Friday, February 19, 2021

California Port Leaders Convened Virtually
with Lawmakers

In honor of Ports Day 2021, California port directors and lawmakers recently gathered for a virtual event centered around the theme of “Resilience in Action” and included discussions of the ports’ vital role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic hit, California ports stepped up to meet the moment,” said Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, whose district encompasses the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. “Our state has relied on our ports to minimize disruptions to the supply chain, ease distribution of PPE, serve as vital hubs for testing, and now our ports are helping distribute vaccines to those who need it most.”

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, who also serves as president of the California Association of Port Authorities (an organization representing the state’s 11 public port authorities), urged lawmakers to look to ports as partners.

“California ports were resourceful and resilient through a turbulent 2020,” he said. “Now, as we look to the future, we hope the state will embrace its ports as true partners. As California addresses the great challenges of our time – pandemic response, climate change, trade competitiveness, and equitable job creation – we bring specific solutions to support our state’s recovery and resurgence.”

Phase 1 of Terminal 5 Project Set to Finish End of 2021

The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s Terminal 5 Modernization Project is expected to finish the first phase of the project by the end of 2021, with an anticipated opening in the first quarter of 2022, it was announced.

The original target date for completion was set for the second quarter of this year for the project, which is expected to expand the seaport complex’s ability to handle cargo.

“This facility will allow our region to remain globally competitive and grow our local economy,” the NWSA said. “Due to the complex nature of this large infrastructure construction combined with unforeseen circumstances, this project is now seeing schedule impacts.”

Port officials are expected to give a comprehensive update on the project at 11:30 a.m. on March 2 at the Managing Members meeting.

“This project remains a top priority and alongside our tenant, SSAT, we are committed to delivering the modernized Terminal 5 facility as soon as possible,” the NWSA added. “We continue to believe this project is critical to maintaining economic and industrial diversity in our region and living wage jobs that are key to building an equitable and resilient economy.”

Puget Sound Area Scholarship Applications Due March 1

The Puget Sound area high school seniors have until 5 p.m. on March 1 to apply for the annual Norm Manly Scholarship conducted by the Youth Maritime Training Association.

The YMTA, which has been a mainstay at Western Washington high school career fairs, will award scholarships to graduating high school seniors planning to attend a maritime school, which include 4-year programs and community-based courses.

Scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000 and will be given to students living in Washington State. Applicants should visit YMTA.net for more about the scholarship and access application forms.

For questions, reach out to Director Alicia Barnes at admin@pugetmaritime.org.

USCG Cutter Hickory Makes Emergency Water Deliveries to Alaska

When Angoon, Alaska, residents were dealing with waterline failures, crew members of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hickory came to their aid with four pallets of water to the remote community of 400 residents Sunday evening.

Crew members of the 225-foot sea-going buoy tender based in Homer, Alaska, loaded and delivered close to 7,000 bottles of water after Coast Guard District 17 Command Center got a call from the Alaska Emergency Operations Center for help on the water delivery. About one-third of Angoon was without water, while the remaining residents had to boil water before consuming it, the USCG said.

“There was no water available at the local store and commercial services are not available to deliver water until late next week,” the agency said. “The waterline failures are expected to last for a couple of weeks.”

Besides the pallet delivery, the crew also had about 8,000 gallons of potable water on the vessel that could be given to residents if necessary, the agency said.

Jensen Maritime integrates with Crowley

After joining Crowley as a subsidiary in 2008, Seattle-based Jensen Maritime has fully integrated into Crowley Engineering Services group, it was announced Feb. 19.

Jensen’s marine engineering and naval architectural know-how pairs well with Crowley’s wide-ranging portfolio and extensive track record of engineering, project management and marine operations.

This new group creates “a stronger, singular source for customers seeking high-level design expertise drawing on Crowley’s overall knowledge of management and operations of vessels, including tugboats, tanks vessels such as articulated tug-barges, and other commercial and government vessels,” the company said.

“This exciting transformation reflects the evolution of Crowley’s capabilities as (a) single source for engineering and design,” said Matt Yacavone, senior vice president and general manager of Crowley Shipping. “The new group fits our strategic vision for growth by better connecting naval architecture and marine engineering customers with the full suite of Crowley’s experience and knowledge from ship assist tugs to emerging and traditional offshore energy services.”

Ray Martus, vice president of Crowley Engineering Services, added that the “transformative change will best take advantage of our teams’ knowledge and potential to lead more growth for Crowley and more value for customers.”

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

New CMA CGM Service Begins at Port of Oakland

CMA CGM vessel AFRICA FOUR arrived at the Port of Oakland last Friday, kicking off its new direct vessel service connecting China and Oakland. Oakland will be its first U.S. stop in the company’s weekly Golden Gate Bridge service, which encompasses the ports of Shanghai, Yantian and Kaohsiung in China to Oakland, according to the port. The vessels – which will carry anywhere between 5,000 to 6,000 TEUs – will also stop in Seattle before heading back to China.

“The CMA CGM Group is pleased to introduce this Golden Gate Bridge service as we seek new ways to provide our customers with differentiated services, fast transit times and efficient access to their inland destinations,” said Ed Aldridge, President of CMA CGM America and APL North America. “We look forward to working closely with the Port of Oakland to help customers increase their speed to market and infuse more consistency into their supply chains.”

This is the first time in over a decade that the Northern California port has offered “a first-call service to U.S. importers,” which will mean more containers and rail cargo from Oakland, the port said.

This new service comes as e-commerce continues to grow in the U.S.

“This opens up so many possibilities,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes. “Our customers can significantly improve the transit time for getting their products to consumers with a first-call and also use Oakland to reach the U.S. interior through our rail connections.”

USCG Cutter Polar Star to Wrap Up Arctic Deployment

Crew members of the Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star will soon wrap up a months-long deployment in the Arctic, where members have been assisting scientific researchers and providing security and maritime law enforcement in the polar region.

Cutter Polar Star accompanied scientists and researchers to help better understand the arctic through a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of Washington, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the USCG said.

“The Arctic is cold, dark, and difficult to navigate in the winter,” said Capt. Bill Woityra, the Polar Star's commanding officer. “Deploying with researchers and scientists aboard has aided in the development, understanding and pursuit of technologies that will mitigate risks and enable future mission performance so that looking forward, the Coast Guard can safely operate continually and effectively in this remote environment.”

The Polar Star has allowed experts to study ice and water flow in the area and test out technology. For example, the Mobile User Objective System – an ultra-high frequency satellite communications system created by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Navy – was placed on Polar Star to test out the device at high latitudes during the difficult Arctic winter. The system is designed to offer secure connections for mobile forces. “Looking towards the future, all signs point toward the Coast Guard deploying more platforms to the Arctic, more often and during different seasons of the year,” said Woityra. “The Coast Guard is robustly proficient at summer-time Arctic operations, while winter presents an entirely new set of challenges. Polar Star's winter Arctic deployment has served to better understand and prepare for the challenges of operating in such a harsh and unforgiving environment.”

Port of Long Beach to Co-sponsor Food Drive

The Port of Long Beach, Labor Community Services and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank are co-sponsoring a drive-through food drive for Harbor District residents impacted by the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event - which is expected to feed about 2,000 families with up to 50 pounds of groceries per family - will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 1650 W. Ninth St. in West Long Beach. Families are encouraged to arrive early, wear masks and stay in their cars while volunteers put groceries in their trunks. No walk-ups will be allowed.

“Too many families within our community are struggling to put food on the table as the COVID-19 pandemic continues with unprecedented effects,” said Port Executive Director Mario Cordero.

“We hope this event will help to bridge the gap and we look forward to working with our labor, industry and community partners by assisting in any way we can.”

Visit LAFoodBank.org or lcs-la.org for more on the event or how to donate

Maritime Agencies Responded to Bomb Threat

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Juneau Police Department and Alaska Marine Highway System answered a reported bomb threat Wednesday morning aboard a ferry set to leave Juneau, Alaska.

Coast Guard Sector Juneau fielded the call from the captain of motor vessel LeConte, who reported the threat. The police caught the suspect who “reportedly drove a vehicle onto the ferry and made the threats,” according to USCG.

The agencies worked together to make sure passengers were safe and service was restored. The Coast Guard created a 1,000-yard safety perimeter around the ferry terminal to protect boaters while a security sweep of the ferry was done. No credible threats were found.

“Our crews train to respond to a variety of situations and take all threats very seriously,” said Capt. Stephen White, commander of Coast Guard Sector Juneau. “This incident highlights the importance of maintaining, exercising, and following security plans. The actions taken by AMHS personnel enabled a prompt response by JPD and the Coast Guard.”