Cleveland Port Announcement

CLEVELAND PORT, VESSEL OWNER ADVANCE EFFORT TO START INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER SERVICE

Canadian vessel, the Dutch Runner, to visit Cleveland Port; Service would make Cleveland a more vital maritime destination and support regional jobs, shipping industry

October 22, 2010 -- Cleveland is moving closer to becoming the U.S. home base and first and only city on the Great Lakes that would have a regular scheduled service shuttling containers to and from Canada. Port of Cleveland officials and the owners of the two feeder vessels are in active dialogue to launch the Cleveland-Montreal service in the spring of 2011 and will be available at 3 p.m. today to discuss the service.

Stan Shumway, Managing Partner of Great Lakes Feeder Lines, will accompany the Dutch Runner as it travels to Cleveland today to meet with port officials about the service, which is expected to have financial and environmental advantages for the greater Cleveland region.

Will Friedman, CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, says the service would be significant as the region attempts to attract additional cargo and take advantage of its lakefront maritime facilities.

“This is an exciting economic opportunity for the port, the region and the state,” he said. “Simply put, Cleveland would be the first city on the Great Lakes that will have a pin on the global map when it comes to container service.”

Friedman stressed that the Port does not require capital investments or enlarged facilities to begin moving containerized freight and other non-containerized cargoes. “We have the space, equipment, a capable terminal operator and a productive waterfront workforce in place. We can move containers today.”

Shumway agrees: “Cleveland has always been attractive to us as the largest market on Lake Erie and a center for manufacturing. We are pleased that the new Port administration is receptive and look forward to proving our business model,” he said.

Great Lakes Feeder Service has two versatile vessels that have capacity for container and break-bulk cargo. The service would allow ocean carriers to hand-off trans-Atlantic containers into the Great Lakes, providing a more cost-effective and environmentally-friendly alternative to truck and rail transport. For more information, please visit: http://www.portofcleveland.com/

PORT OF TACOMA CONTRACTOR DRIVES FINAL WHARF PILING FOR NEW BLAIR WATERWAY TERMINAL

TACOMA (Feb. 26, 2008) – A Port of Tacoma contractor drove the last of 795 concrete piling Monday into the Blair Waterway to support a new wharf. The $46 million wharf is part of a facility planned for the 83-acre former Kaiser Aluminum property on the east side of the Blair.

Manson Construction of Seattle worked 12-hour days Mondays through Saturdays since late August to drive the 142-foot-long concrete piling, made by Concrete Technology on the Tacoma Tideflats. The long work days were necessary to complete the in-water work before the annual fish migration season begins. Remaining construction outside the water will continue until the wharf is complete, expected in October.

“We’re grateful to our neighbors in Northeast Tacoma for their understanding during this first phase of construction,” said Port of Tacoma Commission President Dick Marzano. “The improvements will serve our community well into the future. And while we know the results will be worth it, we also understand a remodeling project of this magnitude might create noise.”

This phase of construction was the first of more than $800 million in redevelopment along the Blair-Hylebos Peninsula between now and 2012. Future plans include a relocated and expanded terminal for Totem Ocean Trailer Express and a new marine terminal for NYK Line. The plans also include substantial road and railway improvements to serve these terminals as well as a privately owned terminal planned by SSA Marine and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

About the Port of Tacoma
The Port of Tacoma is an economic engine for South Puget Sound, with more than 43,000 family-wage jobs in Pierce County and 113,000 jobs across Washington state connected to Port activities. A major gateway to Asia and Alaska, the Port of Tacoma is among the largest container ports in North America, handling an estimated more than $36 billion in annual trade and about 1.93 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent container units). The Port is also a major center for bulk, breakbulk and project/heavy-lift cargoes, as well as automobiles and trucks.