South East Shipping News

NOAA predicts 3-6 major hurricanes, active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season

NOAA predicts active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season

Era of high activity for Atlantic hurricanes continues

May 23, 2013

Hurricane Sandy as seen from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite on October 28, 2012.

Download here (Credit:NOAA/NASA)

In its 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook issued today, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Centeris forecasting an active or extremely active season this year.

For the six-month hurricane season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook says there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).

These ranges are well above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.
 
“With the devastation of Sandy fresh in our minds, and another active season predicted, everyone at NOAA is committed to providing life-saving forecasts in the face of these storms and ensuring that Americans are prepared and ready ahead of time.” said Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., NOAA acting administrator. “As we saw first-hand with Sandy, it’s important to remember that tropical storm and hurricane impacts are not limited to the coastline. Strong winds, torrential rain, flooding, and tornadoes often threaten inland areas far from where the storm first makes landfall.”

Three climate factors that strongly control Atlantic hurricane activity are expected to come together to produce an active or extremely active 2013 hurricane season. These are:

• A continuation of the atmospheric climate pattern, which includes a strong west African monsoon, that is responsible for the ongoing era of high activity for Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995; 
  
  
• Warmer-than-average water temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea; and
  
  
• El Niño is not expected to develop and suppress hurricane formation.

“This year, oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the Atlantic basin are expected to produce more and stronger hurricanes,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “These conditions include weaker wind shear, warmer Atlantic waters and conducive winds patterns coming from Africa." 

NOAA’s seasonal hurricane outlook is not a hurricane landfall forecast; it does not predict how many storms will hit land or where a storm will strike. Forecasts for individual storms and their impacts will be provided throughout the season by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center.

New for this hurricane season are improvements to forecast models, data gathering, and the National Hurricane Center communication procedure for post-tropical cyclones. In July, NOAA plans to bring online a new supercomputer that will run an upgraded Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) model that provides significantly enhanced depiction of storm structure and improved storm intensity forecast guidance.

Also this year, Doppler radar data will be transmitted in real time from NOAA’s Hurricane Operations CenterHurricane Hunter aircraft. This will help forecasters better analyze rapidly evolving storm conditions, and these data could further improve the HWRF model forecasts by 10 to 15 percent.

The National Weather Service has also made changes to allow for hurricane warnings to remain in effect, or to be newly issued, for storms like Sandy that have become post-tropical. This flexibility allows forecasters to provide a continuous flow of forecast and warning information for evolving or continuing threats.

“The start of hurricane season is a reminder that our families, businesses and communities need to be ready for the next big storm,” said Joe Nimmich, FEMA associate administrator for Response and Recovery. “Preparedness today can make a big difference down the line, so update your family emergency plan and make sure your emergency kit is stocked. Learn more about how you can prepare for hurricane season atwww.ready.gov/hurricanes.”  

Next week, May 26 - June 1, is National Hurricane Preparedness Week. To help those living in hurricane-prone areas prepare, NOAA is offering hurricane preparedness tips, along with video and audio public service announcements in both English and Spanish, featuring NOAA hurricane experts and the FEMA administrator at www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/.

NOAA’s outlook for the Eastern Pacific basin is for a below-normal hurricane season and the Central Pacific basin is also expected to have a below-normal season. NOAA will issue an updated outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season in early August, just prior to the historical peak of the season.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us onFacebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.

Haitian Government Alerts Residents To Tropical Wave

Haitian Government Alerts Residents To Tropical Wave

SANTO DOMINGO, May 22 (BERNAMA-NNN-XINHUA) -- Haitian authorities Tuesday called on communities in western Haiti to stay alert to possible downpour and thunderstorms caused by a tropical wave over the southeastern region.

Haiti's National Meteorological Centre (CNM) announced Monday night the formation of the year's first tropical wave, located south of the Caribbean Basin, saying it could lead to heavy rains in three provinces -- Sud, Centre and Artibonite.

The CNM said the low-pressure phenomenon, which arrived earlier than the usual hurricane season in the Atlantic, could cause extreme weather patterns, and residents in high-risk zones should take precautionary measures.

Experts from Weather Services International (WSI) have forecast a very active hurricane season for this year, with at least 16 storms, including nine hurricanes, five of which are expected to be above Category 3.

The annual hurricane season begins June 1 and lasts through Nov 30.

Last year, Haiti was pummelled by Hurricane Sandy and Tropical Storm Isaac, as well as other minor storms, that killed nearly 100 people, left some 250,000 homeless and caused agricultural losses of more than US$100 million.

Shipping lines could save $10m by cutting 30 minutes off port calls

By Gavin van Marle in Amsterdam

11.28.2012 · Posted in Loadstar posts, Sea  Add to favorites

 

Hapag-Lloyd

Shipping lines could save millions of dollars in fuel costs if time spent in ports was decreased by even the most marginal amounts, claims new analysis from container shipping consultancy SeaIntel.

The company, in conjunction with industry group the Global Institute of Logistics and software provider Cirrus Group, set out to discover what the effects would be on a scheduled liner service if the time it took for a port to berth a vessel was incrementally reduced. The study focused on time savings that could be made through the optimisation of the berthing process, from the point a ship arrives, on time, at its station.

The results are nothing less than startling. By reducing the berthing time of a vessel in and out of ports, an extra lag is created in the liner’s schedule which the shipping line can use to slow down the vessel en route to its next port of call by the equivalent amount of time saved in the previous port.

“If the berthing process is systematically reduced in a given port, this will allow vessel operators to slow their vessels down slightly, and still be able to berth in a timely fashion. Of course, this is only possible if the process improvement is a genuine time saving, and hence the port changes the time set aside for the berthing process,” the paper says.

The study had to make a few assumptions, given that the possible financial savings made by carriers would be derived from subsequent fuel savings made by being able to cut vessel speeds between ports. In this case, it used the fuel consumption data for the 11,400teu CMA CGM Andromeda.

The cost of fuel consumption does not work in a linear fashion – the savings made from reducing a vessel from 18 knots to 17.9 knots are greater than reducing from 14 knots to 13.9 knots. So the savings made by shipping companies on fuel costs depend on the speeds that the ships are able to reduce from. If a port was able to reduce berthing time by two hours, which was then built into a 200-mile trip to the next port, the line would save $2,000 per port call if the vessel was steaming at 14 knots, and nearly $6,000 if it was steaming close to 19 knots.

But when this type of saving is multiplied across a scheduled container liner service, where vessels of identical size would be calling at the same port on a weekly basis and steaming at the same speeds, SeaIntel calculates that a 11,400teu vessel would see annual savings of between $150,000-$300,000, depending on the currently scheduled speeds, at that one port – although there appears to be something of a ceiling on savings, depending on the distances from the previous port in the string.

“We find that savings tangentially reach a maximum level after a certain distance. However, that distance depends on the time saving obtained in the port. Generally we find that more than 90% of the savings are obtained with a port-to-port distance below 500-600 miles,” it said.

Nonetheless, if berthing time reductions can be achieved across a string of ports on a particular service, the savings can be magnified. A typical Asia-Europe service calls at eight to 12 ports. If five of those ports can reduce berthing times by half an hour, the study concluded that almost $10m can be saved annually from reduced fuel consumption on the trade as a whole. If those five ports can reduce berthing times by three hours, the annual savings on the trade would jump to $40m.

The next step was to extrapolate that calculation out to the global liner industry, with the result that if five ports per string were to reduce berthing times by three hours the industry would stand to save $180m by improved optimisation of slow-steaming techniques.

Clearly, the actual savings remain hypothetical – sailing speeds vary according to a variety of factors; fuel consumption depends on the ratio of laden and empty containers; port productivity can vary wildly and so on – but the potential benefits to the liner shipping through even marginally improved, but consistent, berthing efficiencies are huge, and would give ports an important competitive tool.

“A port which improves berthing times by a few hours can easily argue that instead of offering a carrier a reduced handling charge, the carrier is getting the value straight from the bunker fuel savings,” it concluded.

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3 Responses to “Shipping lines could save $10m by cutting 30 minutes off port calls”

1. Kevin monteath says:

November 28, 2012 at 2:32 pm

With the ships getting bigger, and the old system of joint service, this time saving will not be possible at ports. The shipping giants need to address these points of port services in respective countries. Bigger and more containers, and joint service with partners bring in more cargo, hence the port authorities need to understand this and bunker cost. I am sure the pencil can be sharpened to save shipping lines millions of dollars… My views..

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1. Mike Harrison says:

January 3, 2013 at 5:18 pm

If you want to save time when berthing, the pilot and master must have confidence in the approach manoeuvre, should know the permitted berthing speeds and angles of the installed fenders, and have the right Portable Piloting Units (PPUs) to see the full picture. The cost is peanuts compared to the savings on more efficient operations. At Inshore Systems we advise clients on reducing risks and cost without compromise.

Perhaps container lines should consider equipping pilots with PPUs as well as reviewing the fenders on the berths they use. Small investments will pay large dividends.

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1. Ted Daly says:

March 28, 2013 at 12:28 pm

The real savings comes about by evaluating and determining the best schedule to keep for the entire round trip voyage of the vessel. While I agree pilot time and maneuvering are two critical components of a port stay, many times there is little to no opportunities to save enough time to justify slow steaming unless you have a good amount of pilotage time, considered over 2 hours in duration. Most pilots and vessel captains work hand in hand to get the vessel quickly to the dock, as long as the weather conditions allow for that safe transit. So it is hard to find more time there.
The real savings comes at the dock. Vessel clearance by authorities can take up to 2 hours in some locations. Stevedoring time or the production and the number of gangs put on the vessel upon arrival also is a contributing factor. With ever larger move counts and larger vessels stowage planners need to know each port limitations intimately and make sure the vessel is stowed in the most efficient manner to allow for the most gangs and best productivity, decreasing the total port time. As an example, with a move count is 3,500 and 4 gangs to total port stay would be 35 hours, at 25 GMPH/Gang. With the same move count and production with 6 gangs you can save almost 12 hours of port time. This can be a more realistic and sustainable time savings opportunity than just saving 30 min of pilot time or maneuvering time at a few ports of call. Manage to save this kind of time over 8 to 10 port calls and you can save up to 120 hours per round trip, that is 5 days saved, now that is a significant amount of time and the vessel could then save money by slow steaming. Roll it all together, stevedoring time saved, reduce time in port, better pilot times, slow steaming and you can make a significant impact on the overall cost of operating a vessel.

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• Rick Eyerdam says:

April 9, 2013 at 3:34 pm

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

Great comments. Tideworks Technology among others can improve the loading/off-loading configuration and some scheduling. Ted is right on but he needs to take it to the next step in the logistics chain gang. Are there enough roadworthy chassis, TWIC empowered truck drivers, or space to store containers that must wait days for a move? When does demurrage kick in? Are the gates fast enough – in and out — and what about the highways?

Then there are the train intersection issues. In short fast cranes and agile gangs are essential unless the fill the yard so fast the cargo is bogged by its own time-sensitive volume.

These are some of the issues we are trying to reduce to the least common denominator as part of the stand up of the Caribbean Maritime Exchange.

 

Laparkin stretches reach from Florida Gulf Coast to Caribbean

PRINT THIS STORY   Shipping to the Caribbean from Florida Gulf Coast Now Easier  FT. MYERS - Shipping to the Caribbean from the Florida Gulf Coast region will become more convenient with the official opening this Saturday of HBT Shipping, an authorized master cargo agent of Laparkan Shipping. HBT Shipping Operations Manager Wesley Phillibert says the opening of the company’s 8,000 square foot warehouse along with the introduction of its ocean and air cargo packaging and shipping services under the Laparkan brand will provide residents of Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Venice, Lehigh, Captiva Island, Bonita Springs, Northport and Immocales with convenient pick up, packaging and shipping services to the Caribbean region and further afield. “There are significant communities of Caribbean nationals in these cities including those who come here to work under the seasonal farm worker and hotel worker programs. These residents often have need for shipping services and quite often have to travel to south Florida to transact their shipping business. That will no longer be necessary. In fact we will also be providing free transportation twice weekly for the farm and hotel workers to the main shopping centers as well as providing them space in our warehouse where they could store their purchases until they are ready to pack their barrels, boxes and containers,” Phillibert explained. There are over 3,000 seasonal farm and hotel workers in the Florida Gulf region, a majority from Jamaica. There also are sizeable communities of Haitians, Barbadians and Guyanese resident in that region. “We are happy to be operating under the Laparkan brand because it is well known and respected for its range of products, good customer service and competitive pricing. The products and services really fit the needs of the people we will be serving,” he said. The HBT management team has been undergoing orientation at Laparkan’s corporate headquarters and main warehouse in Miami recently, familiarizing themselves with the state-of-the-art Laparkan Freight Management System (LFMS) technology in addition to procedures and regulations required by government agencies such as the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), US Customs and the Transportation Security Administration.  Laparkan Chairman and CEO Glen Khan said that the sizeable Caribbean communities in those areas of Florida deserve to have convenient, affordable and customer friendly and efficient service and that the Laparkan HBT alliance would certain be fulfilling that need. “I am indeed happy especially for the farm and hotel workers who would no longer have to spend time and money to come to south Florida to have their shipping needs addressed,” he said. The grand opening of the HBT warehouse and packing facility located at 2801 Michigan Avenue in Fort Myers is set to kick off at 2pm on Saturday with the ribbon cutting and official ceremony at 5pm. Among the invitees are community leaders, elected officials, the farm and hotel workers and representatives of faith-based organizations and the business sector.

Desperation remains on Haiti earthquake anniversary

MIAMI — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Bear repatriated 164 Haitian migrants to Cap Haitien, Haiti, this week. 

Watchstanders at the Seventh Coast Guard District command center received notification of a grossly overloaded 40-foot sail freighter southwest of Long Island, Bahamas, Jan. 4, 2013. Once the Bear arrived on scene, the crew safely embarked the migrants and repatriated them Thursday.

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants are provided with food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.

 

"The patrol presence of our cutters in the Caribbean continues to prevent the potential loss of life that has occurred too many times when grossly overloaded vessels take to the sea in an attempt to illegally migrate to the United States," said Cmdr. Timothy Cronin, Seventh Coast Guard District, Assistant Branch Chief for Enforcement. "Coat Guard Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations protect our borders from illicit activity, but they also highlight the humanitarian side of our service. The Coast Guard will continue to rescue Haitian migrants from their peril at sea and will always do so in a professional manner that preserves the dignity of all people."

The Tahoma's crew were operating aboard the Bear as the Tahoma undergoes a nine-month overhaul at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore as part of Coast Guard’s Mission Effectiveness Project.

The Bear, Tahoma and other medium endurance cutters are slated for replacement by an Offshore Patrol Cutter. The new OPCs will operate more than 50 miles from land, carrying out the Coast Guard's maritime security and safety activities in support of national interests. The OPC will be an economical, multi-mission ship, providing pursuit boat and helicopter capabilities and interoperability with other military and federal partners, superior to the cutters they replace. Equipped with modern sensors, the Offshore Patrol Cutter will provide the enhanced surveillance necessary to detect threats far from U.S. shores and meet the demands of the Coast Guard’s homeland security, search and rescue, law enforcement and other vital missions.

The Coast Guard Cutter Bear is homeported in Portsmouth, VA.

The Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma is homeported in Kittery, ME

Computers agree on Sandy, bull's eye for Cuba windy near miss for USA

Statement as of 5:00 am EDT on October 24, 2012

Share This Storm:

 
 
reports from an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft about 
4 hours ago indicated 850-mb flight-level winds of 68 kt and
SFMR-adjusted surface wind estimates of 55 kt. The minimum central
pressure was estimated to be 986 mb. Since then...deep convection
with cloud tops as cold as -90c have almost completely encircled
the center of Sandy and NOAA buoy 42058 recently reported a
sustained wind of 49 kt with a gust to 64 kt more than 160 N mi
east of the center. Based on these data...the initial intensity is
raised to 60 kt.
 
 
Sandy is moving faster toward the north now...or 010/12 kt. The
forecast scenario and the forecast track remain unchanged through
48-72 hours. Sandy should move generally northward for the next 48
hours as the cyclone interacts or merges with a potent mid- to
upper-level trough situated to its northwest and a mid-level ridge
to the north that is sliding eastward. After 72 hr...southwesterly
mid/upper-level flow associated with a second digging trough over
the eastern United States is forecast to turn the cyclone
northeastward. The NHC model guidance has trended a little more
north and west after 72 hours...and the official forecast track has
been nudged in that direction. The new forecast track lies near the
center of the guidance envelope...and is between the previous
advisory track and the consensus models tvca and tv15...and the
Florida state superensemble model.
 
 
Environmental conditions are expected to remain favorable for
additional strengthening to occur up until Sandy makes landfall on
Jamaica in about 12 hours or so. After that...land interaction with
Jamaica and eastern Cuba...combined with increasing southwesterly
vertical wind shear should induce some gradual weakening.
However...the amount of weakening that typically occurs under such
negative conditions is expected to be limited due to strong
baroclinic interaction/forcing associated with the strong
upper-level trough. The NHC intensity forecast follows the trend of
the previous advisory in showing a 60-kt intensity after 36 hours
and the cyclone becoming Post-tropical by 120 hours.  However...
this remains a low confidence forecast for both the intensity and
the structure of the cyclone after 48-72 hours due to uncertainty
in the amount of baroclinic interaction.
 
 
Forecast positions and Max winds
 
 
init  24/0900z 16.3n  77.0w   60 kt  70 mph
 12h  24/1800z 17.9n  76.8w   70 kt  80 mph...near Jamaica
 24h  25/0600z 20.6n  76.5w   65 kt  75 mph...inland eastern Cuba
 36h  25/1800z 23.3n  76.5w   60 kt  70 mph...over water
 48h  26/0600z 25.7n  76.6w   60 kt  70 mph
 72h  27/0600z 28.2n  76.3w   60 kt  70 mph
 96h  28/0600z 31.0n  73.6w   60 kt  70 mph
120h  29/0600z 33.4n  70.3w   60 kt  70 mph...Post-tropical
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caribbean carriers and shippers deadline Nov. 9 to support CBERA trade incentives

U.S. considers giving St. Kitts and Nevis, other Caribbean states CBERA status

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, OCTOBER 12TH 2012 (CUOPM) - Several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries including St. Kitts and Nevis could benefit as the United States considers whether to designate them eligible to receive benefits under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA).

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington, D.C. said it is requesting comments no later than November 9 on the possible extension of trade - preferences under the CBERA as amended by the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) to countries not currently receiving them.

The CBTPA is currently authorised through September 30, 2020 with the USTR said that it is considering whether to designate Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the Turks and Caicos Islands as eligible to receive benefits under CBERA/CBTPA.

USTR said that Congress had identified the Turks and Caicos as potentially eligible for benefits in 1983 but the country did not request beneficiary status until July 2012.

Separately, as a result of the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in October 2010, Curaçao and Saint Maarten became successor political entities and have therefore requested the receipt of CBERA and CBTPA benefits.

USTR is also considering whether to designate Aruba, the Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as eligible to receive benefits under CBTPA.

It said while Congress identified the Bahamas, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent for benefits under CBERA in 1983 and CBTPA in 2000, these countries did not request benefits under CBTPA until 2012.

Similarly, Aruba was designated as a CBERA beneficiary country as of January 1, 1986, upon becoming independent of the Netherlands Antilles but did not request CBTPA benefits until October 2012.

USTR said that interested parties should submit comments on whether these countries meet the appropriate eligibility criteria.

For CBERA, these include whether the country is communist, has nationalised ownership or control of property owned by a U.S. citizen or corporation, fails to act in good faith in enforcing arbitral awards in favour of US citizens or corporations, and affords preferential treatment to the products of another developed country that could harm US commerce among other criteria.

It said that other measures include the country’s economic conditions, assurances of equitable and reasonable access to its markets and basic commodity resources, compliance with accepted rules of international trade, use of export subsidies, export performance requirements or local content requirements that distort international trade, contribution to regional revitalization through trade policies

Perfect ferry available for Caribbean service

The world’s only planing, beaching, swath hulled ferry vessel built at a hideously enormous expense ($80M+?) to the US Navy for a destination to nowhere and a service that none wants”, is up for sale. At least that is how the U.S.-flag’s hardest supporter, describes it.

The ship, named the MV Susitna, was made in 2010 at former Alaska Ship & Drydock in Ketchikan (now Vigor) at the request of the Office of Naval Research that was looking to test new designs which might someday work as military ships. When construction started, the vessel MV Susitna was to be owned and managed as a ferry in Alaska for the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough securing service among Anchorage and Port Mackenzie while being assessed by the ONR. The only one problem, however, was that there weren't ferry terminals and the ship never entered service. So now it’s up for sale!

The MV Susitna ferry ship is unique in a number of ways and actually quite interesting. In the end it just did not work.

The design for the “expeditionary ship” was made by Guido Perla & Associates, Inc (GPA) and is based on a concept made by Lockheed Martin. It is a ABS-certified “E-Craft” which measures fifty-nine meters in length and is available of carrying 129 people, plus twenty vehicles or one tractor-trailer rig. The ferry also incorporates elevator technology which is going to allow the ferry to change from the Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) mode to barge mode by lowering or raising its center deck. The ferry also built with an ice strengthened hull (the 1st-ever for a SWATH hull) and is beachable.

But what probably could the MV Susitna be used for? We’re not sure, but someone mentioned that Shell fits the buyers profile. Who knows though, the E-Craft might be yours for an unspecified price.

Tradewinds reports Bernuth losing cargo loops to King Ocean

King Ocean’s coup

A leading US containership operator has purchased more than a dozen Caribbean shipping routes from one of its rivals.

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

King Ocean Services on Monday confirmed the acquisition of loops controlled by Miami-based compatriot Bernuth Lines.

Franco Da Costa Gomez, a spokesman and son of chief executive Jose Da Costa Gomez, tells TradeWinds the routes will continue to operate under the Bernuth brand for another year.

When the smoke clears, King Ocean will oversee a fleet of 15 containerships after taking over chartered tonnage operated by its former competitor.

Da Costa Gomez says Bernuth employees are being encouraged to apply for positions with King Ocean but understands that Captain Jordan Monocandilos, who founded Bernuth some 30 years ago, intends to “retire to shipowning” with his own stable of shallow draft vessels.

Bernuth made TradeWinds headlines earlier this month when it secured the release of two feedermaxes that had been arrested in Florida amid allegations of unpaid fuel bills.

At the time, the speed with which the cases were resolved came as a surprise to many in Miami shipping circles given rumours the company was struggling to stay afloat due to the market downturn but prompted talk that a sale or merger was on the horizon.

Today, with no ships or routes to call its own the survival of the Bernuth brand appears unlikely, which has prompted questions about the outcome of ongoing cases filed against the company in US courts.

According to US legal filings, at least two cargo claims and a personal injury complaint lodged earlier this year remain open. Calls to Bernuth seeking comment were not immediately returned on Monday.

Well-fed ecology experts hope to stifle new Haiti port development

Well-fed ecology experts hope to stifle new Haiti port development

  

 

 

 

With its disappearing tropical forests and ravaged wetlands, Haiti has a reputation as a barren wasteland for wildlife. Now, ironically, the discovery of endangered corals and a rare tiny lizard along its northern coast is threatening an ambitious vision to spur economic growth.

 

While snorkeling in the overfished coastal area along Haiti's Bay of Fort Liberte recently, biologists encountered rich marine life that could threaten government plans to build a modern, multimillion-dollar commercial port. The government has said the port is critical to revitalizing the economy.

 

Ultimately, it'll be up to Haiti's government to decide whether to go forward with the project. But it is the latest conundrum confronting a nation struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake, one that once again pits environmental concerns against economic growth.

 

"We are waiting to see results of these studies. We will make the right decision once we have all the elements," Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said.

 

The discovery of elkhorn and staghorn corals, large branching reef-builders that are listed as threatened species by the United States, comes on the heels of a bleak study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The group's research found coral reefs across the Caribbean are on the verge of collapse, under attack from global warming, overfishing, disease and pollution an assault that has left just 8 percent of reefs with living coral growth.

 

"Turning this natural resource into a port is a really bad idea," said Gregor Hodgson, executive director of Reef Check Foundation, which has surveyed the eastern end of the north coast of Haiti including the bays of Fort Liberte, Caracol and Acul.

 

"Dredging and filling will be required during construction and during operation," Hodgson said in an email. "Additional pollution from large boats, diesel spills etc., will be damaging to this unique environment. Corals are very sensitive to all of these types of pollution."

 

Hodgson called a fringing reef of endangered corals at the mouth of the bay part of the "unusual habitat inside the bay." In addition to finding the corals in two separate expeditions, U.S. government experts also discovered a tiny, typically unseen lizard called a skink that could also be an endangered species. U.S. officials say additional environmental surveys are under way. Divers are also exploring other parts of the coastline.

 

"The United States is providing economic, environmental and other sector experts to help the [government of Haiti] assess its options for modern container port services that spur economic growth and preserve the culture and environment of the region," U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Pamela A. White said.

 

Both the U.S. and Haitian governments have been collaborating on the construction of the northern port as part of an overall development of the region. No price has been assigned to the project, though President Michel Martelly, a big backer of the project, has said it will cost $179 million. U.S. officials have said the port would have to be a public-private partnership that involves an international bidding process by Haiti and possibly several foreign partners pooling resources to help with construction.

 

Fort Liberte was chosen during the previous administration for a port over two other northern locations. The area received the highest scores in a 2010 International Finance Corporation study because of its proximity to the sea, a new highway and industrial parks in the area, said Ary Naim, IFC country representative for Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

 

"The north needs a port to sustain the huge investment opportunities that comes with the new park," Lamothe said.

 

Envisioned before the January 2010 earthquake, the 600-acre industrial park is a $300 million job creation package financed by the U.S. government and Inter-American Development Bank. Supporters have championed it as a model for rebuilding post-quake Haiti while environmentalists have criticized the current and previous Haitian governments for locating it on prime agriculture land at the mouth of the nearby Bay of Caracol, an endangered marine and mangrove-forest ecosystem.

 

"As with the industrial park, there must be some place better for its location," Haiti environmentalist Jean Wiener said.

 

Wiener heads one of Haiti's oldest and only environmental groups that focuses on coastal and marine resources management and protection. He has been pushing for the entire area that includes Fort Liberte and the Bay of Caracol to be turned into a protected marine area. He isn't surprised by the bay's rich biodiversity of turtle grass, corals, mangroves and marine species.

 

Agreeing with Hodgson that the area with its old colonial French and Spanish forts is a "unique environmental and cultural habitat," Wiener said Fort Liberte bay would be better served as a tourism attraction and managed costal and marine reserve.

 

The environmental issues confronting leaders are not unique to Haiti.

 

In Florida, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are relocating small endangered corals as part of a settlement with the state Department of Environmental Protection, Miami-Dade County and the Corps.

 

The efforts are part of a settlement agreement with environmental groups, which contend that blasting and silt from the dredging in the Port of Miami will harm corals, sea grass beds and other marine life.

 

Experts say the park's success doesn't hinge on the construction of a new port. But with the current underutilized, underfunded Cap-Haitien port barely capable of handling more than a few hundred containers a month, Haiti would benefit greatly from a modern port capable of receiving tankers for a much-needed fuel depot in the region, and larger vessels with the ongoing expansion of the Panama Canal.

 

Haiti also stands to benefit economically by a new port's multiplier effect. Currently, the country is losing desperately needed revenue as the industrial park's main tenant, Korean manufacturing firm Sae-A, ships out of the neighboring Dominican Republic, whose nearby Port of Manzanillo is being pushed as an option if plans for the northern Haiti port falls through.

 

Fort Liberte was once the site of a thriving sisal plantation. But as demand for the fiber declined, the industry died. To survive, unemployed residents turned to the land, fishing barely matured fish out of the bay's narrow channel and cutting the mangroves for charcoal and construction material.

 

"If you don't build a port, you will come next year and there still will not be any lizards or coral reefs," said Gregory Brandt, a Port-au-Prince businessman.

 

Since 1995, Brandt has been advocating for the area to be transformed into a special economic zone with a modern port built on the bay's western bank.

 

"Putting Haitians to work is the first thing to do to protect the environment," he said.

 

Economist and Oxford University professor Paul Collier, who made headlines arguing that rebuilding Haiti's garment assembly industry was a key to rebuilding the country, said: "You've got to see the environmental gains as well as environmental losses."

 

"We know who is endangered in Haiti without looking under the stones to find the shy lizards. It's the people," said Collier. "It's imperative to relocate as many Haitians by developing new centers of economic activities."

 

Collier said "it's hypocritical" of people living in cities in the United States and elsewhere to expect Haiti to not build cities where people are productive.

 

"There is massive environmental degradation across Haiti because too many people are desperately trying to get a living out of the country," he said.