By Karen Robes Meeks
After an extensive facility expansion, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently reopened its Global Entry Enrollment Center at the Port of Long Beach.
The newly revamped center, which allows for expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travelers, will now allow CBP officers the room to conduct 200 appointments daily and expand from two to up to five officers, according to the agency.
“This expansion will significantly reduce appointment wait times for conditionally approved applicants in the Los Angeles area, including the encompassing five counties of Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties,” said Carlos C. Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles.
Considered the nation’s first seaport Global Entry Enrollment Center when it opened in March 2014, the center has conducted nearly 44,600 appointments.
The expanded facility allows the CBP to meet the growing demand of Global Entry enrollment. In fiscal year 2016, more than 389,000 travelers used Global Entry kiosks at international airports within the Los Angeles area, according to the agency.
“The new center reflects the LA/Long Beach Seaport commitment in improving the customer service experience as Global Entry continues to attract thousands of new applicants,” said LaFonda Sutton Burke, CBP Port Director of the LA/Long Beach Seaport.
Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pollution. Show all posts
Friday, June 9, 2017
Cleaner Exhaust for Matson Alaska
By Karen Robes Meeks
Hawaii-based shipper Matson has been investing more than $700 million in facility upgrades and purchases in the last two years to enter the Alaskan market, according to a May 23 story by the Alaska Dispatch News.
Matson recently announced that it has added a pollutant-capturing system on container ships traveling between Tacoma to Alaska. The system apparently sprays down water treated with sodium hydroxide into the exhaust system, while ships sail, and collects and treats the wash water into a 5,000-gallon tank below the engine room to neutralize the compounds.
It is the latest in a series of investments by Matson, who in 2015 acquired Horizon Lines' Alaska operations and then cargo hauler Span Alaska a year later. Both acquisitions totaled $669 million, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.
The Hawaiian shipper also spent more than $50 million to outfit its Alaska fleet and operations, and in 2015 replaced an old container crane in Kodiak. In addition, Matson added workers to its Alaskan operations, which now employs more than 300 people.
Hawaii-based shipper Matson has been investing more than $700 million in facility upgrades and purchases in the last two years to enter the Alaskan market, according to a May 23 story by the Alaska Dispatch News.
Matson recently announced that it has added a pollutant-capturing system on container ships traveling between Tacoma to Alaska. The system apparently sprays down water treated with sodium hydroxide into the exhaust system, while ships sail, and collects and treats the wash water into a 5,000-gallon tank below the engine room to neutralize the compounds.
It is the latest in a series of investments by Matson, who in 2015 acquired Horizon Lines' Alaska operations and then cargo hauler Span Alaska a year later. Both acquisitions totaled $669 million, according to the Alaska Dispatch News.
The Hawaiian shipper also spent more than $50 million to outfit its Alaska fleet and operations, and in 2015 replaced an old container crane in Kodiak. In addition, Matson added workers to its Alaskan operations, which now employs more than 300 people.
