Northwest Seaports Experience Volume Gains

By Mark Edward Nero

The Northwest Seaport Alliance, a marine cargo operating partnership between the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, says that through the first month of 2016, container volumes through the Puget Sound gateway grew nearly 17 percent to 257,349 TEUs.

The alliance also reports that its international container volumes climbed 25 percent in January compared to the same month a year ago.

According to data, the ports’ full containerized imports grew 33 percent to 108,441 TEUs, while full exports improved 16 percent to 65,430 TEUs. The ports say the rise in volumes indicate shippers have returned to the Pacific Northwest following port congestion early last year during contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association.

Despite the gains in international shipping, domestic container volumes continued to decline in January, falling nearly 13 percent to 44,799 TEUs, something the Seaport Alliance says is partially due to the Alaska economy continuing to struggle due to falling oil production and prices, and to much of the ports’ Hawaii-bound cargo now moving through Southern California following the sale of Horizon Lines’ Hawaii business last year.

The declines in breakbulk cargo and auto imports were expected due to seasonal volume fluctuations, according to the Seaport Alliance. Both breakbulk and auto imports are expected to grow in 2016, the ports say.

More data regarding the ports’ January 2016 volumes can be found at https://www.nwseaportalliance.com/sites/default/files/January2016-ContainerVolumes.pdf

42 Rescued After Fishing Vessel Fire Near Hawaii

By Mark Edward Nero

Forty-two people were rescued last week after abandoning a fishing vessel that caught fire Feb. 10 about 1,800 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands, according to the US Coast Guard.

The 42 crewmembers aboard the 258-foot US-flagged fishing vessel abandoned ship at 10 a.m. local time into two life rafts, three workboats and one skiff.

Crewmembers later successfully dewatered the 40-year-old fishing vessel, the American Eagle, using equipment dropped by an HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Barbers Point.

The American Eagle’s captain later reported the fire extinguished and the vessel to be in stable condition. A team of nine was able to restart the generator, reestablish electricity and maintain communication, while the remaining 33 crewmembers were successfully recovered from their life rafts, workboats and skiff by the Fong Seong 888, a Tuvalu-flagged oil tanker.

In the aftermath of the incident, the Fong Seong 888 remained on-scene to provide additional support, according to the USCG, and American Eagle’s sister ship, American Victory, arrived early this week to relieve the Fong Seong 888.

Thirty crewmembers are currently aboard the fishing vessel cleaning and assessing damage caused after the fire broke out, according to the USCG’s Honolulu-based 14th District headquarters.

Foss VP Receives Diversity Award

By Mark Edward Nero

Foss Maritime’s Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer, Lam Nguyen-Bull, has been named 2016 Diversity Champion by the Puget Sound Business Journal’s 2016 Corporate Counsel Awards committee.

The annual awards honor attorneys who are helping drive business throughout the region, highlight outstanding work and emphasize the value the professionals bring to their organizations.

Nguyen-Bull’s award recognizes her for efforts in supporting diversity in the community, maritime industry and the legal profession.

Nguyen-Bull, who is based in Seattle, leads Foss Maritime’s Legal and Risk Management Group, providing counsel on legal issues and business strategies and practices. She also heads the company’s ethics and compliance programs that work to safeguard Foss’ values and reputation.

She came to Foss from parent company Saltchuk, where she served as Associate General Counsel and Compliance Officer.

“Lam’s dedication to inclusiveness and her involvement is impressive,” said Paul Stevens, President and Chief Executive Officer of Foss. “I’m glad to see her recognized for her tireless efforts and proud to have her on our executive team.”

“I’m flattered by the recognition,” Nguyen-Bull said. “This is such an honor for me, but the real recognition should go to the extraordinary mentors and programs I’ve had the benefit of working with. Here at Foss, I've been really lucky to be involved in the Saltchuk Women’s Leadership Initiative, a program personally sponsored by the three sisters who are Saltchuk’s majority shareholders and championed by senior executives from all around the Saltchuk companies.”

POLA Has Busiest January in Its History

By Mark Edward Nero

The Port of Los Angeles handled over 704,000 TEUs in January 2016, an increase of 33 percent compared to January 2015. It was the busiest January in the port’s 109-year history.

January 2016 imports surged 41.6 percent to 367,208 TEUs compared to the previous year. Exports increased 1.5 percent to 126,240 TEUs in January, while total loaded imports of 493,449 TEUs increased 28.6 percent compared to the previous year. Empty containers increased 44 percent to 210,949 TEUs.

Combined, January overall volumes totaled 704,398 TEUs, a 33 percent increase compared to last year.

“Record January volumes is a very encouraging way to start 2016, particularly after the slow start that West Coast ports experienced last year,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said. “As cargo owners replenish their inventories after the holiday season, our terminals and supply chain partners continue to demonstrate progress in moving larger container volumes per ship call, and we are grateful for the work they’ve done in recent months to increase supply chain efficiencies and optimization.”

Regarding fiscal year volumes, they’re up about three percent compared to the corresponding period in FY 2015. Thus far, the port has seen 4.96 million TEUs since the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year, compared with 4.81 million units during the same seven-month period in FY 2015.

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

Oakland Establishes Cargo Transition Plan

By Mark Edward Nero

Port of Oakland Commissioners have authorized spending up to $1.5 million to open night and weekend marine terminal gates. The funds are for increased access hours for harbor truck drivers at the terminals, which began Feb. 13.

The governing Board of Port Commissioners approved the spending plan, called the Transition Assistance Program, on Feb. 11.

Added hours are central to plans for redistributing cargo when one of five Oakland marine terminals closes. Outer Harbor Terminals, formerly known as Ports America Outer Harbor, has filed for bankruptcy and is leaving the Port of Oakland.

The terminal is expected to cease vessel operations March 31.

“Extending terminal gate hours is an important way to improve cargo flow through the Port,” said John Driscoll, the Port’s Maritime Director. “It’s also crucial as we make the transition from five to four active terminals.”

Port officials say the Transition Assistance Program will help smooth the process when Outer Harbor Terminals exits Oakland. The port plans to redirect ships and cargo from Outer Harbor Terminal to adjacent terminals.

Extended hours are expected to get truckers through terminal gates faster and help the terminals absorb added volume, the port said. Night and weekend gates are also expected to aid harbor truckers by allowing them to avoid peak weekday hours at terminals for certain transactions.

Thousands of drivers enter the port each week to pick up or drop off cargo containers between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Until now, weekends have usually been restricted to vessel and container yard operations.

The port said its program will provide funding to eligible terminal operators for up to 12 weeks. To be eligible, operators must meet criteria that include signing a formal agreement to extend gate hours; providing an operating plan for extended-hour gates; and getting harbor truckers in-and-out of terminals within 75 minutes to ensure smooth cargo flow.

The port said it would reimburse terminal operators up to 50 percent of the cost of operating extended-hour gates. It added that it would cap the reimbursement at $10,000 for each gate shift. The port has also said it will provide reimbursement for up to five extended-hour shifts per week during the 12-week program.

Truckers, or the cargo owners they drive for, won’t be charged for extended-hour gates, according to the port.

Two Oakland Port Commissioners Appointed

By Mark Edward Nero

Local labor leader Andreas Cluver and long-time community organizer Arabella Martinez have been appointed to four-year terms on the seven-member Oakland Board of Port Commissioners. They joined the Board Feb. 11.

The Oakland City Council appointed Cluver and Martinez at its Feb. 2 meeting. They were nominated, and sworn in, by Mayor Libby Schaaf.

Cluver is Secretary-Treasurer of the Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council, and Martinez is Vice-Chair of the Latino Community Foundation Board of Trustees.

“We are very pleased that Ms. Martinez and Mr. Cluver are joining the Board of Port Commissioners.” said Board President Earl S. Hamlin. “They both bring significant experience to the table that will help the Port realize its potential for Oakland and the region.”

Cluver is Secretary-Treasurer of the Alameda County Building Trades Council and worked in the labor movement for 16 years. He previously served as a business representative for the building trades in Alameda County as well as internationally in Southern Africa as a program director with the AFL-CIO.

Martinez was the founder and first CEO of the Unity Council, a community advocacy group in Oakland. After retiring from the Unity Council in 2005, she joined the Latino Community Foundation Board of Trustees, and in 2014, she became the LCF’s interim CEO to help build the Latino philanthropic institution in California.

Monthly POLB Container Volumes Up 24 Percent

By Mark Edward Nero

The Port of Long Beach kicked off the New Year by logging its seventh straight month of cargo increases, showing a 24.8 percent jump in container shipments in January over the same month last year, according to data released Feb. 10.

Port of Long Beach terminals moved 536,188 TEUs in January, according to the data, and imports were up 30.3 percent to 278,491 TEUs. Exports saw an increase of 8.4 percent to 106,739 container units, and empty containers that were filled with items for post-holiday sales were sent back overseas to be reloaded with goods rose 28.6 percent year over year, to 150,958 TEUs.

“We are encouraged by the strong start to the year, which stands in stark contrast to the congestion we faced a year ago,” Port of Long Beach CEO Jon Slangerup said. “We are off to a solid start in 2016 and will continue to make the necessary strategic investments in capital, energy and innovative solutions to ensure that Long Beach remains the port of choice for international trade.”

For the fiscal year to date, Long Beach has moved 2.37 million TEUs, a nearly 10 percent jump over the 2.16 million TEUs that moved through the port during the same time period during the previous fiscal year. FY 2016 began for the port on Oct. 1.

Detailed information on the latest monthly cargo numbers can be found at www.polb.com/stats.