Winter Weather Delays Grain Movement to US Ports
Severe winter weather has slowed rail deliveries of crops to shippers in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, sending freight rates soaring and prompting Asian buyers to seek fill-in loads as they wait for the backlog at ports to clear. Blizzards, avalanches and heavy rain in recent weeks have hit transport of corn, soy and wheat to ports where they head for the lucrative Asian market, adding to the struggles that have plagued U.S. exporters since harvest. The setbacks come at a critical time for U.S. exporters, who are trying to move as much grain as possible before buyers turn their attention to South America when corn and soybean harvests in Argentina and Brazil accelerate in the coming weeks.
USCG Assists Fish and Wildlife Departments Patrol Crab Opening
The Coast Guard assisted representatives of the Washington and Oregon Departments of Fish and Wildlife patrol the waters of the Pacific Northwest during the pre-soak period of the commercial Dungeness Crab season, which opens Jan. 4, 2015. The Dungeness Crab Season begins Monday from the California/Oregon border north to Destruction Island, Washington including Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor. The Northern Washington to U.S./Canada border Dungeness Crab season will begin at a date to be announced later, but no sooner than January 15. There are an estimated 225 Washington permitted vessels expected to participate in crabbing and an estimated 425 Oregon permitted vessels and there are 75 vessels that are permitted in both Oregon and Washington.
PNW Coast Guard Foundation Awards Dinner
Stonington, Conn. – The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that its Annual Pacific Northwest Awards Dinner in tribute to the United States Coast Guard will take place on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 in Seattle, Washington. Honoring the heroic efforts performed in the Pacific Northwest over the past year and recognizing the service of those who enforce maritime law…
New And Notable Deliveries
The 600-passenger dinner cruise vessel; M/V Horizon was delivered to Pegasus Yacht Cruises of New York by Blount Industries on March 5. Measuring 161 ft. (49 m), Horizon boasts a welded steel, single chine hull with three enclosed dining decks, with all superstructure above the second deck is 100 percent aluminum construction. New Jersey-based Robinson Interiors designed Horizon with old world ambience in mind — its dining room features varnished cherry wood paneling and trim. The vessel is powered by two owner-supplied Detroit Diesel 16V-92 engines, soft mounted for silent operation with Lo-Rez vibration mounts and couplings. Electric engine controls by Mathers provide throttle and gear control, while a Murphy alarm panel monitors the propulsion engines.
Pacific Northwest Coast Guard Units Contribute Nearly $4B in Narcotic Seizures
The U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 93,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in the fiscal year that ended September 30; an amount equal to 80 percent of the 117,280 pounds of cocaine seized. Combine that with the nearly 40,000 pounds of marijuana seized, equals $3.9 billion in illegal drugs the Coast Guard kept off America’s streets. Pacific Northwest units have played a major role in these seizures, which includes the third largest recorded amount of cocaine seized, while maintaining a demanding homeland defense mission. "The Coast Guard is committed to securing America from all maritime threats, whether they be terrorist or smugglers, and we will continue to deny the seas to those who would harm our citizens," said Vice Adm.
