Army to test movement of commercial explosives from N.C. installation
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SOUTHPORT, N.C. -- Under a pilot program, the U.S. Army will begin allowing the commercial movement of explosives from an Atlantic Coast installation.
Shipments of commercial explosives from the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, near Southport, N.C., could begin in the near future.
Shippers using the facility would be required to pay the Army premium commercial shipping rates.
"This is a win-win agreement," said Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Privratsky, commander, Military Traffic Management Command.
"The American taxpayer is also the winner," said Privratsky.
"Commercial explosives may be moved safely from a fully certified and safe facility and the Army will recoup some of its terminal operating costs -- our terminal operators get valuable training opportunities to boot."
Additionally, the pilot should promote safety issues, he said.
"In a typical example, a member of the explosives industry might be forced to import its materials through Nova Scotia, Canada," said Privratsky. "All this material has to travel by truck to get to its intended destination.
"Overall, this program has the potential to significantly reduce the transportation of explosives through the nation's congested Northeast Corridor."
In the event of a safety/foreign relations issue or national emergency, MTMC's commanding general will have full authority to suspend or terminate commercial operations at Sunny Point.
Because shipment of explosives through commercial ports is severely limited, no commercial American ports are impacted by this initiative.
The Sunny Point facility is operated by the 597th Transportation Terminal Group, a unit of MTMC's Deployment Support Command, on a 16,000-acre, Army-owned site near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. The facility, opened in 1955, is the key ammunition shipping point on the Atlantic Coast for the Department of Defense.
Under the two-year authority, approved April 5 by Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera, commercial firms using the port would use the same MTMC employees and stevedores who support the approximately 60 ships annually who call on Sunny Point.
Firms interested in shipping commercial explosives should submit a request to the Deployment Support Command, ATTN: MTDC-OPS, 663 Sheppard Place, Fort Eustis, VA 23604-5000. Import permits and export authorizations, licensing, indemnity agreements and insurance will be addressed in a standardized application for shipment.
Points of contact for those interested in the program include Bob Friedman and Pat Starita at (757) 878-8600, or (757) 878-8543, the Deployment Support Command's Terminal Operations Division. (FROM MILITARY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
Office of Public Affairs - transcom-pa@mail.mil
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