Throughout the world it is most common for vessels to use their auxiliary engines when at berth to generate electricity on board. Allowing the diesel engines on one single vessel to remain running during a ten-hour stopover can generate up to 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Turning off the engines and using onshore power supply instead would result in significant environmental gains. Carbon dioxide emissions would fall significantly and sulphur dioxide and nitric oxide emissions would disappear completely. Furthermore, onshore power supply would result in a quieter port environment and a better working environment. “Gothenburg is a living port city and shipping is part of the city’s soul. It is a matter of ensuring that the highly important ferry traffic is as optimal as possible in environmental terms, especially close to the city centre. Connecting the vessels to onshore power supply is a forceful measure to reduce emissions and noise,” states Magnus Kårestedt, chief executive of the Port of Gothenburg. The new onshore power supply facility, which has been developed by ABB, is the result of a joint investment initiative by Stena Line and the Port of Gothenburg. With the commissioning of the new facility all Stena Line’s five passenger and freight ferries will be connected to onshore power supply when at berth. In total, one in three vessels that put into Gothenburg can use this technology – a unique figure in international terms. What is unique about the new facility is that it transforms 50 hertz, the standard frequency for alternating current in Europe, to 60 hertz, which is the system frequency used on the majority of vessels. In many parts of the world preparations are under way to make the ports more eco-friendly through the use of onshore power supply. A key part of this process is producing a joint international standard for connections and in this respect the new facility at the Port of Gothenburg could act as a role model. The Port of Gothenburg was one of the first ports in the world to offer onshore power supply and as a result it has attracted a great deal of attention internationally. Today the Port is involved in several global collaborative networks aimed at spreading this technology to other ports around the world. At present it is passenger and freight carriers operating scheduled traffic within Europe that use this technology. A preliminary study is now being conducted to examine the possibility of offering the same eco-smart opportunity to the container vessels and cruise ships that put into Gothenburg.

“On behalf of Port Metro Vancouver’s Board of Directors, I want to thank Ms. Morgan-Silvester for her leadership in overseeing the integration of the three Lower Mainland port authorities, and her wise counsel throughout her time as a board member and Chair of one of Port Metro Vancouver’s predecessor organisations and as Port Metro Vancouver’s first Chair,” said Neeser. Craig  Neeser is past president of Weyerhaeuser and senior vice-president, International Group. He began his career with MacMillan Bloedel as a management trainee in 1977. Over the years he advanced to more senior positions in sales and marketing, building materials and solid wood. Following the company’s merger with Weyerhaeuser Company, Neeser served as vice-president, British Columbia, and later as president, Canada. He has also  served on the board of directors of the Council of Forest Industries of British Columbia, University of Alberta, Global Forest Partners, Maynards Advisory Board, and the Vancouver Aquarium, and is past chair of the Coast Forest Lumber Association. Port Metro Vancouver’s Board of Directors is composed of 11 members: one federal appointee; one BC provincial appointee; one appointee for the Prairie Provinces Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba; one municipal appointee; and, seven port user appointees.

“The newly delivered cranes are termed “Super Post-Panamax” in recognition of their ability to handle the very largest vessels currently afloat,” noted Michael Them Rasmussen, General Director of CMIT. With an outreach of 22 container bays, the new cranes can handle vessels up to a size of 15,000 TEU when CMIT opens for business on March 15th 2011. “CMIT will be the first container terminal in Vietnam to cater to this size of container vessel and will be complemented by direct access to the newly dredged Cai Mep Terminal Channel offering a minimum water depth of -14m,” added Rasmussen. Shipping lines have shown tremendous interest in southern Vietnam over recent months with twelve vessel strings already offering direct liner services between Cai Mep and North America, Europe and the Mediterranean, and with a further three new services recently announced. “With the new deep water access, and the continuing flow of new buildings exceeding 10,000 TEU into the Asia-Europe trades, interest in bringing larger and larger container vessels to Vietnam has continued,” said Rasmussen. “Vessels exceeding 11,000 TEU in size have recently been announced for direct European services calling at Cai Mep, and CMIT will be ideally placed to handle such services,” he added. Container volume at the Ho Chi Minh City and Cai Mep ports surged by 21% in the first eleven months of 2010 leading to a full year 2010 estimated throughput of over 4.3 million TEU.

“The proposed deepening of the Savannah River is clearly important to the economic vitality for Georgia and South Carolina,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis J. Foltz. “Each of our organizations recognizes the importance of bringing to fruition the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, the deepening of the Charleston Harbor and the development of the Jasper Ocean Terminal infrastructure. We firmly believe this region’s future demographic growth requires all three ports to be successful.”

According to the joint resolution: “In order for the Port of Savannah to remain competitive in the near term, and to allow post-Panamax ships to have full access to the Savannah River and its ports, the river must be dredged to 48 feet as envisioned by the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project.”

Deepwater ports in Savannah and Charleston are key U.S. gateways to international trade and must both be deepened in order to accommodate the new generation of containerships, which will begin to dominate ocean commerce when the expansion of the Panama Canal is completed in 2014.

“The Savannah Economic Development Authority Board of Directors unanimously approved this resolution to express our strong support for the deepening of the Savannah harbor, the Charleston harbor and the development of the Jasper Ocean Terminal,” said SEDA President and CEO Steven Weathers. “The Ports of Savannah and Charleston have been two of the greatest economic assets of this nation since their founding and, in order to continue to compete globally, they must be deepened. We are proud to be part of a region that is cooperating to achieve the highest and best results for the country, our states, and our citizens.”

Deepwater terminals along the Savannah River support hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout Georgia and South Carolina. It is estimated that as much as 60 percent of the employees at deepwater terminals along the Savannah River are Georgia residents and as many as 40 percent are South Carolina residents. GPA, SEDA and LEA have vested interests in assuring that all of the Savannah River port terminals, present and future, are strengthened to provide vital stimulation to the Savannah River basin.

“Lengthy conversations with our counterparts in Georgia have shown that we have the same goal, and that is economic prosperity for the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire,” said Kim Statler, a member of the Lowcountry Economic Alliance’s board of directors. “Our competitors are oversees, not across the river, and this resolution outlines a common understanding that the Savannah River is a critical component of that regional success.”

Through this resolution, the organizations individually and jointly support the creation of a bi-state compact by the Legislatures of Georgia and South Carolina, go on public record to encourage the creation of such a compact at the earliest possible time and will each take appropriate action to encourage entry into a bi-state compact. Upon approval of this compact by the Georgia and South Carolina Legislatures, the organizations will support the filing for permits for the Jasper Ocean Terminal by the Jasper Ocean Terminal Joint Project Office and will each take action to support the commencement of the permitting process.

“This partnership with Savannah has been a long time coming,” said Jasper County Administrator Andrew Fulghum, “And it is based on an understanding that we must succeed as a region. The Savannah River is a vital asset as we work to create prosperity in Jasper County, and we must work together to ensure that asset remains an economic anchor not only in the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire but all of the Southeast.”

Completion of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) is critically important to continued economic growth in the Southeastern United States. The SHEP will deepen the Savannah River from its current 42 foot depth to as much as 48 feet to allow these post-Panamax ships to call on the Port of Savannah. A deepened harbor will enable the Port of Savannah to more efficiently serve larger ships.

The Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) is the economic development arm of Chatham County, Ga., formed to stimulate the economy through the attraction of investment, the creation of jobs and the support of established businesses already in the area

The Lowcountry Economic Alliance (LEA) is the regional economic development arm of Jasper and Beaufort Counties, S.C., formed by the respective County Councils to create an economic vision for the region, attract new business and diversify the tax base.