News Briefs – Page 3 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Newsmakers

Port of Grays Harbor Executive Director Gary Nelson Retiring After nearly 24 years on the job, Port of Grays Harbor Executive Director Gary Nelson announced in mid-November that he’ll retire March 31, 2024. Nelson was hired as executive director in April 2000, when the port had only 21 vessel calls handling 85,000 metric tons of cargo with an operating budget of just $5.2 million. More than two decades later, Grays Harbor is projected to have 100 vessel calls and handle more than 3 million metric tons of cargo with an operating budget of nearly $40 million by the end of…

Hong Kong Conducts Its Annual Maritime Week

Hong Kong Maritime Week, a major annual event of the maritime and port industries in Hong Kong, was held Nov. 19-25, bringing together maritime leaders home and abroad for a week of activities that reinforce Hong Kong’s position as an international maritime center. The event, which showcases the Hong Kong maritime industry, had a theme of “Recharging the Maritime Industry” this year, reflecting what the events organizers say is the resilience and vision that define the city’s maritime sector. In a speech during the Nov. 20 opening ceremony, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said that the “one country, two…

Intermodal Expo 2023 Recap

The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) held its annual expo, an event dedicated to and for the intermodal industry, on Sept. 11-13 in Long Beach, Calif. The event, which attracted more than 1,800 attendees is, according to IANA, the only forum on the continent that brings together the entire intermodal freight industry, including executives from 3PLs, ocean carriers, railroads, ports, motor carriers, suppliers and shippers. Highlights of the three-day program included: Inside Intermodal: a team of analysts provided their views of what’s happening in the industry and where it’s headed, with detailed coverage of ocean carriers, truckers and 3PLs.…

LA, Long Beach, Shanghai Ports Reveal Plan for Green Shipping Corridor

A voluntary partnership of leading maritime goods movement stakeholders, including the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Shanghai seaports, as well as some of the largest shipping lines in the world have developed a Green Shipping Corridor Implementation Plan Outline to accelerate emissions reductions on one of the world’s busiest container shipping routes. The plan’s development was supported by C40 Cities, a global network of mayors working to deliver the urgent action needed to confront the climate crisis. C40 is the facilitator of the Green Shipping Corridor, providing support to the cities, ports and their corridor partners by coordinating, convening, facilitating…

Marine Economists Hold Annual Conference in U.S. for 1st Time

The 2023 International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) Conference took place Sept. 5-8 in Long Beach, Calif., marking the first time that the event has been held on U.S. soil. IAME, a Belgium-based nonprofit that was founded in 1992 and has more than 300 members across all seven continents, holds yearly conferences hosted by different institutions. It also supports other conferences that share its goals. Those goals, according to the organization, include promotion of the development of maritime economics as a distinct discipline, encouraging rational and reasoned discussion within it, and to facilitate the international exchange of ideas and research. …

Study: When Firms Bypass West Coast Cargo Routes, Greenhouse Gases Rise

A new study released in late August asserts that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can increase when vessels carrying cargo originating in Asia bypass seaports on the U.S. West Coast. The study, performed by Starcrest Consulting Group, LLC, analyzed a number of factors including port of origin, port of destination, ultimate inland destination and vessel sizes. If state and local regulations and policies result in the diversion of cargo flows and economic benefits from the U.S. West Coast to East Coast and Gulf ports, the policies actually can result in increases to greenhouse gas emissions. The analysis evaluates, by utilizing a…

2023 Mid-Year Trade Growth Experienced at Port of Vancouver

With growth in some sectors and softening in others, cargo volumes through Canada’s Port of Vancouver increased by 11% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year, data released by the port in late September show. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s 2023 mid-year statistics, released Sept. 25, show a total of 75.9 million metric tons (MMT) of goods moved through Port of Vancouver terminals between January 1 and June 30, 2023, compared to 68.6 MMT for the same period in 2022. This is the second largest mid-year volume of cargo ever handled by Port of…

PMSA Announces Leadership Transition

Longtime Pacific Merchant Shipping Association President John McLaurin has said that he intends to retire early next year, prompting PMSA’s Board of Directors to adopt a leadership transition plan that has PMSA Vice President and General Counsel Mike Jacob taking the reins in 2024, the organization announced Sept. 26. McLaurin has served as PMSA president for 28 years. Previously, was employed by American President Lines, the American Petroleum Institute and the Marine Spill Response Corporation. He is a University of California Davis graduate, and holds a law degree from Southwestern University. In 2013, he received the Connie Award from the…

Port of Olympia, Executive Director Part Ways

The Port of Olympia is looking for a new executive director. Earlier this month, the port commission accepted the “separation of service” from former Executive Director Sam Gibboney and on Sept. 20 announced its plans to seek a replacement in the coming months. In the interim, the port has installed 19-year port veteran Rudy Rudolph as acting executive director while a search for a new permanent executive director is conducted. “During this transitional period, the commission is committed to prioritizing and ensuring a seamless leadership transition while maintaining the port’s stability and effectiveness,” according to the port’s announcement. Gibboney became…

SAFE Boats Gains New Board Members

Bremerton-Wash.-based SAFE Boats International announced in late September that retired Vice Admiral William “Dean” Lee and Tom Norton have joined the company’s Board of Directors. Lee served in the U. S. Coast Guard for more than 36 years, most recently as the Commander, Atlantic Area (LANTAREA), responsible for all Coast Guard operations from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. During his service to the Nation, he served in numerous command and staff positions specializing in search and rescue and small boat operations. Notable assignments included Commander, Fifth District; Deputy Commandant for Operations Policy and Capabilities; Commander, Deployable Operations Group;…