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Saipan seaport to get incinerator
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Posted on Jan 23 2006
Saipan’s seaport will soon have its own incinerator to properly dispose wastes coming from military ships and other sea vessels arriving at the port.
CPA executive director Lee Cabrera said the purchase of an incinerator for the Port of Saipan is partly funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior on a 50-50 cost sharing.
The equipment costs $372,000, according to Cabrera. The amount does not include the cost of construction.
Saipan’s seaport currently does not have its own incinerator. The CPA earlier disclosed that wastes from U.S. Navy ships and other sea vessels were being transported to the Saipan International Airport’s incinerator for proper disposal.
The airport facility, however, has been subject of a citation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sometime in May 2005, the EPA issued a citation against the CPA and ordered the ports authority to repair or replace its incinerator at the airport.
The EPA’s order came following an inspection of the facility, where inspectors found containers of hazardous waste that were left open, allowing the waste to evaporate. EPA inspectors also found hazardous waste and used oil stored in severely corroded and leaking containers.
Waste disposal operations at the airport include the burning of solid and hazardous waste from airlines, law enforcement agencies, and local businesses.
CPA’s Cabrera disclosed, though, that it has acquired a new incinerator to comply with the EPA’s requirements, adding that the new airport facility will be completed in July 2006.
