This Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grant is nearly USD 900,000. “We celebrate that the Port of Houston is growing and thriving, while still reducing pollution,” Administrator McCarthy said. “The DERA program is a good investment for both business and the environment.”

This newest grant, which will have a match by Richardson Companies and Gulf Winds of more than USD1.6 million, will have a total commitment of more than USD2.5 million. The Port Authority’s role will be to administer and manage the grant and pass through the funds to the companies.

“As the leading port in the nation for environmental stewardship, we are pleased with the announcement of the award of substantial EPA grants to improve regional air quality,” said Port Commission Chairman Janiece Longoria. “As part of the Port Authority’s strong commitment to environmental stewardship, we have worked to reduce emissions from our own operations and those of our tenants, as well as the broader Port of Houston.”

The Port Authority earlier this year was awarded a DERA grant for almost USD 900,000 in funding to replace 14 older drayage trucks. The funding of this first DERA grant award, supports the expansion of the Houston-Galveston Drayage Truck Program implemented by the Port of Houston Authority and the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC).

Mike Parkin joins the Hyster Big Trucks team from UK Hyster distribution partner, Briggs Equipment UK. He has also previously worked for Barloworld Handling and Kalmar.

“Mike brings over 10 years of big truck industry experience and knowledge to NMHG as well as a deep understanding of customer needs. Providing solutions to suit our customers and their specific application needs is a big focus for Hyster -we feel it differentiates us in the marketplace- and Mike comes equipped with this philosophy,” says Rainer Marian, Head of industrial Big Trucks Sales EMEA.

In this market, the Nordic countries are typically early adopters of the latest technologies, with operator comfort and in cab noise reduction, load stability for challenging shaped or sized loads and ecological benefits being important factors.

“Forestry and timber manufacture are key sectors in Sweden, with many saw mills across the country” explains Mike Parkin. “These applications require robust, reliable and comfortable big trucks from 8-32 tonne capacity to lift heavy loads. The specification requirement is not always an off the shelf product and Hyster is well positioned to provide these solutions. This is what Hyster does best.”

Finland also has high demand for Hyster big trucks, with steel being a large focus industry, as well as wood. Steel handling and metal production often require the use of magnets and coil rams as well as standard forks.

Hyster works with trusted partners to provide specialist attachments, required to suit the specific application requirements. A special magnet system, for example, has been developed for forklift trucks working in steel mills to pick up steel bars.

The trucks sometimes need to withstand the high temperatures in steel mills, as well as operating for 16 hours a day. “Hyster trucks are proven time and again in these demanding applications,” adds Mike Parkin.

Due to these application demands and operator requirements it is imperative to provide the right solution to meet the specific requirements, which means a reliable machine to help ensure operations keep running.

“In addition, Hyster differentiates with its latest Stage IV / Tier 4f Cummins QSB 6.7 engine, offering up to 25 percent fuel savings,” says Rainer Marian. “This is not only environmentally-friendly, but fuel saving is a desirable and vitally important feature in Scandinavia where equipment is often used for extended working hours.”

Mike also cites operator comfort as an important factor in Scandinavian operations. Hyster trucks feature spacious, comfortable driver cabins, with very good front, side and rear visibility, which are available with air conditioning and heating to suit the operator’s needs. Small features such as heated mirrors help to enhance visibility for operators in cold conditions.

The new NEU1 service is part of UASC’s strategic global network to provide customers with worldwide transportation access and reach. The service consists of a weekly sailing making five direct port calls in North Europe to the principle ports of Le Havre, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Southampton and Bremerhaven and four direct port calls on the US East Coast to the largest ports of New York, Norfolk, Charleston and Savannah.

Following the recent delivery of 2,000 new reefer units, UASC announced an additional order of 3,500 reefer containers with reefer technology provided by Daikin. The order marks the second milestone in the expansion of UASC’s reefer services and reiterates the company’s ongoing investment in the most cutting-edge, energy-efficient solutions for the carriage of frozen and chilled cargoes.

Jørn Hinge, President and CEO at UASC commented, “As an emerging global carrier that places customer service at the very heart of our operations, we are continuously exploring enhanced geographical reach and improved products, whilst always safeguarding reliability and service excellence. The US East Coast markets provide a significant opportunity for UASC and its customers and these new service offerings mark an important step in UASC’s evolution as well as giving a sense of our longer term aspirations.”

Speaking on the reefer order, Gareth Madsen, Head of Reefer Management at UASC said, “In terms of quality, performance and reliability, our latest reefer order comprises one of the industry’s most eco-efficient and reliable units. The second phase of new reefer units will support the growth of existing services and enhanced geographic access following new partnership with CMA CGM and Hamburg Süd to enter the North Atlantic trade, linking Northern Europe with the United States East Coast”.