Receives Environmental News

American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL), a U.S. marine transportation service company, was presented with Environmental Achievement Awards by the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) at a reception held Wednesday, November 13 in Washington, D.C. A total of 74 of ACL’s fleet of 100 towboats were recognized by CSA for their environmental records. CSA represents U.S.-based companies that own, operate or charter ocean-going tankers, containers ships, or dry bulk vessels in domestic or international trades. The organization has been presenting Environmental Achievement Awards since 2004 to recognize vessel and shore-side personnel for good stewardship of the marine environment and to increase public awareness of the marine transportation industry’s excellent record of environmental accomplishment.

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division receives HRSD gold awards. NNS received gold awards for meeting industrial waste water discharge limits mandated by Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) and for meeting HRSD's technical and administrative requirements. Gold awards were presented to local companies for perfect permit compliance in 2012 and NNS has earned recognition from the HRSD every year since the awards were first presented in 1994. "Newport News Shipbuilding works hard to be good a steward of the environment," said Dru Branche, NNS' director of environmental, health and safety. For more than a century, HII has built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S.

American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL) announced that Jeffboat received a Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) on September 17 at the 11th annual Pollution Prevention Conference and Trade Show in Plainfield, IN. Jeffboat, the nation's largest inland shipbuilder, received the award for pollution prevention as a result of its implementation of a new system to blend epoxy coating with paint. This new process enabled Jeffboat to reduce hazardous waste generation by more than 25,000 pounds annually. It also resulted in the reduction of solvent usage by about 4,000 gallons annually while increasing production by 33 percent. Finally, the new process eliminated about 28,000 pounds of volatile organic compounds.

Nichols Brothers Boatbuilders are building a highspeed catamaran ferry for San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation district. Designed by International Catamaran Designs (INCAT) of Sydney Australia, this will be Nichols Brothers 27th U.S. built highspeed catamaran. The vessel will be 139 ft. overall with a 34-ft. beam and draft of 9 ft. The individual hulls will have a beam of 9 ft.. A 37-knot speed is predicted with four 16-cylinder Cummins KTA50-M2 main engines delivering 1,600 hp each at 1800 rpm. Each IMO emission certified engine will drive a Hamilton model 571 water jet through a ZF Marine BU 460D marine gear. Electrical service will be provided by a 125 kW generator set powered by a Cummins Marine 6CT8.3DM engine.

The U. S. Coast Guard presented Crowley Marine Services with the William M. Benkert Award, which is the premier national award recognizing excellence in marine environmental protection. The award was presented by Rear Admiral R.C. North, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, U.S. Conference in La Jolla, Calif. Charlie Nalen, vice president, Environmental Affairs, Safety & Quality for Crowley Maritime Corporation, was also in attendance to accept the award on behalf of the company.

Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) was honored with the States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force Legacy Award 2000 this past July in recognition for its commitment to the environment and vessel safety by designing and building new cargo vessels with technologically driven oil spill prevention and marine safety features. More significantly, the two vessels are designed with double hulls, twin-engine rooms, twin propellers, twin rudders and an environmentally sophisticated sewage and ballast water system.

Suez Energy North America announced MarAd has agreed to issue a deep water port license for its Neptune offshore liquefied natural gas terminal planned for Massachusetts Bay. The license will be issued after the Neptune project, planned in federal waters about 7 miles south-southeast of Gloucester, receives environmental permits from the Army Corps of Engineers as well as water and air discharge permits from the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed project must also get two key state environmental permits. That could be done by the middle of this year, a spokeswoman for Suez Energy, which also is the parent company of an onshore LNG terminal in Everett. The federal approval comes a month after former Gov.

The Canaveral Port Authority’s environmental education program received top honors from the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) in the 2002 awards competition. The Port also received several communications awards for its community outreach efforts. The AAPA Environmental Excellence Award was given for the Port’s community program, which includes educational videos, classroom education; coloring and activity books for children; and Port tours on the endangered manatee and beach protection. In addition, the environmental brochure received an AAPA Communications Award of Excellence. “We consider it a high priority to educate the community on the importance of protecting our natural resources,” says Malcolm “Mac” McLouth, Executive Director of the Canaveral Port Authority.

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has received an award from the California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in recognition of pollution prevention programs initiated by the shipyard during National Pollution Prevention Week in 2002. Edwin Lowry, Director of the California EPA's Department of Toxic Substances Control, presented the award to NASSCO for implementing a wide- ranging program of activities targeted at improving air and water quality and managing solid waste. "We have followed a three-part environmental improvement effort at NASSCO that includes pollution prevention in the shipyard, training for employees, subcontractors and suppliers, and community outreach," said Richard Vortmann, president of NASSCO.