Port of San Diego Harbor Police Chief Kirk Sanfilippo has been honored at a recent luncheon for his 31-year career in law enforcement and public safety by the San Diego County Crime Commission. The chief retired from the port force last month, but has agreed to serve on until a successor is chosen.

The folks at the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association have formalized a five-year, $75,000 commitment to a combination of scholarships for students and support for enhanced recruitment efforts at the California Maritime Academy. The SFBPA will underwrite four annually-renewable $2,500 scholarships to the school - part of the California State University system - and assist the school's efforts to reach out to educationally and economically disadvantaged students. The majority of the San Francisco Bar pilots are graduates of Cal Maritime, noted SFBPA President Peter McIssac.

The City of Long Beach has been named the most business friendly city in Los Angeles County at the Eddy Awards ceremony, sponsored by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. It was the fourth time Long Beach had been nominated for the honor and the first time it won. Other finalists for the award were Alhambra, Downey, Lakewood, Torrance, and Whittier.

Coast Guard Station Seattle has been presented the Sumner I. Kimball award for the unit's exceptional readiness posture. The award was named for Sumner Kimball, the general superintendent of the U.S. Life-Saving Service from 1878 to 1915.

The water features at the San Pedro Gateway Plaza at Harbor Boulevard and Swinford Street in San Pedro have won the Port of Los Angeles and WET Design a 2009 Excellence on the Waterfront Award from The Waterfront Center. The recognition came at The Waterfront Center's 27th annual Urban Waterfront Conference in Seattle. The Las Vegas-style fountain - a choreographed display of water, lights, and music - has brought the port both kudos over the beauty of the attraction and criticism over the money spent - $14 million.

The Port of Hueneme and the Port of Vancouver USA will be honored later this month at the American Association of Port Authorities 98th annual convention in Galveston. Hueneme is being recognized as the co-winner of the Facilities Engineering Awards in recognition of its dredged material sediment management strategy that concluded with establishment of an on-site Confined Aquatic Disposal facility. Vancouver will receive an honorable mention for its Tenant Environmental Management Program.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District handed out clean air kudos today at its awards luncheon in downtown Los Angeles. The AQMD's 2009 Clean Air Awards winners included:

• The Port of Long Beach and BP America for their work in installing shore power equipment to cold iron tankers calling at the BP tanker berth on Pier T.
• Advanced Cleanup Technologies Inc. for developing its "sock on a stack" technology, which places a bonnet over a ship's exhaust stack and pumps the exhaust through a high-tech, chemical scrubber that removes more than 90 percent of the pollution.
• The Green Valley Initiative, a public-private partnership aimed at promoting green technology and practices in the transportation and logistics industry of the Inland Empire - an area of warehouse and distribution centers that handles much of the cargo moving through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
• The West Long Beach Association, a community and environmental advocacy group for residents in a neighborhood downwind from the ports and adjacent to near-dock railyards.

Port of Oakland Enterprise Risk Manager Jane Keegan has earned a "Responsibility Leader" designation from Risk & Insurance magazine for her work in obtaining a unique environmental insurance policy that covered both known and unknown environmental liabilities. The port has been a series of environmental controversies. Keegan worked with the community and other government agencies to find a way to handle the risks involved.

The new 132-bed residence hall at the California Maritime Academy will be named McAllister Hall next month in honor of alumnus Capt. Robert McAllister, class of 1942, and his late wife Edith. McAllister is the largest private donor to the academy. He graduated from the academy just after the beginning of World War II, skippered Liberty ships throughout the Pacific during the war, transported relief supplies to Europe after the war, then worked for 24 years as a pilot on the Panama Canal. During his career, he invested his earnings wisely, and used them to establish the Robert and Edith McAllister Endowment at the California Maritime Foundation.

California Maritime Academy student Katherine Brookshier of Benicia has been chosen the receive the academy's William Randolph Hearst/California State University Trustee's Award for Outstanding Achievement. Each year, the 23 campuses in the CSU system are invited to submit the name of a single award nominee for consideration by the CSU Board of Trustees.

Oakland Port Commissioner Margaret Gordon was one of nine African-American women honored by the Black Women Organized for Political Action at a "Salute to Sisterhood awards reception for champions of environmental causes. Gordon, a resident of the West Oakland neighborhood adjacent to the Port of Oakland, also operates the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project.

The Port of San Diego Palm Avenue Street End project has been selected as Project of the Year by the San Diego and Imperial Counties chapter of the American Public Works Association. The $3 million project in Imperial Beach transformed the end of Palm Avenue at the oceanfront into a park-like setting with a new storm water pump station to reduce urban runoff onto the beach, and ramps to provide beach access to emergency vehicles and disabled people. Reyes Construction was the contractor and AECOM Transportation was the designer.

APM Terminals has been named 2009 Port Operator of the Year at the annual Lloyd's List Global Awards Dinner in London. The company was selected for the honor by a panel of ten maritime industry judges, who were charged with selecting the company that made the greatest strides in business development and customer satisfaction over the past year.

Robert Millman, chairman of the board of directors at Littler Mendelson, has been named as one of the top five management labor lawyers in California by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journals. Littler Mendelson has represented a number of harbor area companies in their relations with unions. The Daily Journals are legal newspapers.

The King County Solid Waste Division has for the third consecutive year named the Port of Seattle - Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to its list of Best Workplaces for Recycling and Waste Reduction. The airport was one of 65 organizations to make the list.

Port of Tacoma commissioners have renamed the conference room at their port administration building in honor of Phil Lelli, a former port commissioner and labor leader. Lelli was president of ILWU Local 23 in Tacoma from 1966-1985. He died in 2004. The dedication ceremony was attended by Representative Steve Conway of Olympia along with ILWU representatives and Lelli's family. The conference room at the port headquarters is used for meetings with dignitaries from around the world.

The Marine Environmental Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization has given its Clean Air Award to the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. The award was announced last week in London at the committee's meeting. At the same event, Maersk was named Sustainable Shipping Operator of the Year.

L.A. Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz publicly recognized Lisa Wan, western regional intermodal traffic manager for DHL Global Forwarding, for DHL's recent decision to use only clean trucks to move their freight. Port officials learned of the decision after Wan began calling to verify that trucking companies marketing clean truck drayage service actually had clean trucks. Wan is based in DHL's Redondo Beach office, which manages all ocean freight pre-carriage and on-carriage for the company's western region that covers Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, L.A. and El Paso.

Environment California has presented the City of Oakland with a 2009 Solar Champion Award at a ceremony in front of the Oakland Port's 756 kW ground-mounted solar-power system. The photovoltaic power system was deployed at the Oakland International Airport under an agreement between the port and SunEdison.

The Containerization and Intermodal Institute (CII) will honor James McKenna, president of the Pacific Maritime Association, and Robert McEllrath, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, on Oct. 1 with the Connie Award. This is the first ever Connie Award event held on the West Coast and both recipients will be acknowledged for their role in the world trade and transportation industry. McKenna heads the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents West Coast waterfront employers, and The ILWU represents the waterfront workers.

Kenworth Truck Co. has been awarded the 2009 Exemplary Innovation Award by the California Economic & Workforce Development program. The award was granted due to Kenworth's Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Heavy Truck Technician Training Program at Long Beach City College. Along with the program, Kenworth offers the T800 LNG truck, which is said to cut 20% of greenhouse gas emissions and 33% of nitrogen oxide compared to a diesel-fueled truck. Kenworth shares this award with the Port of Long Beach, LBCC, Westport Innovations, the Long Beach Unified School District, and Cabrillo High School.

Dr. Thomas O'Brien, Director of Research and Global Logistics Specialist lead instructor for Trade and Transportation at Cal State Long Beach, was awarded the Bill Wisener Distinguished Service Award for spring of 2009 at the recent GLS graduation ceremony at the Port of Long Beach. Rick Sipkoi of Excel Transportation Services and Dave Tremblay of PMT Logistics received the George Marshall Instructor Award for the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters, respectively, for their role and contributions as instructors in the Global Logistics Specialist Program at the Center for International Trade and Transportation at Cal State Long Beach. And Dr. Jeet Joshee, dean of the College of Continuing Professional Education at Cal State Long Beach, presented a Certificate of Recognition to the Harbor Transportation Club and the Los Angeles Transportation Club for the groups' commitment to education and their generous scholarships for students in the Global Logistics Specialist and the Master of Arts in Global Logistics Program.

Three photographs of Port of Tacoma graphic designer and photographer Kathy Tomandl are now hanging in the Smithsonian National History Museum. The photos are being showcased as part of a new permanent exhibit called "On the Water: Stories from Maritime America." Tomandl's photos depict containers within the port, a straddle carrier driver, and a longshore worker unlashing containers aboard a ship.

The Port of Seattle has recently received numerous state and national awards. The Washington Council of the American Institute of Architects presented the port will a civic design merit award for the redevelopment of the Shilshole Bay Marina. The building was recognized for its "transparency that allows for connection to the environment in a very vibrant natural light." The Associated General Contractors presented the Port of Seattle with its 2009 Build Washington Award for the Berth M reconstruction project at Terminal 91. The $5.4 million project won in the heavy industry category. The Government Finance Officers Association gave the Port of Seattle its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the second consecutive year, and the Excellence in Financial Reporting Award for a third consecutive year. The Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International recognized the Port of Seattle for national leadership in the area of environmental sustainability. The port's efforts to recycle solid waste and conserve water and electricity at Sea-Tac Airport were among the achievements noted in the award.

The National Purchasing Institute has chosen the Port of San Diego for a 2009 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement award. It was the first year the port had entered into the annual procurement recognition evaluation process. The award trophy will be presented in January 2010 at the annual California Association of Public Purchasing Officers conference in Riverside.

Port of Stockton Executive Director Rick Aschieris will be honored this week as Executive of the Year by the San Joaquin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Port revenue at Stockton has increased about 12 percent a year since Aschieris came to the port from the Port of Anacortes in 2000.

The San Diego Film Commission ran an ad on the inside cover of the June 26 Hollywood Reporter Magazine to thank the Port of San Diego and the producers of the film "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" for their work shooting several key scenes in San Diego. One of the key San Diego scenes involved a CH-53 helicopter with a Saturn automobile suspended beneath it flying from North Island to the east end of Harbor Island along the Embarcadero. The movie production crew spent about a quarter-of-a-million during the San Diego filming and occupied about 250 hotel rooms.

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has named Cecilia Moreno as one of the city's "True Angels" during a ceremony last week that recognized eight individuals from across Los Angeles for their volunteer service to the community. Moreno, community affairs advocate for the Port of Los Angeles, sits on the boards of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, Banning's Landing Community Center, and the Wilmington YMCA and is a former member of the Port Community Advisory Committee. She also started the Spanish Community Police Advisory Board to improve relations between the LAPD's Harbor Division and its Spanish-speaking community. Clinching the heavenly title, Moreno chairs the Wilmington Cemetery Committee and sings with the Seraphims in the Holy Family Church choir, said port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz. Knatz recognized Moreno at last week's commission meeting and honored her with a ceramic angel.

Baydelta Maritime has paid tribute to OOCL for the shipping line's environmental leadership. Baydelta, which operates a fleet of tugs in the Bay Area, is a logistics partner of OOCL.

A cross-section of the Southern California trade and transportation community turned out last week to honor Guy and Mary Fox at the couple's 50th Wedding Anniversary bash in San Pedro. Master of Ceremonies was former Southern California Marine Exchange director, Capt. Manny Aschemeyer. Coast Guard Capt. Paul Wiedenhoeft, Los Angeles-Long Beach Captain of the Port, also had some nice words to say about Fox and his work in promoting the trade industry. And Marine Exchange General Manager Reid Crispino roasted Fox, but let his wife Mary off the hook. Fox, president of Guy Fox & Associates, was formerly chairman of Seattle-based Global Transportation Services, which was acquired in 2002 by the Stonepath Group.

MJE Marketing Services of San Diego has been presented an Emmy by the National Academy of Arts & Science for a 30-minute documentary it did for the Port of San Diego. The documentary - called A Working Waterfront: The History and Heritage of San Diego Bay - was produced by Marlee Ehrenfeld of MJE and Tonya Mantooth of Mantooth Productions.

UPS has been named to the 2008 Carbon Disclosure Project's "Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index." Of the Standard & Poor's 500 corporations, UPS is the only transportation company to make the Index. UPS is also number one in the industry as well as being recognized for several other honors such as being chosen as a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

AECOM Technology Corp. of Los Angeles has been ranked the No. 1 architectural firm for revenue by Architectural Record magazine. AECOM - both an engineering and architectural company - may have been the top earner, but there were a lot of other names on the list familiar to port development folks.
See the Whole List

Van Jones of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Next 10 founder F. Noel Perry, and California State Senate President pro tem Darrell Steinberg were honored by the California League of Conservation Voters during the group's 27th annual Environmental Leadership Awards gala in Oakland.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was both keynote speaker and honoree at the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce annual luncheon and awards ceremony last week. His Honor received a leadership award from the chamber. Among the other honorees was S.A. Recycling, which was named "Business of the Year."

U.S. agricultural exporters have picked APL as the No. 1 container shipping line, according to a survey by the Agriculture Transportation Coalition. It is the second time APL has been the top carrier in the three years the group has been doing its annual Ocean Carrier Performance Survey. It ranked ahead of 19 other ocean carriers in the survey.

San Diego Harbor Police Sergeant Salvador Colin and two female Navy sailors have been honored with a Spirit of Courage Award from the Burn Institute for pulling a driver from a burning truck on Nov. 30, 2008. Colin had just finished his shift as watch commander when he saw the driver lose control of his truck, hit a traffic light, flip over several times and land on the passenger side with the engine on fire. The two sailors, Gunner's Mate Jennifer Hendricks and her shipmate Victoria Seike came on the crash site at the same time and the three worked together to pull the driver out through the vehicles rear window.

Former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska will be honored in Long Beach Sunday by the UCLA chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon, his fraternity when he was a Bruin. The fraternity will present the senator with the Janss Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented at the UCLA chapter's first annual Phoenix Gala at the Hyatt Hotel in Long Beach. Stevens, who represented Alaska in the Senate from December 1968 to January 2007, graduated from UCLA in 1947. He was the longest continuously serving Republican in the Senate. Stevens was voted out of office in 2008 after being convicted of seven felony corruption charges. That conviction was later voided because of prosecutorial misconduct that included withholding evidence that would have tended to clear Stevens.

Foss Maritime Co. was honored at the 2009 Seattle Maritime Festival luncheon as the Environmental Business of the Year. The Port of Seattle and Propeller Club award, presented by Port Commissioner Gael Tarleton, recognized Foss for its efforts to reduce the pollution from its vessels and for reducing its carbon footprint. The company earlier this year put the first hybrid tugboat into operation, servicing ships at the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Narwhal and Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Mahaffey will be presented with Pacific Area awards at the Coast Guard Foundation Dinner on Aug. 4 in San Francisco. Cutter Narwhal, homeported in Corona del Mar, has been selected for the Admiral John B. Hayes Award for Unit Excellence for its operational performance through 2008. Petty Officer Mahaffey, a marine science technician, will receive the Admiral James S. Gracey award for professional excellence.

Oakland Public Works Director Raul Godinez II has been named as one of the National Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year by the American Public Works Association. Godinez recently completed a two-year APWA accreditation process which resulted in Oakland becoming the third of nearly 550 public works agencies in the state to receive APWA accreditation.

The California Conference for Equality and Justice will present its "Building Bridges Award" to the Port of Long Beach for the port's support of human relations and community programs. The port will receive the award at the Conference for Equality and Justice annual awards dinner on May 21.

The ITEP scholarship dinner marked the debut of the Bill Stein Memorial Leadership Award. Stein, the former director of administration at the Port of Los Angeles, was one of the founders of ITEP and an active member of the harbor-area community. He died of cancer on March 4 at the age of 62.

The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute honored several Los Angeles-Long Beach harbor-area companies and individuals at their recent Alternative Fuels & Vehicles Conference in Las Vegas, recently. Among those collecting kudos at the event were Victor La Rosa, president of Total Transportation Services, who was presented the Green Fleet Award; T. Boone Pickens, founder of Clean Energy, the company that is building an liquefied natural gas infrastructure to supply port drayage trucks; and Vancouver-based Westport Innovations, the company whose LNG-diesel trucks are already hauling cargo from port terminals. Mario Cordero, past president of the Long Beach Harbor Commission, and S. David Freeman, outgoing president of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission, shared a 20/20 Vision Award.

The Port of Long Beach - for the fifth consecutive year and the 13th time in the past 14 years - has been named the best North American seaport by the readers of Cargonews Asia. The award was part of the magazine's 2009 Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards in Hong Kong.

The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has presented a special plaque to Congressman Peter DeFazio was his involvement in helping the port acquire the 111-mile Coos Bay Rail Link. The port bought the rail segment after the former operator - Central Oregon Pacific Railroad - abandoned the line.

The Port of Long Beach went home with a handful of kudos awarded by the California Association of Public Information Officials at the group's annual conference and Excellence in Communications awards ceremony in San Diego. CAPIO's top individual honor - the Paul B. Clark Award - was presented to the port's Director of Communications and Community Relations Heather Morris for "outstanding service to the public and her profession. Other awards garnered by the port were: First Place for community newsletters for its re:Port publication, Second Place for internal newsletter for its Opportunities Employee publication, Honorable Mention for special events for its Green Port Fest, and Honorable Mention for videos for its Pulse of the Port series,

The Port of Tacoma recently recognized Evergreen Line, "K" Line, Maersk Line, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. (TOTE), and Horizon Lines for their voluntary and consistent use of low-sulfur distillates fuel oil in their auxiliary engines while at berth. The switch to cleaner-burning fuels reduces sulfur oxide emissions by up to 80 percent and particulate matter reductions by up to 70 percent. The port recognized the lines through a resolution passed by the Port Commission.

The Port of Los Angeles has passed a resolution citing Pacific Harbor Line as "the most environmentally-friendly switching railroad in the nation and the first in North America to have its locomotives meet or exceed the EPA's stringent Tier 2 and Tier 3 standards." The board resolution cites PHL's recent honor of being named 2009 Short Line Railroad of the Year among other accolades the company has received of late. PHL President Andrew Fox picked up the plaque.

Port of Long Beach Harbor Patrol Sgt. Doug Rangel was honored by the Long Beach chapter of the American Red Cross recently for saving the life of a distraught man who was about to jump off the Gerald Desmond Bridge. Rangel, who rescued the man on Feb. 2 with the help of a Long Beach police officer, received a plaque during the Long Beach Red Cross' annual Hometown Heroes breakfast.

The Pacific Maritime Association presented its 60th annual Southern California Area safety awards last week, honoring companies in six different categories and individuals who had achieved long records of working on the docks without any lost time injuries. A Live-Saving Award was presented by Ken Keane of Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals to ILWU foreman Bobby Urange for saving a longshore workers life on July 18, 2008. Coast Safety Awards were presented by PMA vice president of accident prevention Marc MacDonald.
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Pacific Harbor Line - a subsidiary of Anacostia & Pacific Co. - has been named 2009 Short Line Railroad of the Year by Railway Age magazine. PHL operates 75 miles of track under contract to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The honor recognizes PHL for replacing and expanding its entire locomotive fleet with 22 low-emission units - making it the greenest railroad in the nation. The award will be presented at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association's annual meeting in Las Vegas on April 25-28.

The members of the Port of San Diego's "Maritime & Working Waterfront Education Team" have been named the port's 2008 Team of the Year. The team - Irene McCormack, C.J. Lucke, Jim Hutzelman, John Gilmore, Tania Hunter, Sheila Kanoya, Justin Kanoya, Dale Frost, Glenn Batuyong, Paul Brown, Marguerite Elicone, Ron Popham, Joel Valenzuela, Connie Lefevre, Darren Correia, Mark Taylor and Rita Vandergaw - was awarded a total of $5,000 in gift certificates.

Port Police Officer Herb Gonzales has been named as the Port of Seattle Police Officer of the Year for his outstanding service to the community. The award notes his efforts with the Port's Gang Enforcement Team and his life-saving efforts by rendering CRP to a motorist who suffered a heart attack.

Port of San Diego human resources analyst Elsa Juarez has been named the port district's Employee of the Year for 2008. As Employee of the Year, Juarez was awarded $500, three days off with pay, a gift valued at $20 and a $100 dinner certificate for two.

The Women's Propeller Club of the United States has honored Capt. Paul Leyda and crewmembers of the California Maritime Academy Training Ship Golden Bear with the 2008 Mary Patten Valiant Ship Award and Commendation for Bravery and Outstanding Seamanship. The award recognizes the rescue of two fishermen, adrift in a small power boat 80 miles off the California Coast. The Golden Bear was returning to its home port in Vallejo after a four-month training voyage, when it responded to a call from the Coast Guard and picked up the stranded men. The Award was named after Mary Ann Brown Patten, who took the helm of her ailing husband's 216-foot ship in 1856 and safety sailed her from New York to San Francisco. She was 19 and pregnant at the time.

The American Association of Port Authorities has presented Tom Dow, vice president of public affairs for Carnival Corp. with AAPA's cruise Award. The award came during the AAPA annual Cruise Seminar in Mazatlan, Mexico. Port of San Francisco Maritime Director Peter Dailey nominated Dow for the honor.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz - called Dr. Knatz by folks wanting to get on her good side - is going to get an honorary doctorate from the Maine Maritime Academy where she will address the graduating class on May 2. Knatz' already has a doctorate in biological science that she earned in USC. The academy is honoring Knatz for her "career accomplishments."

San Diego Harbor Police Corporals Frank and Laura Tosatto have been honored by the Port of San Diego board for saving the life of a man who went into cardiac arrest. The husband and wife police duo were at Mission Bay on their day off in December when 62-year-old Paul Barry of Alpine collapsed and lost consciousness. The officers administered CPR until paramedics arrived. The Tosattos received life-saving commendation certificates and life-saving shirt bars to wear on their uniforms.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class Kari Brubaker has been chosen as the 2008 Integrated Support Command Seattle Enlisted Person of the Year. She supervises 20 property custodians responsible for property valued at more than $42.2 million.

A research and ratings project by Corporate Knights in Toronto and Innovest Strategic Value Advisors in New York has included NYK its Global 100 list of the Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. The 100 companies on the new list come from 15 different countries.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz may well be on her way to becoming the most honored port director in history. Knatz is up for two more kudos in the coming weeks. The first is from the Volunteers of America and the Honorable Zhang Yun, Consul General of the People's Republic of China who will presents her with a "Friendship Award" on Jan 29 onboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach. The second is from the L.A. chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, which will honor her with a Leadership Award at the group's annual awards luncheon on March 13 in Beverly Hills.

The Washington Public Ports Association has selected the Port of Anacortes as its Port of the Year for 2008. The port was recognized for its cleanup of contamination on port-owned properties.

Weber Distribution of Santa Fe Springs has received the EPA SmartWay Transport partnership for its fleet of trucks. The award recognizes company efforts to achieve fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

Halcrow Inc. will receive kudos next Tuesday from the New York League of Conservation Voters, which is honoring the engineering and consulting firm for "its commitment to sustainable initiatives in the built environment." The award will be accepted by Halcrow President, North America Michael Della Rocca, who said sustainable development was a priority for the company.

San Diego Harbor Police officers Pedro Arce, Eric Mitchell, and Raul Munoz were presented life-saving commendations earlier this month at the Port of San Diego Commission meeting. The officers pulled an unconscious man from San Diego Bay and administered CRP after they were unable to detect a pulse. The man began breathing again and survived his brush with death.

Holland America Line - a division of Carnival Corp. - was presented a first-place award last week at the Responsible Tourism Awards ceremony sponsored by Virgin Holidays in London. Holland America's award was for Best Cruise or Ferry Operator. The cruise line has outfitted three of its ships, so they can plug into shoreside power when calling in Seattle. It is also testing a sea-water scrubber in an attempt to reduce emissions at sea, and has launched a training program to avoid running into whales.

Ten companies, including seven on the West Coast, have been named as finalists for the WorkBoat Environmental Awards to be presented next month in New Orleans. The award will be presented to the winner by WorkBoat magazine. Seattle finalists include the Port of Seattle's Fisherman's Terminal, Foss Maritime, Harley Marine Services, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Todd-Pacific Shipyard. Peterson Power Systems of San Leandro, Calif., is also a finalist as are Crowley Maritime Services of Jacksonville, Historic Tours Ship Services of Key West, and RiverQuest of Pittsburgh

The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks has given its highest environmental award to the Fisherman's Terminal at the Port of Seattle. The terminal received the Five Star EnviroStar award in recognition of its commitment to environmental stewardship. Although some 600 King County businesses have received EnviroStar awards, county officials said only about a fourth of them received Five Star status immediately, and the remainder had to work up to that level. The Fisherman's Terminal - homeport to the North Pacific Fishing Fleet since 1913 - witnessed a 35 percent reduction in dangerous waste during 2006-2007, and is expected to reduce the wastes even further by the end of 2008.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Energy Star Label to the Port of Oakland headquarters for the third consecutive year. To earn the award, a facility must rank among the top 25 percent most energy efficient buildings in the marketplace. Oakland Executive Director Omar Benjamin says the award "reflects our continued commitment to reduce the Port's carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of electricity that we use daily."

The Containerization & Intermodal Institute will present its Connie Awards this year to Doug Tilden, chairman of Ports America Group, and Ken Bloom, CEO for INTTRA Inc. The awards will be presented Oct. 8 at a luncheon in Newark, N.J.

Several organizations that went above and beyond the call of duty to help out at the Green Port Fest were given community partner awards during the Port of Long Beach Harbor Commission meeting on Oct. 20. Recognized were the Long Beach Fire Dept., represented by Deputy Chief Jeff Reed; Jay Primavera of the Queen Mary, which provided 1,000 free parking spaces for port fest attendees; Andy Perez of Union Pacific, which brought a rail simulator to the event and had an informational booth; plus gave rides on a mini-UP train; and Don Peters and Roy Blanco of Weyerhaeuser, which gave away 2,000 seedlings for guests to plant. Olson Events Group, which helped plan the event was also recognized, as were various other departments within the port, particularly the maintenance and security divisions. Given special recognition was port fest project coordinator Renee Moilanen, who was given a framed proclamation lauding her efforts.

Meanwhile, the EPA has honored APL Logistics for its work in curbing greenhouse gas emissions in freight in the transportation of freight. It was the second year the company was recognized for its achievements in using modern, fuel-efficient equipment and observing no-idling restrictions when loading and unloading freight.

The Port of Sacramento Board has presented a proclamation to the San Francisco Bar Pilots, thanking the pilots for their work in guiding ships in from the ocean, across the bay and up the 43-mile-long Sacramento deep-water channel to the port.

Yusen Terminals, a subsidiary of NYK Line, has been honored by the Los Angeles City Council for its environmental leadership. The company was recently presented a resolution recognizing the company's contribution in a special ceremony in City Hall.

Future Ports Executive Director Elizabeth Warren and Network Public Affairs President Nancy Pfeffer were honored last week for their work on a May 16 conference designed to identify common ground where business and the community could connect. The honors came in a special ceremony at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Pfeffer chaired the "Air Quality: Are We Making Progress" conference planning committee.

Margaret Hernandez, director of contracts and purchasing at the Port of Los Angeles, will being honored Thursday night at the Ninth annual Awards Dinner of the Southern California Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union will be honored on Oct. 11 in Seattle for shutting down West Coast ports on May Day and demanding "an end to the war in Iraq and an end to the war on workers here and abroad." The award will be presented at the Washington State Jobs for Justice annual Honoree Dinner and Silent Auction. (Link to details) Also being honored are Seattle City Councilman Nick Licata, the Laborers Northwest Organizing Coalition, and filmmaker Stuart Townsend.

Numerous West Coast ports will be recognized by the American Association of Port Authorities for exemplary projects, programs and initiatives during the AAPA's annual awards program event taking place later this month. Among the honorees:
• The combined ports of Seattle, Tacoma and Port Metro Vancouver, Canada, which share the Comprehensive Environmental Management award for their cooperative Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, a regional plan to reduce maritime and port-related diesel and greenhouse gas emissions in the Georgia Basin-Puget Sound air shed.
• The Port of Anacortes, winner of AAPA's 2008 Environmental Mitigation award for its Fidalgo Bay Eelgrass Mitigation Project, which is relocating eelgrass beds and critical aquatic habitat from areas to be dredged for redeveloping marine facilities at the port.
• The Port of Portland, winner of the 2008 Environmental Enhancement award for the port's Natural Resources Management Program, which features innovative environmental projects for creating a streaked horned lark habitat, managing invasive species and managing for the coexistence of wildlife and marine operations, and;
• The Port of Los Angeles, winner of the 2008 Dan Maynard Communications Award for Overall Excellence, which is bestowed annually on the port earning the most award points in AAPA's communications competition.
In addition to the above, 22 ports nationwide will receive recognition for a total of 68 winning entries in AAPA's 42nd annual Communications Awards Program. Also, 16 Awards of Excellence, 38 Awards of Merit and 14 Honorable Mention certificates will be given to the winning ports during the convention.
The awards will be presented to winning ports at a Sept. 24 luncheon in conjunction with AAPA's 97th Annual Convention in Anchorage.

Complete List of Winners

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles held their first-ever San Pedro Bay Ports Air Quality Excellence Awards at a July 16 luncheon in Long Beach. The recipients - selected by a panel of representatives of the two ports, the California Air Resources Board and the EPA - were companies that have found innovative methods to reduce air pollution by use of cleaner fuels, use of hybrid engines and other methods. The inaugural awardees were:

• AP Moller-Maersk with a terminal at the Port of Los Angeles. Since 2006, the company has voluntarily switched to a cleaner, low-sulfur fuel within 24 nautical miles of the port in both main and auxiliary engines of its container ships in order to improve local air quality.
• Foss Maritime Co. at the Port of Long Beach. Foss, a tug and marine service operator, is constructing a low-emission hybrid tugboat scheduled to begin service at the ports at the end of this year. And the company also has found ways to cut fuel use for all its tugs through improved design of hulls and propellers.
• Long Beach Container Terminal at the Port of Long Beach. LBCT participated in a collaborative effort to test liquefied natural gas-fueled yard hostlers and compare them to the diesel version. Currently, the company's engaged in a project to test a diesel-electric hybrid hostler which could yield a more than 90 percent reduction in soot and smog-forming emissions from traditional hostlers.
• Yusen Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles. Yusen has a long list of clean equipment in its terminal and is also testing the first LNG yard truck, installing Vycon flywheel power-regeneration systems on cranes and participating in a maintenance van hybrid chassis study.
• Southern Counties Express. Southern Counties is a trucking company recognized as a leader in using of LNG-powered trucks. The company was able to secure grant funding from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to deploy a fleet of 71 LNG trucks. It also partnered with Clean Energy to build and operate an LNG truck fueling station at Southern Counties' facility in Carson.

The readers of Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology magazine have chosen DMJM Harris as a "2008 Best Diversity Company." The engineering and construction management company is being recognized for its support of minorities and women, attention to work-life balance, and commitment to supplier diversity.

The Government Finance Officers Association has awarded the Port of Tacoma its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the port's 2008 budget document. In its announcement of the award, the GFOA said the document "reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting." The 97-page 2008 Budget Document, which provides an overview of the port's industry outlook, strategic priorities, operating budget, capital investment program and financial measures.

Tacoma Budget Document

The American Association of Port Authorities has selected 22 ports - including nine of the West Coast - to receive Communications Awards for their work on such things as advertising, annual reports, videos, special events, community outreach, periodicals, websites, and promotional materials. The nine West Coast Ports and their award count are:

• Port of Los Angeles - three Awards of Excellence, five Awards of Merit, two Honorable Mentions.
• Port of Long Beach - three Awards of Excellence, one Award of Merit, one Honorable Mention.
• Port of Portland - two Awards of Excellence, two Awards of Merit, two Honorable Mentions.
• Port of Stockton - one Award of Excellence, one Honorable Mention.
• Port of Vancouver - one Award of Excellence, one Honorable Mention.
• Port of Tacoma - six Awards of Merit, two Honorable Mentions.
• Port of San Diego - four Awards of Merit.
• Port of Everett - two Awards of Merit.
• Port of Oakland - one Award of Merit.

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Maersk Logistics was in Bentonville, Ark., earlier this month to get the 2008 Wal-Mart "Origin Cargo Manager of the Year" award during the Wal-Mart Import Summit. The award it getting to be old hat for Maersk Logistics, which accepted the award for the sixth time, the first time being in 2001.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies also selected the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Program for its Clean Air Excellence Award. The pollution-reduction plan was chosen from among 130 programs that were recommended to the EPA by the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee. This marks the sixth time since the CAAP was adopted in 2006 that it's been recognized with an award.

The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce last week presented its Stanley T. Olafson award to Nancy Woo Hiromoto, director of Import/Export Operations for Citizen Watch Co., at the chamber's annual World Trade Week luncheon. The annual award has been given to a leading member of the Southern California international trade community for the past 75 years. It is named after the chamber's former International Trade manager.

The Coalition for Clean Air will present its 2008 California Air Quality awards next month to four people and one company. The honorees will be California Attorney General Jerry Brown, comedian Harry Shearer, climatologist Dr. Stephen Schneider, attorney Ralph Perry III, and Google Inc. The winners will be honored June 20 at the CAA luncheon and awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Long Beach-based Earth Tech Inc. has received the Francis Perkins Vanguard Award honoring federal agencies and contractors for using women-owned small businesses as contractors and subcontractors. The consulting and engineering firm has been the contractor for numerous environmental and transportation projects at U.S. ports.

The California Conference for Equality and Justice will present a humanitarian award on Thursday to Port of Long Beach Commissioner Doris Topsy-Elvord. The former City Councilwoman is among four folks being honored at the organization's annual awards dinner.

For the fourth consecutive year and the 12th time in the last 13 years, the Port of Long Beach was named Best North American seaport by Cargonews Asia during the newspaper's 22nd annual Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards in Singapore recently. Other best seaports around the world were the Port of Singapore in Asia, the Port of Rotterdam in Europe and the Port of Jebel Ali, Dubai, in the Middle East. Best TransPacific Shipping Line was APL; best Sea Freight Forwarder was Maersk Logistics.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has honored U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer with its first-ever "Environmental Legislator of the Year awward. The award, which recognizes the senator from California for her "commitment to environmental clean-up of ocean-going ships" was presented to Boxer by AQMD Chairman Willaim Burke on the steps of the Santa Monica library.

Cargonews Asia has named APL as the best Transpacific Shipping Line at its 22nd Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards. Award winners are selected by the newspaper's 12,200 readers.

Four members of a Coast Guard helicopter air crew from Port Angeles were honored last week for their actions in hoisting an injured man more than 240 feet from the ground and transporting him to the hospital. State Lt Gov. Brad Owen presented certificates to Lt. Winston Wood, Lt. Dan Broadhurst, Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Adams, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Shawn Pugmire for their rescue of Gordon Gracey near Forks. Wash., on June 8, 2007. Owen also presented a proclamation marking April 4 as Washington State Coast Guard Appreciation Day.

The Port of Seattle will receive the "New Directions for Livable Communities Award" from the Cascade Land Conservancy at the group's 13th annual Conservation Awards breakfast. The event is scheduled for May 1 at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center. The award is in honor of environmental mitigation work undertaken by the port in conjunction with the third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The Port of Vancouver has been certified as a member of the EPA's Green Power Partnership Leadership Club, in recognition of the port's purchase of $18,018 in green e-certified renewable energy credits. The port will use the credits to secure the equivalent of 60 percent of the electricity for port buildings in which it controls the utility usage. The purchase allows the port to reduce the carbon footprint associated with its electrical consumption by avoiding the emission of about 1,159 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year that would have been generated at conventional power plants. Although other ports are part of the EPA's Green Power Partnership, Vancouver is the only port in the nation to be included in the Leadership Club.

The Port of Los Angeles received the Corporate Humanitarian award earlier this month during the Toberman Neighborhood Center's Fifth Annual Gala Dinner Auction. The port was lauded for giving Toberman kids access to summer field trips and other experiences and education that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

Greg Bombard of Catalina Channel Express has been named "City National Bank Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. Bombard is the co-founder and president of the commuter ferry service between Catalina Island and mainland terminals in Long Beach, San Pedro, and Dana Point. Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corp. will be presented with the Holthouse, Carlin & Van Trigt's Corporate Citizen Award at the same chamber function. The awards will be presented at a Chamber luncheon on May 1 at the Hyatt Long Beach.

U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd will be honored as the American Association of Port Authorities' "Port Person of the Year" at the port association's annual Washington People's Luncheon on April 1. Byrd was chosen for the award based on his strong advocacy in Congress for increasing cargo and facility security at America's seaports, according to the AAPA.

The Port of Los Angeles has become the first port in the state to earn the designation of "Climate Actions Leader" from the California Climate Action Registry. The designation follows acceptance by the Registry of the ports 2006 baseline greenhouse gas emission inventory. The California Climate Action Registry is a non-profit public-private partnership that encourages early action to head off global warming.

For the second year in a row, NYK Line has been named as one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. The Global 100 is an annual research and ratings project conducted jointly by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors and Corporate Knights Inc.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce will honor Former Port of Tacoma Commissioner Jack Fabulich with its George Francis Train International Business Commemorative award on Feb. 7. The annual award recognizes Pierce County individuals and businesses that have significantly contributed to the local growth of international trade. The commemorative will be presented at the World Trade Center Tacoma's 15th Annual Globe Awards dinner and auction in downtown Tacoma.

California-based biofuels company Primafuel collected a Technology Pioneer Award at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last week. The company - which is due to begin construction this year of a biofuels plant at the Port of Sacramento - received the award for its innovative approach to biofuels production and distribution infrastructure. WEF Technology Pioneer awards were presented to 39 companies for developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy, biotechnology, health and information technology.

Port of Long Beach Harbor Commissioner Doris Topsy-Elvord was one of four people honored recently for their efforts to carry on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Topsy-Elvord and three other activists had their names added to a plaque at the base of a statue of Dr. King in a Long Beach park.

Biofuel specialist Primafuel has been awarded the World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneer Award for its approach to biofuels production and distribution infrastructure. The award recognizes Primafuel's insistence on examining the entire fuel supply chain and its commitment to developing new low-carbon biofuels. The company's modular infrastructure concept also gained praise from the awarding committee.

For the eighth straight year, UPS and its employees led the U.S. in supporting the annual United Way campaign. The company, its employees and retirees pledged $60.8 million to United Way during the 2007 campaign. More than 246,000 UPS employees participated in 2007, contributing more than $52.8 million. The company's contribution of $8 million through The UPS Foundation, combined with the employee contribution and retiree contributions still coming in, will bring UPS's total donation amount to over than $1 million more than 2006 contributions.

The Port of Tacoma has been awarded the Government Finance Officers Association's certificate of excellence for the port's 2006 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The port's financial report was judged by a panel to meet high standards and demonstrate a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" to clearly communicate the port's finances.

"Pulse of the Port," the Port of Long Beach newsmagazine television program, has earned a first-place award in the newsmagazine category from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. The half-hour show is produced for the port by Media 360 of Long Beach.

The ports of Benton and Ephrata were jointly honored recently with the Washington Public Ports Association "Port of the Year" award. Benton was recognized for its economic development work. Ephrata was cited for its work in funding infrastructure projects that position the community for future development and new family-wage jobs.

The Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce is honoring Jacobsen Pilot Services for its innovative work in overcoming environmental challenges. The award will be presented Thursday evening at the HAIC's Salute to Industry banquet in Long Beach. More information at 818-951-6088.

The Port of Long Beach received the Centro Community Hispanic Association's Excellence in Corporate Community Giving Award during a ceremony last Thursday. The port was one of 10 local organizations honored for their efforts to aid to Long Beach and its Latino community.

Parsons Corp. CEO Jim McNulty and Gin Wong Associates founder Gin Wong will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards Tuesday at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce's 72nd annual Construction Industry Awards ceremony. Carol Schatz and the Central City Association will receive the Ira Yellin Distinguished Achievement Award for the organization's work in developing downtown Los Angeles. The awards will be presented at a luncheon at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel.

Newly-elected Oakland Port Commissioner Margaret Gordon will be honored by Northern California Friends of the People's Weekly World/Nuestro Mundo at its annual banquet on Nov. 4. Gordon is being recognized for her work as a West Oakland environmental and community activist. Others to be honored include Barry Luboviski, chief of the Building and Construction Trade Council of Alameda County, garbage workers from Teamsters Local 70, and who finally got a contract and the Sacramento Hotel Workers Rising Labor-Community Coalition.

San Pedro community activist Janet Gunter is due to receive the Community Environmental Angel award on Friday from the Coalition for A Safe Environment. Gunter, a San Pedro businesswoman, is a frequent critic of the Los Angeles port authority.

Long Beach City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal last week presented the Long Beach Harbor Board with a certificate of appreciation for its work with the city. Lowenthal’s Council district includes the port.

Captain Lynn Korwatch, Executive Director of the Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region, has been honored by the California State University system as the “Outstanding Advocate” for the California Maritime Academy. During special ceremonies hosted by Cal. State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed in Sacramento recently, Korwatch and “Advocates of the Year” for each of the Cal. State system’s 24 campuses were honored for their volunteer efforts in promoting the interests of their particular campus.  Capt. Korwatch is a Cal Maritime alumna, class of '76.