Features – Page 8 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Ketchikan’s New Cruise Dock Opens for Business

Cruise ship industry traffic is getting a new boost into Southeast Alaska in August with the arrival of the Norwegian Encore at the site of what was once a thriving pulp mill, now transformed in a multi-million-dollar dock facility to accommodate neopanamax sized vessels. It’s one of the latest steps in the long-term transformation of Alaska’s southeasternmost major community, which lies on Revillagigedo Island, a summer fish camp for Tlingit Natives on the southern tip of the Inside Passage, which connects the Gulf of Alaska to Puget Sound. “We’re excited the ships are coming back to Alaska,” said John Binkley,…

Ocean & Coastal Towing: Crowley’s Making Moves

The ocean and coastal towing industry is evolving, and one of the companies being aggressive in its efforts to keep up with the times is Crowley Maritime. Crowley, which is based in Jacksonville, Florida, has a significant presence on the West Coast, including locations in Alaska, California and Washington state. The company and its various business arms and subsidiaries, including Crowley Fuels, Crowley Shipping, Jensen Maritime, Crowley Logistics and others – have been engaged in many moves — both literally and figuratively — over the past year-plus. Crowley’s marine services group operates one of the more established fleets of ship…

Infrastructure Upgrades: Big Projects at Smaller Ports

As bigger ships dominate goods movement, ports along the West Coast know that they must adapt to remain competitive. For years, port officials have been working on various projects to make their ports more attractive to customers, whether it’s improving rail capabilities or building the infrastructure to make shore power possible. But the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t always made that easy. At the Port of San Diego, for example, funding had to be reduced for nine maritime infrastructure projects, pushing completion to a future fiscal year when the port’s revenues recover. Still, ports continue to execute their big picture vision of…

American Marine Corp: Hawaii Infrastructure Projects

By Karen Robes Meeks Not all planned or maritime-related infrastructure improvement projects are being undertaken by port districts. In Hawai’i, a number of improvements have been embarked on by state and local governments, as well as other entities. One company that’s helping develop a number of them is American Marine Corp., which is headquartered in the Aloha State and also has a large presence California and Alaska. Some of the various projects that AMC has been participating in include: Repair Seal Team Delivery Vehicle Boat Ramp and Finger Pier AMC has been working as a sub-contractor to International Construction, Inc.…

Western States’ Transportation Leaders Call for Clean Ports Funding in Federal Infrastructure Package

Transportation and clean air officials in California, Oregon, Washington and other states have sent a letter to U.S. Senate and House leaders urging support of federal funding for clean ports. In the letter, the signatories express support for President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan proposal to invest an additional $17 billion in coastal ports, inland waterways, land ports of entry, and ferries. They also call out the need to invest in zero-emission infrastructure and equipment at the nation’s seaports in order to build “a cleaner, better future” and transform the system that moves the nation’s freight, especially as the economy…

Time Slot Management: A Solution for Port Congestion?

Severe congestion problems in global maritime supply chains affect everyone connected in any ways to the flow of containers. In response to the crisis, several institutional and academic experts have published a paper introducing the concept of ‘dynamic time slot management.’ They propose the use of time slots and data sharing to empower different parties to make more informed and flexible plans. The goal is to overcome the disruptions and congestion in the supply chain system – with the understanding that improving supply chain visibility is a key element of the effort. The authors call for an expansion of the…

Maritime Cyber Security — A Time to Raise Awareness

Besides the impact of COVID19, the news of 2021 has been full of headlines regarding cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. For instance, you’ve probably heard about the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack or the attack on the JBS meat processing plant; however, are you aware that the maritime sector is also under cyber-attack? For instance, as of July 2020, cyber-attacks on the maritime industry have increased by 900% in three years according to cyber defense solutions provider Naval Dome. Basically, threats to maritime computer systems are on the rise, and are here to stay. As such, this magazine has asked me…

Morro Bay Nonprofit Raising Funds for Harbor Patrol Boat

By Karen Robes Meeks For the last seven years, Friends of the Morro Bay Harbor Department has galvanized the community to help its harbor department in need, whether it’s refurbishing lifeguard stations or installing a solar-powered emergency phone in a remote part of the sand spit. Now, the nonprofit community group is tackling its biggest challenge yet: raising funds to refurbish a much-needed patrol boat for the harbor department. Friends of the MBHD is working to reach its $100,000 goal to help the department outfit a newer used vessel with a pair of new Yanmar diesel engines and outdrives, updated…

Brusco’s Partnership with Diversified Reaches 20 Years and 10 Tugs

By Peter Marsh The Pacific Northwest has been the center for tug construction on the West Coast for at least the last 40 years, during which the azimuth stern drive (ASD) and the use of computer-aided lofting and cutting have revolutionized the way tugs are built and used. This has had the effect of allowing a typical ASD tug to become a multi-purpose craft: able to handle both ship-handling, escort and short hauling assignments with only slight additions to the deck gear. Today, naval architects are able to take their well-tested hull shapes and modify accommodation and machinery layouts using…

New Vessel & Tug Review

By Peter Marsh Munson Builds High-Speed Skimmer for Oil Spill Contractor Located 400 miles north of Fairbanks on Alaska’s north slope, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska is home to the largest oil field in North America. The regional oil spill response contractor, Alaska Clean Seas, maintains about 60 miles of oil containment boom and more than 100 specialized response vessels. The latest of these vessels is the 48-foot x 16-foot Pt. McIntyre, a Munson purpose-built oil aluminum skimmer designed to operate in the harsh environment above the Arctic Circle. It is based on a standard landing craft hull that company founder Bill…