Oakland Port Closed Following Death
The entire Port of Oakland shipping operation remains shut down, idling hundreds of port workers and truck drivers, while an investigation continues of the accidental death of an ILWU Longshoreman aboard a ship at the Port Monday afternoon. The Alameda County Coroner's office said the worker was apparently struck by a shipping container as he worked aboard the Stutgard, a Hapag-Lloyd container ship. No one apparently witnessed the accident. Many customs and security offices were also closed. The backup will not only mean congested terminals when the port operations resume, but the shutdown will be felt in distribution centers in the San Joaquin Valley and elsewhere, where warehousing facilities continue to operate, Taylor said.
Divers Inspect Cruise Ship after Suspicious Activity
According to reports, Coast Guard divers inspected the hull of a cruise ship docked in Long Beach Harbor after several people reported having seen a small, suspicious boat floating nearby, authorities said. Cruise ship officials called the Coast Guard, after one of four people in the 18-ft. skiff went into the water and pulled himself back out, Coast Guard spokesman said. It is illegal for unauthorized people and boats to come within 100 yards of a docked cruise ship. The regulation was implemented to avoid possible terrorist attacks on cruise ships. The small boat and its occupants were no longer at the scene by the time police, firefighters, lifeguards and Coast Guard officers arrived.
S.F.-Alcatraz Ferry Operator Eyes Hybrids
With the signing of a new 10-year contract between the National Park Service and Hornblower Cruises and Events, two hybrid-electric ferries will eventually be crossing to the famed former penitentiary Alcatraz Island from San Francisco, San Jose Mercury News reported. Alcatraz Cruises, a division of Hornblower Cruises and Events, will take over the route, now handled by Blue and Gold Fleet, on Sept. 25, the National Park Service recently announced. The new boats will comply with emission requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Hornblower Cruises and Events has agreed to build the first ferry within two years and the second vessel within five years.
