World Trade - March 2009 - (Page 23) Port of Tacoma “We are certainly not immune to the effects of current economic conditions, but at the same time a number of factors, such as our high degree of diversification and focus on the Canadian market, have allowed port volumes to remain relatively stable compared to many of the port’s competitors,” noted Captain Gordon Houston, president and CEO of Port Metro Vancouver, in an interview. This year will mark a milestone for the port with the implementation of shore power—providing electrical power for ships at berth so they don’t have to run their diesel engines. The step represents the first shore power installation for cruise ships in Canada, and only the third such installation in the world. “Our government is working with our provincial, territorial and industry partners to invest in infrastructure projects that can improve our quality of life, encourage job creation and ultimately strengthen our economy,” explained one official. “The launch of the port electrification project is a clear example of what can be done to stimulate our economy when we all work together,” he added. In the Pacific Northwest, green business is also at the forefront for major ports. In January, the ports of Seattle and Tacoma along with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency announced the approval of $318,000 in additional funding for a program to reduce diesel emissions from cargo handling equipment at the ports. The additional funding tops the $850,000 already approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency towards the effort. Funding will go towards the retrofit or replacement of 38 trucks, cranes, and forklifts at the Port of Seattle, and 50-60 similar pieces of equipment at the Port of Tacoma. All of the new equipment will run on ultra-low sulfur diesel. Meanwhile, the Port of Seattle is looking forward to the re-opening of Terminal 30 later this year, which is being reconfigured as a container terminal for tenant China Shipping Lines. The container terminal will be able to handle vessels with an 8,000-TEU capacity. Although container volumes are down at the Port of Tacoma, there’s been an uptick in CFS activity along with car exports from Mitsubishi Motors. WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM 23 http://WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM
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