Port Of Guam News

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Thursday announced the designation of six new Marine Highway Projects and a new Marine Highway Route as part of the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). The AMHP encourages the use of America’s navigable waterways for the movement of freight and people as an alternative to land-based transportation. Since its inception, the AMHP has designated 46 Marine Highway Projects. A designation makes projects on Marine Highway Routes eligible for grants when AMHP funding is available.

Singapore-based shipping company Pacific International Lines (PIL) will pay $3 million in fines after pleading guilty to felony dumping violations in Hagatna, Guam.The vessel operating company and two engineers were sentenced for illegally discharging oil and for maintaining false and incomplete records relating to the discharges of oily bilge water from the containership Kota Harum in 2019. PIL, chief engineer Maung Maung Soe, and second engineer Peng Luo Hai admitted that oily bilge water was illegally dumped from the Kota Harum directly into the ocean and into Apra Harbor, Guam without being properly processed through required pollution prevention equipment.

The captain of the U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, in a blunt letter, has called on Navy leadership for stronger measures to save the lives of his sailors and stop the spread of the coronavirus aboard the huge ship.The four-page letter, the contents of which were confirmed by U.S. officials to Reuters on Tuesday, described a bleak situation on board the nuclear-powered carrier as more and more sailors test positive for the virus.The Navy puts the ship’s complement at 5…

On 2 January, APL and Guam celebrated the New Year with APL Saipan’s maiden call at the Port of Guam, officially commencing the weekly service for the Guam Saipan Express (GSX) service. The US flagged APL Saipan joins its sister ship, the US flagged APL Guam which first arrived in Guam a year ago. The GSX service now has its frequency doubled, capacity increased by over two folds and transit time from the US Mainland to Guam and Saipan improved by three days. “APL’s enhanced GSX service is designed with the inputs of customers for customers. In particular, retailers in Guam and Saipan can now benefit from GSX’s improved frequency and transit time with a weekly arrival that is just ahead of every weekend, facilitating in-store inventory for weekend shoppers.

The $50 million Guam Commercial Port Improvement Project, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on behalf of the Department of Defense (DOD), has been completed, transforming Guam’s strategic commercial sea port into a world-class facility ready to meet the demands of the future, MARAD announced today. “As Guam’s only commercial port, these facilities are key to unlocking a more prosperous future for the people of the territory – and the whole of the Western Pacific Region,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. U.S.

In preparation for the arrival of Tropical Depression 16W the Coast Guard captain of the port for Guam has established port heavy weather condition x-ray for the ports of Saipan and Tinian effective at 9 p.m. Chamorro Standard Time Saturday. In accordance with Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 160.111(c), the COTP orders all commercial vessels to prepare to complete cargo operations and be ready to depart the ports of Saipan and Tinian when PHWC Yankee is established. Dead ships, a vessel without power or propulsion, or vessels, barges and dry docks unable to put to sea must make a prompt written application to the COTP. Upon the setting of PHWC Yankee, which is estimated to be set at 9 p.m.

The Port Authority of Guam has been awarded $461,712.00 in federal funding to further enhance the security posture at the island’s only commercial sea port. In June of this year, the Port submitted an application to the USDHS/FEMA’s 2013 Port Security Grant Program in the amount of $615,615.00. Although federal funding has been greatly reduced for this fiscal year, the Agency was still able to receive 75% of its original request. The $461K will be used to repair the existing CMU wall, expand it by another 2,000 LF along Route 11, and install 4,500 LF of concrete-columned heavy duty chain link fence around its perimeter. This project…

Construction begins on a $50-million project to improve the Port of Guam. The port improvement project will add ten acres to the container and break bulk yards, and reconfigure the port and the entrance gate for more rapid, efficient and secure freight movements. The construction work is scheduled to last two years. Along with other ongoing investments, the port modernization will meet the needs of an expanding military presence on Guam, as well as the island’s commercial growth for decades to come.The project is administered by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) of the Department of Transportation on behalf of the Department of Defense (DOD).

The designation of 'Strategic Port brings with it many challenges not only for the US Coast Guard, but also for all those with a stake in port operations. For this reason each strategic port is mandated to form a Port Readiness Committee (PRC) which brings together representatives of the 10 federal agencies and local port stakeholders. The PRC was established formally this past January when stakeholders met for the first time to begin dialogue on strategic concerns associated with facilitate both defense and commercial supplies through the same port. The committee is chaired by the captain of the port and includes more than 40 local, federal, and Department of Defense agencies.

U.S. Maritime Administrator David T. Matsuda and Navy Rear Admiral Paul J. Bushong presented a $50m Defense Department check to Guam Acting Governor Michael W. Cruz, MD as federal and U.S. Territory officials joined at the Jose D. Leon Guerrero Commercial Port to officially break ground on the new Port of Guam Modernization Project. “The rebirth of this vital shipping port is long overdue,” said Administrator Matsuda. The seaport is a vital asset to the economy of Guam and to the national security of the United States. The port’s facilities have remained largely unchanged since its creation in the late 1960s. Old facilities and outdated equipment hinder the port’s overall capability and pose serious obstacles to efficient cargo operations.