Diesel Spill at Astoria Port

By Mark Edward Nero

Personnel from the US Coast Guard’s Columbia River sector, along with other local agencies, responded to a diesel fuel spill from a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier at Pier 1 in the Port of Astoria on the morning of Oct. 2.

The M/V Global Gold, a 565-foot Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier, spilled 1,100 gallons of diesel fuel into the Columbia River after the vessel allided with the pier the night of Oct. 1.

USCG watch standers received the initial report from a facility security officer at about 12:50 a.m. Oct. 2 after the vessel reportedly sustained damage and was leaking diesel oil from a four-foot gash in the hull on the port side above the waterline after it hit the pier while pulling in.

Responders surrounded the Global Gold and the pier with a protective boom and then the unified command – composed of the Coast Guard, Oregon State Department of Environmental Quality, Washington State Department of Ecology and the responsible party – completed the cleanup of diesel fuel spilled near Pier 1 of the Port of Astoria, Sunday.

The Global Gold now has a soft patch in place on the damaged section of the hull and is not taking on water, according to the USCG, and all diesel fuel was either cleaned up or dissipated.

Cleanup contractors on scene at Pier 1 demobilized the morning of Oct. 4.

“The investigation phase of the response is still on-going and the Global Gold has not been cleared to take on a load or move from the pier,” USCG marine inspector at Sector Columbia River Lt. Samud Looney said. “The ship has submitted a vessel repair plan to the captain of the port that includes having the repairs completed at Pier 1.”

Bulk Carrier Again Detained in PNW

By Mark Edward Nero

For the second time in six months, the bulk cargo carrier vessel Ikan Sudip has been detained at a port in the Pacific Northwest for safety violations. On May 16, the US Coast Guard detained the 600-foot, Panamanian-flagged motor vessel after significant environmental and safety violations were found during an inspection in Astoria.

Back in November 2014, the 11-year-old vessel was detained in Longview, Washington by the Coast Guard after inspectors found extensive disrepair of various piping systems in the machinery spaces as well as deteriorated and inoperable fire hoses on the vessel.

Vessel inspectors from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Portland discovered the latest discrepancies during an inspection of the vessel.

“The Ikan Sudip’s safety and environmental conditions posed an unacceptable threat to our waterways,” said Capt. Dan Travers, Coast Guard Sector Columbia River Commanding Officer and captain of the port for Oregon and Southern Washington. “We are focused on ensuring that all issues are corrected by fixing the discrepancies and removing the risks found on board the vessel."

While inbound to US waters on May 11, the vessel experienced two separate fuel related propulsion losses within 24 hours, which completely disabled the vessel at sea.

After regaining minimal propulsion with temporary repairs, the captain of the port expelled the vessel from US waters and prohibited its re-entry until the main engine’s fuel system was properly repaired.

Vessel crewmembers and propulsion machinery technicians corrected the fuel system issues on May 16, and the vessel was allowed to enter the Columbia River while under escort by a towing vessel. Inspectors boarded the vessel while it was anchored in Astoria and conducted a safety and security inspection where they identified multiple equipment discrepancies and environmental violations, including a failure to use engineering procedures required by US and international law, which guide the vessel’s crew through fuel management and vessel propulsion requirements.

Other discrepancies were a lack of crew familiarity with emergency rescue drills, deficient structural fire boundary doors designed to prevent the spread of a fire and inoperable lifesaving equipment. Severe corrosion was also found throughout the vessel's machinery piping systems.

The Coast Guard says its vessel inspectors are working with the Ikan Sudip’s flag state, vessel owner EikoKisen Co. Ltd., the vessel’s managing company, and the vessel’s crew to make the essential repairs.

“Only after the vessel crew corrects its deficient safety management system and critical vessel equipment will we allow it to return to commercial service,” Travers said.

Ikan Sudip, a bulk carrier, is scheduled to load potash in Portland and is expected to depart for Brazil after the safety violations have been corrected.

Ex Employees Sue Astoria for Millions

By Mark Edward Nero

Two recently fired Port of Astoria employees on Feb. 17 sued the port for millions of dollars, claiming they were retaliated against after blowing the whistle on misdeeds at the port.

Former ex finance manager Colleen Browne and former port facilities manager Tami Herman each allege in separate lawsuits that the port engaged in whistleblower retaliation against them and aided and abetted retaliation by others against them.

Browne was Astoria’s financial manager and personnel manager from April 2007 until being fired in November 2014; Foster worked in the port’s finance department from June 2012 to November 2014.

During their time in the finance department, the port dealt with major financial trouble, including operational losses in excess of $1 million per year. The women say they were scapegoated for the troubles.

Among the other allegations against the port are:

• Unauthorized disclosure of a whistleblower’s identity.
• Breach of employment contract.
• Defamation of character.
• Postemployment retaliation.

Browne is seeking a combined $2.75 million in damages, while Foster seeks $2.65 million.

Listed as a defendant in both lawsuits along with the port is Michael Weston, Astoria’s director of business development and operations.

Port of Astoria Selects New Executive Director

By Mark Edward Nero

The Port of Astoria Commission on Aug. 19 unanimously voted to hire a Port of Olympia executive as its next executive director.

Jim Knight, currently director of the Port of Olympia’s marine terminal, was chosen to replace Hank Bynaker, who resigned from the Port of Astoria in September 2013 after 14 months on the job. Bynaker had cited difficulties working with the Port Commission among his reasons for leaving.

Knight has directed Olympia’s marine terminal operations in Olympia since July 2013. He began working at the port in April 2006 as the marketing and business development manager. From 1994-2005, he was a senior executive with two different businesses outside the maritime industry.

Knight will become Astoria’s fifth executive director in the last two-and-a-half years. After Bynaker’s resignation, director of business development and operations Michael Weston served as the port’s interim executive director for 11 months. Before Bynaker, there was Jack Crider, who resigned effective April 30, 2012 after four years on the job and is now the CEO of the Port of Humboldt Bay. Also, former deputy director Herb Florer was interim director after Crider’s departure and before Bynaker’s hiring.

Weston is expected to continue as interim director until Knight comes aboard in October.

Knight is expected to earn between $130,000 and $196,000 annually in his new job.

Port of Astoria Settles Malpractice Suit

The Port of Astoria has reportedly settled a malpractice lawsuit it had filed against one of its former attorneys.

A decision to settle the case was made Aug. 23 by the port, according to the Daily Astorian newspaper.

The litigation had been brought against attorney Heather Reynolds because of Reynolds’ failure to notify former port insurers about petroleum contamination on port property. The lack of disclosure was related to the port attempting to secure insurance.

Multiple former port tenants, including Exxon and Mobil Oil, stored petroleum on port property in the past. Contamination includes an area south of Slip 2, where an underground pipe ruptured, leaking petroleum into the ground.

The port is currently negotiating with the oil companies, insurers and the Department of Environmental Quality on how to clean up the contamination.

The Daily Astorian reports the commission accepted a lawsuit settlement of $50,000, but rather than Reynolds having to pay up, the money would come from the Oregon State Bar’s liability fund.

The port commission is continuing a malpractice case against another of its former attorneys, Mike Lilly, who had specialized in environmental cleanup issues.

“I think it was the prudent thing to do,” one of the port’s lawyers, Thane Tienson, told the newspaper. “We’ll go forward and concentrate our efforts against Mike Lilly. He is the person who was hired expressly for his expertise in environmental law, including environmental insurance.”

Port of Astoria in Financial Peril, Audit Says

An audit has shown that the Port of Astoria has been losing about $1 million annually in recent years, according to a new investigative report by the Daily Astorian newspaper.

The audit, which was conducted by West Linn, Oregon-based Merina & Co. concluded that the port is still losing money, even though revenue has been rising faster than expenses, the paper said in a story published in late July as part of an investigative series. The reasons for the financial downturn include heavy investment in upgrades and expansion, as well as expensive legal battles.

Most significantly, after the port invested heavily in upgrades to a pier for export company Westerlund Log Handlers, the market for logs to Asia dropped significantly. About four months went by last fall without a single ship coming in, according to the newspaper.

Also, the port spent more than half a million dollars over a four-year span, according to port finance manager Colleen Browne, in battles over various issues, including with the developer of a proposed natural gas terminal, litigation against the port’s former attorney and with the Bank of Astoria over offices.

Port of Astoria Receives Pier Repair Grant

The Port of Astoria has received a $1 million state grant to resurface and repair the face of Pier 2, it announced June 19.

The project is to include removing wood covering 52,000 square feet on the east side of Pier 2, replacing parts of the support structure, laying down tin and rebar and reinforcing it with concrete, according to port property manager Mike Weston.

Pier 2 currently houses three fish processors and fish off-loading and fish net haul-out areas to support commercial fishing fleets. There’s also a dock that can accommodate vessels of up to 1,100 feet at the location, as well as a 71,800-square-foot on-dock warehouse.

The port is also in the process of seeking private investment dollars to help fund potential cold storage and cannery facilities at the location.

The $1 million comes from ConnectOregon, an infrastructure grant fund provided through the Oregon Department of Transportation to pay for projects in air, marine, rail, transit and other statewide projects. The money is part of a $40 million pool of lottery-backed bonds.

In addition to the grant, the port says it has budgeted an additional $250,000 to fund the resurface and repair project.