PORT OF VANCOUVER USA THIRD STOP ON SAGA FRONTIER'S MAIDEN VOYAGE (5/23/07)

For Immediate Release

VANCOUVER, Wash.-The Port of Vancouver USA will welcome the Saga Frontier, commanded by Capt. R.G. Kulur of India, on its maiden voyage on May 27, 2007.

The Port of Vancouver USA is the vessel’s third stop on the West Coast after Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif. The Saga Frontier is operated by Saga Forest Carriers of Tonsberg, Norway and represented locally by Merit Steamship Agency, Inc.

Built in Oshima, Japan, the Saga Frontier launched in April 2007, is the fifth vessel in a new “Adventure class” that consists of nine new ships to be delivered from Oshima, in the period up to 2008.

“The Port of Vancouver USA appreciates Saga's partnership and their commitment to the breakbulk cargo industry as evidenced by these new vessels now entering service” said Port of Vancouver USA Senior Director of Marketing & Operations Alastair Smith. “We’re very much looking forward to celebrating the maiden voyage, and the Saga Frontier’s first visit to Vancouver.”

The Saga Frontier is nearly 654 feet in length, weighs 46,550 deadweight tons, has 10 holds and hatches and two 42-ton gantry cranes. Saga Forest Carriers is an international shipping company specializing in the transportation of breakbulk cargoes and forest products.

The Saga Frontier will discharge cargo from Korea and China, approximately 3,400 metric tons of steel. After leaving the port, the vessel will sail to its final destination in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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The Port of Vancouver, USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

- POV -