‘Green Ship’ Incentive Approved – The Long Beach Board of Commissioners has approved a Green Ship Award Program aimed at improving air quality by specifically targeting the reduction of smog-causing nitrogen oxides emissions. Under this program, vessels with main engines meeting Tier 2 or Tier 3 standards established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will be eligible for incentives ranging from $2,500 to $6,000 per ship call. Tier 2 engines were introduced in 2011 and reduce emissions by 15%, while Tier 3 engines will be introduced in 2016 and will reduce emissions by 80%.
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Senator Pushes for U.S. Freight Plan – Washington’s Senator Maria Cantwell is urging the Department of Transportation to create a multimodal national freight transportation plan to help shippers import and export more efficiently. She states that planning is needed because national freight congestion cost the US roughly $200 billion annually. Freight volume is forecasted to grow about 27% by 2040.
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U.S.-Canada Air Cargo Security Improvements – Canada and the United States have announced a new mutual recognition initiative on air cargo security. Under the new initiative, cargo shipped on passenger aircrafts will now be screened only once at the point of origin and will not need to be rescreened upon arrival in the other country. This will reduce delays and economic costs caused by both countries screening the same cargo twice.
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Canadian Pacific Railway Strike Continues – The restart of Canadian Pacific Railway service has been delayed due to a stalled back-to-work legislation in the Canadian Senate intended to end the eight day strike by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC). Labor minister Lisa Raitt estimates the strike costs the Canadian Government about $540 million per week.
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