USCG Monitors Growing Oil Tanker Presence in San Pedro Bay

By Karen Robes Meeks

The US Coast Guard said it is keeping an eye on the growing number of oil tankers parked at sea in the San Pedro Bay.

Approximately 27 tankers were in the water Thursday, a result of a reduced demand for crude and a backed up supply chain.

"Due to the unique nature of this situation, the Coast Guard is constantly evaluating and adapting our procedures to ensure the safety of the vessels at anchor and the protection of the surrounding environment," said Cmdr. Marshall Newberry, from Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach. "Coast Guard watchstanders, in partnership with the Marine Exchange of Southern California, are closely monitoring each anchorage to manage the increased number of tank vessels we're seeing off the California coast."

LA Port Police Seize 500 Lbs. of Marijuana

By Mark Edward Nero

On the afternoon of March 14, Los Angeles Port Police Marine Unit officers on patrol in Los Angeles Harbor made an unusual discovery in an unoccupied boat at the Cabrillo Beach Launch Ramp: about 500 pounds of marijuana.

The drugs had an estimated street value of between $500,000 and $900,000.

Police declined to release more information regarding the case or the boat, other than saying that they were still attempting to track down the vessel’s owner and that Los Angeles Port Police detectives assigned to the Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force are continuing the investigation in collaboration with port police.

The LA BEST is tasked with identifying, targeting, and reducing security vulnerabilities affecting the Los Angeles/ Long Beach seaport complex, the Southern California coastline, and the waterways and transportation infrastructure.

The task force is made up of personnel from nine federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), US Customs and Border Protection, the US Coast Guard Criminal Investigations Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles Port Police, the Long Beach Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

LA-Long Beach Expecting Steady Cargo Growth

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles should see steady growth of containerized cargo imports and exports during 2013 as the U.S. economic picture improves, a panel of industry experts predicts.

During the annual “Pulse of the Ports Peak Season Forecast” on March 27 in Long Beach, representatives for the retail, shipping and terminal operating sectors as well as an economist, predicted three to six percent growth in freight volume during the upcoming cargo peak season, from August through October.

The San Pedro Bay ports themselves predict a 3.4 percent nationwide increase in imports in 2013. The outlook compares favorably to recent years when experts were still waiting to see some concrete signs of economic recovery at home and worldwide.

“All the wheels are turning in the right direction,” panelist Walter Kemmsies, the chief economist for the Moffat & Nichol transportation infrastructure engineering firm, said. “We expect the economy to be better this year than last year.”

The positive outlook was tempered, however, by concerns over the looming reduction in staffing by US Customs and Border Protection at seaports due to the federal government’s mandatory “sequestration” budget cuts. Customs has cut worker overtime due to sequestration and could eventually furlough employees. This, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association President John McLaurin said, hurts the San Pedro Bay ports, since they rely heavily on Customs personnel working overtime for inspection services.

The panel also expressed concern over economic impacts of state-by-state environmental regulations and hurdles that hamper the productivity of drayage trucking operations at local ports.

The ninth annual Peak Season Forecast, which was held in downtown Long Beach, drew a capacity audience of nearly 600 people and featured nine panelists from every segment of the industry.

In addition to Kemmsies and McLaurin, the other panelists were Jonathan Gold, the National Retail Federation’s Vice President of Supply Chain & Customs Policy; Erika Montoya, Program Director for the Specialty Crop Trade Council; International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 President Michael Podue; Chad Lindsay, Vice President of the Pacific Maritime Association; Knud Stubkjær, CEO and Chief Strategic Officer for SSA Marine; Steve Bobb, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for BNSF Railway; and Vic La Rosa, CEO/President of Total Transportation Services Inc.

The archived webcast of the two-and-a-half-hour program is available online at http://www.polb.com/pulseports.

Long Beach Opens Harbor Tour Reservations

The Port of Long Beach has opened reservations for its 2012 series of free harbor tours.

Reservations for the annual tour series began April 2 and continue through September. The 90-minute excursions are held from May through October on the first and third Saturday of the month and the second Tuesday and fourth Thursday of the month.

Online reservations open up at 8 a.m. on the first Monday of each month for tours the following month. In April, reservations can be made for the May tours, followed by June tour reservations on May 7, July tours on June 4, and so on. Seating is limited.

The port says that new elements are being added to the tour program this year, including special evening tours from 7 pm to 8:30 pm on the fourth Thursday of each month; and a special “social media” tour exclusively for the port’s Facebook and Twitter followers.

To see tour times and dates or make a reservation online, visit www.polb.com/porttours. Reservations can also be made at http://www.polb.com/about/ticketreservation/default.asp or by calling (562) 283-7700.