The trial of International Longshore and Warehouse Union President Robert McEllrath has ended in a mistrial after a six-person jury deliberating the case in Washington state couldn’t reach a unanimous decision on the charges against him.
McEllrath had been accused of standing on the railroad tracks with several hundred other ILWU members and supporters to stop a train that was scheduled to deliver grain to the Port of Longview’s EGT grain terminal on Sept. 7, 2011.
The three-man, three-woman jury assigned to the case by the Cowlitz County District Court deliberated for about two-and-a-half hours June 29 before informing the judge that it was deadlocked on the charges, all of which were misdemeanors.
“The ILWU hopes that this result ends this chapter and that Cowlitz County can move on with the business of finding good local jobs for local workers,” union vice president Ray Familathe said.
The judge in the case has scheduled a hearing for July 5 to determine if the case will be retried.
The labor dispute stemmed from company using the services of a union other than the ILWU at Berth 9, a $200 million joint venture at Longview between Bunge Ltd., ITOCHU International and STX Pan Ocean.
Union Local 21 had contended that its contract with the Port of Longview required that the 25 to 35 jobs inside the terminal go to ILWU labor. The company, however, said its lease agreement with the port did not specify ILWU workers. Members of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 701 had been working at the terminal.
The Sept. 7 protest was part of a summer-long series of demonstrations by the union at the port that led to dozens of arrests.
The labor issue was settled under an agreement ratified by the port Jan. 27, which states that all labor at the terminal must be dispatched through the Local 21 union hall.
Although McEllrath had been the highest ranking union member charged in the case, he was not the only one. In March, the president of the Local 21 chapter and a member of the union’s executive board both pleaded guilty to charges related to last summer’s protests at the terminal.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Homeland Security Announces Port Security Grants
The US Dept. of Homeland Security has awarded more than $97 million in grants to various seaports, port-related public agencies and private companies for various projects, including helping protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism.
The $97 million in grants, which was announced June 29, is part of a total of $1.3 billion in preparedness grants awarded by the DHS during the 2012 fiscal year. In addition to the port security, grants were awarded in the categories of transit security, intercity passenger rail, tribal homeland security and other categories.
The largest share of the $97 million went to the City of Los Angeles Harbor Department, which runs the Port of Los Angeles. It received $6.9 million, which it says it’ll use to buy two police boats and upgrade communication and computer systems.
The neighboring Port of Long Beach received $2.8 million for various projects.
Among the other West Coast ports receiving major grant funding were the Port of Oakland, which was the recipient $3.5 million and the Port of Stockton, which was awarded $1.7 million.
Seaports receiving lesser funding included the ports of Olympia, Grays Harbor, San Diego and Everett, which received $299,000, $265,650, $153,750 and $55,725, respectively.
Grant recipients also included numerous port-related businesses, including Long Beach Container Inc., which received $3.3 million; the Seattle Fire Dept., which received $1.5 million; and container terminal operator and vessel stevedore TraPac Inc., which was awarded $1 million.
The full list of awardees and amounts can be seen at http://www.joc.com/joc_inc/pdf/FY_12_PSGP_Recipients.pdf .
The $97 million in grants, which was announced June 29, is part of a total of $1.3 billion in preparedness grants awarded by the DHS during the 2012 fiscal year. In addition to the port security, grants were awarded in the categories of transit security, intercity passenger rail, tribal homeland security and other categories.
The largest share of the $97 million went to the City of Los Angeles Harbor Department, which runs the Port of Los Angeles. It received $6.9 million, which it says it’ll use to buy two police boats and upgrade communication and computer systems.
The neighboring Port of Long Beach received $2.8 million for various projects.
Among the other West Coast ports receiving major grant funding were the Port of Oakland, which was the recipient $3.5 million and the Port of Stockton, which was awarded $1.7 million.
Seaports receiving lesser funding included the ports of Olympia, Grays Harbor, San Diego and Everett, which received $299,000, $265,650, $153,750 and $55,725, respectively.
Grant recipients also included numerous port-related businesses, including Long Beach Container Inc., which received $3.3 million; the Seattle Fire Dept., which received $1.5 million; and container terminal operator and vessel stevedore TraPac Inc., which was awarded $1 million.
The full list of awardees and amounts can be seen at http://www.joc.com/joc_inc/pdf/FY_12_PSGP_Recipients.pdf .
Port Security Bill Approved by House
Legislation that directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a study of gaps in US port security passed the U.S. House of Representatives June 28 on a 411 to 9 vote.
H.R. 4005, commonly known as the “Gauging American Port Security Act” or GAPS Act, also directs Homeland Security submit to Congress a classified report on the security holes that includes a prioritization of existing loopholes and a plan for addressing them. The bill is sponsored by California Congresswoman Janice Hahn, whose district includes the Port of Los Angeles. The legislation now goes to the Senate for consideration.
“The loopholes that continue to exist in port security keeps me up at night,” Hahn said.
“Ports are a huge piece of our economy and an attack or disruption would have a disastrous impact on American jobs and the economy,” she explained. “We will be able to better protect our ports and their contributions to our economy if we know where the weaknesses are and have a plan to address them therefore I’m very pleased this bipartisan and common sense piece of legislation has passed.”
“My first question as a member of the Homeland Security Committee was to Lee Hamilton, vice chair of the 9/11 Commission, on what Congress should be doing to protect our ports. Mr. Hamilton’s response that Congress wasn’t focused enough on our ports meant we needed to act.”
Ships make about 50,000 calls a year on U.S. ports, carrying two billion tons of freight and 134 million passengers, according to federal statistics.
American ports import and export about $3.8 billion worth of goods daily through all 50 states according to the data, plus move 99.4 percent of overseas cargo volume by weight and generate $3.95 trillion in international trade.
However, according to the Department of Homeland Security, less than three percent of cargo coming into the country is scanned.
H.R. 4005, commonly known as the “Gauging American Port Security Act” or GAPS Act, also directs Homeland Security submit to Congress a classified report on the security holes that includes a prioritization of existing loopholes and a plan for addressing them. The bill is sponsored by California Congresswoman Janice Hahn, whose district includes the Port of Los Angeles. The legislation now goes to the Senate for consideration.
“The loopholes that continue to exist in port security keeps me up at night,” Hahn said.
“Ports are a huge piece of our economy and an attack or disruption would have a disastrous impact on American jobs and the economy,” she explained. “We will be able to better protect our ports and their contributions to our economy if we know where the weaknesses are and have a plan to address them therefore I’m very pleased this bipartisan and common sense piece of legislation has passed.”
“My first question as a member of the Homeland Security Committee was to Lee Hamilton, vice chair of the 9/11 Commission, on what Congress should be doing to protect our ports. Mr. Hamilton’s response that Congress wasn’t focused enough on our ports meant we needed to act.”
Ships make about 50,000 calls a year on U.S. ports, carrying two billion tons of freight and 134 million passengers, according to federal statistics.
American ports import and export about $3.8 billion worth of goods daily through all 50 states according to the data, plus move 99.4 percent of overseas cargo volume by weight and generate $3.95 trillion in international trade.
However, according to the Department of Homeland Security, less than three percent of cargo coming into the country is scanned.
First Grand Alliance Ship Calls at Port of Tacoma
The first ship associated with the new Grand Alliance service at the Port of Tacoma has officially docked at Washington United Terminals.
The July 2 call by Hapag-Lloyd’s Dusseldorf Express was the first of three new calls each week at the terminal as result of the new Grand Alliance business announced in March.
Port, terminal and shipping line officials celebrated the maiden ship call with a plaque presentation before crews began unloading and reloading the ship.
The Grand Alliance is a consortium of three of the world’s largest shipping lines, Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd, Orient Overseas Container Line of Hong Kong and Japanese company NYK Line, along with associated carrier ZIM Integrated Shipping of Israel.
The associated services will connect Tacoma to Europe and Central and South America, as well as Asia.
Washington United Terminals is a 105-acre container terminal on the Blair Waterway that has four post-Panamax and two super-post-Panamax cranes capable of handling the world’s largest ships, 51-foot water depth, on-dock rail and a newly extended 2,600 foot berth.
The July 2 call by Hapag-Lloyd’s Dusseldorf Express was the first of three new calls each week at the terminal as result of the new Grand Alliance business announced in March.
Port, terminal and shipping line officials celebrated the maiden ship call with a plaque presentation before crews began unloading and reloading the ship.
The Grand Alliance is a consortium of three of the world’s largest shipping lines, Germany-based Hapag-Lloyd, Orient Overseas Container Line of Hong Kong and Japanese company NYK Line, along with associated carrier ZIM Integrated Shipping of Israel.
The associated services will connect Tacoma to Europe and Central and South America, as well as Asia.
Washington United Terminals is a 105-acre container terminal on the Blair Waterway that has four post-Panamax and two super-post-Panamax cranes capable of handling the world’s largest ships, 51-foot water depth, on-dock rail and a newly extended 2,600 foot berth.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Fidley Watch – Messing About in Boats
By Chris Philips, Managing Editor
Saturday, May 12th was a beautiful day to be on the Seattle waterfront observing the 11th annual Pacific Maritime Magazine Quick and Dirty Boatbuilding Competition during the annual Seattle Maritime Festival. The day started with clear blue skies and a slight breeze, and by the afternoon the weather was warm and sunny.
The boatbuilding started at 9:00 am and continued throughout the day. Historically, Philips Publishing Group fields a team, whose stated goal is to finish in time to have a beer (or two) and a hamburger before the races. Philips didn’t field a team this year, and the work ethic of the 10 teams that were competing was of a much higher caliber, so that all ten teams finished fairly close to the 3:00 pm deadline.
There was a great diversity in designs this year. While there were no paddlewheels as in previous years, there was a twin-hulled screw-type propulsion system from Elliott Bay Design Group, which apparently worked very well on paper, although in practice the last-minute improvised paddles were the main means of propulsion for that vessel.
Another design of note came from Vigor/US Fab, whose three-man design was a modified tunnel barge with three inclined chest rests, putting the three paddlers close to the water and keeping the center of gravity low. Each team member was fitted with two “water claws” consisting of a painstakingly crafted cedar paddle attached to a white plastic tube that covered each forearm. While stable, the craft was also heavy, and the white plastic tubes raised walnut-sized blood blisters on the forearms of the competitors, who gamely raced in three heats before succumbing at the end of the day to a lack of freeboard. The water claws were very effective, and with each pass the bow would lift and the stern would lower. In the final race of the day, the Vigor/US Fab team was almost up on plane when the stern dipped under, letting a big, cold slug of water into the craft. Undeterred (or blinded by the pain in their forearms) the team pulled again, and the boat shipped another slug of seawater. The third stroke swamped the boat, although the team didn’t let that stop them from completing the last 50 feet to the dock. Bravo.
Seattle Maritime Academy won in the “dirtiest boat” category. The boat was a modified pram which looked pretty good in the first heat but leaked so badly at the seams during its second race that it had to make for shore halfway through to prevent disaster. Scratch.
Mercer Island High School, whose teams compete regularly and are always worthy competitors, built a craft no one thought would float and ended up proving the naysayers wrong, competing bravely and remaining afloat and dry. The US Coast Guard built a big heavy box with a point at one end, which proved to be large and stable enough to make them worthy competitors as well, although unprovoked aggression from Art Anderson Associates cracked the Coastie’s hull which subsequently let in quite a bit of water, adding to the weight of the craft, but not slowing the team’s progress by any appreciable amount.
The team of Accounting and Technical Services, made up of “civilians” who had run into the USCG team at a hardware store in Seattle’s Ballard district and thought the competition sounded fun, built a sturdy vessel in the allotted time, with appropriate materials including salvaged paneling from a 1970’s era basement, but the craft was too narrow and flipped at the dock with its team of three who, to their credit, fished themselves out of the drink and tried again with similar results. Lessons were learned.
The vessel entered by Salish Sea Expeditions was roughly boat-shaped and made of OSB and scrap lumber and sealed with roofing tar. The team had an iPod playing in their booth as they built, and the sound of early Led Zeppelin coupled with the smell of roofing tar reminded this editor of his days framing houses. The Salish boat performed about as well as a two-bedroom rambler, and dropped out of the race after the first heat, although all three participants finished the day dry.
The naval architects of The Glosten Associates, Jensen Maritime Consultants and Art Anderson Associates made similar canoe-shaped craft. The Glosten Associates’ team lost a team member between the first and subsequent heats to a previous commitment, and was penalized by having to carry a replacement team member who couldn’t contribute to the paddling. This may have cost them the fastest boat trophy, but gained them respect in the eyes of their colleagues as their “penalty” passenger was Peggy Noethlich, the firm’s vice president. When the boss is in the boat, it had better not sink. It didn’t.
Jensen Maritime Consultants won the Marty Johnson Memorial fastest boat trophy, and the day ended with Jensen sailing in for the win while the Coast Guard and Art Anderson Associates "swapped paint" NASCAR style to the delight of the crowd.
(Photo) Vigor/US Fab 'rounds the buoy in the background while Art Anderson Associates, left, rams the defenseless USCG team. Jensen Maritime Consultants, not pictured, won the fastest boat trophy. Photo by Don Wilson. Courtesy of the Port of Seattle.
Saturday, May 12th was a beautiful day to be on the Seattle waterfront observing the 11th annual Pacific Maritime Magazine Quick and Dirty Boatbuilding Competition during the annual Seattle Maritime Festival. The day started with clear blue skies and a slight breeze, and by the afternoon the weather was warm and sunny.
The boatbuilding started at 9:00 am and continued throughout the day. Historically, Philips Publishing Group fields a team, whose stated goal is to finish in time to have a beer (or two) and a hamburger before the races. Philips didn’t field a team this year, and the work ethic of the 10 teams that were competing was of a much higher caliber, so that all ten teams finished fairly close to the 3:00 pm deadline.
There was a great diversity in designs this year. While there were no paddlewheels as in previous years, there was a twin-hulled screw-type propulsion system from Elliott Bay Design Group, which apparently worked very well on paper, although in practice the last-minute improvised paddles were the main means of propulsion for that vessel.
Another design of note came from Vigor/US Fab, whose three-man design was a modified tunnel barge with three inclined chest rests, putting the three paddlers close to the water and keeping the center of gravity low. Each team member was fitted with two “water claws” consisting of a painstakingly crafted cedar paddle attached to a white plastic tube that covered each forearm. While stable, the craft was also heavy, and the white plastic tubes raised walnut-sized blood blisters on the forearms of the competitors, who gamely raced in three heats before succumbing at the end of the day to a lack of freeboard. The water claws were very effective, and with each pass the bow would lift and the stern would lower. In the final race of the day, the Vigor/US Fab team was almost up on plane when the stern dipped under, letting a big, cold slug of water into the craft. Undeterred (or blinded by the pain in their forearms) the team pulled again, and the boat shipped another slug of seawater. The third stroke swamped the boat, although the team didn’t let that stop them from completing the last 50 feet to the dock. Bravo.
Seattle Maritime Academy won in the “dirtiest boat” category. The boat was a modified pram which looked pretty good in the first heat but leaked so badly at the seams during its second race that it had to make for shore halfway through to prevent disaster. Scratch.
Mercer Island High School, whose teams compete regularly and are always worthy competitors, built a craft no one thought would float and ended up proving the naysayers wrong, competing bravely and remaining afloat and dry. The US Coast Guard built a big heavy box with a point at one end, which proved to be large and stable enough to make them worthy competitors as well, although unprovoked aggression from Art Anderson Associates cracked the Coastie’s hull which subsequently let in quite a bit of water, adding to the weight of the craft, but not slowing the team’s progress by any appreciable amount.
The team of Accounting and Technical Services, made up of “civilians” who had run into the USCG team at a hardware store in Seattle’s Ballard district and thought the competition sounded fun, built a sturdy vessel in the allotted time, with appropriate materials including salvaged paneling from a 1970’s era basement, but the craft was too narrow and flipped at the dock with its team of three who, to their credit, fished themselves out of the drink and tried again with similar results. Lessons were learned.
The vessel entered by Salish Sea Expeditions was roughly boat-shaped and made of OSB and scrap lumber and sealed with roofing tar. The team had an iPod playing in their booth as they built, and the sound of early Led Zeppelin coupled with the smell of roofing tar reminded this editor of his days framing houses. The Salish boat performed about as well as a two-bedroom rambler, and dropped out of the race after the first heat, although all three participants finished the day dry.
The naval architects of The Glosten Associates, Jensen Maritime Consultants and Art Anderson Associates made similar canoe-shaped craft. The Glosten Associates’ team lost a team member between the first and subsequent heats to a previous commitment, and was penalized by having to carry a replacement team member who couldn’t contribute to the paddling. This may have cost them the fastest boat trophy, but gained them respect in the eyes of their colleagues as their “penalty” passenger was Peggy Noethlich, the firm’s vice president. When the boss is in the boat, it had better not sink. It didn’t.
Jensen Maritime Consultants won the Marty Johnson Memorial fastest boat trophy, and the day ended with Jensen sailing in for the win while the Coast Guard and Art Anderson Associates "swapped paint" NASCAR style to the delight of the crowd.
More Ships Could Bypass Portland to Avoid Dispute
The ongoing labor dispute at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6, which has already led to multiple container ships bypassing the port in order to avoid the situation, could lead to more vessels heading elsewhere in the upcoming days and weeks.
The Cape Manila, a 696-foot container ship, is scheduled to arrive at Terminal 6 on July 4, but the vessel’s operator, Hapag-Lloyd, has said that it will decide on a week-to-week basis whether to call at Portland. A spokesman for the company informed media outlets June 28 that it was closely monitoring the situation.
German-based Hapag-Lloyd and South Korean company Hanjin had both previously said they would divert their ships to other ports during the dispute.
The conflict involves International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 8 attempting to claim work at Terminal 6 that has historically been performed by another union – the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The disputed jobs involve plugging/unplugging and monitoring refrigerated containers. Although the ILWU has filed a motion with the District Council of Trade Unions that says its contract with the Pacific Maritime Association requires the terminal operator to hire longshore workers, the work in question at Terminal 6 has been performed since the early 1970s by the IBEW under a collective bargaining agreement with the port launched at commencement of terminal operations.
When the port transitioned control of container terminal operations to ICTSI Oregon in 2001 under a 25-year lease, continuation of the IBEW work was included in the lease terms.
The dispute has coincided over the past few weeks with a noticeable backup of operations at the terminal, leading to accusations by the National Labor Relations Board of an orchestrated slowdown campaign by the longshore union, charges the ILWU denies.
A federal judge on June 22 ordered the port and terminal operator ICTSI Oregon to enter settlement negotiations with the union; talks are still ongoing.
The Cape Manila, a 696-foot container ship, is scheduled to arrive at Terminal 6 on July 4, but the vessel’s operator, Hapag-Lloyd, has said that it will decide on a week-to-week basis whether to call at Portland. A spokesman for the company informed media outlets June 28 that it was closely monitoring the situation.
German-based Hapag-Lloyd and South Korean company Hanjin had both previously said they would divert their ships to other ports during the dispute.
The conflict involves International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 8 attempting to claim work at Terminal 6 that has historically been performed by another union – the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The disputed jobs involve plugging/unplugging and monitoring refrigerated containers. Although the ILWU has filed a motion with the District Council of Trade Unions that says its contract with the Pacific Maritime Association requires the terminal operator to hire longshore workers, the work in question at Terminal 6 has been performed since the early 1970s by the IBEW under a collective bargaining agreement with the port launched at commencement of terminal operations.
When the port transitioned control of container terminal operations to ICTSI Oregon in 2001 under a 25-year lease, continuation of the IBEW work was included in the lease terms.
The dispute has coincided over the past few weeks with a noticeable backup of operations at the terminal, leading to accusations by the National Labor Relations Board of an orchestrated slowdown campaign by the longshore union, charges the ILWU denies.
A federal judge on June 22 ordered the port and terminal operator ICTSI Oregon to enter settlement negotiations with the union; talks are still ongoing.
Port of Hueneme Adopts Balanced Budget
For the first time since fiscal year 2009, the Port of Hueneme has adopted a nearly-balanced budget.
The port is projecting that it will have about $11.77 million in total operating revenue for the fiscal year, which would be the first time in three years the port hasn’t operated in the red. The port had a negative net income of $1.3 million during the 2009-2010 fiscal year, negative $690,000 the following year and minus $1.9 million so far during 2011-2012. Hueneme’s current fiscal year ends June 30.
For 2012-2013, the port still anticipates a net income loss, but only of $99,000.
The years of losses have been due to various factors at the port, including a decline in vehicle imports as well as a drop in income from interest on port investments.
But regarding the budget adopted June 26, Andrew Palomares, the port’s chief administration officer, said that a combination of reduced spending and improved cargo numbers have helped the Oxnard Harbor District, which runs the port, arrive at the determination that the port is back on solid footing.
“While the District is not completely out of the woods and still faces an uncertain future, staff is cautiously optimistic,” according to a budget summary presented to the port’s harbor commission June 26. “The controlling of its costs and increases in revenue since 2009 makes it confident in the marketplace as supported by the anticipated strong second half finish of FY 2012.”
The port is projecting that it will have about $11.77 million in total operating revenue for the fiscal year, which would be the first time in three years the port hasn’t operated in the red. The port had a negative net income of $1.3 million during the 2009-2010 fiscal year, negative $690,000 the following year and minus $1.9 million so far during 2011-2012. Hueneme’s current fiscal year ends June 30.
For 2012-2013, the port still anticipates a net income loss, but only of $99,000.
The years of losses have been due to various factors at the port, including a decline in vehicle imports as well as a drop in income from interest on port investments.
But regarding the budget adopted June 26, Andrew Palomares, the port’s chief administration officer, said that a combination of reduced spending and improved cargo numbers have helped the Oxnard Harbor District, which runs the port, arrive at the determination that the port is back on solid footing.
“While the District is not completely out of the woods and still faces an uncertain future, staff is cautiously optimistic,” according to a budget summary presented to the port’s harbor commission June 26. “The controlling of its costs and increases in revenue since 2009 makes it confident in the marketplace as supported by the anticipated strong second half finish of FY 2012.”
