The Port of Newport could have a major new tenant early in 2006 with the arrival of Bay Bridge Enterprises LLC., a marine salvage recycler based in Chesapeake, Virginia.

According to the November 18 story by Gail Kimberling of the News-Times, the Port of Newport would lease Port facilities at the Port's International Terminal, which is less than a mile east of the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

The Adani website lists the chain of conglomerates and offshore entities that owns Bay Bridge:

• Bay Bridge Enterprises, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Virginia Inc., USA.
  
• Adani Virginia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Global FZE, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
  
• Adani Global FZE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Global Limited, Mauritius
  
• Adani Global Limited is owned by Adani Exports Limited, the flagship company of The Adani Group, in Ahmedabad, India.

At the December 6th Public Forum, the Port distributed a "Bay Bridge Project Site Drawing." We have converted it to Acrobat format so you can download and enlarge it to view details.

The Portland Oregonian has published related articles, the first by Peter Sleeth on December 4, 2005, "Newport's dilemma: good jobs vs. big risks". There was also an excellent editorial "Slow down the 'Ghost Fleet'" on December 11.

For a 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles in the Baltimore Sun describing the U.S. shipbreaking industry, its apologists, and its victims, click here.

Newport resident Range Bayer has prepared an extensive, well-researched and objective collection of online references. He has included a long list of questions the project poses for Newport citizens, and answered most of them. Anyone concerned about this project should read his page.

The Association of Northwest Steelheaders is opposed to the project; they have prepared a long list of related media stories.

According to the Port's current Contact Information page, you can contact Don Mann, the Port's General Manager, at (541) 265-7758 or at his email address portman@portofnewport.com.