Green new-build wins GAC Group Chairman's Environment Award for GEMS
The commitment of GAC Energy & Marine Services (GEMS) to sustainability when building its new purpose-built office and warehouse building in Houston, Texas, has earned it the First Prize in the GAC Group Chairman's Award for Environmental Excellence for 2013. The 180,000+ square feet LEED (Leader in Energy & Environmental Design) certified facility opened in September 2013 to serve GEMS customers while minimizing its impact on the environment and achieving significant savings in energy costs. Built on a previously developed site to avoid the use of unutilised land and the destruction of natural habitat, the building's 'green' design include features which reduce energy and water savings by 34% and 40%, respectively, compared to a conventional office/warehouse building.
Shipbreaking
The new IMO convention on Ship Recycling and the EU Proposal for Regulation of Ship Recycling are being viewed with concern by ship recyclers in Alang, India. If these come into force it is possible this world’s biggest grave yard for ships will have to close down. Alang is considered natures’ gift to the Indian ship recycling industry. Located in Gujarat, on the West coast of India, the shipyards in Alang recycle approximately half of all ships salvaged around the world. Having come into existence in June 1983, Alang, today encompasses over 180 ship yards stretching across 11 km of the coast line and is presently engaged in dismantling over 150 ships simultaneously. During 2011-12, Alang had achieved a record 415 ships’ demolition.
Braemar Howells Perform 'Rena' Cargo Recycling Coup
The Braemar recovery team recovered 167 tonnes of butterfat from the wrecked containership 'Rena' – now repackaged for recycling into biodiesel fuel. Braemar Operations Manager Neil Lloyd says that over the course of the project, some large quantities of cargo have been recycled. "Without the efforts of our team, including distressed cargo, port and waste specialists, and our local environmental partner, this would have been dumped into a landfill site. Neil Lloyd says that re-packaging the butterfat was a tricky task because the product was in bladders which had 'ballooned' out of shape when the cardboard boxes they were in disintegrated. "We designed equipment that allowed us to squeeze the semi-soft material into one metre containers holding one tonne each.
This Day in Coast Guard History – May 7
1969: HC-130H CGNR 1453, stationed at Air Station Kodiak, flew over the geographic North Pole, becoming the first Coast Guard aircraft to do so. The aircraft commander was LCDR Melvin J. Hartman and the copilot was LT Larry Minor. The purpose of the flight was ice reconnaissance of a potential route for super tankers from the North Slope of Alaska to the east coast of the U.S. According to a summary of the flight published in the Commandant's Bulletin: "COAST GUARD AIRCRAFT FLIES AROUND THE WORLD NONSTOP. 1979-During a city-wide strike by tugboat operators and longshoremen in New York City that began on 1 April 1979, Mayor Ed Koch of New York asked for federal assistance.
