Friday, March 9, 2018

Long Beach Cargo Program

By Karen Robes Meeks

The Port of Long Beach and GE Transportation are teaming up on a two-to-three-month pilot program aimed at improving cargo flow at the nation’s second busiest seaport, port officials announced this week.

The Port Optimizer data-driven digital solution will be launched at marine terminals such as Total Terminals International and Long Beach Container Terminal.

“We experienced record volumes last year, with an 11 percent increase to 7.54 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), making 2017 our busiest year ever,” said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach. “This partnership with GE is providing an important trial for us as cargo and competition grow. We need new and innovative ways to ensure our customers can move their containers from water to land quickly, reliably and at a cost that makes sense for their business.”

The pilot brings tremendous opportunity for the San Pedro Bay ports customers and supply chain partners, said Laurie Tolson, Chief Digital Officer for GE Transportation.

“With container volumes on the rise, the world’s ports are moving more cargo than ever, making the need for operations optimization even more critical,” she explained. “A uniform, common user portal, like our Port Optimizer solution, will enable stakeholders to make scheduling, planning and payment decisions prior to cargo arrival, as well as reduce delays during each handoff between nodes in the supply chain.”

Oversize Boeing Cargo Arrives in Everett

By Karen Robes Meeks

The first oversized containers carrying parts for the new Boeing Co.’s 777X arrived at the Port of Everett on Tuesday night. The parts were offloaded at Pier 1 using a mobile harbor crane capable of handling heavier, larger aerospace containers coming to the port.

This speaks to recent investments made by the port, which last month awarded nearly $25 million in construction contracts for Phase 2 of its South Terminal Modernization project, the port’s largest capital project to date.

“I find it fitting that as we celebrate the Port of Everett’s centennial year in 2018, we continue to be forward thinking, preparing the port’s infrastructure to carry us into our next 100 years,” said Glen Bachman, president of the port commission. “Completing critical infrastructure upgrades like this will better position the Port and its facilities to handle the larger vessels now calling Everett and accommodate the next generation of over-dimensional cargo on the horizon, including aerospace parts for the new 777X, which began arriving in the port this week.”

New Drayage Network

By Karen Robes Meeks

E*DRAY, a tech-based platform aimed at making drayage operations at terminals and container yards more efficient, is rolling out in North American markets after a year of planning and market testing, and another nine months of technology development, the company announced Monday.

E*DRAY has heightened its presence with Seattle/Tacoma and is operating live. Several other customers have been secured in Los Angeles/Long Beach and a local team is expected to begin operations by the end of this month, according to the company.

“The Port of Los Angeles is supportive of programs like E*DRAY to help cargo velocity through our gateway,” said Los Angeles Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “With our GE Transportation initiative underway, E*DRAY stands to both strengthen and complement what we are bringing to the port community.”

The Northwest Seaport Alliance, which consists of the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, was the first port to partner with E*DRAY, said John Wolfe, CEO of Northwest Seaport Alliance.

“Their innovation, technology and team have a new approach to increasing velocity through our gateway, which is needed across the country,” he said. “We're excited to work with them and help this become a new standard for those that embrace their solution.”

LA Waterfront Town Hall

By Karen Robes Meeks

Find out more about the latest Los Angeles waterfront developments and initiatives at the LA Waterfront Town Hall will take place on March 20.

The storied waterfront will be seeing a lot of community enhancing projects in the coming years, including this year’s construction of the $52.7 million Wilmington Waterfront Promenade, the beginning of the 2019 $23.8 million Avalon Promenade and Gateway Project and the transformation of Ports O' Call Village into San Pedro Public Market.

The market, which construction is expected to start later this year, is slated to open in 2021 as a destination with restaurants, retail and office uses and a waterfront promenade with outdoor space, and an open-air amphitheater for live entertainment.

The event will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Warner Grand Theatre, 478 West 6th St. in San Pedro. Visit www.lawaterfront.org for more details.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Shipping Companies Lauded

By Karen Robes Meeks

Eleven shipping companies have been recognized by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation for their efforts to reduce vessel speeds to less than 12 knots, a measure that curbs air emissions and improves whale safety.

Honorees, who were feted at Banning’s Landing Community Center near the Port of Los Angeles, included CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hamburg Sud, Hapag Lloyd, Hyundai, K Line, Maersk, Matson, MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), NYK (Nippon Yusen Kaisha) Ro/Ro Division, and Yang Ming.

"Our national marine sanctuaries provide opportunities to build innovative partnerships for on-the-water conservation that protect rare species and the places they call home," said Kris Sarri, president and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. "The voluntary vessel speed reduction program is one example of how we can create a win-win for conservation and the health of coastal communities by engaging shipping companies in reducing whale mortality from ship strikes and improving air quality for children while maintaining commerce."

The voluntary program, which took place from July 1 to November 15, included first-time zones in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Santa Barbara Channel region.

"The expansion of the vessel speed reduction program in 2017 demonstrates that ocean commerce and ocean conservation can work together when the shipping industry, NGOs, and government are in partnership," said Chris Mobley, superintendent, NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

Port Pulse

By Karen Robes Meeks

A panel of industry experts are expected to share their local, regional, national and global predictions at the 14th annual Pulse of the Ports Peak Season Forecast on March 28 in Long Beach, California.

The event will take place from 7:30 to 11 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. Parking at the Convention Center is complimentary and the event and breakfast are also free. Visit www.polb.com/pulsersvp to reserve a seat.

Those unable to attend can view the live webcast starting at 9 a.m. by logging into www.polb.com/pulseports.

For more information visit www.polb.com/pulseports.

Bellingham Industrial Art

By Karen Robes Meeks

Waypoint Park, a waterfront park along Whatcom Waterway in Bellingham, Washington, will receive a new display representing the area’s industrial roots. The public art display comes from Georgia-Pacific’s former pulp and paper mill.

Built in 1938, the 40-foot-tall “acid ball” was used as part of the former mill’s pressure relief system in which wood chips under pressure in sulphurous acid were turned into pulp, according to the Port of Bellingham. The port donated the artifact, to the city as a way to honor its industrial history on the downtown waterfront.

The more than 400,000-pound display, which will be covered with luminescent glass beads and enhanced with LED lighting. It will become a prominent feature of the Waypoint Park, which is set to open in May. The park will feature a beach, waterfront trail and a playground.

Coos Bay Dredging Completed

By Karen Robes Meeks

With the help of the state’s dredging machine The Laura, the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay recently wrapped up dredging work at the Port of Garibaldi with the removal of 32,000 cubic yards of material from its boat launch and marina.

The dredging was necessary for Garibaldi, which saw ships “sitting on bottom at low tide, preventing them from getting underway when the tide was out,” according to the Port of Coos Bay, which stationed six of its staff members in the area to work with Garibaldi port staff.

The Port of Coos Bay operates The Laura on behalf of the state, which purchased the Ellicot-360SL swing ladder suction dredge in 2015 to meet essential dredging needs at Oregon ports.

Coos Bay also operates the state-acquired Ms. SoCo, a 30-foot twin outboard vessel equipped with a one-ton crane that serves as tender to The Laura.