Totem Ocean Trailer Express Unifies Brand Names

By Mark Edward Nero

Totem Ocean Trailer Express on Sept. 17 announced a shift within its operating companies. Sea Star Line, which serves Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and Totem Ocean Trailer Express, serving the Alaska market, will now be known collectively as TOTE Maritime.

Both companies provide infrastructure and cargo to Alaska and Puerto Rico and are market leaders. Sea Star Line has delivered goods to Puerto Rico for more than 30 years with twice-weekly reliable service that is responsible for goods traveling from the US to the island.

Totem Ocean Trailer Express also provides twice-weekly service to Alaska and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

“This is an exciting time, not just for our company but for the industry as a whole,” Totem Ocean Trailer Express President John Parrott said.

Both companies are switching their vessels to run on natural gas: Totem Ocean is expected to begin the conversion of its first ship to natural gas later this fall.

“This is a key component of the TOTE LNG strategy and is a reflection of our commitment to the island and the communities we serve,” Sea Star Line President Tim Nolan said. “The shift to TOTE Maritime enables us to highlight the changes we are making nationally.”

TOTE Maritime is part of the TOTE family of companies, which also includes TOTE Services, a leading-edge ship management company that specializes in natural gas projects and technical services for both government and commercial vessels.

Former Port of Long Beach Employee Named FMC Advisor

By Mark Edward Nero

Carl Kemp, who formerly worked in the Port of Long Beach’s Office of Government Affairs, has been named the Federal Maritime Commission’s Senior Advisor for Legislative and Public Affairs, Commission Chair Mario Cordero said Sept. 8.

This position will report directly to the Chairman and will coordinate all legislative and public affairs within all divisions of the Federal Maritime Commission.

Kemp has 20 years of experience in government and public affairs. He created the Office of Government Affairs and Communication in the City of Long Beach, and went on to create the Office of Government Affairs at the Port of Long Beach. He’s been in private practice the last eight years, with specific experience in maritime issues at the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports.

Kemp holds a B.A and MPA (Master of Public Administration) from California State University Long Beach, where he served two terms as student body president.

“As the premiere agency overseeing international ocean transportation, it is critically important that we have a position dedicated to working with local, state and federal legislative bodies,” Cordero said in a prepared statement. “Carl brings a wealth of knowledge from his prior roles in creating legislative and public affairs programs. He and this position are great additions to our already hardworking, dedicated and effective FMC team.”

Foreign Ro/Ro Detained in Tacoma by USCG

By Mark Edward Nero

The US Coast Guard said on Sept. 11 that it has detained the motor vessel Pegasus Highway in the Port of Tacoma due to safety deficiencies. The car carrier vessel is being required to remain in port until the deficiencies are rectified.

An exam team from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound conducted a routine port state and international ship and port facility security exam aboard the Pegasus Highway, a 590-foot, Panamanian-flagged roll-on/roll-off vessel, on Sept. 9.

During the exam, the Coast Guard inspected fire protection, lifesaving, machinery, navigation and pollution control systems and also assessed the crew’s ability to respond to onboard emergencies.

While aboard the 21-year-old vessel, the Coast Guard discovered multiple areas that did not meet international regulations, the most severe of which involved a fire detection system that was found to be inoperable. Without a properly functioning fire detection system, a fire on a deck carrying vehicles could have burned without the crew receiving an early warning.

Vessels determined to be substandard during inspections are subject to a detention and must remain in port until it can proceed to sea without presenting a danger to persons on board or without presenting an unreasonable threat of harm to the marine environment.

“We will continue to work with the vessel's crew to ensure the deficiencies are corrected and the vessel is safe to resume trade,” said Cmdr. Matt Edwards, chief of prevention at Sector Puget Sound.

Harley Marine Receives 2nd Enhanced Tug

By Mark Edward Nero

A second “enhanced” RAmparts 2400 Z-drive tractor tug is now in service with Harley Marine Services in Seattle. The Lela Franco, named in honor of the wife of HMS founder Harley Franco, is a sister ship to the Michelle Sloan delivered earlier this year.

Both tugs were designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built at shipbuilder Diversified Marine Inc.’s Portland, Oregon shipyard.

The Lela Franco is the sixth tractor tug HMS has added to its fleet in under two years. Like its twin sister the Michelle Sloan, it’s an enhancement of HMS tugs the Tim Quigg and John Quigg, built in 2004 also by Diversified Marine. The enhanced designs developed by Robert Allan Ltd. feature a wider hull, increased bollard pull performance, improved crew accommodations and a modified skeg.

Particulars of the Lela Franco include an overall length of 80 feet; molded beam of 36 feet; molded hull depth of six feet and eight inches; a maximum draft of 17 feet, five inches; and a weight of greater than 200 gross tons.

On trials, the vessel achieved an average bollard pull ahead of 69.0 short tons and a maximum of 71.3 short tons. Astern, the average bollard pull was 65.4 short tons and maximum was 67.4 short tons. The free running speed ahead was 12.5 knots.

The vessel has been outfitted for a normal operating crew of two, with accommodations for up to six persons. The Master’s cabin is located on the main deck, with two additional double crew cabins located on the lower accommodation deck. There is also a galley and mess room located on the main deck.

The deck machinery comprises a Markey DEPC-48 render-recover type ship assist hawser winch on the bow, spooled with 500 feet of nine-inch line, and a Markey DEPC-32 towing winch aft with a capacity of 250 feet of 6-1/2 inch line.

Oakland Monthly Cargo Up 15 Percent

By Mark Edward Nero

The Port of Oakland said Sept. 14 that imports jumped 15 percent in August compared to 2014 totals, making it the sixth-consecutive month of gains ahead of the traditional autumn pre-holiday cargo surge.

The port cites the figures as proof that its containerized import volume keeps growing as peak shipping season nears.

“We’re building momentum before the peak,” Maritime Director John Driscoll said. “It’s an indication that the season could be a good one; but more importantly, it’s a sign that customers are counting on the Port of Oakland to deliver.”

Overall container volume in August – imports, exports and empty boxes – was up six percent to 216,911 TEUs compared to the same month last year, according to port data.

Although the port’s year-to-date total volume is 1.5 million TEUs, which is down 4.8 percent from a year ago, it still represents a significant recovery from the double-digit volume declines that occurred last winter.

Imports have led Oakland’s volume rebound. The port imported the equivalent of 82,492 full containers last month, the most since March when the port’s import rally began. Import growth has been continuous since the Feb. 20 tentative settlement of a West Coast waterfront labor dispute.

Also according to the port, an increase in longshore labor on the waterfront is helping to absorb volume growth. About 150 more dockworkers are being deployed at Oakland’s five marine terminals. With the additional labor, the port has cleared a summer backlog of ships waiting to berth.

The port’s full cargo statistics for August are available at http://www.portofoakland.com/maritime/containerstats.aspx

POLA Monthly Cargo Volumes Up Nearly 4%

By Mark Edward Nero

Containerized cargo volumes at the Port of Los Angeles increased nearly four percent in August 2015 compared to the same period last year, according to newly released data from the port.

The POLA handled a total of 786,677 TEUs last month, compared to 757,702 in August 2014. It was the strongest August performance since 2006, when 790,726 TEUs moved through the port complex.

“The numbers are strong indicators that our terminal operators, longshore labor and supply chain partners are adjusting to the new industry dynamics of carrier alliances, deploying larger ships and delivering higher container volumes per call,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka explained.

Imports increased 6.3 percent during the month, rising from 383,551 TEUs in August 2014 to 407,804 TEUs in August 2015. However, exports declined 14 percent, from 168,248 TEUs in August 2014 to 143,936 TEUs in August 2015.

Factoring in empties, which increased 14 percent, overall the August 2015 volume of 786,677 represented an increase of 3.8 percent.

However, for the first eight months of 2015, the port’s overall volume of 5.3 million TEUs is down 2.5 percent compared to the same period in 2014. Fiscal year 2016 volumes are up just 0.7 percent from the same time period during the FY 2015, according to port data.

Current and historical data container counts for the Port of Los Angeles is available at http://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp

Water Seepage Could Delay Panama Canal Project

By Mark Edward Nero

During stress testing of new locks for the Panama Canal, water seepage was detected in a specific area of the new Pacific Ocean-side locks in a section that separates the middle chamber and lower chamber, the Panama Canal Authority revealed Sept. 7.

This development means that the opening of the canal expansion, which has had a handful of delays already and is currently planned for spring 2016, could be pushed back again.

The Panama Canal Authority said it is now awaiting a formal report from the construction contractor, which will be issued following detailed inspections. The report is expected to include a root cause analysis, as well as the recommended repair methodology.

Upon evaluating the report's findings, the Canal Authority says, it will assess and communicate if the project’s completion timeline will be affected in any way.

The Authority also says it has designated two independent external structural engineers to conduct an objective evaluation of the reasons for seepage and assess the construction contractor’s solution.

Despite the setback, the expansion project has now reached 93 percent completion and work continues in other areas of the project, according to the Authority. Updates are expected to be issued by the Canal Authority as information becomes available.

The $5 billion Panama Canal expansion, which is expected to allow post-Panamax ships to travel through the canal en route to East Coast terminals, thereby bypassing the US West Coast, was initially scheduled to be completed in 2014 to coincide with the 100-year anniversary of the opening of the existing canal, but snafus have delayed the completion by nearly two years so far.