News Briefs – Page 7 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Global Shipping Companies Recognized for Reducing Vessel Speeds to Protect Whales

Over a dozen shipping companies, including MSC, Maersk, Yang Ming COSCO and K Line received awards in September for reducing speeds in and around California waters as part of the “Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies” program. A total of 19 shipping companies participated, transiting at 10 knots or less in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Southern California region. The program’s Southern California region extends from Point Arguello in Santa Barbara County to waters near Dana Point, south of the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports. The “Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies” program is a collaborative effort…

NW Seaport Alliance Receives 1st Shipment of Hyundai Vehicles

In the third week of September, the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) welcomed the inaugural delivery of Hyundai automobiles to its South Harbor in Tacoma as part of a new partnership with logistics service GLOVIS America and shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions (WWS) that’s expected to lead to an increase in finished vehicles and breakbulk operations. “The GLOVIS America consolidation expands upon a longstanding partnership between GLOVIS America and NWSA at the Port of Tacoma. In addition to Kias, many thousands of Hyundais will begin to be imported and processed at the WWS facility in Tacoma each year, increasing automobile volumes…

Port of Oakland Collaborating on Green Jobs Initiative

The Port of Oakland revealed on Sept. 26 that it’s joining forces with the West Oakland Job Resource Center (WOJRC) to train workers for green jobs in the transportation and logistics industry. The center has received a $350,000 grant from the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program. The Port of Oakland supported WOJRC during the application process and has said that it will provide on-going technical assistance in the program’s administration. The grant is part of the commission’s $100-million annual investment to support California communities by promoting accelerated development and deployment of advanced green transportation and fuel technologies. “I am…

U.S. Navy, Port of San Diego Sign Joint Project Agreement

To further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality and public health on and around the San Diego Bay, Navy Region Southwest and the Port of San Diego have formed a partnership that gives the U.S. Navy access to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) market. The federal/state initiative is expected to provide millions of dollars for further electrification efforts for both Naval Base San Diego and the Port of San Diego. The LCFS is a cap-and-trade-like program where the producers of fossil fuels must either increase the use of plant-based carbon (e.g., ethanol and soybean oil) or buy…

Shift Clean Energy to Electrify 17 New Tugboats

Vancouver, BC-based Shift Clean Energy has been selected to supply its energy storage systems to 17 new hybrid and electric tugboats in a step forward for decarbonizing the marine industry, the company announced Sept. 28. Customers include Vallianz Holdings and Zeeboat for fully electric tugboats, and others soon-to-be-named for large-scale hybrids set to begin operations in 2023 and 2024, according to Shift. “We are seeing customers and designers gravitate towards our solutions due to their inherent reliability, long life and safe operations,” Shift CEO and founder Brent Perry said. “Safety and industry leading cost efficiency are at the core of…

Sunken Fishing Vessel Raised Off San Juan Island

A commercial fishing vessel that sank near Washington’s San Juan Island on Aug. 13 with estimated 2,600 gallons of diesel and oil on board was successfully lifted to the surface as part of a lengthy process that ended Sept. 17. The lifting of the Aleutian Isle began during that weekend afternoon and continued late into the night. The Coast Guard said after the vessel was brought to the surface that the crew began the complicated task of dewatering and removing fuel. The vessel was partially dewatered and approximately 775 gallons of oily-water liquids were removed, but crews were unable to…

Crowley Awarded Maritime Prepositioning Force Contract by Military Sealift Command

Maritime and logistics company Crowley revealed in late September that it has been awarded a contract for the operation and maintenance of six government-owned vessels for the Maritime Prepositioning Force, a unit of the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command. Crowley Government Solutions will carry out the contract and provide crewing and sustained support to enable rapid deployment of equipment and supplies as needed to aid U.S. military operations in remote regions around the world. Between deployments, the company said, it will “ensure extensive maintenance to enhance the vessels’ mission readiness.” “Crowley is proud to continue serving the U.S. military’s logistics…

West Coast States Receive Nearly $10M in Federal Marine Highway Grants

California, Oregon and Washington have received a total of $9.6 million in grant funding from the federal government for a number of marine highway projects, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced Oct. 6. The funding is to help expand marine highway services on our nation’s navigable waterways to reduce congestion, alleviate supply chain bottlenecks and move goods more quickly from ships to shelves, MARAD said. “At a time of record demand for goods, it’s more important than ever to strengthen our supply chains so our manufacturers can grow and American families can get the things they need quickly and affordably,” U.S.…

BNSF Building Rail Complex to Help Alleviate SoCal Port Congestion

BNSF Railway on Oct. 1 announced plans to invest more than $1.5 billion to construct a state-of-the-art master-planned rail facility in Southern California to help relieve congestion at the San Pedro Bay Port Complex. The project is, according to BNSF, the first of its kind to be developed by a Class 1 railroad and would create 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, as well as reduce port and freeway congestion around the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports. “The significance of BNSF’s investment to improve the supply chain here in California cannot be overstated,” Trelynd Bradley, the Deputy Director of Sustainable…

Port of Vancouver Mid-Year Cargo Stats Show 11% Decline

Mid-year statistics that were released by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority on Sept. 22 show that overall cargo volumes at the Port of Vancouver have declined 11% to 68.3 million metric tons. That’s compared to 76.4 million metric tons over the same period last year. The drop, according to the port authority, reflects the impacts of a poor Canadian grain harvest, congestion caused by 2021 flooding in British Columbia and global and national supply-chain challenges. “As global ports continue to face an array of supply-chain challenges, Vancouver’s port community has met the complex and layered challenges of early 2022 with…