Ashcroft News

Marking its first foray into the US, Singapore-based port operator PSA International has completed the acquisition of Penn Terminals located on the Delaware River in the U.S. from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets.Penn is a privately owned multipurpose marine terminal on the Eastern Coast of the USA. Penn’s terminal, warehousing and stevedoring services have enabled it to handle its clients’ cargo since 1986.“This acquisition represents PSA’s very first foray into the USA. We are delighted to embrace Penn as the newest member of the global PSA family and to be able to participate in its continued growth and expansion.

Singapore-based port operator PSA International has completed the acquisition of Halterm Container Terminal in the Port of Halifax, Canada, from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners."PSA International Pte Ltd concluded the purchase of the terminal from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners after formal approval by regulatory authorities, " said a PSA news release issued on Wednesday night.Halterm is the only container terminal in Eastern Canada that can serve mega container vessels. It operates three container berths covering more than a kilometer of quay length with depth of up to 16 meters.The terminal is currently undergoing further berth expansion…

Booming U.S. oil exports have set off a scramble to build Gulf Coast ports to handle more than 3 million barrels per day in new supplies expected over the next five years.Of seven proposed oil-export projects, nowhere is the opportunity greater or the competition more fierce than in Corpus Christi, Texas, where three firms are vying to open the state's first deepwater port.Commodities trader Trafigura has taken an early lead with a planned offshore facility that has an easier…

IMO’s 2050 deadline to reduce GHG emissions 50% from 2008 levels has set off a gold rush to develop Zero Emissions SolutionsClimate change is the biggest issue facing [all aspects of] the maritime industry, said Kitak Lim, IMO secretary general, in an interview earlier this year with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. He predicted that shipping could experience as much change in the next 10 to 20 years as it has in the last 100 years, as the industry races to meet a number of challenges…

PSA International through its subsidiary has acquired 60 per cent of Ashcroft Terminal (AT) , an inland port facility about 300km east of the Port of Vancouver in western Canada, making its first foray into Canada.AT is an inland port facility located approximately 300 kilometres east of the Port of Vancouver (POV).Comprising 320 acres of free-hold industrial land, it is the only major privately-owned industrial property in Canada where both Class 1 railroad lines – including Canadian National (CN) Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway – run through, transporting import and export cargoes to and from the POV, across Canada and as far as Chicago and other North American markets.

Ashcroft has introduced the 8008A pressure gauge fit for hydraulic systems, compressors and many other demanding applications.   This new instrument geared toward industrial OEMs meets the recognized specifications of EN837-1 and ASME B40.100. A corrosion resistant stainless steel case along with liquid fill vibration dampening help extend the service life.

With over half of Shoreham Port's employees already trained in adult emergency first aid the port offering paediatric first aid training has enabled individuals to feel more confident about delivering first aid outside of the workplace, especially if they have children or babies in their family. The Port welcomed back First Aid Co-ordinators Eddie Seaborne MBE and Karyn Ashcroft from St Vincent College this week to deliver paediatric first aid training to a number of port staff and their friends and family. Eddie commented “The Emergency First Aid at Work and How to Save a Child/Baby's Life was well received by all. Karyn added “We had parents and grandparents learning life skills in CPR, choking and bleeding of young children and babies.

Cammell Laird says it has developed one of the most advanced ‘bespoke environmental’ packages for ferries in the shipyard industry, following its strongest year of trading in the sector. Cammell Laird technical manager Paul Ashcroft  said ‘a massive challenge and focus’ for the sector moving forward is to find cost effective solutions to the new environmental standards ferry companies have to meet. “There has never been greater pressure on ferry companies to become greener than now,” he said. “As a result we have developed a highly advanced and specialised new environmental package addressing some of the hardest challenges. Mr Ashcroft said Cammell Laird’s green package has been developed to be bespoke and address the challenges faced by each individual ferry.

Birkenhead shipyard and engineering services company Cammell Laird said it has developed an advanced shipyard environmental package for ferries, following its strongest year of trading in the sector. Cammell Laird said it has docked 24 ferries between 2013 and the beginning of 2014 and, in addition, has carried out a further 24 afloat repairs for ferry operators. During 2013 Cammell Laird repaired, built and converted almost 250,000 gross tons of ferry and Ro-Ro ships for a wide range of owners. Already in 2014 it has docked and repaired ferries of 150,000 gross tons.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) announced  that Chad N. Boudreaux has been named to the newly created position of chief compliance officer. Chad will report to Bruce N. Hawthorne, corporate vice president, general counsel and secretary, and to the Audit Committee of the HII Board of Directors. "HII has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the highest ethical standards and compliance across its entire operation," said Mike Petters, HII's president and CEO. "Chad's new role as chief compliance officer is a valuable enhancement of our existing compliance program…

The following is the transcript of the Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, January 12, 2005. Secretary Ridge: John, thank you very much, David. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is true as of February 1st I’ll be able to walk through the front door. That’s a good thing. It’s a much abused reference for those who enter public service and then leave it, but I am reminded from time to time, particularly by my children, that there will be a point in time when I get into the back seat and the car doesn’t move. That means I’ve got to get out and get in the front seat and move it myself.

In the process of enhancing homeland and maritime security in the United States, the federal government is substantially increasing the burden on the owners, operators, managers, and agents of foreign ships. The heaviest burden, though, is being felt by the individual crewmember. For a short time after the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2002, Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officials in some ports (particularly the Port of New York and New Jersey) would not allow non-U.S. crewmembers to land (come ashore) in the United States. This knee-jerk reaction gradually faded and INS processing of foreign crewmembers slowly returned to nearly the pre-9/11 situation. In March 2002, an incident in Chesapeake, Va. changed the unofficial INS policy.

Secretary Ridge and Attorney General Ashcroft announced that the national alert level is being raised from Yellow (Elevated Risk) to Orange (High Risk). As a result, many agencies that will be a part of the new Department of Homeland Security on March 1, are taking additional steps to increase their protective measures. Following are examples of additional steps being taken by some of these agencies. These are provided as representative examples, and should not be construed as the complete Federal response to the increased threat level. · Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners will increase the number of random examinations conducted at airport security checkpoints. · Federal Air Marshals will be assigned to a greater number of flights.