The grant will assist short-haul and drayage truck owners servicing Port cargo terminals and warehouses within the Port’s three-parish jurisdiction, enabling them to replace older truck models between 1993 and 2006 with model year 2011 or newer through a cost share program.

“This program will enable truck owners to voluntarily invest in cleaner air by replacing older trucks,” said Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange. “It will also enable us to initiate a community dialogue around air quality and opportunities for improvement.”

The Port’s Environmental Department, led by Amelia Pellegrin, will develop, lead, implement and manage the program, including developing a fair and transparent application process. The total project cost is $1.537 million, with $700,000 coming from mandatory cost share with eligible truck owners and $110,636 coming from the Port for administrative costs. Key local partners in the two-year program include the Regional Planning Commission, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, University of New Orleans and the Environmental Defense Fund.

“We received strong support from our Congressional delegation, as well as our local and State partners,” LaGrange said. “We hope the success of this program will lead to future grant awards to expand the initiative.”

Port officials and partners will now work to develop and implement the program and will initiate community outreach efforts with the trucking industry in the spring.

This took place during an event in the European Parliament organized by Gesine Meissner, MEP and President of the Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas (SEARICA) Intergroup of the European Parliament. Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, also joined the conference as a way to support the initiative.

The guidelines are the result of the joined effort of Member States authorities, the Commission, EMSA and the maritime industry who have been working together for more than three years within the framework of the Co-operation group on places of refuge. They aim to enhance the communication and cooperation between the relevant authorities in the Member States in situations where a ship in distress requests a place of refuge, and also to streamline the decision-making process. The guidelines have and will be further tested during dedicated exercises. As such, they are seen as a living document that can be further improved to incorporate lessons learned.

“We fully support these guidelines. Time is the most important factor when dealing with a ship in distress. These guidelines will certainly help shortening the decision making process and avoid loss of time. The guidelines are a living document. We are looking forward to continuing the work on them, together with all stakeholders involved. We are happy that the cooperation group will also work on issues related to insurance, liability and compensation for ports accommodating a ship in distress. Bringing more clarity in these issues could certainly further facilitate the decision-making process”, says Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO Secretary General.

The manufacturer revealed that their consolidated turnover reached a disappointing EUR 6.66 million. The turnover included sales from different subsidaries including Gaussin, Event , Leaderlease, Port Equipment Dock It and 5 SCI.

According to the company the drop of sales is is strongly impacted by the delay in their Full Power Pack Elec programme. The company has, however, been able to deliver 2015 vehicles with a Hybrid Power Pack to Mayotte and Sines in Portugal. The Full Power Pack Elec programme will see its completion in 2016 following the renewal of the partnership with the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) in early November 2015.

The Make-To-Order (MTO) activities – dedicated to the design of industrial trailers, special machines and the integration of the sale of new ATM vehicle contributed a disapppointing EUR 998K to the total turnover.

The consolidated order backlog at 31 December 2015 was EUR 122 million, an increase of 153% compared to 31 December 2014 – with an export share of 98%.

The backlog includes 40 ATT and 40 Elec Full Power Pack machines for Akansel, a Turkish logistics and port operator. The contract was signed on 24 June 2013 and was worth over EUR 15 million. In addition, an ATT-75 and 150 Docking Station for a German container handling distributor will be delivered over the next 5 years. Consorzio Asterix is also waiting for delivery as it signed a rental contract for 5 years on 5 June 2014 for 30 ATT and 30 Hybrid Power Packs. Pelindo in Indonesia ordered 9 Docking Stations back in 2014, which will be delivered and installed this year. Under terms of the contract the docking stations were invoiced back in 2014 and will be paid in 2016 once delivered.

The outlook is not that bleak according to Gaussin. The company has indicated it has several projects in the pipeline although under fierce competition…
Singapore
· Following the submission of their offer 9 November 2015 , the GAUSSIN Group and its partner, the Chinese industrial society CIMC have been short-listed for a tender for 20 AGVs (Automated guided vehicles ) and 25 Lift Power Pack Ful  Elec for the automation of the port of Singapore. Port Singapore Authority (PSA) , the port operator , invited the general direction GAUSSIN and representatives of CIMC in a trade negotiation January 20, 2016 .

Indonesia
· A meeting between the directions TTL companies , a subsidiary of Pelindo and GAUSSIN will be held January 22, 2016 as part of negotiations on the license contracted in 2015 and structuring the partnership between the two companies. This could take the form of a joint venture and / or a capital participation.

Shanghai
· Gaussin was short-listed in early September 2015 as part of the tender launched by Yangshan Container Terminal, the operator of the deep-water container terminal in the port of Shanghai. The transaction concerns 50 automated vehicles as part of the port automation strategy. The call is still not officially awarded and Gaussin is awaiting the results of this consultation.