Friday, August 3, 2018

New APL Chassis Partner

By Karen Robes Meeks

American Intermodal Management (AIM) has recently announced a new partnership with APL in which AIM will provide a fleet of new technology-equipped chassis for APL’s new Eagle Express X (EXX) service.

AIM, which has assets in Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland and Seattle, said the partnership with APL allows the company to continue moving the needle on a “differentiated service model by combining high quality assets with landside visibility to deliver a new spin on chassis provisioning.”

“AIM is very excited to partner with APL in support of their new EXX product,” said AIM’s Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel Seeds. “We believe AIM’s intelligent chassis will be vital component to APL’s EXX premier service capability.”

Eco-Friendly Pilings for Hueneme

By Karen Robes Meeks

Slated to start this summer, a new harbor deepening project at the Port of Hueneme will be built with eco-friendly, non-chemically treated pilings manufactured by Bedford Technology.

Jesse W. Hooge, director of Sales Training & Multi-X Sales at Bedford Technology, said the company’s products are engineered from recycled plastic into “a sustainable building material that is built for generations to come.”

“This project alone will divert over 1.5 million pounds of HDPE plastic out of the landfill and help support the Port of Hueneme’s environmental and sustainability initiatives,” Hooge added.

“These new eco-friendly pilings will help support and reinforce the Port’s South Terminal as the Harbor is dredged from 35 feet to 40 feet deep over the next several months”, said Oxnard Harbor District President Mary Anne Rooney. “The deepening project will allow our existing customers to load their ships with more cargo, thus increasing efficiency and reducing air emissions all while creating more family sustaining jobs for our local community; 563 jobs to be specific.”

Port of LA Technology Contest

By Karen Robes Meeks

The Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Antwerp in Belgium will host this fall an international “Hackathon”, a technology contest formed under the chainPORT initiative.

Launched in 2015, chainPORT was established by a dozen ports to link ports digitally all over the world, discuss the best ways to handle the biggest container vessels and make the maritime supply chain more efficient.

“Ports must continue to incorporate the latest and most promising technologies in order to remain competitive in today’s dynamic global supply chain environment,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. “The Port of Los Angeles is pleased to host a Hackathon for the third consecutive year and we look forward to seeing the ideas that emerge from this unique and unconventional approach to technology development.”

The competition, slated for October 11-13, 2018, will run simultaneously in both cities and include participants from around the world.

The Hackathon in Los Angeles will take place at the USC Marshall Center for Global Supply Chain Management. Industry professionals, students and coaches are invited to take part.

Visit www.chainporthack.com or email info@chainporthack.com for more details.

Dole, San Diego Promote “Sustainable” Equipment

By Karen Robes Meeks

The Port of San Diego and the San Diego Port Tenants Association recently celebrated the arrival of Dole Fresh Fruit’s new sustainable-freight vehicles. Their electric-powered semi-trucks and forklifts are coming online at the port’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.

“The San Diego region is known worldwide for its innovation and the Port of San Diego is demonstrating leadership in the maritime industrial sector with these sustainable-freight vehicles,” said San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “I want to thank and recognize the San Diego Port Tenants Association for its teamwork in securing this important grant funding to assist five local businesses in operating cleaner and greener.”

The vehicles were funded through a $5.9 million California Energy Commission grant given to the San Diego Port Tenants Association.

“The Port of San Diego is a champion of the environment and we work closely with the California Energy Commission and our partner businesses to make their operations sustainable through cutting-edge technology like these sustainable-freight vehicles,” said Port Chairman Rafael Castellanos. “I am especially proud of the San Diego Port Tenants Association’s work to ensure that our tenants benefit from state funding for innovative projects. These businesses are good corporate citizens and forces for environmental change.”

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

New Long Beach Commission President

By Karen Robes Meeks

Attorney Tracy Egoscue is the new president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, the five-member board that governs the Port of Long Beach.

“I am honored to be afforded this opportunity by my fellow Commissioners,” Egoscue said. “I look forward to working with each individually as well as collectively as we pursue what is best for the Port and the City of Long Beach.”

Egoscue, who owns Long Beach environmental law firm the Egoscue Law Group Inc., previously served as a California Deputy Attorney General. Mayor Robert Garcia appointed her to the board in 2014; last year, she served as board vice president.

The commission also selected former state lawmaker Bonnie Lowenthal as board vice president and real estate business owner Frank Colonna as board secretary. Both are former Long Beach City Council members.

Los Angeles to Welcome Norwegian Joy

By Karen Robes Meeks

Next winter, the Port of Los Angeles will be welcoming Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Joy, a nearly 4,000-passenger vessel that will be cruising the Mexican Riviera and Panama Canal markets.

The Norwegian Joy, which was built last year, is expected to receive $50 million worth of enhancement work before it comes to Los Angeles, where it will be able to plug into electrical shore power, according to the port.

“We’re extremely pleased that Norwegian Joy will be calling at the Los Angeles World Cruise Center,” said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “This newly enhanced, world-class vessel will be extremely popular as the Mexican Riviera and the Panama Canal re-emerge as premier cruise destinations. It will also offer a great new convenient departure option for Southern California.”

Vancouver USA to Hold Strategic Plan Workshops

By Karen Robes Meeks

The Port of Vancouver USA will host a special workshop on August 2 to examine the draft goals of the revamped strategic plan.

The port commissioners, which have hosted a series of workshops since launching the update process last October, plan to review public comments, talk about the strategies created based upon community and port staff input, and see a draft outline of the final plan.

The final proposal is expected to be presented to the board on August 14 and the commission could adopt the final plan on September 11.

The upcoming workshop begins at 1:30 p.m. at the port’s administrative offices, 3103 Northwest Lower River Road, Vancouver. Visit www.portvanusa.com/key-projects/strategic-plan for more details. There will be no public forum for comments during the meeting. Interested parties can weigh in by emailing communityfeedback@portvanusa.com and submitting written comments to 3103 Northwest Lower River Road, Vancouver, WA 98660.

Olympia Celebrates Five Years with Sister Marina

By Karen Robes Meeks

Port of Olympia’s Swantown Marina & Boatworks and Shin-Nishinomiya Yacht Harbor Hyogo, Prefecture, Japan, recently commemorated the fifth anniversary of their “Sister Marina” relationship, a bond created in 2013 to celebrate the 50th milestone of Hyogo, Prefecture, Japan and Washington being sister states.

Port Commissioner Bill McGregor and staff were joined by Shin-Nishinomiya Yacht Harbor President Shoji Sakai and Chief Manager Toshihiro Kuroki to mark the occasion. A tour of the marina and a lunch preceded a signing ceremony at the Capitol to commemorate the 55th Sister State anniversary.

“We are reaffirming our agreement to exchange information on the development of our marina services and operations, and share knowledge and activities on environmental stewardship, and at the heart of this agreement is our cultural exchange to promote mutual understanding and further relations between the citizens of Japan and the United States,” McGregor said.