Friday, April 9, 2021

Could the Queen Mary Wind Up in the Port of Long Beach’s Hands?

The Long Beach City Council moved forward this week on a plan to possibly transfer control of the land that encompasses the iconic but financially beleaguered Queen Mary to the Long Beach Harbor Commission, which governs the Port of Long Beach.

The Council on Tuesday directed city staff members to return in 60 days with a report proposing how the transfer of Pier H could happen.

“I believe our Harbor Department is well-equipped and experienced to handle leases and development” of the pier, said City Councilwoman Cindy Allen, whose 2nd District includes the Queen Mary.

She added that she trusts the locally appointed harbor commissioners to look out for the best interests of the community.

The Harbor Department previously controlled the land until 1992, when the city took hold of the property to develop it as a tourist destination. But over the years, development plans have been stunted by ongoing costs and various changes in lease management.

The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, which represents various maritime stakeholders along the West Coast, has come out against the move, citing the Queen Mary as a financial burden to port finances.

“The Port of Long Beach is facing billions (of dollars) in infrastructure costs going forward from the Pier B rail yard along with installing the infrastructure necessary to support the transition to zero emissions under both port and state policy directives,” PMSA President John McLaurin wrote in a letter to city leaders. “If the Queen Mary needed $289 million in repairs six years ago, we assume that figure is much higher today.”

The Council is expected to revisit the matter in June.

Port of Vancouver USA Approves Terminal 1 Lease Agreement

Plans to develop a mixed-use project at Terminal 1 at the Port of Vancouver USA moved forward on Tuesday when the port’s Board of Commissioners approved a ground lease agreement with Boz Port of Vancouver Owner LLC, a joint partnership of Lincoln Property Co. and Bridge Investment Group.

The agreement calls for a 50-year ground lease for Blocks A and C, and two extension options for Terminal 1, a mixed-use project to be developed on 10 acres along the Columbia River that could feature residential, retail, office and parking.

“This is a significant step in the development of Terminal 1,” said Port CEO Julianna Marler. “The approval of this lease moves the entire Terminal 1 project forward and demonstrates that the port is committed to creating a beautiful and thriving development.”

The project, which is expected to start in the fall and be completed by early 2024, may feature various modern and sustainable design elements, such as a Harbor Steps-inspired outdoor staircase, landscaping with native plants and elevated communal outdoor spaces to take advantage of the views of the Columbia River, according to the port.

“In addition to boosting jobs and economic development in Vancouver, this project will be built to minimize its environmental footprint with a LEED Gold-level design,” Patrick Gilligan, Executive Vice President with Lincoln Property Co. explained.

Meanwhile, other work at the Terminal 1 waterfront development is already taking place with the Spring 2022 opening of the AC Marriott Hotel and the late 2021 completion of the Vancouver Landing walkway project.

More information is available at www.discoverterminal1.com.

USCG Cutter Alert Returns to Astoria

After 63 days conducting counter-drug patrols in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alert returned to their Astoria, Ore. homeport on Wednesday.

During their deployment, the crew partnered with various Coast Guard and Mexican law enforcement members to prevent over 2,100 pounds of cocaine worth over $41 million from coming into the U.S., the agency said.

The Alert’s crew members went after a suspected smuggling vessel until it ran out of fuel. The matter was moved to Mexican law enforcement officials from the Secretaría de Marina and resulted in arrests and the seizure of 1,600 pounds of illegal narcotics.

Crew members also pursued another suspected smuggling vessel and intercepted about 550 pounds of cocaine and arrested six suspected narco-traffickers. They transferred both to the Department of Justice before continuing on to their deployment.

“Once again, the crew of Alert was able to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and equipment failures on a 50-year-old ship to execute a wide range of Coast Guard missions from the US-Canada Border to the Mexico-Guatemala border over a two-month period,” said Cmdr. Tyson Scofield, Alert’s commanding officer. “Overall, Coast Guard cutter Alert successfully completed a variety of operations through the combined effort of every member of the crew.”

NMC to Use Email as Main Form of Communication to Training Providers

Starting May 10, email will be the National Maritime Center’s primary way of relaying information pertaining to courses and programs to training providers, the NMC announced Thursday.

Training providers must make sure that their email and other contact information is updated with the NMC. They can send that information to NMCCourses@uscg.mil. The NMC has said that it will keep mailing correspondence if an email address is not on file, but that it won’t be able to offer the same service for Designated Examiner and Qualified Assessor communications because of Privacy Act concerns.

E-mailed correspondence will come from NMCCourses@uscg.mil. Make sure spam/junk mail filters are set. Documents traditionally sent as hard copies - including course approval certificates - will now arrive as Adobe PDF files.

“We recommend that every training provider take advantage of the electronic course completion and curriculum upload application in Homeport,” U.S. Coast Guard Commanding Officer Capt. Kirsten R. Martin said in the announcement. “Using the tool to upload course completions streamlines mariner application processing and reduces the opportunity for fraud. The tool also allows training providers to upload large curriculum files, preventing the need to send multiple e-mails.”

Information on getting a Homeport account is available at: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/NMC/pdfs/training/how_to_obtain_a_homeport_account.pdf.

For more information, email NMCCourses@uscg.mil.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

YM Target Makes 1st North American Call

In its first visit to North America, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp’s latest 11,000 TEU-vessel recently called at Terminal 18 in the Seattle Harbor, the Northwest Seaport Alliance announced.

One of the company’s new T-class level ships, the 1,089-foot-long, 175-foot-wide YM Target is part of THE Alliance’s PN3 service, which gives shippers direct and expedited links to and from Asia, with stops in Hong Kong, Yantian, Shanghai, Busan, Vancouver, Seattle and Kaohsiung.

The vessel has a capacity of 12,690 TEUs and features 1,000 reefer plugs.

“The Taiwan-based carrier has commissioned new vessels to enhance its global fleet and service network, in addition to addressing environmental and safety regulations,” according to NWSA, adding that a pair of T-class vessels are already working in THE Alliance’s PN2 route serving Southeast Asia and Yantian and calls the Tacoma Harbor.

Waterfront Workers Lauded on Western Hemisphere Ports Day

On Monday, West Coast ports saluted waterfront workers and maritime industry employees in honor of Western Hemisphere Ports Day, which this year was themed “Celebrating Our Workforce.”

“I am proud to announce the sixth annual Western Hemisphere Ports Day in celebration of our vital port workforce all across the Western Hemisphere,” said Christopher J. Connor, president and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities. “These frontline heroes have often gone underappreciated, yet throughout the pandemic worked tirelessly to ensure the delivery of goods to grocery stores, businesses, and medical care facilities in our communities, at major personal risk.”

The AAPA encouraged others to pay homage to those who move essential goods throughout the Americas and their role in powering the economy, especially in a pandemic. In 2018, international trade handled at ports in the Western Hemisphere accounted for close to 4.2 billion metric tons in volume and $3.7 trillion in value, according to IHS Markit’s GTA Forecasting.

Camas-Washougal Port, City Approve Waterfront Development Plan

Port of Camas-Washougal commissioners and the Washougal City Council have approved a master lease and development agreement with Portland-based RKm Development for the Waterfront at Parkers Landing project.

The votes, which took place in late March, were a big step forward for the port, which is hoping to begin construction late next summer, according to port CEO David Ripp.

The port has said that it selected RKm Development in 2019 for its reputation on mixed-use development projects in the Portland metropolitan region. The port envisions the waterfront project as “a multi-faceted public epicenter, with design and programmatic elements that will not only boost the local economic engine, but also amplify the unique amenities of the site to attract visitors, customers and users from around the region,” according to the port in 2019.

City Councilwoman Michelle Wagner cast the lone vote against the project, objecting to the agreement’s proposed maximum building height of 80 feet, higher than the city’s building code limit of 75 feet for structure heights.

Port of Coos Bay Extends Scholarship Application Deadline

Students within the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay district will have an extended opportunity to apply for a port scholarship.

Seeing that the last 12 months have been “a trying period” for students nationally, the port has pushed the application deadline to May 1 to give students more time to be considered for its third annual scholarship program.

“The port sees great value in investing in our youth and growing our workforce locally,” explained port CEO John Burns. “It is an essential component to cultivate our community and create opportunities to grow and thrive. As we look to the future of this community, it’s important to encourage our young people to pursue successful careers and return to the area.”

Graduating high school seniors within the port district are eligible, with special consideration given to those pursuing education in “trades or skills related to the maritime, rail, or trade and logistics industries.” A student’s academic achievement, extracurricular involvement and “alignment with the port’s mission to promote the sustainable economic development of southwestern Oregon and the State” will also be considered, according to the port.

More information is available at https://www.portofcoosbay.com/community-giving.

A New Beginning

By Mark Nero, Managing Editor

Dear Readers,

As you may know if you read last month’s editorial by publisher Dave Abrams, I’m the new managing editor for Pacific Maritime Magazine Online and its sister publication, Pacific Maritime Magazine.

To longtime readers of this site and the print edition associated with it, my name may be familiar. I wrote the content for the PMM Online newsletter for about six years, until the current writer, Karen Meeks, took over in 2017.

I also worked for the print edition of Pacific Maritime for a number of years as it’s California Editor.

Now, as the managing editor, I have some exciting news to share: the print edition of PMM is returning, and relatively soon. In early May, those who subscribed to the magazine before it went on hiatus will see a new issue arrive at their homes and/or workplaces. Among the content scheduled for the issue is: a roundup of new vessels and tugboats; an article on fuel & propulsion technology; and a feature on the Port of LA’s new, state-of-the-art pilot boats.

Stories planned for future issues include spill response & resiliency; maritime construction; West Coast shipyards; and ocean & coastal towing.

The magazine’s relaunch will begin with a couple of bi-monthly issues – April/May and June/July – then we’ll return to our regular monthly schedule, with the exception of a combined November/December issue during the holiday season.

We’re thrilled to be able to once again bring you the quality news and feature stories that you’ve come to expect from PMM, and we hope that you will join us for the journey.

And with that being said, if you happen to read this and are not a current subscriber to Pacific Maritime, please consider purchasing a subscription for yourself or someone else who may be interested. Or, if you operate a business, please consider purchasing an ad. Information on how to both will be included in the upcoming issue of the magazine.

Subscribers and advertisers are essential partners to ensure that we keep the print edition of the magazine a healthy and economically viable source of news about West Coast marine business. We are dependent upon your ongoing support.

Thank you.

You can reach Mark Nero at mark@maritimepublishing.com.