The Port Authority of Guam confirmed the latest two cruise ships to visit the Mariana Islands. They are the MS Asuka III making its maiden voyage to Guam on Dec. 30 and to Saipan on Dec. 31 and the Mitsui Ocean Fuji which is due to visit Saipan on Dec. 30 and Guam on Dec. 31,
MS Asuka III. Photo courtesy Mitsubishi
The Asuka can accommodate between 740 to 770 passengers and the Mitsui Ocean can accommodate between 458 to 540 passengers, according to the two cruise lines.
In related news, Matson Navigation Co.’s latest vessel is a new barge, the Oceania, with a gross tonnage of 5,552 metric tons. The Oceania is ready to serve transshipment needs in the islands. mbj
West Virginia Attorney General John B. “JB” McCuskey is leading a coalition of 21 state AGs asking the Supreme Court of the United States to protect the right of states to manage their own environmental permitting.
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.
