March 2007, Ports and Customs Subcommittee Report

Chair: Port Authority of Guam Members: Guam International Airport Authority Guam Customs & Quarantine Agency U.S. C&B – U.S. Immigration U.S. Coast Guard Surface Deployment & Distribution Command Port Users Group USDA Dept. of Agriculture At the last meeting held, members decided that subcommittee membership should include a representative from the Trucking Industry and the Fuel Companies. Two meetings have been held by the Ports & Customs Subcommittee. It should be noted however, that since we are attempting to move forward in support of the military build-up with very limited information from the Department of Defense, discussions at these meetings were surrounded on “best guesses,” based only on assumptions. The island’s ports will be the first to see and experience the military build up.  Even before the Marines and their equipment start rolling in, construction materials and support staff will come through for the infrastructure boom to precede the actual relocation of forces. As agreed by the members, the subcommittee’s approach would be to facilitate and ensure the safe and efficient movement of cargo and passengers, as well as to ensure the availability of resources and manpower to support the increase in port traffic. With the limited information to go on, members identified the following to accommodate and capitalize on the increase: Infrastructure Seaport and Airport Infrastructure projects were submitted with the Governor’s Infrastructure Improvement Forecast (April 2006). In addition, PAG created a matrix (attached) of additional project needs for the agency, compiled from requests from PAG division heads. Please note that this is a working document that is sure to change and grow as more input is received. Although only some project costs were provided, we continue on gathering estimates for remaining projects. Subcommittee members also identified needs to include an area for containers to be inspected by USDA to ensure snake/rat control on all outbound containers and a vehicle wash down facility. GIAA personnel are working on establishing a bonded warehouse as an integrated cargo facility, which should be in place in 2-5 years, depending on funding availability. System Needs and Processes With the expected increase in port traffic, operating procedures for processing cargo need to be fine tuned (clearing containers through Guam Customs, PAG Gatehouse, etc.) to ensure that there is no delay in delivery nor congestion in the PAG yard. Manpower/ Personnel Requirements Subcommittee members from both the local and federal governments all acknowledged that there will be a need for additional manpower from their respective agencies assigned to the port, in order to meet the increase in cargo movement. Long term issues There is concern about the possibility of overcapacity and overbuilding. Realizing that after the initial construction boom and complete establishment of the Marines on island, cargo movement will plateau. The last thing we want is for the PAG to have under utilized infrastructure and equipment. Port Authority of Guam Master Plan PAG is currently working on updating its Master Plan to include the impact of the proposed military relocation and other anticipated major developments on the Port’s infrastructure. * A third meeting is scheduled for later this month. With issues still pending, this working progress will continue to be speculative, until such time detailed information is provided by the military.

 

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