HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The resumption of operations Sunday at the Port Authority of Guam included the offloading of goods from a Matson container ship that was initially scheduled to be unloaded May 23 before Typhoon Mawar passed over the island.
Following the declaration of Condition of Readiness 4, employees of the island’s only commercial seaport worked “around the clock” to be fully operational, and by Saturday had finished the cleanup of the terminal yard.
“As of (Saturday), the Port terminal yard has been completely cleaned up,” a release from the Port stated Sunday, adding that there was significant damage to the facilities.
Port General Manager Rory Respicio explained to The Guam Daily Post that although the yard was cleaned, other assessments still must be made to cranes that sustained damage, including Gantry 5, which sustained damage to its circuit board.
Gantry 4 and Gantry 6 also had issues with their computer boards and were being worked on.
All the while, Matson’s vessel Maunawili 234W, which was originally scheduled to arrive Tuesday, had been positioned until it was given the all-clear to enter Apra Harbor. The vessel’s cargo included 454 containers that had been refrigerated throughout the voyage, Matson stated in a press release.
With the pending arrival of the vessel and the work that still needed to be done at the port, Sen. Jesse Lujan told the Post, “It’s not a worry at this immediate time,” adding the vessel had food, supplies and fuel for the island.
At 10:30 a.m. Sunday, according to Port officials, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Nicholas Simmons and Respicio gave the all-clear to receive the Matson vessel at noon after Gantry 5 was deemed operational.
“Yes, the port got slammed by Mawar,” Sen. Lujan said. “However, their turnaround to clean up and reopen was amazing. Yes, we still have issues, but not enough to keep us from operating old-school.”
After Matson’s Maunawili is discharged, the Port will dock a vessel from APL, according to the release.
On Tuesday, the Port said it plans to unload two more vessels from Matson, the Manoa and Papa Mau.
“The Port received substantial damage to our facilities and our ‘Port Strong’ family has been working to get the port up and running,” Respicio said.
“As of (Saturday), the Port terminal yard has been completely cleaned up,” a release from the Port stated Sunday, adding that there was significant damage to the facilities.
General Manager Rory Respicio of the Port Authority of Guam oversees the first cargo operations at the port since Typhoon Mawar hit the island and damaged Guam’s only commercial seaport.
