10 CapitalPress.com
June 24, 2016
Maritime weigh-in rule dispute appears resolved
By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
The possibility of slow-
downs again plaguing West
Coast seaports was averted
June 17 when ocean carriers
agreed to accept combined car-
go-container weights from ma-
rine terminals instead of requir-
ing them from exporters.
The Ocean Carrier Equip-
ment Management Associa-
tion, a U.S.-based association
of 19 major ocean carriers, an-
nounced its decision at the Ag-
riculture Transportation Coali-
tion’s annual meeting in Long
Beach, Calif.
“OCEMA applauds the
efforts of ports and marine
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson File
The Port of Seattle is shown in this ile photo. An agreement has
been reached for obtaining the weight of containers and their cargo
to avert a possible bottleneck at ports on the West Coast.
terminal operators that have
announced they will provide
VGM (Veriied Gross Mass
or combined cargo-container
weight) weighing services on
behalf of U.S. exporters and
encourages ports and terminals
across the country to adopt sim-
ilar approaches,” OCEMA stat-
ed in a press release.
OCEMA said earlier that
week it received conirmation
from the U.S. Coast Guard that
the approach complies with the
International Maritime Asso-
ciation’s Safety of Life at Sea
(SOLAS) July 1 requirement
that all exporters certify and
submit VGM to steamship
lines and terminal operators be-
fore containers are loaded onto
vessels.
Exporters have been respon-
sible for accurately reporting
cargo weight but no one had
been reporting VGM, Peter
Friedmann, AgTC executive
director in Washington, D.C.,
has said.
Friedmann warned in Feb-
ruary that an amendment to SO-
LAS from the London-based
International Maritime Associ-
ation could create “major tur-
moil at marine terminals” and
“signiicantly impede” U.S.
exports.
In May, he said requiring ex-
porters to report the VGM would
cause congestion, backups and
delays of exports through ports.
A 2014-2015 slowdown at
West Coast ports, caused by a la-
bor dispute, cost farmers, manu-
facturers and retailers across the
country hundreds of millions of
dollars in losses.
Friedmann could not be
reached for comment but in a
news release said there’s still
work to be done, particularly for
containers arriving at terminals
by on-dock rail without going
through gates.
He thanked AgTC’s SO-
LAS committee and others for
working on the issue and said
it demonstrates the “role AgTC
can and must continue to per-
form for the U.S. export com-
munity.”
“We have more work to do
on SOLAS and so many other
challenges,” he said.
OCEMA said its action
should alleviate the problem
but there may be operational
constraints that require different
processes for determining and
transmitting VGM. It said it
will continue to look for solu-
tions in cases where terminal
weighing may not be feasible.
A field report shows the results of
the soil test for pH, nitrogen and
potassium, and is waiting for the
potash level. OSU Junior Master
Gardeners study soil health as
part of their 4-H lesson in
gardening practices.
Students Justine Colby and Andrew Bond test
soil for its composition.
A student checks out a soil sample for testing.
The Oregon State University Extension Service’s Master Gardener program isn’t just for grown-ups
anymore. A Junior Master Gardener 4-H program in Marion County has just graduated a class of nine
budding gardeners who are learning how to grow food from the ground up.
In their final field experience of the year, nine Marion County youths ranging from grades 6 to 10 learned
first hand how healthy soils are important when producing a resilient and productive garden.
First, soil samples were collected from three different areas of top soil at the Youth Farm site. “This is clay
soil,” noted Justine Colby, Parrish Middle School, as she helped pulverize the soil sample into small particles
for nutrient testing.
Next, a soil testing kit was used to measure nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content—three main
nutrients plants need so they can build their own food. The youths dropped solutions into test tubes until the
liquid turned a color that matched the nutrient guide.
Abigail Jeanseau, Parrish Middle School, reported the results: “There is a slight trace of nitrogen,
phosphorus is low and potassium is very low.”
This soil would need all three amendments for a
successful garden.
Seasoned OSU Master Gardener Jim Liskey
taught the class. “Everything gets back to plants,
including our food,” says Liskey. “Plants get
nutrients from soil, and we get nutrients from
plants.”
Dan Hoynacki, Extension 4-H faculty, says there
is a need to engage youths in gardening so they
learn how food is grown. They also learn the
essential leadership elements of scientific and
civic inquiry.
The Youth Farm site is on the Chemeketa
Community College campus, a partnership of
Marion Polk Food Share and the OSU Extension
Service Youth Enviro Squad program that
recruits and trains the youth farmers.
For information about
4-H youth development education programs,
contact your local OSU Extension Service office
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/marion .
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