Marad removes another ship from James River Fleet

Marad removes another ship from James River Fleet    The U.S. Maritime Administration has removed the fifth ship from the James River Fleet since September, sending the 1967-vintage cargo ship 'Santa Elena' to be dismantled at the International Shipbreaking Ltd. facility in Brownsville, Texas.
   MarAd, which maintains the James River Reserve Fleet, is implementing an aggressive plan to remove high-priority vessels. In addition to the contract with ISL, MarAd has awarded contracts removing 23 ships from the James River fleet, with total contract value of $22.5 million.
   'The responsible disposal of obsolete ships is a high priority for the Department of Defense,' said Norman Y. Mineta, Transportation Secretary.
      MarAd has a Sept. 30, 2006 deadline to dispose of the obsolete ships.