Features – Page 6 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Diving and Salvage: Beneath the Surface

It is easy to see a company’s successes above water, but there’s also some quality work happening beneath the surface. Whether it is pulling wreckage from seemingly unreachable depths or laying down hundreds of miles of cable that would provide internet access to remote Alaskan communities, these companies and their talented workforce of experienced divers, salvage experts and support staff are the industry’s underground workhorses. Here is a look at what these diving and salvage companies are accomplishing along the West Coast: AMERICAN MARINE CORP. 2022 has been a busy year for longtime West Coast specialty marine contracting, commercial diving…

Vessel Profile: R/V Resilience

The Department of Energy anticipates its first hybrid-electric research vessel. The r/v Resilience is a hybrid electric research vessel being built by Seattle-based contractor Snow & Company, is expected to join the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory-Sequim (PNNL) fleet in April 2023. The PNNL is one of the United States Department of Energy’s national laboratories, managed by the DOE’s Office of Science. The laboratory houses several scientific user facilities and research facilities. “They (PNNL) have a fleet of two boats right now and they wanted to expand with (the addition of) a larger vessel with more capabilities,” Snow & Company Project…

Annual Intermodal Expo Explores the Business of Goods Movement

From Sept. 12-14, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) welcomed more than 2,000 members of the goods transport industry to Long Beach, California for the organization’s annual Intermodal Expo, which was chock full of information, analysis and insight across its three days. Many of the event’s IANA-organized sessions focused on ongoing supply chain challenges and opportunities within the industry. Representatives from more than 110 companies were in attendance, according to IANA. The expo’s first general session, “Inside Intermodal,” which was led by John Larkin of Clarendon Capital, offered thoughts and insights on intermodal’s direction from the perspectives of 3PLs,…

Passenger Ferries: Becoming Cleaner, More Sustainable

Those in charge of passenger-only ferry design, construction and operations continues to march toward cleaner, more sustainable models and practices. Whether it’s ferries that get commuters to and from work or catamarans that carry researchers to their oceanic missions, West Coast vessel builders and operators are moving people in a way that produces less pollution. That move toward zero emissions is expected to quicken with President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Passed in November, it includes “historic levels of funding,” almost $300 million, to enhance access to ferry service and build greener ferries, according to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).…

Baja California Seaports: An Overview

The seaports along Mexico’s Pacific coast generally don’t receive a lot of attention north of the border in the United States, but although they’re typically smaller and not as high profile, some of them are as bustling as their counterparts elsewhere in North America. Part of the reason why is the country’s blossoming manufacturing industry. Mexico has 16 international seaports allowing for the expedited arrival and departure of goods. Baja California, a Mexican state south of California, is home to five of those international seaports—Ensenada, Isla de Cedros, Rosarito, Sauzal de Rodriguez and San Felipe—all of which except Isla de…

NVOCCs Caught in the Middle: Ocean Shipping Reform Act 2022 Requirements for Reporting Demurrage and Detention

The FMC needs to pump the brakes and allow the industry to catch up. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, passed by Congress without industry input and signed into law on June 16, has left the industry in a difficult position regarding how to comply with the new requirements for invoicing demurrage and detention (D&D) charges. At issue is the Container Availability Date, which must now be included on all invoices as the critical piece of information that determines the fair assessment of D&D charges. However, container availability differs from the date a container is discharged from a vessel,…

A Tragic End for Astoria’s 98-Year-Old Ferry and Its Owner

Abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) are such a growing problem on the Northwest coast that the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force organized an ADV workgroup in 2018. The latest move came Oregon’s Department of State Lands (DSL) publishing a memorandum on Aug. 9, 2022 that outlined a three-year ADV removal plan with a budget of $40 million. The DSL estimated there were 19 commercial ADVs and 175 smaller recreational derelict boats statewide. The largest and most significant were the 95-year old 125-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alert and the 100-foot World War II U.S. Navy tug Sakarissa sunk…

West Coast Shipyards: 2022 Update

Whether it’s a ferry carrying passengers to work in the Bay Area or a U.S. Navy vessel supporting military missions in the Pacific, chances are that the vessel was designed, built and/or repaired by a West Coast shipyard. Up and down the coast, there’s a bevy of craftspeople working on a number of major projects for public and private sector clients such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Navy, Crowley Maritime, Foss Maritime and the cruise industry. Here’s a look at the projects being worked on by a handful of West Coast companies. AL LARSON BOAT SHOP…

More Western Shipyards: Full Steam Ahead

The famous Greek historian Herodotus is credited with saying, “The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance.” Surely, Herodotus was talking to the working commercial fisherman about the importance of shipyard dock talk. The comings and goings of notable boats, repowers and refits (and regrets), dredging delays, infrastructure grants won, and the like is not idle trivia. One-part gossip, four parts pertinent business information, shipyard dock talk is still the best way for professional mariners to maintain the pulse of the scene. It’s in the spirit of spreading useful dock talk that the following information from some…

Major Infrastructure Projects Underway at Smaller West Coast Ports

Smaller ports on the West Coast have been investing in their future in a major way. Officials are looking toward modernization with infrastructure projects focused on reducing emissions, improving efficiency, enhancing rail systems and increasing shore power. Some are also looking at enhancing maneuverability to accommodate bigger ships. Here are some of the highlights of a few of the projects shared with Pacific Maritime Magazine by a number of ports along the West Coast. PORT OF HUENEME Although the Port of Hueneme is considered small, it’s also in a key location as the only commercial deepwater port between Los Angeles…