Suisun Bay Vessel Removal Project Completed
Maritime Administration Executive Director Joel Szabat joined federal, state and local officials and environmental groups to mark the completion of an agreement to remove 57 non-retention vessels from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet (SBRF) by September 30, 2017. The departure of the Cape Borda for recycling reaches the milestone two months ahead of schedule. “Our progress in Suisun Bay is the result of hard work and smart collaboration,” said the Maritime Administration’s Executive Director Joel Szabat. “There is perhaps no greater symbol of the maritime industry’s environmental progress than what has been accomplished here. In 2009, MARAD entered an agreement with local officials and environmental groups to expedite disposal of 57 non-retention SBRF vessels…
Obsolete US Ship Recycling Target Surpassed
U.S. Transportation Secretary visits Suisun Bay in Northern California to celebrate surpassing administration's goal for recycling. Ray LaHood, US Transportation Secretary visited Shuisun Bay for the occasion. In 2010, the Department’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) committed to removing 28 ships from the fleet by September 30, 2012. To date, MARAD has removed 36 ships, with three more vessels scheduled for removal by the end of the year. “Three years ago, the Department of Transportation promised to get rid of the ships that posed a threat to the environment, and I am proud to announce today that we are delivering on that promise,” said Secretary LaHood.
More Ships to Leave Ghost Fleet
Two more ships are leaving the James River, headed for disposal facilities in Virginia and Maryland, in what has become a regular occurrence since the Bush Administration took over management of the nation’s ship disposal program five years ago, the U.S. Maritime Administration announced. The Howard W. Gilmore is scheduled to leave the James River Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis on Thursday, making it the 50th ship to leave the river since January 1, 2001. It is one of the last World War II-vintage ships still at the fleet, which is good news for the ship disposal program, according to John Jamian, MARAD’s Acting Administrator. In a news conference at the fleet site today, Jamian said, “Our disposal efforts can keep moving to newer ships, which bring better prices in the scrap steel market.
