The America's Cup is on!

You can follow all the action at these two sites

http://americascup.com/en/

http://bmworacleracing.com/en/index.html?track.refer=/en/index.html&track.type=hn

Quality Corner

2nd February 2010 17:06 GMT from Bunkerworld

Shippers who slow down receive rebates on dockage fees

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has given preliminary approval to around $9 million in extra incentives to increase participation in the Green Flag air quality programme.

Its aim is to slow down the speed of ships coming into the port in order to reduce air pollution, which also helps reduce fuel consumption.

Vessel operators who voluntarily slow down within 20 or 40 nautical miles of the harbour receive rebates on dockage fees, and vessels that achieve 100% compliance receive a Green Flag to fly on their ships.

Currently, nearly all ships docking at the Port of Long Beach slow down within a 20-mile zone around the harbor.

"The added incentives are expected to encourage more ships to slow within 40 miles, further decreasing air pollution from the ships' diesel engines," the port said.

In 2009, the Green Flag Program helped cut about 2,000 tonnes of pollution. The expanded incentives could cut an additional 300 tonnes.

The Port also plans to add nearly $6 million in incentives to a programme designed to attract more rail-borne cargo through the Port of Long Beach.

The program, which gives fee discounts to terminal operators, was set to expire on April 30, 2010, but it is now extended until December 31, 2010.

The port added that in a related action, the Board also agreed to eliminate potential double wharfage fees for export containers that are transported between terminals.

The Board is expected to give final approval to the items in the coming weeks.

Natalie Bruckner-Menchelli,

2nd February 2010 17:06 GMT

It hurts - is that how it's supposed to feel?

 CMA fencers gathered for another evening of instruction last night at NAFA North in Port Chester.  Matt warned us that he was going to work us hard, to which we responded (well, to which Joe responded) "Bring it on!"  We warmed up by jumping rope (quite a sight to see) and doing quite a bit of foot work, including several series of lunges, to help stretch our muscles and improve our flexibility.  All of us were hurting in places where our muscles are not generally pushed too hard.  After watering us and allowing us to catch our breath, Matt had us practice hitting fencing dummies using different combinations of parries (blocks) and lunges.   

 With warm-ups, foot work and blade work behind us, we suited up for some fencing.  We each fenced at least one bout to 10 points, and interestingly, all of the bouts ended with a 10-9 score.  All of the fencers used to opportunity to put new techniques to use, such as point in line, invitations, disengages, and parry/reposte.  A good time was had by all. 

Don't forget to sign up for live Twitter updates - follow CMA Fencing at USMSJoe on Twitter!

Marine Response Alliance (MRA) Partners Crowley and Titan help establish Flow of Relief Cargo into Haiti

MRA Partner, Crowley Maritime Corporation (CMC), working under contractwith the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), is unloading Haiti relief cargo in Rio Haina, Dominican Republic today. Fifty six of the 68 20-foot containers of water and meals-ready-to-eat (MREs) will be trucked across the border into Haiti. The remaining 12 loads aboard the container ship Macajama will be transported by water to Port-au-Prince, Haiti and be offloaded in an experimental lightering operation and delivered across a beach on Friday. If successful, future shipments could be made directly to Port-au-Prince. The Crowley plan calls for the Macajama to anchor offshore near the port's damaged south pier and near the exposed beach. Using a shipboard crane on the Macajama, the 12 remaining containers would be lowered onto a smaller vessel operated by G and G Shipping and delivered across the beach on wheels.

TITAN Salvage, also a MRA Partner, surveyed the port area Monday and determined that such an operation was possible. They also determined that it would be possible to establish a temporary docking structure on the beach using a Crowley 400-foot-long by 100-foot-wide flat deck barge. Crowley is mobilizing such a barge (the 410) and a crane from Orange, Texas that could be used for cargo discharge, and plans to have both on the scene in Port-au-Prince on, or about, Feb. 2.

A new wave of Haiti relief supplies in approximately 100 20-foot containers is being loaded today at Crowley's Port Everglades facility on the Roll On / Roll Off ship Crowley Americas and will be transported to Rio Haina for delivery on Saturday. Those containers, also moving under contract with USTRANSCOM, were consolidated and stuffed at Crowley's Miami warehouse. They will be trucked across the border into Haiti.

The Macajama is scheduled to return to Port Everglades over the weekend and load more relief cargo, which could be delivered directly to Port-au-Prince next week, if the test lightering operation is successful Friday. As announced last Wednesday, Crowley has suspended indefinitely its regularly scheduled commercial cargo services to and from Haiti. The situation in Haiti remains unstable and Crowley's priority remains getting relief supplies to the people impacted by the devastating earthquake. Crowley continues to offer its twice weekly service to and from the Dominican Republic.

Marine Response Alliance, LLC (MRA), is a US based emergency response partnership comprised of Crowley Marine Services, Marine Pollution Control, Titan Salvage, and Marine Hazard Response (a joint venture of Wild Well Control and Williams Fire & Hazard Control). The MRA is a true alliance of the four premier emergency responders in the United States; each arguably the best in their specialties.

Marine Response Alliance LLC 
 
Contact Information:
 
Margaret Kaigh Doyle
 Phone. (954) 545-7872
 Fax. (954) 545-4552
 Mobile. (508) 889-7747
 E-mail: margaret.doyle@crowley.com
 
 
www.marineresponsealliance.com

Sabre veterans hone their skills this week

George Eden and Tony Backos getting tips from Matt Zich

First and foremost, congratulations to the NAFA North coaches who competed at the North American Cup in San Jose this past weekend.  CMA is very lucky indeed to have such a skilled group of athletes willing to share their knowledge with us.

Our coach, Matt Zich, competed in Division 1 Men’s Sabre, and finished 18^th out of 147 fencers.

Christina Kaneshige competed in Division 1 Women’s Foil, and finished 52^nd out of 117 fencers.

Brendan Meyers competed in Division 1 Men’s Foil, and finished 13^th out of 187 fencers. 

Today’s CMA meet was limited to a few of the 2009 season veterans, as business obligations kept several of the new fencers away from the piste.  Rather than the usual warm ups and practice of a new skill or two, a request was made to hone some of the technical skills we began learning last year.  Also, we worked on “Point in Line”, a technique in which one fencer can gain right of way from the outset in a bout.  However, as we discovered under Matt’s tutelage, there are seemingly more ways to lose right of way than keep it.  With two ship brokers and a lawyer asking questions of Matt, we appeared to have covered every possible way to either gain or lose right of way when using “Point in Line”.

George Eden and Tony Backos during a match

Our first tournament will be this coming Saturday, January 23^rd, at 1:00 PM.  We hope to see a good group of participants join us, and if any other CMA members are in the neighborhood, feel free to stop in and watch the event.