DC Velocity - December 2011

inbound

Halloween may have passed, but things might still be going bump in the night. Or, perhaps, boom.

As reported by Fox News and other media outlets, some refrigerated containers that had been serviced at the Vietnamese port of Kat Lai exploded earlier this year, reportedly killing two mechanics in Vietnam and one in Brazil. Maersk Line alerted the World Shipping Council’s Safe Transport of Containers Working Group that a few of its refrigeration units have exploded. Some reports trace the root cause to contaminated refrigerant introduced during servicing in Vietnam.

Two marine terminals at the Port of Oakland were shut down on Halloween over concerns that refrigerated containers in the port that had been serviced in Vietnam might be at risk. The Oakland Tribune newspaper reports that the dockworkers’ union forced the closure of the terminals for safety reasons.

So, if you were anywhere near a container yard on Halloween and heard something strange, it might not have been your imagination.;

Reefer madness
The Age of Steam meets the
Age of the Internet

COP YRIGHT ALL RIGH TS RESERVED B Y SK YBI TZ TRACK THE TREE

The prospects of a white Christmas remain unclear, but we can report that this year’s holiday will be a bit greener than usual. That’s because the truck used to haul the 2011 U.S. Capitol Christmas tree 4,500 miles from the Stanislaus National Forest in Northern California to Washington, D.C., featured clean diesel technology.

The 65-foot white fir, which will be illuminated at the base of the Capitol building throughout the holiday season, made its cross-country journey on a SmartWay-certified Mack Pinnacle Axle Back model sleeper that runs on ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel and meets California’s 2010 emission standards, which are the strictest in the country.

“The emissions from this truck are near zero, thanks to its more
efficient engine and its new emissions control technology,” said
Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology
Forum. “It’s as clean as a compressed natural gas truck.”
The Diesel Technology Forum (DTF), a non-profit organiza-
tion dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of diesel
engines, fuel, and technology, is one of the national sponsors of
the U.S. Christmas Tree Tour. DTF members Volvo Powertrain,
Mack Trucks, and Robert Bosch LLC Diesel Systems North
America also are sponsoring the tour.

The tree began its clean, green trek from California on Nov. 5 and arrived in Washington on Nov. 28. ;

Dreaming of a … green Christmas?

The Union Pacific Railroad is a company that honors its past. The Omaha, Neb.-based carrier still operates some historic railcars and locomotives, including two steam locomotives. But it also knows how to blend old technology with new, as evidenced by the release of UP Steam, a free app for fans of old rail equipment.

The UP Steam app is available at Apple’s App Store in iTunes for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Features include:

▪ Real-time GPS location of Union Pacific’s steam locomotives

▪ Schedules for Union Pacific steam excursions ▪ Notification if a UP steam train is scheduled to be within 50 miles of the user’s current location

▪ Photos, videos, descriptions, and history of UP steam locomotives

▪ Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare func-
tionality
The app also includes an “About Union Pacific”
section describing the company’s operations. ;

Ikea, the Swedish home-goods and furniture retailer, is giving up wood pallets in favor of paper platforms. The retailer reportedly uses 10 million pallets annually worldwide and expects to save 10 percent on transportation costs by making the switch.

“We don’t know if the paper pallet will be the ultimate solution, but it’s better than wood,” Jeanette Skjelmose, sustainability manager at Ikea’s supply chain unit, told Bloomberg News in November. She said that the corrugated-paperboard pallets can hold 1,650 pounds.

The pallets will only be usable for a single trip and then will be recycled. Because the paper versions are smaller and 90 percent lighter than their wooden predecessors, Ikea expects to save nearly $2 million annually by reducing the number of loads it ships. But it will also spend nearly half that to purchase card stock and new forklifts, the retailer said.