Personnel shortage hinders Saipan port acticity

The U.S. Coast Guard met with local seaport officials yesterday to determine what resources it needs after a “personnel shortage” reportedly left port recovery and off-loading operations inoperable when Typhoon Soudelor tore out port lights and tossed cargo containers around like toys when it hit the island a week ago.

The Coast Guard also clarified yesterday that they did not deny a waiver request for a fuel tanker to arrive with supply for Shell gas stations.

The U.S. Department of Energy on Sunday said that due to a shortage of stevedores—the personnel trained to work at docks and unload cargo—the CNMI was unable to conduct both seaport recovery and off-loading operations.

DOE said Saipan Stevedores reported a shortage of 17 personnel “who are survivors and have lost homes.”

They said the Coast Guard was scheduling a meeting with Saipan Stevedores and the seaport harbor master to determine resource requirements.

USCG Lt. Clifton Graham, acting public affairs officer for USCG Sector Guam, said they met with the stevedores yesterday.

He confirmed that Saipan Stevedores does have a shortage but that the port is still operating with limited personnel.

That the CNMI was unable to conduct port operations was “not true” though, according to him.

“The operations are slightly restricted,” he said in an interview close to press time.

Federal Emergency Administration Agency federal liaison officer Stephen DeBlasio said in an interview at the Saipan port yesterday morning that they were not aware of a shortage at the dock. He instead commended the speed at which cargo was unloaded from relief ships.

“There have been no delays in off-loading this vessel. The last time it came in with the resources that it had—the generators—they were immediately off-loaded, both from the stevedores and from the crane on the ship.

“No delays and no limiting factors,” he told Saipan Tribune.

FEMA external affairs director John Hamill added that the U.S. Navy commander of the USS Ashland complimented the stevedores on how fast they unloaded.

USS Ashland arrived last Saturday and yesterday with relief goods.

Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Maryann Lizama confirmed the Coast Guard report near press time yesterday.

“Though some of Saipan Stevedore personnel are out, they are still able to operate during the given operational period, which is daylight operations only,” she said.

Cargo is only unloaded during the day as ports lights are damaged.

Fuel tanker for Shell?

Meantime, the U.S. Coast Guard said they did not deny a waiver request for a fuel tanker to arrive at the Saipan port.

Instead, according to Graham, a request was not sent in.

The U.S. Department of Energy on Monday reported that USCG has “denied the waiver request as of Aug. 10.”

The tanker ship is required to meet and/or comply with port entrance regulations.

IP&E—the company running Shell on Saipan—requested the waiver, DOE said.

DOE said that due to the high sales of volumes of gasoline, IP&E was requesting a waiver from Guam Environmental Protection Agency to “land the internal floating roof of a gasoline tank for approximately 7 to 10 days.”

If approved, the tanker would have arrived on Saipan on Aug. 19 or 20, DOE reported.

Graham said yesterday that they had not denied the waiver request. He said the tanker never submitted a waiver of its intent to enter Saipan.

“They did not have the required U.S. documentation to enter the port,” he said, adding that the request for a waiver was never sent in after the company looked into the possibility.

Graham said the Coast Guard helped look into the possibility for the tanker to come in. They do not know of any future intent of IP&E to bring in a tanker, Graham said.