Coast Guard continues vessel assessments as Saipan, Guam ports reopen
The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed teams to Saipan, to augment the team there and further assess 28 identified vessels affected by the storm. Five require additional follow-up; “responsible parties” initiated fuel removal operations on several vessels; one vessel that broke in half is being salvaged by a contracted firm, according to an April 27 release.
US Coast Guard fast response boat on patrol. Photo by Douglas.
The port of Guam is fully open. Saipan is open for commercial vessel traffic, with portable lighting being tested to support some nighttime operations. Tinian and Rota have vessel traffic restricted to daylight hours while pier repairs and aids to navigation restoration continue, the Coast Guard said. mbj
The Guam Solid Waste Authority discontinued its bulky waste self-haul service at the Harmon, Agat, and Malojloj residential transfer stations effective June 1, officially reverting to an appointment-only curbside collection model.
The USS George Washington left its forward-deployed port of Yakuska in Japan on May 30 for its spring deployment on patrol in the Indo-Pacific, according to media reports.
The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office indicted Paul Chen, former director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam, which serves Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, for allegedly exploiting his official position to execute multiple fraud and asset misappropriation schemes totaling more than $130,000.
A former Guam Visitors Bureau employee filed a $61.5 million federal lawsuit against the tourism agency on June 1, alleging a prolonged pattern of sexual assault, harassment, and severe institutional failures by former leadership.
