Fleet Week began on May 21st as over 4,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen as well as Canadian military guests arrived in New York during the “Parade of Ships” which serves as the kickoff to the week long celebration.  The vessels docked at Pier 88 and Pier 92 in NYC as well as Stapleton Pier in Staten Island where they remained until the conclusion of Fleet Week on May 28th.

While in New York, the military personnel showed off their ships, participated in Memorial Day parades and local community events, as well as experienced the hospitality of the city.  Civilians had the opportunity to board the ships and take guided tours to learn about the capabilities, history and individual characteristics of each vessel.  There were also be a number of exhibits, demonstrations, and other events to teach people about our sea services as well as honor and show support for the men and women of the military.

While afloat, the ships are self contained and operate with the utmost care for the environment.  They boast a complete suite of waste processing equipment designed to handle the high volume of waste produced by those onboard during their voyage.  While docked, however, the Navy needed the services of both Russell Reid and Mr. John to handle the waste generated on and off the ships during the week long activities in and around the piers.  A trifecta of services was utilized which included Russell Reid wastewater services, roll off containers as well as Mr. John temporary restrooms. 
 
Russell Reid and Mr. John have had the privilege of serving the Fleet Week event for many years.  For the 2008 event, Russell Reid provided several trucks per day running loads of wastewater off four ships docked at Pier 88 and 92. The trucks utilized lengths of hose to pump the wastewater from the ships to each vehicle’s 5,000 gallon tank.  The material was then transported to a disposal facility. One 5,000 gallon vehicle remained on site on each pier during the night to cover any emergency situations.  Also deployed to NYC were three 30 yard roll off containers which yielded six loads of solid waste debris that was transported to an approved facility. At Stapleton Pier in Staten Island, Russell Reid used a series of hose to off-load the wastewater from four ships directly in to the MUA sanitary sewer lines.  In addition, three 30 yard roll off containers were used to dispose of nine loads of debris from that location.

To handle the crowds of visitors who came to admire the ships and enjoy the festivities, Mr. John provided twenty Standard temporary restrooms in and around both NYC and Staten Island pier areas, as well as four ADA approved / wheelchair accessible units.  The restrooms were serviced on a daily basis during the early morning hours to avoid any disruption in the day’s events.  

Once again, the event was a success thanks in part to Russell Reid and Mr. John, working behind the scenes. Said Fred Farina, Key Account Manager for Russell Reid, “as usual, the week went by without a hitch.  Our pre-planning and project management ensures a successful outcome for any large project such as this. I’m looking forward to working with Fleet Week again next year!”