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May, 2007

NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, May 31, 2007

Ship carrying windmill blades
calls Port of Olympia terminals

OLYMPIA — The INDUSTRIAL DAWN arrived at the Port of Olympia May 29, 2007, to discharge a cargo of windmill blades. The operation began May 30, and the vessel is expected to depart on June 1. This is the third wind energy vessel to call at the Port in the last 12 months. The vessel contains 120 windmill blades manufactured in Brazil for GE Wind Energy, which is supplying them to Phase 3 of the Klondike Wind Farm in Sherman County, Oregon. The blades are about 125 feet long and weigh on average about 35,000 pounds each. They will be stored in the port’s cargo yard for 30-45 days while they are loaded onto trucks for the trip to Eastern Oregon.


Port of Tacoma taps Tong Zhu
as commercial strategy director

TACOMA — The Port of Tacoma has selected Tong Zhu as director of commercial strategy. In this position, she directs the development of port marketing strategies, leads the port's international offices and staff and manages the port's business planning staff. Before joining the Port of Tacoma, Ms. Zhu was international relations manager for the Port of Seattle, where she supervised international offices and staff, developed business strategies, and implemented international marketing and economic development programs. Previously, she worked for the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) as country manager for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Ms. Zhu has also been deputy executive director for the World Trade Center Tacoma.


NASSCO lays keel
for sixth Navy T-AKE ship

SAN DIEGO — General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has held a keel-laying ceremony for the sixth ship in the U.S. Navy’s T-AKE program. The Navy announced May 29 that the ship will be named USNS AMELIA EARHART, in honor of the first woman to fly solo, non-stop across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. A keel-laying ceremony is a shipbuilding tradition that signifies an important milestone as full-scale production begins. In recognition of that milestone, event honoree, Darlene Costello, welded her initials into the keel. Costello is the deputy director for Naval Warfare in the office of under secretary of defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. The AMELIA EARHART is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) in the fall of 2008. The ship will be 689-feet long and displace about 41,000 metric tons when fully loaded. AMELIA EARHART’s primary mission will be to deliver food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to combat ships at sea.


OOCL launches new
8,063TEU container ship

HONG KONG — Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has announced the May 28th christening of its twelfth 8,063-TEU vessel, ordered from and built by Samsung Heavy Industries. The m.v. OOCL SOUTHAMPTON will be deployed on the EU2 (Asia-Europe Westbound and Europe-East Asia Eastbound) Loop with the Grand Alliance. The OOCL SOUTHAMPTON’s port rotation is: Kaohsiung/ Shekou/ Yantian/ Hong Kong/ Singapore/ Le Havre/ Amsterdam/ Hamburg/ Antwerp/ Southampton/ Gioia Tauro/ Jeddah/ Jebel Ali/ Singapore back to Kaohsiung in a 63-day round trip. The christening coincided with a new contract, signed by OOCL’s Chief Executive Officer, Philip Chow, for an option on another 4,506-TEU vessel, built by Samsung. This vessel would be in addition to a contract for five 4,506-TEU vessels, also built by Samsung for OOCL, signed on April 23, 2007.


Alaska Airlines adding
new flights to Hawaii

SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines has announced new service between the Aloha state and Seattle and Anchorage. The airline will offer year-round daily flights beginning Oct. 12 between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Honolulu, and nonstop between Seattle and Lihue on the island of Kauai starting Oct. 28. It will also launch seasonal service between Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and Honolulu starting Dec. 9. The flights are available for purchase now at alaskaair.com or by calling (800) ALASKAAIR. Seattle-Honolulu flights will depart at 8:40 a.m. Pacific time and arrive at 11:55 a.m. Hawaii time. Return flights will depart at 1:25 p.m. Hawaii time and arrive at 10:10 p.m. Pacific time. Seattle-Lihue flights will depart at 4:20 p.m. Pacific time and arrive at 7:45 p.m. Hawaii time. Return flights will depart at 9:15 p.m. Hawaii time and arrive at 5:55 a.m. Pacific time. Anchorage-Honolulu flights will depart at 3:20 p.m. Alaska time and arrive at 8:40 p.m. Hawaii time. Return flights will depart at 10:10 p.m. Hawaii time and arrive at 5:30 a.m. Alaska time. The new flights will be operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft, accommodating 16 passengers in first class and 141 in the main cabin.


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Tanker crew reports
vessel in trouble near Nigeria

LONDON — Yesterday, Falmouth, England Coastguard received a distress call via Inmarsat satellite communications from the tanker TOLEDO SPIRIT. The tanker made a mayday relay call reporting that they had sighted a vessel on fire in a position 120 miles south south west of Lagos, Nigeria. They confirmed in their message that they were proceeding to the vessels position to render assistance. Later yesterday, they sent confirmation to Falmouth Coastguard that they had rescued 21 crew from liferafts. The rig supply vessel BRAGO rescued one survivor from the water and recovered four bodies, three people including the master are still unaccounted for. The crew had come from the MV NORTH SEA, an 18000 metric tonne product carrier in ballast that had possibly been struck by lightning in an electrical storm and had caught fire.


WTSA member carriers
plan to raise hay rates

OAKLAND — Member shipping lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) say they intend to raise freight rates for hay, and adopt a second-stage increase for dry agri-products cargoes, as part of the WTSA’s 2007 revenue and cost recovery program. Lines said the increases are needed to address ongoing higher cargo handling, equipment and other operating costs in the transpacific market. Effective July 1, 2007, individual member carriers plan to raise hay rates by US$100 per 40-foot container (FEU) from California ports, and by $200 per FEU from Pacific Northwest ports. Effective August 1, 2007, WTSA lines say they will increase agri-products rates by US$100 per FEU and $80 per TEU for inland point and minilandbridge intermodal shipments, and by $50 per FEU and $40 per TEU for port-to-port cargo. The increase applies to a list of commodities including, but not limited to, soybeans and related products; cotton by-products; grain and grain products; and peas beans and lentils. Non-seasonal cargoes include meal, flour, corn products, starches, animal feed (except pet food), seeds and food additives. An earlier agri-products increase had been taken in April. Lines had divided a larger scheduled increase into two parts to lessen the impact to customers throughout the year. WTSA is a voluntary discussion and research forum of 10 major container shipping lines serving the trade from ports and inland points in the U.S. to destinations throughout Asia.


Alaska Airlines expanding
Seattle to Cancun flights

SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines will offer more nonstop flights between Seattle and Cancun, Mexico, beginning Oct. 28, moving from four flights a week to daily service. The flights, offering connections from cities throughout the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Canada, are available for purchase at alaskaair.com or by calling (800) ALASKAAIR. Alaska inaugurated nonstop Seattle-Cancun service last winter and operates the route during Mexico's peak tourism season, from late October to late April. Alaska increased its capacity on Mexico flights by more than 20 percent last fall, offering more frequent flights on existing routes and adding five new nonstop routes. In addition to Seattle-Cancun service, the airline introduced flights between Los Angeles and La Paz; San Francisco and Cancun; Portland, Ore., and Los Cabos; and Portland and Puerto Vallarta. The airline offers seasonal nonstop service from Seattle to four Mexico destinations, including daily service to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, and two flights a week to Mazatlan. Customers can travel year-round to all 10 of Alaska's Mexico destinations on flights connecting or stopping in Los Angeles or San Francisco.


Maritime law association
names Roberts to board

PORTLAND — C. Kent Roberts, a shareholder in the Portland office of regional, multiservice law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, was elected to a three-year membership term on the board of directors for the Maritime Law Association of the United States at the association’s May 4 meeting in New York. A position on the organization’s board is one the most coveted positions in the maritime legal community. Mr. Roberts's legal practice emphasizes representation of closely held businesses and maritime industry clients, particularly vessel operating companies, shipyards and ports. He serves on Schwabe’s board of directors and is the chairman of the firm's hiring committee. He is also a member of the Admiralty, Business Law, and Debtor/Creditor sections of the Oregon State Bar. Mr. Roberts is listed in Best Lawyers in America for his work in maritime law and in 2006 was named an Oregon Super Lawyer by Law & Politics magazine. He is a frequent lecturer on maritime industry issues and has taught Admiralty and Maritime Law since 1989 as an adjunct professor at Willamette University College of Law in Salem. He received his juris doctor degree from the Lewis & Clark College School of Law.


Bob Van Schoorl to run
for new term on Olympia port board

OLYMPIA — Bob Van Schoorl has announced his candidacy for re-election as Port of Olympia Commissioner. Mr. Van Schoorl has served on the port commission since 1994. Since his initial mid-term appointment, he has been elected three times, in 1995, 1999 and again in 2003.


NEWS BULLETIN
Friday, May 25, 2007

Corps schedules meeting
to discuss Columbia dredging

PORTLAND — Channel maintenance soon will begin at the Mouth of the Columbia River, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced. An informational meeting about the channel maintenance will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 7, at the Port of Ilwaco. The schedule for dredging activities and the disposal locations for sediment removed from the navigation channel will be presented. In previous years this meeting has also been an opportunity to share information and coordinate activities among all of the attendees. The meeting is open to anyone who is interested. The port is located at 165 Howerton Way SE, Ilwaco, Wash. The contract for Mouth of the Columbia River maintenance dredging has been awarded to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock and work is tentatively scheduled to begin around the end of June. The Corps' dredge, ESSAYONS, will begin work at the MCR in July. The MCR navigation channel is located between River Mile 3 and River Mile -3, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. The Corps dredges the navigation channel each year to provide a lane of safer transit for vessels crossing the Columbia River bar.


Bad weather takes toll
on weekly rail freight numbers

WASHINGTON, DC — Rail freight traffic on U.S. railroads remained below last year's level during the week ended May 12, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports.. Severe weather conditions — including massive flooding in some sections of the country — contributed to the decline. Intermodal volume totaled 232,435 trailers or containers, down 3.9 percent from last year, with container volume down 1.1 percent and trailer volume down 13.6 percent. Carload freight, which doesn't include the intermodal data, totaled 320,620 cars for the week, down 7.0 percent from last year. Loadings were down 8.5 percent in the West and 5.1 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 32.7 billion ton-miles, down 5.8 percent from last year. Cumulative volume for the first 19 weeks of 2007 totaled 6,100,454 carloads, down 4.4 percent from 2006; 4,313,308 trailers or containers, off 1.1 percent; and total volume of an estimated 620.7 billion ton-miles, down 3.1 percent from last year.


Grand Alliance beefing up
Mediterranean to Asia service

TOKYO — The Grand Alliance is adjusting its service between the Mediterranean and Asia (EUM) in response to the increasing cargo volume. Busan will be included as a port of call in the service loop, and an additional eighth vessel will be deployed for the service. Ships deployed in EUM will be in an average capacity of approx. 6,500 TEU, replacing the present 4,400 TEU. The enhanced service will begin in week 25 of 2007. EUM will call at Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Kelang, Damietta, Genoa, Barcelona, Fos, Damietta, Singapore and Hong Kong with a transit time of 56 days.


Truckers must now use e-manifests
at New York, Michigan border ports

WASHINGTON, DC — All truck carriers are now required to electronically submit manifests detailing cargo and carrier information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection prior to arrival at Michigan and New York land border ports. CBP intends to exercise discretion during the initial enforcement phase by issuing “informed compliance” notices to carriers that arrive without submitting or attempting to submit an e-manifest. These notices will alert truck carriers to a violation of the Trade Act of 2002, which requires submission of advance electronic cargo information. On July 23, 2007, CBP will begin fully enforcing the mandatory e-manifest policy by denying a permit to proceed to any carrier that arrives at a Michigan or New York land border port without submitting or attempting to submit an e-manifest. For a short period during the full enforcement phase, CBP plans to continue exercising limited enforcement discretion for carriers that attempt to file e-manifests. Following this period of transition, CBP will deny a permit to proceed for any truck that arrives at a Michigan or New York land border port without first successfully transmitting an e-manifest for that trip. Monetary penalties of up to $10,000 may also be issued. For information regarding ACE, e-mail CBP at CBP.CSPO@dhs.gov or visit the CBP Modernization Web site. ( ACE: Modernization Information Systems )


Corps calls for public comment
on Budd Inlet dredging plans

OLYMPIA — The public is invited to comment on the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for proposed maintenance and minor widening of a portion of the Federal navigation channel in Budd Inlet, Olympia, Washington. The Draft EA/FONSI evaluates the potential impacts of the proposed maintenance dredging and minor widening of the channel bend of the Olympia Harbor Federal navigation project at Olympia, Thurston County, Washington. The proposed work is planned for winter 2007-2008. The official comment period on this Draft EA/FONSI has been extended to June 20, 2007 (extended from June 11, 2007 as indicated in the project public notice of May 11, 2007). The draft EA/FONSI is available online under Olympia Harbor Maintenance Dredging and Minor Widening at: www.nws.usace.army.mil/ers/doc_table.cfm All comments received during the review period will be addressed in the final EA. Send comments, questions, and requests for additional information to: Evan R. Lewis, Environmental Resources Section, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 3755, Seattle, Washington 98124-3755 or evan.r.lewis@usace.army.mil (206) 764-6922 206-764-4470 fax. Note that the comment period extension applies to the Draft EA/FONSI only. The June 11, 2007 deadline for the project public notice remains unchanged. The project public notice is available online at: www.nws.usace.army.mil/PublicMenu/documents/NAV/OlympiaPN23.pdf


NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, May 24, 2007

New aviation deal reached
between US and China

WASHINGTON, DC — The number of daily passenger flights between the United States and China will more than double by 2012 and air cargo companies will have greatly expanded commercial freedom by 2011 as part of a new civil aviation agreement reached by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters and Chinese Minister of Civil Aviation Yang Yuanyuan. Secretary Peters traveled to China in April to continue talks on the previous civil aviation agreement, in place since 2004, and discuss a framework to increase future air passenger and cargo travel between the two countries. Starting this year, Secretary Peters said, the new agreement will allow for 13 new daily flights operated by U.S. carriers to and from China within five years. One new daily flight will be added in 2007 and 2008, four new daily flights in 2009, three more daily flights in 2010, and two new daily flights in 2011 and 2012 for a total of 23 per day. Under the current agreement, U.S. airlines today can operate only 10 daily flights into Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. In addition, this agreement will allow the U.S. to designate three additional U.S. carriers to operate to China: one in 2007 and two in 2009. The deal also will provide U.S. cargo carriers with virtually unfettered access to Chinese markets by lifting all government-set limits on the number of cargo flights and cargo carriers serving the two countries by 2011, Secretary Peters added.


Port of Vancouver, USA
to welcome new Saga vessel

VANCOUVER, USA — The Port of Vancouver USA will welcome the SAGA FRONTIER, commanded by Captain R.G. Kulur of India, on its maiden voyage on May 27, 2007. The Port of Vancouver USA is the vessel’s third stop on the West Coast after Los Angeles and San Francisco. The SAGA FRONTIER is operated by Saga Forest Carriers of Tonsberg, Norway and represented locally by Merit Steamship Agency, Inc. Built in Oshima, Japan, the SAGA FRONTIER launched in April 2007, is the fifth vessel in a new “Adventure class” that consists of nine new ships to be delivered from Oshima, in the period up to 2008. The vessel is nearly 654 feet in length, weighs 46,550 deadweight tons, has 10 holds and hatches and two 42-ton gantry cranes. Saga Forest Carriers is an international shipping company specializing in the transportation of breakbulk cargoes and forest products. The SAGA FRONTIER will discharge cargo from Korea and China, approximately 3,400 metric tons of steel. After leaving the port, the vessel will sail to Vancouver, British Columbia.


"K" Line adding
new 'Corona series' vessel

TOKYO — Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd., Tokyo , (“K” Line) has announced the delivery of CORONA MAJESTY a new 88,000 DWT-type coal carrier at Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Japan on 24 May 2007. The Post - Panamax “Corona-series”, which “K” Line originated and continues to develop, consists of coal carriers equipped with wide beam and shallow draft, making it suitable to transport thermal coal. With this new latest deployment, the Corona-series now consists of 11 carriers, with four more newbuildings currently on order.


US, China ink pact for stronger
intellectual property rights laws

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner W. Ralph Basham and Mu Xinsheng, minister of customs for the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, have signed an agreement to strengthen enforcement of intellectual property rights laws. The agreement provides for exchanges of seizure information on counterfeit goods between customs staff of the two nations designed to improve intellectual property rights enforcement. CBP and China Customs have pledged to increase visits to each other’s offices and ports by both policy and operational staff engaged in intellectual property rights enforcement. This agreement was reached coinciding with the second meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue, a meeting with Chinese officials and leaders of multiple federal agencies to review economic development. Presidents Bush and President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China launched the dialogue on these matters in September 2006.MISC Berhad (Malaysia), NYK (Japan) and OOCL (Hong Kong). MISC Berhad does not provide any Trans Pacific services.


Washington State Ferries
testing LCD monitors

SEATTLE — Safety and Security at Washington State Ferries (WSF) is going high tech, thanks to a grant from the Department of Homeland Security. WSF, in a partnership with the Homeland Security Institute, installed LCD monitors on the M/V TACOMA and M/V WENATCHEE, as well as at Colman Dock (Pier 52) and the Anacortes Terminal. After several weeks of testing, the monitors are ready to go live for the pilot test which will kick off today, with a morning event at Colman Dock. The pilot test is scheduled to run through the end of September. If successful, the LCD monitors could become a permanent fixture on some WSF vessels. The LCD monitors are part of the Ferry Passenger Partnership Program, which is designed to educate and engage ferry passengers and public safety professionals by raising awareness of safety and security precautions and procedures. WSF and Rainier Media produced several short videos which will be shown on the LCD monitors as a part of the program. The system will also provide real-time messaging using Internet-based media controllers to present information such as security updates, current road and traffic conditions, weather forecasts, Amber Alerts, delays in departures or arrival times, and sailing schedules.


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Port of Vancouver, USA commissioners
approve sending IDD levy to voters

VANCOUVER, USA — Authorized by a citizens petition to put the Industrial Development District (IDD) levy on the primary election ballot, the Port of Vancouver USA commissioners voted May 22, to send the levy to residents of the Vancouver Port District. By state law, a port cannot introduce ballot measures without referral from a petition of qualified voters living with in the port district. On February 5, 2007, the commission set the process in motion by activating the IDD levy. Shortly thereafter, a citizens group began a grassroots effort to gather at least 9,126 valid signatures on a petition to put the levy on the ballot. When the petition was certified with 9,659 valid signatures last week, port commissioners were authorized to put the levy on the ballot for the August 21 primary election. The tax increase affects only the port’s portion of Clark County’s property tax, raising it from roughly 33 cents to 79 cents per $1,000 of assessed value of homes within the Vancouver Port District. An IDD levy is a temporary property tax, which sunsets after six years and will raise funds for the port to acquire, develop and improve under-utilized industrial lands including, but not limited to, the Alcoa-Evergreen properties, Columbia Gateway and the Rufener property. Ports are allowed, by the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 53.36.100), two six-year IDD levies, the first of which does not need voter approval. The Port of Vancouver used its first six year levy in 1958 to purchase land in Fruit Valley. Much of the land was later sold to Frito Lay, which has been a long-time fixture, providing living-wage jobs in Vancouver ever since.


Mitsui planning to add
new ore carrying vessel

TOKYO — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has announced a sixth long-term transport contract with Baoshan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., for a newly built 225,000-ton ore carrier. It will be built at Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and is slated for launching between late 2011 and early 2012. MOL also has contracts with Baoshan Iron and Steel, for three 200,000-ton coal and iron ore carriers that started service in January, March, and April 2007, a 230,000-ton type vessel that will be launched in early 2009, and a 300,000-ton type carrier that will also go into service in early 2009. The new vessel will carry iron ore from Western Australia to Shanghai, under a 25-year contract of affreightment (COA) starting in June 2007.


Washington governor's budget
includes funds for Vancouver project

OLYMPIA — Washington Governor Gregoire’s 2007-09 Biennial Budget includes $10 million for a West Vancouver Freight Access project. The project will provide new freight rail access to and from the rail mainline and the Port of Vancouver, while providing improved capacity and velocity to a national chokepoint at the Vancouver Wye.


Grand Alliance members
making Transpacific changes

TOKYO — The Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, NYK and OOCL are adjusting their service concept on the Transpacific during the main season in summer to meet customer requirements even more effectively. The East Coast South (ECS) and East Coast North (ECN) will be reconfigured to offer more diverse loading options and optimal transit time from South, North and Central China. The South China East Coast Express (SCE) will serve Taiwan and South China by calling at Kaohsiung, Shekou, Hong Kong, New York, Norfolk and Savannah. The North & Central China East Coast Express (NCE) will serve Korea as well as North and Central China by calling at Pusan, Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, New York, Norfolk and Savannah. Each service loop will deploy eight ships with capacities of between 3,500 and 4,400 TEU. Both services will start from the middle of June Through this reconfiguration, the Grand Alliance will further enhance their All Water service by offering competitive products from major Asian ports. Transit time from Hong Kong to New York and Shanghai to New York will be 23 days and 21 days respectively. The Grand Alliance is the leading integrated consortium in global container shipping. Its members are Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), MISC Berhad (Malaysia), NYK (Japan) and OOCL (Hong Kong). MISC Berhad does not provide any Trans Pacific services.


Officers seize ecstasy
at Washington border crossing

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the U.S. Highway 97 port of entry in Oroville, Wash. seized 182 pounds of ecstasy during a border security truck examination Friday. Officers working in the southbound traffic lanes discovered the ecstasy concealed in the back doors of an 18-wheel truck and trailer destined for California. The truck-trailer combination arrived at the port at 12:40 p.m. X-ray examination of the trailer revealed an anomaly near the rear doors of the trailer and inspection by CBP officers discovered 49 packages of the drug within the walls of the trailer doors. The ecstasy weighed 182 pounds, and contained approximately 262,000 pills. The truck and trailer were also seized. The ecstasy has an estimated value of $ 5.2 million. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation is continuing.


NEWS BULLETIN
Monday, May 21, 2007

President proclaims May 22
National Maritime Day

WASHINGTON, DC — America has a proud maritime history, and the United States Merchant Marine has played a vital role in helping meet our country's economic and national security needs. On National Maritime Day, we honor merchant mariners for their dedication to promoting commerce and protecting our freedom.
During times of peace, the U.S. Merchant Marine helps ensure our economic security by keeping the oceans open to trade. Ships operated by merchant mariners transport goods across our Nation's waterways and on the high seas around the world to connect American businesses and consumers with valuable foreign markets and commodities. The skill and expertise of merchant mariners facilitates trade and helps to strengthen our economy.
In times of war, the Merchant Marine is the lifeline of our troops overseas. By carrying critical supplies, equipment, and personnel, merchant mariners provide essential support to our Armed Forces and help advance the cause of freedom. Today, merchant mariners are supporting operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and their devotion to duty is a tribute to the generations of men and women who have served our nation with courage and determination in every conflict in America's history. On this day, and throughout the year, America is grateful for their service.
In recognition of the importance of the U.S. Merchant Marine, the Congress, by joint resolution approved on May 20, 1933, as amended, has designated May 22 of each year as "National Maritime Day," and has authorized and requested that the president issue an annual proclamation calling for its appropriate observance.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 22, 2007, as National Maritime Day. I call upon the people of the United States to mark this observance by honoring the service of merchant mariners and by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and in their communities. I also request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.
GEORGE W. BUSH


Oregon governor taps Johansen
as Port of Portland Commission president

PORTLAND — Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski has announced that he has selected Judi Johansen to serve as president of the Port of Portland Commission. She is the first woman to serve in that role in the 116-year history of the Port. Ms. Johansen has served on the commission since 2003. She takes over the reins July 1, 2007 from Port Commissioner Jay Waldron. Mr. Waldron has served on the commission since 1999 and as its president since 2001, making him one of the longest-tenured Commission presidents. During Mr. Waldron’s tenure, the port weathered the post-9/11 downturn in airline travel, a West Coast longshoreman lock-out and the ups and downs of losing and then regaining critical marine cargo and international airline services. He concludes his tenure with the port with one of the strongest port financial performance years in its recent history. Ms. Johansen was the former president and chief executive officer of PacifiCorp. She began her career at PacifiCorp in 2000 as executive vice president of regulation and external affairs. In prior positions, she served as the chief executive officer/administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration from 1998 to 2000 and as BPA’s vice president of generation supply from 1994 to 1996. From 1996 to 1998, Ms. Johansen served as vice president of business development at Avista Energy and was an attorney and partner with Gordon, Thomas & Honeywell from 1986 to 1994. She is a board member of the Federal Reserve Portland Branch Bank, the Regional Business Council and serves as chair of the Lewis and Clark College Board of Trustees. Ms. Johansen has a J.D. from Northwestern School of Law and is a member of the Oregon and Washington State Bar Associations.


Port of Port Angeles
calling for banking proposals

PORT ANGELES — The Port of Port Angeles, Port Angeles, WA is requesting proposals for its banking services. Proposals will be received by the Finance & Administration Department, Port of Port Angeles, 338 West First Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362 until 4:00 PM on July 18, 2007. All proposals must be in a sealed envelope and clearly marked in the lower left-hand corner: “RFP – Banking Services.” No faxed or telephone proposals will be accepted. All proposals must be received by 4:00 PM July 18, 2007. Detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) information including general information, scope of work, terms and conditions and required format is available from the Finance & Administration Department located at the above address or by calling (360) 457-8527. The RFP is also available at the following link: http://www.portofpa.com/about/BankRFPFinal.mht. The Port of Port Angeles reserves the right to reject any and all submittals and to waive irregularities and informalities in the submittal and evaluation process. This RFP does not obligate the port to pay any costs incurred by respondents in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Furthermore, the RFP does not obligate the port to accept or contract for any expressed or implied services. The successful vendor must comply with the Port of Port Angeles’ equal opportunity requirements. The port is committed to a program of equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, sex, age, nationality or disability.


Rail employees deliver
safest year on record

WASHINGTON, DC — The nation's railroad employees have once again reported gains in safety and have posted their safest year in history. The E.H. Harriman Awards celebrates the achievements of railroads with the best employee safety records by awarding twelve gold, silver or bronze awards in four categories at an annual luncheon and awards ceremony. Given the growth in technology and the specialized nature of railroad jobs, the industry has thorough and comprehensive training programs. Many programs are conducted in cooperation with local community colleges and offer classroom learning and “hands-on” experience. Major railroads also maintain their own training centers that include track for training students in locomotive operations and locomotive simulators and other specialized training for signal maintenance workers as well as locomotive mechanics. Norfolk Southern was awarded top, gold honors for the eighteenth year in a row in Group A which is comprised of line-haul railroads whose employees worked 15 million employee-hours or more during 2006. Other Group A recipients included CSX Transportation (silver) and BNSF Railway (bronze).


Cash rewards now offered
for crimes against Corps

PORTLAND — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is launching a crime deterrence program to protect Corps property throughout the Columbia Gorge, Willamette Valley and Rogue River basins. To help fight property crime and reduce costs, the Corps has received Congressional authority to offer cash rewards up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of individuals causing damage to Corps property. Individuals who witness or suspect that a crime has been committed against Corps property are encouraged to call the toll-free Corps Watch number, 1-866-413-7970, to report information about theft, vandalism or any threats or suspicious activity against the Corps. The Corps Watch number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and callers can remain anonymous.


NEWS BULLETIN
Friday, May 18, 2007

PMA, ILWU agree
to begin contract talks early

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have agreed to pursue an early start to labor contract negotiations with the goal of reaching an agreement prior to the expiration of their current six-year labor pact in July 2008. In a meeting May 14, PMA President, Jim McKenna, and ILWU President, Robert McEllrath, agreed to begin talks in early 2008, providing sufficient time to address issues well in advance of the contract’s expiration. The contract covers wages, benefits and conditions of employment for ILWU members working at 29 West Coast ports in California, Oregon and Washington. Together, these ports account for 12 percent of the nation’s GDP.


WTSA member carriers
plan hide rate increase

OAKLAND — Major U.S.-Asia container shipping lines have agreed on the need to raise freight rates for shipments of animal hides. Effective July 1, 2007, member lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) have scheduled rate increases for hides of US$200 per 40-foot container (FEU) and $160 per 20-foot container (TEU) for inland point intermodal (IPI) cargo, and $50 per FEU and $40 per TEU for port-to-port shipments. In addition to addressing higher overall inland transport, equipment and cargo handling costs – in particular higher rail and truck charges from interior U.S. locations – WTSA lines are hoping to recover a greater share of operating costs specific to the movement of animal hides in containers, from providing container liners and tri-axle chassis to container cleaning at destination. WTSA is a voluntary discussion and research forum of 10 major ocean and intermodal container shipping lines serving the trade from ports and inland points in the U.S. to destinations throughout Asia.


New World Alliance, CMA CGM
plan US East Coast to China run

SINGAPORE — The New World Alliance (TNWA) and CMA CGM have announced a new all-water service to expedite cargo moving from major Chinese export hubs to key destinations on the US East Coast, via the Panama Canal. The introduction of the new service, (named ESX by the New World Alliance and SAX by CMA CGM) will enable TNWA and CMA CGM to offer port coverage and competitive transit times from Central and South China to Savannah and New York. From 4 June 2007, the ESX/SAX service will deploy eight vessels (one from APL, two from CMA CGM, three operated by HMM and two operated by MOL) ranging from 3,500-3,800 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) on a weekly service operating on a 56-day rotation.


Rail carload, intermodal totals
on negative side during week

WASHINGTON, DC — Both carload freight and intermodal traffic were down from last year on U.S. railroads during the week ended May 5, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports. Intermodal volume totaled 233,695 trailers or containers, down 1.3 percent from last year, with container volume up 2.0 percent and trailer volume down 11.8 percent. Carload freight, which doesn't include the intermodal data, totaled 329,456 cars for the week, down 4.9 percent from last year. Loadings were down 5.3 percent in the West and 4.4 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 33.6 billion ton-miles, down 3.7 percent from last year. Eight of 19 carload commodity groups registered gains from last year with petroleum products up 13.0 percent and farm products other than grain up 5.7 percent. On the negative side, loadings of lumber and wood products were down 21.1 percent, primary forest products were off 14.3 percent and coal was down 6.1 percent. Cumulative volume for the first 18 weeks of 2007 totaled 5,779,834 carloads, down 4.3 percent from 2006; 4,080,873 trailers or containers, off 0.9 percent; and total volume of an estimated 588.0 billion ton-miles, down 2.9 percent from last year.


Vern's Restaurant winner
of Olympia Chowder Challenge

OLYMPIA — Over 1,200 people tasted South Puget Sound’s finest clam chowder Saturday, May 12, at the 11th Annual Swantown BoatSwap & Chowder Challenge hosted by the Port of Olympia at Swantown Marina in Olympia. Ten area restaurants each made over 25 gallons of chowder. When the votes were tallied, Vern’s Restaurant, claimed first place. Second place was awarded to Fish Tale Brewpub, and the third place prize went to Mercato Ristorante. Three restaurants tied for the Chef’s Choice Award, which is voted on by participating restaurants: Vern’s Restaurant, Fish Tale Brewpub and the Red Lion Hotel of Olympia. The Red Wind Casino was awarded the prize for the best decorated booth. Other outstanding restaurants competing this year included Fire Creek Ale House, Lucky Eagle Casino, New Market Vocational Skills Center Culinary Arts Program, Riverbend Restaurant at Hawks Prairie Casino and South Puget Sound Community College Culinary Arts Program. The Chowder Challenge was just one part of this annual waterfront festival. Over 75 vendors at the BoatSwap sold new and used boats and gear. Entertainment, including live music provided by the rock band Raucous as well as other family fun, was featured all day.


NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, May 17, 2007

Trio of PNW ports
set new emissions goals

TACOMA — The ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, Canada have proposed performance goals to reduce particulate matter by 70 percent from ships at berth and 30 percent from cargo handling equipment, according to the Pacific Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. The strategy proposes performance goals aimed at reducing diesel emissions and greenhouse gases from port-related sources. The three ports plan to accomplish the emissions reduction goals for ships and cargo handling equipment by 2010. The strategy also will address emissions from port-related truck, train and harbor craft activity and includes long-term goals for additional emissions reductions. A framework plan has been released, but the ports will continue to work together over the summer with their customers, tenants and other stakeholders to iron out the details. The plan will be submitted in the fall to the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma Commissions and to the Vancouver Port Authority Board of Directors for final approval in December.


FRA adding two new
rail track inspection rigs

WASHINGTON, DC — Two new custom-built inspection vehicles equipped with state of the art technology to help identify track flaws that could lead to train derailments are now in service and will allow the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to triple the amount of track it inspects each year by automated means to nearly 100,000 miles. The new automated track inspection vehicles increase the FRA's fleet to five and are primarily used on high-volume rail lines that carry hazardous materials and passenger trains. They also will allow FRA to more quickly respond and evaluate routes where the track safety performance of a railroad is substandard. The new vehicles, known as the T-19 and the T-20, use a variety of technology to measure track geometry flaws such as whether two rails are level, if the width between the rails is acceptable, and if the shape of each rail meets federal standards to avoid derailments. The measurements are recorded in real-time and at operating speed. Problem areas are identified by global positioning system (GPS) location and shared immediately with the railroad so appropriate
corrective actions can be taken in a timely manner, Boardman stressed. Between now and the end of June, the T-19 is scheduled to inspect track in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The T-20 will be in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington.


Final Dreamliner section
arrives at Boeing facility

EVERETT — The final major assembly for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was delivered to Everett early May 16. The integrated midbody fuselage consists of section 43, a forward fuselage section made by Kawasaki Heavy Industries; section 11/45, the center wheel well and center wing tank, made by KHI and Fuji Heavy Industries and joined at FHI; and sections 44 and 46, center fuselage sections made by Alenia Aeronautica. It was joined at Global Aeronautica in Charleston, South Carolina. The fuselage measures 84 feet long and 19 feet in diameter. It was flown to Everett in the Dreamlifter, a specially modified 747-400 used to transport major 787 assemblies. The Dreamlifter touched down at 1:58 a.m. Wrapped in black, the fuselage filled the cargo bay of the Dreamlifter. Barely six inches of clearance surrounded the structure. The fuselage was taken immediately into the 787 final assembly factory. Final assembly of the first 787 has not yet begun.


BTS report lists
top trucking ports

WASHINGTON, DC — Detroit on the Canadian border and Laredo, TX, on the Mexican border were the top ports for the value of trade moved by truck in 2006, according to a new special report on North American freight transportation from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). BTS, a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that Detroit was the gateway for $64 billion in merchandise carried by truck to Canada and $51 billion from Canada. The merchandise transported through Detroit in 2006 was almost double the value of the goods that passed through Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY, the next-ranking port on the Canadian border. Port Huron, MI, was the third-ranking port. On the Mexican border, $34 billion in merchandise was exported and $44 billion was imported through Laredo by truck, almost double the value of the goods that passed through El Paso, TX,
the next-ranking port on the Mexican border. Otay Mesa, CA, was the third-ranking port. The special report on North American freight transportation provides analysis of recent activity and trends in U.S. merchandise trade with Canada and Mexico from a transportation perspective. It is available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/bts_special_report/2007_05/


Matson taps John Lauer
as Transpacific Services director

OAKLAND — John P. Lauer has joined Matson Navigation Company as director, Transpacific services, for Matson’s China – Long Beach Express. Mr. Lauer will lead Matson’s U.S. sales efforts for its China – Long Beach Express service and will focus on trade lane yield management and revenue enhancement strategies in conjunction with other Matson operations. He will report to Dave Hoppes, senior vice president, ocean services. Mr. Lauer comes to Matson with 20 years of sales experience, including a number of senior level executive positions encompassing maritime and logistics activities. Most recently, he was managing director, eastern region, for APL and APL Logistics at the NOL Group level. Prior to that, Mr. Lauer was vice president, northeast area sales, for APL, Ltd. Other positions at APL include vice president, eastern region; managing director, Western area sales; and director of sales, Hong Kong/PRC region.


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Port of Everett breaking ground
on waterfront development project

EVERETT — The Port of Everett and its private partner developer, Maritime Trust Company, are breaking ground tomorros, on a new, 65-acre waterfront development on the Puget Sound. This is the largest project the Port of Everett has ever undertaken, and will cost more than $400 million. The development will transform an underutilized piece of industrial waterfront property into a new waterfront community. This new neighborhood will be a collection of condominiums and townhomes, professional office space, shops, destination restaurants, and a marine-related craftsmen district. In addition, the development will include a network of public open space with a waterfront esplanade and public plaza, accentuated by numerous parks and open spaces. More than 19 buildings have been demolished in preparation of construction, and Maritime Trust Company has 135 reservations for units in Phase 1, with 50 backup reservations on those units. Phase 1 will consist of 159 residential units; a mix of town homes and single level condominiums, several restaurants, shops and office space; acres of public access enhancements, a marine-related Craftsmen District and a Fishermen’s Tribute Tower to celebrate Everett’s fishing heritage. The first phase is scheduled for completion in early 2009. This development will create 4,100 new jobs for the region, and generate more than $14 million annually in tax revenue for the city, county, state and other special use districts.


New rules prohibit cruise ships
from wastewater discharges in sanctuary

SEATTLE — The cruise industry, the Port of Seattle and the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) have agreed to strengthen existing protections for the marine waters of the Pacific Northwest by prohibiting all cruise ship wastewater discharges within the entire Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the NorthWest Cruiseship Association (NWCA), the port and Ecology in 2004 established protections that prevent discharges of untreated wastewater and biosolids in state waters. Wastewater treated with advanced on-board treatment systems can be discharged in state waters with approval from Ecology. Advanced treatment systems treat wastewater to standards equal to or greater than shore-based municipal treatment plants that discharge in state waters. The agreement also established a program that allows Ecology inspectors to board ships, look at log books and examine wastewater treatment equipment. The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 3,310 square miles off of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, extending 135 miles along the Washington Coast from about Cape Flattery to the mouth of the Copalis River.


First construction project tender
set for Panama Canal expansion work

PANAMA CITY — On May 7, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) got one step closer to beginning its expansion with the release of the first construction project tender (request for proposal submission) for dry excavation along the north access channel on the Pacific end of the canal. The expansion program adds a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double the tonnage capacity and allow the transit of substantially larger vessels. The North Pacific channel excavation, which will be located west of Pedro Miguel and locks, is the first of five dry excavation projects that will help link the new Post-Panamax Locks on the Pacific end of the Canal to the existing Gaillard Cut and represents approximately 16 percent of the total excavation for the new Pacific Locks Access Channel. The scope of work under the contract will include: the removal of non-classified material and disposal of excavated material at indicated locations, and the construction of new gravel roads and ditches.


Petition calls for public vote
on Port of Vancouver, USA IDD levy

VANCOUVER, WA — The Port of Vancouver USA commission has been authorized by port district voters to place its Industrial Development District (IDD) levy on the primary election ballot, according to results of a petition canvass completed by the Clark County Auditor’s Office. A total of 9,659 signatures were deemed valid from 11,321 petition signatures canvassed by elections personnel. “We fully appreciate that the community, through their grassroots efforts to gather signatures on the petition, wants to vote on this tax,” said Port of Vancouver USA Executive Director Larry Paulson. “Our Board of Commissioners is now authorized to place this on the August 21 primary ballot.” The port’s ballot measure will propose a temporary property tax increase that will raise funds for the Port of Vancouver USA to create up to 1,900 maritime and industrial jobs through the purchase and development of the Alcoa-Evergreen properties. It will also develop essential rail facilities that will allow the port to continue to service current businesses, and new rail-dependent development. Port district voters will have the opportunity to decide whether to approve this additional property tax, which will raise up to $78 million over six years before its sunset in 2013, during the August 21 primary election.


NASSCO launches supply ship
RICHARD E. BYRD

SAN DIEGO — General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has launched the U.S. Navy's newest resupply ship, USNS RICHARD E. BYRD (T-AKE 4). The ship is named in honor of the Navy Rear Admiral and Medal of Honor recipient who explored the North and South Poles by air. A 1912 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a naval aviator, Byrd (1888- 1957) explored the North Pole region by air in May 1926. He received the Medal of Honor for the flight. Two and a half years later, Admiral Byrd began his first expedition to the Antarctica. He commanded the first flight over the South Pole in November 1929. Admiral Byrd completed four more expeditions to the Antarctic continent over the next 26 years, including the 1955 "Operation Deep Freeze" expedition that established the permanent U.S. facilities at the South Pole. USNS RICHARD E. BYRD is the fourth ship of an expected class of 11 T-AKE dry cargo-ammunition ships for the Navy. NASSCO began constructing the 689- foot-long ship in February 2006. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in November. The T-AKE class incorporates international marine technologies and commercial ship-design features, including an integrated electric-drive propulsion system, to minimize operating costs over its projected 40-year service life. When the RICHARD E. BYRD joins the fleet, its primary mission will be to deliver more than 10,000 tons of food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions to combat ships at sea. It is the second Navy ship to be named in honor of the polar explorer. The first ship, USS RICHARD E. BYRD (DDG 23), was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer that served from 1964 to 1990.


NEWS BULLETIN
Monday, May 14, 2007

Roger Allen named
to Longview port board

LONGVIEW — Commissioners Walt Barham and Dan Buell appointed Roger Allen to the Port of Longview Commission on May 11, 2007. Mr. Allen replaces Larry Larson, the port’s former District 1 Commissioner, who retired in early April after 29 years of service. Commissioner Allen will serve as port commissioner until the next general election in November, 2007, at which time he will seek election for the remaining two years of the six-year term. Mr. Allen has served on several community boards, including the Lower Columbia College Foundation Board, the Cowlitz County Association of Realtors, and the Cowlitz Economic Development Council Board of Directors. He has lived in Longview for 45 years, raised his children in the community, and recently sold his real estate company, Allen & Associates, in order to retire.


WTSA member carriers
eye 'protein' rate increases

OAKLAND — Shipping lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) are recommending increases to freight rates for refrigerated U.S.-Asia shipments of beef, pork and poultry, effective July 1, 2007. WTSA member lines say they intend to raise so-called “protein” rates by US$400 per 40-foot container (FEU) for port-to-port cargo, and by $600 per FEU for inland point and minilandbridge intermodal shipments. Proportionate increases will be applied to other equipment sizes and cargo otherwise rated. For rates constructed as a port-to-port rate plus inland add-on, the water portion will be raised by $400 and the inland add-on by $200. Local door shipments to Busan will see another US$150 per FEU added to existing inland add-on charges or to through rates, on top of the overall increase described above. For all other inland Korea destinations the additional charge will $400 per FEU. Finally, in cases where carriers provide U.S. West Coast container freight station (CFS) services to exporters for frozen cargo, the West Coast CFS charge will be raised to US$550 per FEU. WTSA is a voluntary discussion and research forum of 10 major container shipping lines serving the trade from ports and inland points in the U.S. to destinations throughout Asia.


Zim announces plans
to become TSA member

OAKLAND — Zim Integrated Shipping Services has announced that it will become the next carrier to join the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) effective June 23, 2007, following a 45-day notification period required under U.S. law. Zim’s entry to the research and discussion group of Asia-U.S. container shipping lines brings TSA membership to 14 major lines. Zim, based in Haifa, Israel and with regional headquarters in Norfolk, Hamburg and Hong Kong, operates a worldwide fleet of 100 vessels with a combined carrying capacity of about 240,000 20-foot containers (TEU), calling 180 ports. It offers five scheduled transpacific service strings, with additional intra-Asia feeder services, and is in the midst of a five-year, $2 billion program to build 20 new ships for worldwide service. TSA is a research and discussion forum of major container shipping lines serving the trade from Asia to ports and inland points in the U.S. More information on TSA can be found at www.tsacarriers.org.


MOL opens VLCC simulator
at Montenegro training facility

TOKYO — Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has announced the introduction of a new tanker cargo handling simulator, based on the most advanced double-hull
very large crude carriers (VLCCs) at the MOL Training Center in Montenegro. The type of the simulator provides senior officers with realistic training on pre-discharging cargo pipe pressure tests and pre-docking cargo pipe cleaning, in addition to normal loading/discharging operations. Trainees can simulate opening/closing of local valves that are operated on deck and in the pump room, by touching the valves of the cargo piping diagram on three large plasma displays. This simulates communication between the cargo control room and the site of the actual equipment. In addition to equipment and machinery images and the piping diagram, the new simulator can also display selected drawings of the equipment to help the trainees with self training. MOL is also considering introducing this simulator at seafarer training centers in Japan and the Philippines.


Port of Seattle web site
now offers Sea-Tac flight info

SEATTLE — A new service has been added to real-time flight information available for Sea-Tac Airport on the Port of Seattle's Web site. Travelers now can request e-mail notifications alerting them when the status of a flight changes. Once registered for the free service, travelers will be notified if their flights are delayed or canceled, and when their gate assignments or assigned baggage claim carousels change. Travelers can receive these e-mail notifications on both full-size computers and mobile devices, including cell phones. Flight status is checked every 10 minutes. Travelers will only receive an e-mail notification if any changes have occurred during this period. E-mail updates will be sent until the flight has departed, or until one hour after a flight has arrived. Web visitors can navigate to the real-time flight information (http://hosting.portseattle.org/fids/) page from any page on the Port of Seattle Web site. Once there, flight information can be searched by city, airline and date and e-mail notification requests can be made for flights. If a Web visitor doesn't get an immediate confirmation, the transmission may have been blocked by their Internet Service Provider; if that happens, e-mail notifications will not be received. Real-time flight information for both arrivals and departures has been available on the Port's Web site since 2005. The service was expanded to mobile device users in 2006.


NEWS BULLETIN
Friday, May 11, 2007

Deicing system to expand
at Portland International Airport

PORTLAND — The Port of Portland has selected a preferred alternative for enhancing the Portland International Airport deicing storm water runoff collection system. The plan will expand the existing system to begin capturing runoff containing deicing materials from the west airfield area, and increase storage capacity for both concentrated and diluted runoff. Enhancements will install a new system to treat dilute runoff and then discharge it in compliance with water quality requirements into the Columbia River. The concept was approved last week, by the Port of Portland Commission.


Ferry cooling system trouble
has WSF canceling BC run

ANACORTES — Washington State Ferries is canceling its international sailing from Anacortes to Sidney, British Columbia until May 12 to dry dock the 124-car MV CHELAN, which has developed a leak in its keel cooler, used to cool the water that cools the engines. The vessel will be in dry dock at Dakota Creek in Anacortes. The MV EVERGREEN STATE, which is a 90- car vessel, will replace the CHELAN for domestic service for these four days. Because the CHELAN is a 17 knot vessel while the EVERGREEN STATE sails at 13 knots, some adjustment to the San Juan Islands schedule is necessary. The adjustments include less capacity on the 6 a.m. redeye sailing from Friday Harbor to Lopez and Anacortes in the morning; no stop at Lopez on the 5:05 p.m. sailing from Anacortes to Friday Harbor or the 5:55 p.m. from Lopez to Friday Harbor to help make up the time lost by the slower EVERGREEN STATE; Inter-island Traffic on the ILLAHEE will be dropped at Lopez at 6:55 p.m. and picked up by the MV HYAK at 7:15 p.m. so that the ILLAHEE can continue from Lopez to Anacortes, where it will make an 8 p.m. sailing to Friday Harbor to help with expected traffic for the 8:25 p.m. sailing.


Hamburg Sud goes with ITS
for Southern California liner work

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Hamburg Sud has announced that all of its liner services calling Southern California will now be handled by ITS Terminals in Long Beach. ITS already handles Hamburg Sud weekly service to South America’s West Coast and fortnightly service to the Pacific Islands. Effective June 15, 2007 with the port call of the Hansa Rendsburg of the Pacific Southwest to Australia/New Zealand service, all Hamburg Sud services will call ITS. The first Pacific Northwest string vessel of the Australia/NZ service to call ITS will be the Kapitan Afanasyev on June 20, 2007. Company officials expressed their thanks to Eagle Marine Services at the Port of Los Angeles for their past service.


April bad month
for US rail freight

WASHINGTON, DC — Both carload and intermodal freight on U.S. railroads were down from last year during April, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports. U.S. railroads originated 1,324,502 carloads of freight in April 2007, down 29,861 carloads (2.2 percent) from April 2006. A total of 908,139 intermodal units were originated in April 2007, a decline of 40,110 trailers and containers (4.2 percent) over April 2006. Seven of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in April 2007 compared to April 2006. Commodities showing carload gains in April 2007 included chemicals (up 2,984 carloads, or 2.5 percent, to 123,038 carloads) and petroleum products (up 2,004 carloads, or 8.4 percent, to 26,003 carloads). Commodities showing carload decreases in April 2007 included crushed stone, sand, and gravel (down 7,270 carloads, or 7.5 percent, to 89,351 carloads); grain (down 6,279 carloads, or 6.9 percent, to 84,120 carloads); and metals and metal products (down 4,770 carloads, or 8.1 percent, to 54,111 carloads). Carloads of coal fell 2,499 carloads (0.5 percent) to 551,002 carloads. For the first four months of 2007, total U.S. rail carloads were down 241,380 carloads (4.2 percent) to 5,450,378 carloads, with the biggest declines coming in motor vehicles and equipment (down 44,135 carloads, or 11.4 percent); crushed stone, sand, and gravel (down 43,803 carloads, or 11.6 percent); and grain (down 29,536 carloads, or 7.5 percent).


Diplomatic conference eyes
new rules for handling shipwrecks

LONDON — A new international convention, which will set out the legal responsibilities under which states can remove hazardous shipwrecks, is expected to be adopted at the end of a five-day Diplomatic Conference being held at the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON), Kenya. The meeting is taking place under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for safety and security at sea and prevention of marine pollution from ships, and is being organized with the support of the Government of Kenya and UNON. The new convention will make shipowners financially liable and require them to take out insurance or provide other financial security to cover the costs of wreck removal. It will also provide states with a right of direct action against insurers.


NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, May 10, 2007

Yang Ming bringing
larger vessels to Portland

PORTLAND — Port of Portland officials welcomed the call of the Yang Ming ZENITH this week as the first of the company’s new, upgraded ships that double the capacity of those the carrier replaced. Yang Ming is using the same number of ships for its weekly service, but the larger vessels increase capacity from approximately 1800 to 3500 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units), while upgrading the Y – PNW (South China) service. Yang Ming Lines, based in Taiwan, began calling the Port of Portland in 2006.


Seattle Propeller Club
names Bottinger top official

SEATTLE — Port of Tacoma Commissioner R. Ted Bottiger is this year's Seattle Propeller Club's Elected Official of the Year Award recipient. The honor, bestowed annually at the Seattle Maritime Festival's Maritime Luncheon, was presented aboard the Royal Caribbean International's SERENADE OF THE SEAS. The luncheon was co-sponsored by the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Seattle Propeller Club. Each year, the Seattle Propeller Club recognizes a local elected official whose outstanding work or service has made a significant contribution to maritime commerce in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Bottiger has served as Tacoma's Port Commissioner for 12 years and has distinguished himself as a leader in the maritime community as a former Washington State legislator and Senate Majority Leader. He also served on the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation in the 1980s. Previous recipients include U.S. Senators Slade Gorton and Patty Murray, state legislators Helen Sommers, Gary Chandler, Karen Schmidt, Mike Cooper, and Jeanette Wood and Seattle Port Commissioner Pat Davis.


Corps plans closure
of John Day navigation lock

PORTLAND — The navigation lock at the John Day Dam facility will close to river traffic from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 22 for an inspection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced. The closure will allow the Corps to measure the tension on wire ropes that were installed on the downstream lift gate during recent maintenance. These measurements will be used to determine the weight of the gate and counterweights to ensure they are properly balanced.


Transportation Services Index
rolls to positive numbers in March

WASHINGTON, DC — The Transportation Services Index (TSI) rose 1.6 percent in March from its February level, after two months of decline, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reports. The March increase was only the fourth increase in the past 12 months but it was the largest monthly increase since February 2004. The index is 1.0 percent below its peak in May 2006. The index rose 0.8 percent in the first quarter, the fourth consecutive December-to-March increase. The March level of 111.0 for the combined freight and passenger index was 0.1 percent higher than the March 2006 level, following a decline from March 2005 to March 2006. The March 2007 level was 11.6 percent higher than the March level of the base year of 2000. TSI is a single seasonally adjusted index of the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline, and local transit.


NYK takes delivery
of new bulk carrier

TOKYO — On April 27, 2007, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) took delivery of a new 175,000 DWT bulk carrier built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China. The OCEAN CRESCENT is the first vessel to have been ordered by NYK from a shipyard located in China. This ship will be co-owned by NYK and Mitsui & Co. Ltd., and for the time being, will be assigned on a voyage-by-voyage basis for the transport of specific cargo for clients around the world. NYK has ordered three more of the same type of bulk carrier from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, and has also ordered two 300,000 DWT bulk carriers and two VLCCs from Nantong Cosco KHI Engineering Co. Ltd. (one of the VLCCs was delivered on March 12).


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Port of Tacoma to become
radiation detection test center

TACOMA — On Friday, May 11, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will formally announce that it will establish a Rail Test Center (RTC) for intermodal radiation detection at the Port of Tacoma. The RTC will identify and evaluate radiological/nuclear detection solutions for major U.S. port intermodal rail facilities, such as those at the Port of Tacoma. With four on-dock intermodal yards, more than 70 percent of the Port of Tacoma's import containers move from shipping terminals to mainline railways, destined for major markets in the U.S. Midwest and east Coast. The RTC was authorized in the SAFE Port Act of 2006. As a primary co-sponsor, U.S. Senator Patty Murray will join officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the port, Customs, Coast Guard, ILWU and others to make this announcement.


Merchant Mariner credential website
launched by US Coast Guard

WASHINGTON, DC — The Coast Guard has launched a website to provide merchant mariners with real-time information on the status of pending mariner credential applications. Merchant mariners can check the status of application packages throughout the verification and approval process by logging onto http://homeport.uscg.mil/, clicking on the Merchant Mariners tab and then clicking on Merchant Mariner Application Status. When application information is entered, Homeport will display the information submitted with the application package and current application status information. Mariner credentials that have already been issued will be displayed in Homeport as "issued" for a 120 day period. Mariners who need additional information after visiting the website can request additional information by telephone or email.


Crowley adding third ship
to Gulfport/Central America run

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Crowley Maritime Corporation has announced that its liner services unit will add a third, weekly, fixed-day sailing effective May 18 between Gulfport, Miss. and the Central America northern zone countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Crowley had been serving the trade in the Gulf with vessels leaving Gulfport on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but will now sail on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. With this move, the Hansaland will join the Crowley Sun and the Ro/Ro Gothica to provide the third sailing. Ships in the northern zone service call in Santo Tomas, Guatemala and Puerto Cortes, Honduras. Overland service is provided to Nicaragua and El Salvador.


New administration building open
at Manzanillo International Terminal

COLON, PA — Manzanillo International Terminal – Panama, S.A. (MIT) has inaugurated a new administration building, new berths and container yards within the expansion program of the Port of Manzanillo, with the presence of the President of the Republic of Panama, Martin Torrijos, the Secretary of Transport of the United States, Mary E. Peters and government officials. The recently completed expansion phase of MIT, at a cost of $100 million, included building a 400-meter long container berth, a landing ramp and a Roll-On/Roll-Off berth for vessels up to 300-meter long, pavement of 17 acres (7 hectares) for container storage, purchase and delivery of six new gantry cranes (including 3 super post-Panamax), purchase and delivery of container handling equipment (including rubber-tyred gantry cranes, yard hustlers, top-picks and side-picks), as well as the complete refurbishment of its new administration building. This new building includes state-of-the-art information and communication systems for internal and external date exchange. Annual handling capacity of the terminal has thus been expanded from 1.5 million TEUs to 2.2 million TEUs. MIT is the largest container transshipment terminal in Latin America, handling over 1.3 million TEUs in 2006. MIT is a joint-venture between Carrix Inc., and the Motta and Heilbron families of Panama. Carrix Inc.’s principal operating division, SSA Marine, is the largest marine terminal operator, stevedore and rail terminal operator in the United States. Carrix Inc. is a privately-owned company with headquarters in Seattle.


Historic schooner ADVENTURESS
to visit Port of Everett this weekend

EVERETT — The Port of Everett Marina will be hosting the historic schooner ADVENTURESS on Sunday, May 13 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This is one of a series of free Sound Experience Open House events taking place this spring in the Puget Sound. Also on Sunday, May 13 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Sound Experience crew welcomes adults, children and families to test their sea legs and sail back in time on a three-hour Voyage of Discovery aboard ADVENTURESS. Participants can help raise and set the sails, take a turn at the helm and learn more about preserving Puget Sound from Sound Experience volunteers. All ages are welcome – no experience is required. The Voyage of Discovery sail is $50 for adults and $40 for youth under 18 (Sound Experience members can sail for free). Space is limited. Pre-registration for this sail is required. Register online at www.soundexp.org or call (360) 379-0438. ADVENTURESS will set sail from the Port of Everett. The marina is located at 1720 West Marine Drive. For directions to the vessel, contact the port’s marina office at 425-259-6001 or go to www.soundexp.org/ports. Built in 1913 in East Boothbay, Maine, ADVENTURESS sailed to the Arctic on an expedition to bring back a whale specimen for the American Museum of Natural History. After the owner discovered that the yacht was not well suited to the endeavor, he sold it to the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association who operated it until 1951 off the Golden Gate. The ADVENTURESS eventually made its way to Seattle, thanks to Doc Freeman, founder of the marine supply store that carried his name. After several more owners, the vessel was purchased by Ernestine Bennett in 1974. Under Mrs. Bennett’s care, the schooner’s restoration had begun, and the Youth Adventure program flourished. In 1989, the helm was turned over to Sound Experience, which is a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to protect the marine environment of Puget Sound through public stewardship and education.


NEWS BULLETIN
Monday, May 7, 2007

Horizon Lines announces
purchase of Hawaii Stevedores

HONOLULU — Horizon Lines, Inc., has signed a Letter of Intent to purchase Honolulu-based Hawaii Stevedores, Inc. (HSI), pending the completion of a due diligence process. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Both companies cite strategic synergies, employee stability, operational efficiencies and cost savings as the driving factors in advancing Horizon Lines' acquisition of HSI. Hawaii Stevedores will operate as a Horizon Lines subsidiary and it is intended that all HSI stevedoring contracts and any existing HSI labor contracts will be maintained.


US/Mexican truckers
will have equal border access

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters has announced that U.S. trucks will begin operating in Mexico for the first time ever starting at the same time Mexican trucks begin operating north of the commercial border zone in the U.S. as part of improvements being made to the Department’s cross-border trucking demonstration program. The Secretary noted that the change was based on recent conversations with the Mexican government and the U.S. Congress. In February, the Department of Transportation announced a year-long demonstration program to expand cross-border trucking operations with Mexico. The program is designed to eliminate the current system of moving freight across the border. The program’s safety developments have been guided by, but not limited to, requirements established by Congress in 2002. The Department’s independent Inspector General has also certified that the program substantially meets eight criteria addressing inspector training, inspection facilities and the development of safety procedures. The Department has invested $500 million since 1995 to modernize border safety facilities and hire and train the more than 500 federal and state inspectors who inspect trucks crossing the border every day. The elements of the trucking program are discussed in a Federal Register notice. The Department is seeking comment over the next 30 days on the program. The notice is available online at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov.


Trade between NAFTA partners
down during month of February

WASHINGTON, DC — Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico in February 2007 amounted to $59.7 billion, 0.2 percent less than in February 2006, 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 (RITA), reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico fell 1.6 percent in February from January. 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. About 90 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moves on land. The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in February was up 43.0 percent compared to February 2002, and up 75.8 percent compared to February 1997, a period of 10 years. Imports in February were up 86.8 percent compared to February 1997, while exports were up 63.0 percent. U.S.–Canada surface transportation trade totaled $38.1 billion in February, down 3.4 percent compared to February 2006. The value of imports carried by truck was 0.2 percent lower in February 2007 than February 2006, while the value of exports carried by truck was 4.1 percent higher. U.S. – Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $21.5 billion in February, up 5.9 percent compared to February 2006. The value of imports carried by truck was 10.7 percent higher in February 2007 than February 2006 while the value of exports carried by truck was 0.5 percent lower.


US, European Union
ink open skies deal

WASHINGTON, DC — An open-skies air transport agreement has been signed between the United States and the European Union. The agreement will provide greater freedom for American and EU airlines to fly between the two continents by eliminating restrictions on prices and services. The signing of the air transport agreement is the result of several years of meetings and discussions between American and European negotiators. With the approval of the deal, every U.S. and EU airline will now be permitted to fly between every city in the European Union and every city in the United States. It will also allow these airlines to set fares freely in accordance with market demand, and operate without restrictions on the number of flights, the aircraft used, or the routes chosen. In addition, the agreement will increase U.S. and EU cooperation and commitment to the highest standards of aviation safety and security.


PDX noise committee
plans Vancouver meeting

PORTLAND — Vancouver, Washington residents are encouraged to attend the next meeting of the Portland International Airport Citizen Noise Advisory Committee. The 15-member committee meets from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 10 in the Water Resources Education Center, 4600 SE Columbia Way in Vancouver. CNAC usually meets at the airport, but several times a year schedules meetings in other parts of the metropolitan area to reach out to interested neighbors. All CNAC meetings are open to the public; everyone is invited, and comments and questions are welcome. The meeting will include a discussion about the recent Aircraft Noise and Air Quality Symposium in San Francisco. Each year, the Port of Portland sends representatives to the conference to learn new techniques for managing aircraft noise. For the past several years, the port has also sponsored a citizen representative from CNAC to attend. The conference includes sessions on strategies for community involvement and collaboration on aircraft noise issues. The upcoming agenda will also include updates on projects and issues important to Vancouver residents, including upcoming changes in flight procedures for cargo feeder and light general aviation aircraft, and the proposed extension of the north runway at PDX.


NEWS BULLETIN
Friday, May 4, 2007

Greenbrier nets order
for 1,700 new platforms

LAKE OSWEGO, OR — The Greenbrier Companies has announced that is has received an order to build 1,700 new double-stack intermodal platforms. The new double-stack platforms will be built at the company's Gunderson facility in Portland, with deliveries principally occurring in the second half of calendar 2007. The order is for a double-stack car type currently in production for another customer at Gunderson. As a result of this order, the facility will increase its double-stack production rates in calendar 2007 and expects to realize additional production efficiencies. Gunderson currently employs over 1,100 personnel. It is seeking to hire 50 additional factory employees, principally welders, as a result of demand for its intermodal railcar and marine barge products. Gunderson offers competitive family wages and benefits and training programs for factory employees. It has a commitment to diversity, as evidenced by over 10 languages spoken by its employees. The Greenbrier Companies, headquartered in Lake Oswego, OR, is a supplier of transportation equipment and services to the railroad industry. The company builds new railroad freight cars in its manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and marine barges at its U.S. facility. It also repairs and refurbishes freight cars and provides wheels and railcar parts at 33 locations across North America. Greenbrier builds new railroad freight cars and refurbishes freight cars for the European market through both its operations in Poland and various subcontractor facilities throughout Europe.


Yang Ming upgrading
Asia to West Coast services

KEELUNG — Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (Yang Ming) has launced a new PSW5 service and upgraded their PNW service. Yang Ming has deployed five 1800 TEU vessels in PSW5 featuring dedicated service connecting North China and the US West Coast, the line provides a 13-day Xingang to Oakland and 11-day Pusan to Oakland service. In addition, Yang Ming has upgraded its PNW service by deploying five 4000 TEU class ships. The service, from Taiwan/ S.PRC to PNW, offers a Yantian/ Kaohsiung to Portland direct connection, and an 11-day Kaohsiung to Tacoma and eight-day Pusan to Tacoma service.


US rail freight traffic totals
head down during week

WASHINGTON, DC — Both carload freight and intermodal traffic were down from last year on U.S. railroads during the week ended April 21, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports. Intermodal volume totaled 231,419 trailers or containers, down 2.1 percent from last year, with container volume off 0.3 percent and trailer volume down 8.4 percent. Carload freight, which doesn't include the intermodal data, totaled 332,073 cars for the week, down 2.8 percent from last year. Loadings were down 1.2 percent in the West and 4.8 percent in the East. Total volume was estimated at 33.8 billion ton-miles, down 1.5 percent from last year. Eight of 19 carload commodity groups registered gains from last year with coke up 9.7 percent, motor vehicles and equipment up 7.7 percent and petroleum products up 6.1 percent. Loadings of primary forest products were down 23.7 percent while lumber was off 17.3 percent and stone, clay and glass products were down 13.1 percent. Cumulative volume for the first 16 weeks of 2007 totaled 5,115,677 carloads, down 4.4 percent from 2006; 3,612,576 trailers or containers, off 0.6 percent; and total volume of an estimated 520.4 billion ton-miles, down 3.0 percent from last year.


Secure Freight Initiative
working at port in Pakistan

WASHINGTON, DC — The Secure Freight Initiative, a partnership between the United States and Pakistan designed to safeguard global maritime commerce, has begun transmitting data from a new radiation scanning system. The goal is to provide nuclear and radiological detection technologies for shipping containers at Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan. This is a joint effort of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, and the Departments of Energy and State. Its goal is to establish six Secure Freight Initiative prototype ports in key locations around the world. Three additional ports have been added to the Phase I evaluation and will provide radiation scanning on a limited capacity basis: Singapore’s Brani terminal; Busan, Korea’s Gamman terminal; and Salalah, Oman. These ports were chosen to help determine the impact of scanning at large volume ports, as well as at ports where a large number of transshipments are processed.


Foss adds two tugs
to Boston harbor service

BOSTON — Foss Maritime has announced that Boston’s newest and most powerful harbor tug has been christened, crewed up and has started serving customers of Constellation Maritime Co. The tug LEO is a 78-foot, 5,000 horsepower Dolphin-Class vessel built at Foss Rainier Shipyard in Oregon. The new ASD-powered tug arrived in Boston on March 7 along with the ORION, a 3,000 horsepower, 95 foot Voith-powered tractor formerly in service for Foss Maritime on the Columbia River.


NEWS BULLETIN
Thursday, May 3, 2007

WTSA member carriers
plan Panama Canal charge boost

OAKLAND — Member shipping lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) have announced their intention to increase Panama Canal charges for the first time in more than two years, reflecting annual increases in Panama Canal transit fees, as well as various premium charges and other related cost increases incurred over time. Effective June 1, 2007, WTSA lines will individually raise their chargers to a level of US$212 per container, and either $11.50 per metric ton or $4.50 per cubic meter for cargo rated on a weight or measurement basis. In 2005 the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) adopted changes to the way canal transit fees are assessed, shifting to a per container formula from one based on vessel weight, and then announced annual increases to the transit fee under the new formula, for 2005-07. WTSA lines modified the fee to reflect the new formula and initial increase but has not adjusted the charge since then. More recently, the WTSA reports Panama’s Cabinet Council has approved a proposal by the ACP for further transit fee increases of 10 percent annually over 2007-09, including an increase in the fee formula for empty containers effective May 1, WTSA is a voluntary discussion and research forum of 10 major container shipping lines serving the trade from ports and inland points in the U.S. to destinations throughout Asia.


Scientific Advisory Committee
selected for VPA's Deltaport project

VANCOUVER, BC — The Vancouver Port Authority has announced the establishment of the Scientific Advisory Committee that will provide scientific and technical advice and recommendations to the port for the implementation of the Adaptive Management Strategy as part of the Deltaport Third Berth Expansion Project. The Adaptive Management Strategy is one of several significant environmental programs that are being undertaken as part of the Deltaport Third Berth Project. It is a science-based approach to monitoring and managing the Roberts Bank ecosystem that will assess ecosystem trends attributable to the third berth's construction and operation. The committee will provide scientific and technical advice and recommendations to the port for the implementation of the Adaptive Management Strategy. The Scientific Advisory Committee consists of one scientist appointed by the VPA, one scientist appointed by Environment Canada, and one scientist selected jointly by VPA and Environment Canada. The Deltaport Third Berth Expansion Project is an agreement between the VPA and terminal operator TSI Terminal Systems Inc. (TSI), who will share the capital cost of approximately $300 million CAD. The VPA will oversee marine construction, habitat compensation, and long-term environmental monitoring components while TSI will undertake yard construction and equipment acquisition. The expansion will increase capacity at Deltaport by 50 percent by adding a third berth and 20 hectares of container storage facilities to the existing terminal.


Crowley Maritime adding
LTL/LCL service to Haiti

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Crowley Maritime Corporation's logistics segment has announced the addition of a Less-than-Trailer/Container (LTL/LCL) service between the U.S. and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Beginning with the May 30 sailing, shippers may send freight to Haiti by way of Crowley's Miami warehouse where it will be consolidated before making the trip to Port-Au-Prince. This new service will be offered southbound twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays over Port Everglades, Fla., and will offer a five-day transit to Haiti by way of Rio Haina, Dominican Republic. Northbound services are also available with a schedule dependent upon demand. In addition to consolidation and deconsolidation, Crowley also offers transportation management, warehousing, distribution, cross-docking, freight forwarding, cargo insurance and Custom's brokerage services for LTL/LCL loads.


Dockwise, Sealift announce
plans to merge companies

HOUSTON — Maritime companies Dockwise and Sealift, both active in the heavy transportation market, have announced that they are to merge. Following the merger, the Sealift vessels will be integrated into the existing Dockwise fleet and the company will trade under the Dockwise name. 3i, the largest shareholder in Dockwise, and Bermuda based Frontline, the largest shareholder in Sealift, have both approved the merger. Sealift, which is listed on the Oslo OTC market, was founded by Frontline to manage and operate six large Suezmax tankers, which are due to be converted into semi-submersible heavy transportation vessels. The first of these six vessels will be operational in May, following the completion of its conversion in China. Delivery of the bulk of the remaining vessels will follow later in 2007, with the final vessel to be delivered fourth quarter 2008.


Olympia chowder/boating event
set for Saturday, May 12

OLYMPIA — Presented by the Port of Olympia, the 11th Annual Swantown BoatSwap & Chowder Challenge is right around the corner. It will take place Saturday, May 12, at Swantown Marina on Olympia’s East Bay. Sponsors include: Red Wind Casino, Anchor Bank, Heritage Bank, Inlet Marine, Tom’s Outboard, West Marine, Capital City Yacht Sales, KGY and MIXX 96. This year’s event features boats, gear, and accessories for sale, kids’ activities, entertainment for the whole family, and the famous clam chowder cook off. Admission is free, but there is a $5.00 charge to participate in the chowder tasting. A shuttle will provide transportation from the parking area to the event, to the Farmer’s Market, and the Wooden Boat Fair on Percival Landing. The BoatSwap takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you’re in the market to buy or sell new and used boats, gear, and accessories, this is the place to be. It’s not too late to be a vendor. Call 360.528.8000 to register or email boatswap@portolympia.com. The Chowder Challenge starts at 12:30 p.m. sharp and ends at 1:45 p.m. with the awards presentation beginning at 2 p.m. Sponsored by Red Wind Casino, entertainment features the Raucous Band, performing energy packed classic rock music. Kids can scale a rock-climbing wall, bounce in the “bounce house” and catch fish in the “Friends of the Cowlitz” trout pond. Also on the waterfront is the 28th Annual Wooden Boat Fair at Percival Landing, May 12 & 13. For more information visit www.olypiawoodenboat.org The 11th Annual Swantown BoatSwap & Chowder Challenge – for more information call the Port of Olympia at 360.528.8000 or visit our website at www.portolympia.com


NEWS BULLETIN
Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Puyallup Tribe teams with SSA
to build private container terminal

TACOMA — The Puyallup Tribe has announced a long-term agreement with SSA Marine, Inc. to develop and operate a privately funded, $300 million container terminal on the East Blair Waterway. The container terminal will have two berths for ships. It will be located on 180 acres, with both the Puyallup Tribe and SSA Marine contributing property. As part of the agreement, SSA Marine will transfer ownership of its 52-acre parcel on the East Blair Waterway to the Puyallup Tribe. Construction of the facility will be completed in approximately four to five years. No public funding is required.


Boeing marks 40 years
at company's Everett site

EVERETT — Forty years ago May 1, The Boeing Company opened the major assembly buildings of its Everett factory to build the first-ever jumbo jet -- the 747. Four decades later, that factory has grown into the largest building in the world by volume and is home to every Boeing twin-aisle airplane program -- 747, 767, 777 and 787 Programs. To date, Boeing employees at the Everett site have built and delivered more than 2,950 airplanes. To mark the milestone, Boeing hosted a ceremony with employees and local politicians in the Everett factory, located 30 miles north of Seattle. Boeing also launched a new Web site (http://www.boeing.com/everett40) featuring Boeing's presence in Everett. The Everett site was originally built in the late 1960s to produce the 747. It expanded with the addition of the 767 assembly line in 1980 and the 777 line in 1993. The Boeing Everett site also is home to the 787 Dreamliner, scheduled to roll out later this summer. Now, the Everett facility is Boeing's largest site, spanning more than 1,000 acres and employing more than 25,000 people. The Everett factory building was recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest building in the world in 1967.


Bellingham port board Oks
new lease for startup airline

BELLINGHAM — The Port of Bellingham's Board of Commissioners has unanimously voted in support of a lease with Skybus Airlines that will allow the national start-up to begin operations in Bellingham on May 29. Skybus, the next generation of low-fare airlines, provides nonstop service on full-size jets from its base in Columbus, Ohio, to cities throughout the United States. Skybus offers low fares - starting with at least 10 seats at $10 on every flight. Last week Skybus announced a list of its first eight cities it will serve, promoting Bellingham International Airport as the destination serving the area from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. Skybus plans to begin its Bellingham flights on May 29 and will offer once daily non-stop flights from Bellingham to its base in Columbus, Ohio. Tickets can be purchased at www.skybus.com. Skybus will be using full-size Airbus A319 jets. Port of Bellingham Commissioners approved a one-year renewable lease with Skybus that will allow the airline to operate in a portion of the module located just south of the baggage claim area at the airport. The commission also approved a lease with Slattery Ground Services, Inc., for the remainder of the 1700 square foot module. Skybus has contracted with Slattery for its ticketing, ground handling and security coordination. Based upon a full year of once daily flights with about 36,000 Skybus passengers, the Port of Bellingham anticipates its operating revenues will increase by $351,000.


US steel imports jump
12 percent during February

SINGAPORE — Newly released preliminary government figures show that overall steel imports in March 2007 increased 12 percent from February 2007. The change in March’s total amount of steel imports was due primarily to an increase in cut-to-length plate, hot-rolled sheets, and standard pipe. March 2007 imports of finished steel products increased 14 percent compared to February 2007, while imports of semi-finished steel increased four percent. March 2007 imports of steel mill products were down 26 percent compared to March 2006. March 2007 imports of finished steel were down 19 percent compared to March 2006, while semi-finished steel products were down 47 percent from March 2006.


Coast Guardsmen eating well
at Yaquina Bay dining facility

NEWPORT, OR — The Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay was honored as the recipient of the 2007 Coast Guard Medium Ashore Dining Facility of the Year Award, presented by the International Food Service Executive Association March 31. Chief Warrant Officer Mark Allstott and Food Service Petty Officers Jason England, Steven Williams and Joshua Phillips operate the Yaquina Bay dining facility, that was deemed the top dining facility in its class in the Coast Guard. Yaquina Bay serves three meals a day, seven days a week for upwards of 30 people. While breakfast and lunch menus are set, the galley runs like a restaurant by serving deli-style dinners each night. Additionally, Allstott and the chefs host numerous local agencies, providing breakfasts at morning meetings. The International Food Service Executive Association is based in in Kansas City, Mo.