Marine Debris Removal Grant to Assist with A-8 Cleanup

The Port of San Diego is getting closer to reaching its goal of cleaning up the former A-8 anchorage and returning it to its original state of open water. A recent award of $42,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Fisheries) for the community-based Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Project will be used by the Port to hire divers to locate and remove hazardous items. The items will then be transported to a proper disposal or recycling facility. The project is set to begin in December and should be completed by March 2008.

The NOAA Fisheries grant will also help the Port continue with its environmental education program. The goal of the program is to increase community awareness of the proper disposal of debris.

In other environmental news, the Port began a program to clean up the fishing areas around San Diego Bay. Divers from Merkel and Associates were hired by the Port to go beneath the fishing piers and retrieve discarded fishing lines that can be dangerous to lobsters, fish and birds. A dead lobster, weighing approximately two pounds, was retrieved from beneath the pier at Embarcadero Marina Park South. Diver Robert Mooney estimated the lobster to be about 24 years old. It had become entangled in a fishing line and died. Video taken by Mooney demonstrated the large amount of discarded fishing gear that lies beneath the Bay's surface.

The Port hopes that the cleanup project will encourage fishermen to properly dispose of their fishing lines. Besides the Embarcadero Marina Park South area, other fishing areas undergoing the cleanup are Embarcadero Marina Park North, Chula Vista Bayside Park, Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Pepper Park, Cesar Chavez Pier, Shelter Island Pier, Coronado Ferry Pier and Spanish Landing Park.

Robert Mooney, of Merkel and Associates, holds up an approximately two-pound lobster that had become entangled in a discarded fishing line and died. Divers with Merkel and Associates are assisting the Port with a project to clean up several fishing areas along San Diego Bay.

Also in this issue…

Update on Maritime Trade Prospective Business

Port Installs Dennis Oppenheim Sculpture "Engagement"

Port Celebrates the Reinstallation of "Ocean Riders"

Eleven Hybrid Vehicles to Replace Some of the Port's Vehicle Fleet

Update on Maritime Trade Prospective Business

The Port's Maritime division continues with its commitment of seeking new trade opportunities. Following the success of the September trade mission to Asia, staff from the department participated in the 18th Annual Breakbulk Cargo Transport Convention in New Orleans, LA. The largest conference of its kind in the United States, the event brings together ocean carriers, shippers, brokers, service providers and ports from around the world. It gave the Port of San Diego an excellent opportunity to market its cargo facilities worldwide. During the convention, Port staff made new contacts within the cargo industry and strengthened existing business relationships.

Business continues to boom at the marine terminals, particularly with windmill parts. Additional windmill blades from Norway may be arriving in 2008, as well as machinery and equipment for a power plant. Windmill towers from China will be arriving in two shipments by the end of this year. The Port is also expecting steel coils and pulp from Brazil.

Port Installs Dennis Oppenheim Sculpture "Engagement"

The eagerly awaited sculpture "Engagement", by artist Dennis Oppenheim was installed at the traffic median at Laurel Street and Harbor Drive this month. The hard to miss artwork includes two 29-foot-tall sculptures resembling engagement rings. Constructed of steel and glass, the sculpture includes lighting components that cause the diamond elements to glow from within. The artist has created three additional "Engagement" commissions in varying sizes and glass color, which have been installed in Helsinki, Finland; Loeben, Austria and at the Flatiron Building in New York City.

A native of Electric City, Washington, Oppenheim now lives and works in New York City. He received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree from the School of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California and a Master of Fine Arts from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Dennis Oppenheim's sculpture, "Engagement" was recently installed on the traffic median at Laurel Street and Harbor Drive on San Diego Bay.

Port Celebrates the Reinstallation of Ocean Riders

Commissioner Mike Bixler joined Jim Janney, the Mayor of Imperial Beach and other city officials to welcome back the Wyland sculpture, "Ocean Riders" to Dunes Park in Imperial Beach. The artwork was reinstalled at a public ceremony on Nov. 17, 2007. The cast bronze sculpture of three dolphins in an ocean wave was the first installation of the Port of San Diego's 11-year-old public art program. The sculpture was removed this past summer to be cleaned and refurbished. The base of the sculpture was partially demolished and reconstructed with an additional layer of concrete.

"Ocean Riders" was first installed in May 1996 when the renaissance of the Imperial Beach oceanfront was just taking off. It sat prominently in Dunes Park, which had been built by the Port of San Diego on the oceanfront a year earlier. Its installation was followed by the creation of Pier Plaza and the installation of additional public artworks. The Imperial Beach oceanfront now boasts an impressive collection of art. Another artwork titled "The Spirit of Imperial Beach" by A. Wasil will be installed at the street end of Palm Avenue early next year.

Commissioner Mike Bixler, accompanied by Sir Ralph the Rover, addresses the audience at the reinstallation of Ocean Riders on November 17, 2007.

Eleven Hybrid Vehicles to Replace Some of the Port's Vehicle Fleet

In an effort to improve the air quality around the Port tidelands, the Port of San Diego will be acquiring eleven Ford Escape hybrid sport utility vehicles to replace some of the cars in its aging auto fleet. The Ford Escape hybrids operate on both gasoline and electricity and can get approximately 36 miles per gallon. When the vehicle is stopped in traffic, no fuel is used. Another plus is that the vehicles don't ever have to be recharged, thanks to a unique braking system that recharges the battery every time the brakes are used. The Ford Escape hybrids also meet strict Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle and Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle Standards. Even the material inside the vehicle is environmentally friendly, made with 100% post-industrial waste plastics and polyester fibers.

The Port has 178 vehicles in its pool that are used for a variety of work. Some of the vehicles are over 12 years old and are costing the Port a considerable amount of time and money to maintain. The vehicles being replaced will be those that have seen the most use and incurred the most wear and tear. The Port expects delivery of the vehicles in the early part of 2008.