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Biodiesel Production Facility at
Port of San Francisco

Mayor Newsom announced a proposed agreement, between the Port of San Francisco and Darling International, to build a 7.5 to 10 million annual gallon capacity biodiesel production facility near Pier 92 in the Port’s Southern Waterfront.

This would be the nation’s first local processing of recycled fats, greases, and tallow to biodiesel in an urban setting.

Darling International, the Port’s largest maritime exporter, has operated a rendering facility on Port property since 1966. Subject to Port Commission approval, Darling plans to upgrade its Port facilities to convert fats already produced at the facility into high quality biodiesel for use in vehicles.

Solar Propulsion

NYK and Nippon Oil Corporation plan to jointly develop a system that will utilize solar power to propel ships.

This full-scale installation of a solar power generator is a world-first and will produce as much as 40 kilowatts of power (gross), which is expected to supplement existing power production on large vessels.

NYK and Nippon Oil will begin testing the 40-kilowatt solar generation system by installing it on the car-carrier and connecting it to the onboard 440V electrical network. The completion date is set for December 19.

Georgia’s Ports Prepare for the Future

The Board of the Georgia Ports Authority approved $21.9 million to purchase 11 new rubber-tired gantry container cranes and $2.5 million for new refrigerated container storage in Savannah.

For Brunswick, the Authority approved $2.2 million to build 6,000 linear feet of additional storage track to support the increased volumes of both automobiles and grain arriving in unit train shipments. 

“These new commitments are critical for the future of Georgia’s economic vitality and will help Georgians take advantage of new opportunities when the economy improves,” said Steve Green, Chairman of the GPA Board.  

People on the Move

• Don Anderson joined Tompkins Associates as Vice President of Transportation Services. 

• The North Carolina State Ports Authority promoted William C. Bennett, PE, MPA, to fill the new position of Director of Emergency Preparedness and Environmental Affairs.

• CMA CGM (America) LLC promoted Bill Cunningham to Regional Vice President of the Northeast Sales Region.

• Attorneys Richard L. Furman and John A. Orzel have joined Carroll McNulty & Kull LLC (CMK) in its New York office. The Senior Attorneys represent both domestic and global clients in admiralty and maritime law, surface and air transportation, environmental matters, and international trade.

• Transite Technology, a transportation logistics technology company, hired Les Hamashima as its Chief Marketing Officer.

• Neptune Orient Lines Limited named Eng Aik Meng President of its APL container shipping unit.

• Michael Moore, senior vice president, commercial for Dubai Ports World, was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Container Terminals.

• Tommy West was elected Chairman of North Carolina Trucking Association (NCTA).

• YRC Worldwide Inc. announced Timothy A. Wicks as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Goodbye to Dirty Trucks

On Wednesday, October 1, the Port of Long Beach phased out the older, dirtier big rigs.

More than 95 percent of the thousands of vehicles arriving at the shipping terminals Wednesday displayed the orange stickers on their windshields, signifying their participation and compliance with the Port’s new Clean Trucks Program. Trucks without the compliance stickers were turned away.

Truck traffic volumes, a little lighter than usual in the morning, were at, or near, normal levels by mid-day.

Beginning Wednesday, trucks built in 1988, or earlier, were banned from Port terminals. The Clean Trucks Program will progressively phase out older trucks until 2012, when only the cleanest, 2007 EPA-certified trucks can serve the Port. And it’s estimated that by January 1, 2012, the Clean Trucks Program will have slashed Port truck-related emissions by 80 percent from current levels.

For more information, visit the port’s website here.

FERC Approves Bradwood Landing

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a certificate order for the Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas receiving terminal, which will be built at the former Bradwood mill site, 20 miles east of Astoria, Ore.

Developed by NorthernStar Natural Gas, Bradwood Landing is the first U.S. West Coast LNG terminal to receive approval from FERC. The certificate order, which authorizes construction and operations, is conditioned on Bradwood completing the permit process with State Agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the Army Corps of Engineers.
NorthernStar’s goal is to satisfy all conditions and begin construction in the second half of 2009.

Green Packing

Indianapolis-based Perkins Logistics LLC said that during a two-month test period, it was able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions approximately 20 percent by shipping products protected by reusable wrappings and equipment instead of cardboard boxes.
An independent study conducted by Indianapolis research company Allegiant Global Services examined Perkins Logistics’ use of specialized wrapping methods to ship some orders of products from the Bruce, Miss., plant of Haworth Inc., one of the world’s largest office furniture manufacturers, to customers in 16 states.

Card said that Perkins’ method of using blankets, straps, bars, and plywood tiers allowed the company to fit an average of about 65 percent more products into its trailers, reducing the number of loads needed and eliminating cardboard waste.