The Port of Seattle joined APL Limited in an innovative partnership with Seattle schools and local governments to create "Boomerang Box", a program during the school year as a fun and informative avenue for students to learn about the world of trade and transportation.

The Boomerang Project will illustrate the two-way nature of global trade and demonstrate how the multi-billion-dollar international economy touches the lives of every family. As it moves by APL ship and rail between ports, the 40-foot container, will transport a variety of consumer goods, electronics, textiles, machinery and agricultural products.

The project affords teachers the opportunity to correlate classroom subjects with the work place. Students following the container will be able to communicate with other students in the United States and in foreign ports through the Web.

Decorating the container are 70 oversized "postage stamp" designs depicting scenes of Seattle created by local students as a greeting to young people in port cities around the Pacific Rim. The container will depart Seattle by ship on October 23.

Students will be able to follow the cargo container to Asia Pacific ports on the World Wide Web page specially created for the project. Their travel guide will have a cartoon version of the APL Eagle, who will file regular reports on the Web on the container's location and contents, the ship it is on, and the ports it is visiting.

At the touch of a key, students will be able to view a diary and maps of the container route to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Information also will be available on participating schools, curriculum assistance, trade facts, and background on the Port, APL, and local government.

The Web site address for the container is: http://www.apl.com/boomerangbox. The E-mail address for the APL Eagle is: boomerang@ccgate.apl.com.