First supplies arrive in Guam on APL’s Oceania, Coast Guard heads for NMI to reopen ports
APL’s Oceania arrived in Guam’s port early in the afternoon of April 19, delayed a day by a buoy located out of place near the harbor entrance. According to Michelle Quidachay, general manager of APL Guam and Saipan, the ship is “carrying more than 500 containers of food, essential goods and other critical supplies.”
APL's Oceania arrived April 19 at the Port of Guam, photo courtesy of APL
She told the Journal the Oceania rode out the storm “500 miles away from the typhoon.” The ship was prepped and ready to dock, Quidachay said before the typhoon hit land. “We are just waiting for the all clear from the Coast Guard and the Port of Guam.” Quidachay
APL also expressed appreciation to the Port of Guam “for its quick response in restoring operations and preparing the port to receive cargo after the storm.
In related news, three U.S Coast Guard cutters homeported in Guam will be assisting in opening ports in the Northern Mariana Islands ports of Saipan, Rota and Tinian. According to an April 19 release, a Coast Guard dive team from Hawaii is on the ground in Guam to conduct port surveys, sonar operations, and aids-to-navigation recovery across the Mariana Islands. mbj
Rear Adm. Joshua Lasky, commander of Joint Task Force-Micronesia, is well aware of the status of Guam and the islands of the Northern Mariana Islands after the storm, he told the Journal on April 16.
