By Mark Edward Nero
On Sept. 17, General Dynamics NASSCO hosted a christening ceremony for the fourth ECO Class tanker for American Petroleum Tankers under construction at the company’s San Diego shipyard.
US Representative Juan Vargas spoke at the ceremony, and the ship’s sponsor, Melissa DeVeau, christened the ship with the traditional break of a champagne bottle alongside the ship.
“This state-of-the-art vessel will be another welcome addition to our growing fleet – one that will provide safe and reliable transportation for our customers in the decades ahead. We applaud our partners at NASSCO for making this day possible,” American Petroleum Tankers President Rob Kurz said.
The ECO Class tanker Bay State is the fourth of a five-tanker contract between NASSCO and American Petroleum Tankers, which calls for the design and construction of five 50,000 deadweight ton, LNG-conversion-ready product carriers with a 330,000 barrel cargo capacity.
The 610-foot-long tankers are equipped with a new “ECO” design, which provide an upgrade in fuel efficiency. The first three ships of the ECO Class program for APT – the Lone Star State, the Magnolia State, and the Garden State – are delivered and in service. The fifth and final ship under the contract is scheduled to be delivered in 2017.
All five tankers were designed by DSEC, a subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering of Busan, South Korea.
“We celebrate the significance of the Bay State and her sister ships in the ECO Class program,” General Dynamics NASSCO Vice President & General Manager Kevin Graney said during the christening. “Upon each respective delivery, the ships constructed as part of this partnership with American Petroleum Tankers will join the ranks as some of the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly tankers in the world.”
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Monthly POLA Volumes 2nd-Highest Ever
By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Los Angeles handled 798,932 TEUs in August 2016, making it the port’s strongest month since 2006, according to recently released data.
Additionally, last month was the second busiest month in the port’s 109-year history, eclipsed only by October 2006, when the port handled 800,063 TEUs, according to data released Sept. 15.
In August, loaded imports increased 0.9 percent to 411,366 TEUs compared to the previous August.
Loaded exports increased 6.3 percent to 153,005 TEUs. Combined, total loaded volumes grew 2.3 percent to 564,271 TEUs.
With a slight increase in empty containers of 0.2 percent, overall August volumes were 798,932 TEUs, an increase of 1.6 percent compared to August 2015.
“Strong numbers on both our import and export cargo during the industry’s peak season indicates confidence in our ability to meet supply chain expectations,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement.
For the first eight months of 2016, LA’s year-to-date volumes rose 4.3 percent compared to 2015, according to data released Sept. 15. Year to date, overall cargo volumes have increased 4.3 percent to 5,620,400 TEUs compared to the same period in 2015.
Current and past data container counts for the Port of LA is available at: http://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp.
The Port of Los Angeles handled 798,932 TEUs in August 2016, making it the port’s strongest month since 2006, according to recently released data.
Additionally, last month was the second busiest month in the port’s 109-year history, eclipsed only by October 2006, when the port handled 800,063 TEUs, according to data released Sept. 15.
In August, loaded imports increased 0.9 percent to 411,366 TEUs compared to the previous August.
Loaded exports increased 6.3 percent to 153,005 TEUs. Combined, total loaded volumes grew 2.3 percent to 564,271 TEUs.
With a slight increase in empty containers of 0.2 percent, overall August volumes were 798,932 TEUs, an increase of 1.6 percent compared to August 2015.
“Strong numbers on both our import and export cargo during the industry’s peak season indicates confidence in our ability to meet supply chain expectations,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a statement.
For the first eight months of 2016, LA’s year-to-date volumes rose 4.3 percent compared to 2015, according to data released Sept. 15. Year to date, overall cargo volumes have increased 4.3 percent to 5,620,400 TEUs compared to the same period in 2015.
Current and past data container counts for the Port of LA is available at: http://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp.
Monday, September 19, 2016
WSDOT Christens New Ferry
By Mark Edward Nero
On Sept. 14, the Washington State Department of Transportation christened Chimacum, the fleet’s third Olympic Class vessel, during a ceremony at Vigor Industrial’s Harbor Island Shipyard in Seattle.
The christening marks the Chimacum’s final stage of construction and its preparation for sea trials. Among those who spoke during the event were Gov. Jay Inslee, Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar and Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent.
“The Washington state ferry system is among the best in the world. I am so pleased that the Chimacum is being built efficiently, on-budget and ahead-of schedule” Inslee said. “This is great for the state’s taxpayers and our maritime industry.”
The 144-car Chimacum is expected to begin its sea trials in early 2017 and start carrying passengers on the Seattle/Bremerton route next spring. The Washington State Transportation Commission selected the vessel name in 2014 to honor the gathering place of the Chimacum people, which is now the present day town of Chimacum near Port Townsend.
“Chimacum joins a hard-working fleet that connects people and communities as part of our state’s integrated, multimodal transportation system,” Millar said. “Washington’s marine highways carry more than 24 million people every year, so it’s critical for us to replace our oldest ferries and plan for the future.”
Chimacum is the third of four funded Olympic Class ferries that replace the aging, midcentury-era Evergreen State Class vessels. The first Olympic Class vessel, Tokitae, joined the Mukilteo/Clinton route in June 2014. The second, Samish, started service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route in June 2015. Suquamish, the fourth vessel in the class, is under construction at Vigor and is expected to enter service in 2019.
On Sept. 14, the Washington State Department of Transportation christened Chimacum, the fleet’s third Olympic Class vessel, during a ceremony at Vigor Industrial’s Harbor Island Shipyard in Seattle.
The christening marks the Chimacum’s final stage of construction and its preparation for sea trials. Among those who spoke during the event were Gov. Jay Inslee, Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar and Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent.
“The Washington state ferry system is among the best in the world. I am so pleased that the Chimacum is being built efficiently, on-budget and ahead-of schedule” Inslee said. “This is great for the state’s taxpayers and our maritime industry.”
The 144-car Chimacum is expected to begin its sea trials in early 2017 and start carrying passengers on the Seattle/Bremerton route next spring. The Washington State Transportation Commission selected the vessel name in 2014 to honor the gathering place of the Chimacum people, which is now the present day town of Chimacum near Port Townsend.
“Chimacum joins a hard-working fleet that connects people and communities as part of our state’s integrated, multimodal transportation system,” Millar said. “Washington’s marine highways carry more than 24 million people every year, so it’s critical for us to replace our oldest ferries and plan for the future.”
Chimacum is the third of four funded Olympic Class ferries that replace the aging, midcentury-era Evergreen State Class vessels. The first Olympic Class vessel, Tokitae, joined the Mukilteo/Clinton route in June 2014. The second, Samish, started service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route in June 2015. Suquamish, the fourth vessel in the class, is under construction at Vigor and is expected to enter service in 2019.
Seattle Port Approves Solar Project
By Mark Edward Nero
On Sept. 13, the five-person Port of Seattle Commission approved funding for design of the port’s first-ever solar demonstration project, a task at Fishermen’s Terminal that’s included as part of the replacement of net-shed roofs that house fishing nets and gear for the North Pacific Fishing Fleet.
The demonstration project is being designed to help the port gain in-house knowledge about the benefits and challenges of solar projects, including installation, operation and maintenance, according to the port.
Planners estimate that the net-shed solar panels could produce 11,000 kW of electricity per year, reducing carbon emissions by 279 pounds in the first year. The project could be in place by the end of 2017, according to the port.
“As we explore innovative policies to guide the reduction of our carbon footprint, I am encouraged that this demonstration project could lead the way for additional solar project opportunities at the port in the future,” Port Commissioner Fred Felleman said.
Solar power has increasingly piqued the interest of Port Commission which, earlier this year, convened an Energy and Sustainability Committee to guide the port’s policies related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy efficiency.
On Sept. 13, the five-person Port of Seattle Commission approved funding for design of the port’s first-ever solar demonstration project, a task at Fishermen’s Terminal that’s included as part of the replacement of net-shed roofs that house fishing nets and gear for the North Pacific Fishing Fleet.
The demonstration project is being designed to help the port gain in-house knowledge about the benefits and challenges of solar projects, including installation, operation and maintenance, according to the port.
Planners estimate that the net-shed solar panels could produce 11,000 kW of electricity per year, reducing carbon emissions by 279 pounds in the first year. The project could be in place by the end of 2017, according to the port.
“As we explore innovative policies to guide the reduction of our carbon footprint, I am encouraged that this demonstration project could lead the way for additional solar project opportunities at the port in the future,” Port Commissioner Fred Felleman said.
Solar power has increasingly piqued the interest of Port Commission which, earlier this year, convened an Energy and Sustainability Committee to guide the port’s policies related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy efficiency.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Prince Rupert Could Gain New Terminal
By Mark Edward Nero
The Port of Prince Rupert announced Sept. 14 that it has signed a feasibility assessment agreement with Seattle-based marine and rail terminal operator SSA Marine and its subsidiary, Western Stevedoring, to explore the viability of a breakbulk and bulk import/export terminal at the port.
The feasibility assessment agreement gives SSA Marine/Western Stevedoring the opportunity to further identify the viability of demand in the market. An environmental assessment of the site would be required if the feasibility assessment substantiates the terminal’s potential.
The south shore of Kaien Island has been identified as a suitable site for an 80-hectare terminal development, near existing bulk terminals on Ridley Island.
“Ongoing cargo diversification is one of the highest priorities for the Port of Prince Rupert, and the potential for the return of breakbulk and general cargoes capacity to the Port of Prince Rupert represents a clear response to growing market demand in Western Canada,” Port of Prince Rupert President & CEO Don Krusel said in the announcement. “We are pleased to be working with SSA Marine and Western Stevedoring.”
The port hasn’t had a breakbulk and general cargoes facility since the conversion of Fairview Terminal to a container terminal in 2007. Establishing a new breakbulk and bulk terminal could restore capacity for handling the types of goods and modes of transport the Prince Rupert says is being requested by US, Canadian and regional shippers.
In addition to increasing cargo diversity, the addition of a breakbulk and bulk terminal could provide capacity for breakbulk forest products, steel, project cargo, bulk specialty agricultural products, bulk mineral concentrates and automobiles.
Port officials have also said the terminal project might give Canadian exporters and importers flexibility in shipping mode to complement Prince Rupert’s container and bulk terminals.
A new breakbulk and bulk terminal would benefit from key strengths, such as the port’s safe harbor and proximity to Asian markets, according to Western Stevedoring President Brad Eshleman.
“We are excited at the prospect of building on – and expanding – that success,” he said.
Asian Shipping Route Adds Oakland Port
By Mark Edward Nero
A transpacific shipping route that links Asia and the US is adding weekly Port of Oakland stops, starting in November. Oakland is becoming the sixth stop in the service operated by three Asian shipping lines, the port revealed Sept. 13.
Seven ships from the three ocean carriers are deployed on the service, with each having the capacity to carry between 8,000 and 9,000 twenty-foot containers. The vessels will make weekly calls at the port’s Oakland International Container Terminal starting Nov. 6.
The service, known as the Calco-C, connects ports in Vietnam, China and California. It’s expected to bring an additional 50 vessel arrivals to Oakland annually and that, according to the port, could increase its cargo volume by as much as 30,000 20-foot-containers a year.
The port handled the equivalent of 2.28 million 20-foot containers last year.
“We’re pleased to be joining this service,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said. “It’s testament to the vibrant market we serve, and strengthens our role as a key gateway in the transpacific container trade.”
The port said the service gives shippers more opportunity to import finished Asian goods, such as apparel and consumer electronics, and that exporters can gain new routes to Asia for commodities, such as California agricultural products.
Other ports in the Calco-C service include Cai Mep in Vietnam; Xiamen, Yantian and Nansha in China; and the Port of Long Beach. The service is operated by Tokyo-based “K” Line; Wan Hai Lines of Taiwan; and Singapore’s Pacific International Lines.
APM Raises Tallest Port Crane
By Mark Edward Nero
The first of 10 ship-to-shore cranes at APM Terminals’ Port of Los Angeles facility has been raised 33 feet (10 meters) at Pier 400, making it the tallest port crane in North America, the terminal operator said Sept. 14.
The crane is expected to be ready for vessel operations in the next few months, according to APM.
The Los Angeles crane extension project is a $40 million investment, according to APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer. The project is designed to prepare for regular Ultra-Large Container Vessel (ULCV) calls in the trans-Pacific trade lanes, carrying up to 20,000 TEUs per vessel. Prior to the upgrade, the largest ships that could be served were vessels carrying an average of 13,000 TEUs.
APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles operates a total of 14 STS cranes. The 10 retro-fitted cranes will enable handling vessels that have a beam of 23-containers wide, and stacked ten containers high above deck.
An additional feature of the upgraded cranes is the installation of light-emitting diode (LED) illumination to improve operator visibility and accuracy of the cranes’ optical character recognition (OCR) programs. The cranes are expected to use 60 percent less energy than conventional lighting systems.
The 484-acre APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles terminal, which opened in 2002, is one of the largest proprietary terminals in the world. Its throughput was 2.48 million TEUs last year, about 16 percent of the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex’s combined 2015 throughput of 15.3 million TEUs.
A time-lapsed video of the crane being raised at APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles can be seen at https://youtu.be/V1gciMbYHjc
