Recent Alaska Shipping News

Federal safety regulators are working on technology that can be used in cars to detect alcohol by touch and breath, in order to reduce alcohol related accidents.

Nat Beuse an associate administrator for vehicle safety research at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the alcohol detection technology is one of several systems his agency is studying.

Little is known on how it would work or which suppliers are involved, but Beuse believes an alcohol detection system integrated into vehicles would reduce the number of accidents and fatalities caused by drivers under the influence.

Throughout the last couple of years NHTSA has been making efforts to advocate technology solutions in response to the numerous accidents caused by drinking and driving. The agency states they were awarded a $2.2 million contract from safety products supplier Takata Corp. to develop a device that can measure a driver’s sobriety.

The technology is still being developed and hopes to be available for implementation by 2018.Federal officials are unaware as to how the device will work. If Alcohol is detected, the vehicle could possibly be disabled or an alert will be issued, the decision is still undetermined.

Recently automakers have been integrating touchscreens into vehicles for safety reasons. Tech companies have been designing safer ways for customers to stay connected to their favorite apps behind the wheel. Google’s Android is working on a platform called Android Auto that allows maps, music, and personal phone functions to be accessed through a larger screen in the car which is their response to safety precautions.

Patrick Brady, Google’s director for engineering of Android, says, “You get the best of both worlds. You get the connected apps and services on your smartphone, with the physical controls that were optimized for driving in your car.”

Many drivers struggle with their phones while driving since the screens are too small and the interface and menus are complicated. “We had to take an experience that was designed for a smartphone and break it down to its bare essentials,” Brady says.

Android Auto will encourage a more convenient driving experience. The system allows quick voice based access to Google maps, text messaging, and apps like Google Play Music. It will be fully compatible with the dials, knobs, and buttons on your dashboard and steering wheel. Since everything you see on screen is actually directed from your smartphone, Google says the in car experience will be even better.

Nissan has debuted a new kind of paint that repels dirt, dust, and even mud, keeping cars bright and shiny.

Nissan is looking to offer this paint as an aftermarket application so that practically any car can have the capability.

The paint is called Ultra-Ever Dry, it was created by UltraTech International Inc. According to Nissan, the paint is both hydrophobic and oleophobic meaning resistant to water and oils. This is achieved by creating a protective layer of air between the paint and the environment.

So Far Nissan Europe is the only company to explore Ultra-Ever Dry’s automotive applications. There’s no word on if or when it will be offered elsewhere.

Ford is recalling 100,610 vehicles in North America for safety defects.The company announced the six different recalls today.

• Their largest recall of 92,022 vehicles, involves the Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Police Interceptor sedans. The improper seating of the right-hand halfshaft could disengage over time, making the vehicle inoperable. The vehicles also have potential to roll unexpectedly if they are parked without the parking brake on.
• 2,124 2014 Ford Escape SUVs. Their glass roofs have an improperly cured bond that could cause the roofs to leak or separate.
• 5,264 commercial stripped chassis. Corrosion in the electrical junction block could cause the vehicles to short circuit, and start a fire.
• 197 2014 Ford Fiesta subcompacts. Their fuel tanks could be missing an adhesive layer, which could cause a fuel leakage and can lead to a fire.
• 635 2014 F53 motor home stripped chassis. The brake calipers may be made incorrectly which could hinder braking performance.

Ford will notify owners affected by these recalls this month.

This week the federal government will start delaying payments for projects that are currently underway to fix the nation’s roads and bridges.

The federal Highway Trust Fund that finances transportation projects are running low on funds.If Congress doesn’t act soon the Department of Transportation may postpone payments to states. According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, this could cause interruptions on highway construction this summer.

The delay on highway projects will cause traffic and conditions of roads throughout the U.S. The highway fund receives its revenue mainly from federal gas tax, however the fund spends more then it gains. Congress has contributed money from general U.S. tax revenue to the fund which is about $54 billion.

The federal agency will have less than $4 billion in its trust fund and will postpone same day reimbursements to states that have ongoing construction on highways. Instead states will now be receiving money in two installments one in early August and then again two weeks later when gas tax revenue comes in, according to the letters.

By the end of August the fund will diminish immensely and could be empty by early September if there is no bill.This will halt many projects and improvements of roads and highways. State governors and local transportation agencies must decide on the bill.

If projects and construction are postponed traffic and congestion will occur along major highways along with United States.

All port locations and offices will be closed July 4th.

Have a happy and safe weekend.

we will re-open on Monday the 7th!

The Port of Anchorage is under renovation by engineering firm CH2MHill. “Ninety percent of the goods in the state of Alaska pass through that port,” chariman Ernie Hall said. “It’s a key part of the infrastructure of the state and we’ve got to finish this project.” He stressed that this renovation was priority.

Hall and other assembly members will have to approve the appointment of CH2MHill to helm the project before any work can be done. The city has a pending lawsuit that alleges faulty port construction work was done by VECO, a company CH2MHill purchased after the work in question had been completed.

Senator Kevin Meyer said the main complications revolve around the funding of the project. Mayor Sullivan sent his capital budget to Juneau, asking the legislature for $250 million for the port renovation. The project is years behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget.

“To ask the legislature for money right now is going to be difficult,” Meyer said. “Primarily because we already have so many projects that are in the works.”

The renovation is so important because the state relies on the port as its major import facility. The federal government also relies on the port for the military.

Senator Meyer hopes the project can find funding in desperate hopes to renovate the port.

http://www.ktuu.com/news/news/legislature-assembly-concerned-over-portrenovation/

An estimated $51 billion has been spent on the Sochi Winter Olympics, one of the priciest Olympics in history. A good percentage of this high cost this year is shipping the equipment and goods to the games in Russia.

From a logistical standpoint the Winter Olympics is a huge freight and shipping disaster. The goods needed will be shipped by sea, air, rail, and land and all transportation routes will be monitored by the Federal Customs Service.

Most of the goods include sporting equipment, firearms, hospitality goods, broadcast equipment, computer equipment, and awards. The logistical numbers for shipped freight are immense. To handle this huge shipment, the 2014 Sochi Organizing Committee has appointed an official freight forwarder for freight access to Sochi to ensure the efficiency of this transport.

Once all goods and equipment clear through customs, the freight is loaded on the Russian Railways train and shipped to one of two distribution centers based on the type of freight. This distribution center will be the central hub of all Olympics’ logistics operations. From the distribution centers, all the freight will be organized and available for use.  Every piece of freight requires shipping documents.

The huge amount of products needed to ship were difficult to manage and problems did arise, the Olympics had a rocky start, but a start nevertheless.

FAIRBANKS — A new, faster speed limit goes into effect this week on the Richardson Highway between Delta Junction and Valdez.

Starting Tuesday, crews began replacing 55 mph signs with 65 mph signs, working their way from Valdez to Delta Junction, according to an Alaska Department of Transportation news release. The change is supposed to be done by Thursday.

Crews are also updating passing zone striping and school bus warning signs to reflect the new speed limit.

Like other speed limits, the new speed limit is based on ideal driving conditions with dry pavement and good visibility.

The new limit was chosen based on a study DOT conducted that included information about traffic speed and crash history.

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