Friday, July 30, 2021

Port of Bellingham to Halt Point Roberts Emergency Ferry Service

As the Canadian Government announces plans to reopen the US/Canada border to non-essential travel, Port of Bellingham, Wash.

officials have decided that Aug. 12 will be the last day the port will offer its emergency ferry service to Point Roberts.

The port has been offering the service for free for nearly a year to help Point Roberts residents get access to vital goods and services while the border has been closed to limit the spread of COVID-19. While Point Roberts is part of Whatcom County, the area is geographically set apart from the U.S. by two border land crossings.

“We anticipate the border opening will relieve stress on this community but are here to help if something changes,” said Port Commission President Ken Bell.

The Aug. 5 and Aug. 9 emergency sailings to Point Roberts will be limited to 30 people, so reservations should be made in advance at www.portofbellingham.com/pointrobertsferry.

Face masks must be worn on the ferry. More information is available at www.portofbellingham.com/pointrobertsferry.

PMA to Build Training Center at Seattle’s Terminal 46

The Pacific Maritime Association will soon be able to build a new training facility for longshore workers and other maritime jobs holders at Terminal 46 in Seattle, thanks to a final lease approval by the managing members of the Northwest Seaport Alliance earlier this month.

The PMA - which currently runs a training center at Terminal 5.

“This state-of-the art training facility on Seattle’s central waterfront is critical to making our deep-water seaports the most efficient on the West Coast,” Port of Seattle Commissioner and NWSA Managing Member Stephanie Bowman said in a statement.

“The partnership between the ports, labor and management to invest in training will ultimately benefit Washington’s exporters, helping them deliver their world-class products more quickly to markets around the world,” she added.

PMA is proud to work with the Northwest Seaport Alliance to develop a “state-of-the-art training facility to promote a skilled, safe and efficient ILWU workforce at the Port of Seattle,” added PMA Northwest Area Director Nairobi Russ.

“This facility and its dedicated crane will help ensure that we maintain a skilled workforce to keep our port terminals thriving and accommodate the historic cargo surge that is impacting our entire supply chain,” Russ added.

New Long Beach Harbor Board President Elected

North Long Beach community leader Steven Neal is the new president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.

He was elected Monday to the one-year term leading the five-member board that oversees the Port of Long Beach.

“I’d like to thank my fellow Commissioners for the faith they have placed in me,” Neal said. “Over the last year, the Port of Long Beach has surmounted an unprecedented pandemic to keep moving the products desperately needed by homebound Americans. I look forward to working with my colleagues, staff, and Executive Director Mario Cordero to ensure this port remains a top commercial gateway for decades to come.”

Also, Sharon L. Weissman will serve as the board’s vice president and Bobby Olvera Jr. as secretary.

Before being appointed by Mayor Robert Garcia to the Harbor Commission in 2019, Neal served on the Long Beach City Council representing the Ninth District in North Long Beach from 2010 to 2014. He was a board member for Long Beach Transit and the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network.

He is the senior pastor for LIFE Gospel Ministries, a co-founder of the Economic Policy Impact Center and executive director of the Long Beach Collective Association.

Port of Oakland Board President Gets Second Term

Port of Oakland Board President Andreas Cluver is remaining the head of the seven-member board.

In a special meeting earlier this month, port commissioners unanimously chose Cluver for a second consecutive one-year term. Cluver, the Secretary-Treasurer of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Alameda County, joined the board in February 2016. Commissioners are nominated by the mayor of Oakland and appointed by the Oakland City Council.

Under his leadership, Cluver guided the port as it started to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, from the reopening of domestic air service at Oakland International Airport to record cargo movement at the seaport.

“I’m gratified to have the support of my colleagues for another year as president,” Cluver said. “We’ve got lots of unfinished business and I’m fortunate to be working with the Board and a talented Port of Oakland staff.”

Meanwhile, Port Commissioner Barbara Leslie will remain first vice president and Commissioner Yui Hay Lee as second vice president. They will also serve second one-year terms in those roles.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Port of Seattle Develops Ocean Acidification Action Plan

The Port of Seattle is saying that it has become the first port ever to develop an ocean acidification action plan as part of its commitment to the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance).

“Last year, the Port of Seattle was the first port in the world to join the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance), recognizing the many ways in which ocean acidification impacts the maritime sector and acknowledging the important role ports can play in leading environmental action,” port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman said. “We encourage other ports to join in on these efforts.”

The port has been working on decarbonization and curbing greenhouse gas emissions, a big part of fighting ocean acidification. The port is also part of the Smith Cove Blue Carbon Pilot Project, an effort to study its local ecosystem to help bolster its resiliency against ocean acidification over three years.

Climate change and ocean acidification are global problems that demand local actions, said port Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck, who co-chairs the port's environment committee.

“The Port of Seattle cannot stop global environmental challenges alone, but the Port is taking many innovative steps to help stem the tide,” Steinbrueck said. “Efforts we’re making here at Smith Cove can serve as a model for marine habitat restoration across Puget Sound.”

Port of Los Angeles Launches Cargo Movement Prediction Tool

The Port of Los Angeles’ Port Optimizer Control Tower data tool now has a new feature in its toolbox.

Earlier this month, the port unveiled “Horizon,” a data tool developed with partner Wabtec that can help supply chain stakeholders predict the movement of cargo volumes up to six months in advance.

“We’re proud to break ground with this new forecasting tool, which is the first of its kind,” said port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “The Horizon predictive technology is yet another service that we can offer port stakeholders to better plan and allocate resources, especially amid this historic cargo surge.”

Horizon will be able to predict container moves using historical and trending volume data gathered by the Port Optimizer.

“Data is a critical resource in moving goods across the supply chain and into the hands of consumers,” said Nalin Jain, Wabtec’s president of digital electronics. “This is one more step in our journey to connect railroads, chassis providers, truckers, warehouse operators, and others across the supply chain with the insights they need to seamlessly move cargo in and out of ports.”

USCG Cutter Healy Departs Seattle for Arctic

Earlier this month, crew members of the 420-foot-long medium polar icebreaker U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy left its Seattle homeport and embarked on its months-long deployment to the Arctic.

The crew, which set out July 10, will be part of several science and research missions, further U.S. interests along the U.S.-Russia maritime border, conduct operations that “build preparedness, prevention and response capabilities,” and work and train with foreign Navy and patrol partners as part of its annual work in the region.

Members will also sail around North America through the Northwest Passage and the Panama Canal and support the Coast Guard’s Arctic Strategy.

Healy’s deployment provides opportunities to deepen the Coast Guard’s cooperation and commitment with our Arctic allies and partners and to support scientific exploration to increase understanding of the changing Arctic environment and associated impacts,” Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander Vice Adm. Michael McAllister said.

Feedback on Renewal Exams Via Email Positive, NMC Says

Mariners who have been able to complete renewal examinations by email responded positively to the process, according to the National Maritime Center.

In May, the NMC started offering an email option for renewal examinations, which enables mariners to ask for, finish and turn in renewal exams for grading. More than 1,200 mariners finished over 3,000 examination modules via email and “the feedback regarding the improved communications and significant reduction in processing time is overwhelmingly positive.”

Mariners should refrain from mailing hardcopy examinations, which could mean processing delays, the NMC said.

For those who received Approval to Test (ATT) letters for renewal examinations on or after May 1 should head to the NMC Examinations Page website for directions on how to get an electronic examination.

When mariners get an ATT letter, they need to ask for their exam by email at NMCRenewalExams@uscg.mil or by calling the NMC Customer Contact Center. They need to provide a Pay.gov payment receipt with the request if the examination fee was not paid.

NMC will then email the mariner an Adobe PDF copy of the exam module(s).

For more information, contact the NMC Customer Service Center by email at IASKNMC@uscg.mil, or call 1-888-IASKNMC (888-427-5662).