36, today at approximately 4 p.m., concluding a deployment to Central America in support of maritime law enforcement, and drug and migrant interdiction operations. On Jan. 20, 2011, the crew of the MIDGETT interdicted a 35-foot self propelled semi-submersible vessel loaded with approximately 6,000 kilograms, or more than 6.5 tons, of cocaine, more than 335 miles off the coast of Costa Rica. MIDGETT, a 378-foot, high-endurance cutter, conducts missions in homeland security, search-and-rescue, maritime law enforcement, and drug and migrant interdiction operations from the Bering Sea to Central American waters.