News – Page 2 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Newsmakers

Crowley Names New Wind Services, Government Relations VPs In late March, Maritime and logistics company Crowley appointed Mark Coplen to the role of vice president of project management for Crowley Wind Services, where he’s expected to help advance the company’s growth and market leadership in the offshore wind industry. In his role, Coplen is being tasked with expanding Crowley Wind’s project management capabilities to support customers in its offering of engineering, procurement and construction management for the offshore wind market. He previously served as president of Ventolines, an offshore wind consulting company, and as vice president of AdBm Technologies, a…

Port of LA Signs Collaborative Agreements with Japanese, Swedish Ports

The Port of Los Angeles in mid-March entered into separate Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with the Port of Tokyo and the Port of Yokohama to collaborate on sustainability and environmental issues. The agreements were signed by Port of LA officials during the weeklong 2023 California Japan Clean Energy Trade Mission summit. The MOUs with the two ports call for cooperation and sharing of best practices on environmental and sustainability initiatives, including the digitation of the supply chain to optimize efficiency and reduce port operational impacts. “The MOUs signed this week between the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Tokyo,…

Coast Guard, Good Samaritans Rescue Crew of Sinking Fishing Vessel

The Coast Guard and good Samaritans aboard two commercial fishing vessels located and rescued the crew of the 52-foot commercial fishing vessel Sea Smile 545 miles southwest of Hawaii on March 3. Following the rescue, the six crewmembers were reportedly in good condition and made their way to Honolulu aboard the commercial fishing vessel Captain Minh. At 6:46 p.m. on March 2, Joint Rescue Coordination Center Honolulu (JRCC) watchstanders received a report from the owner of the Sea Smile stating that the vessel was disabled and taking on water. The crew reported that there was five to seven feet of…

Coast Guard Base Seattle: An Expansion Update

The U.S. Coast Guard’s proposal to expand Base Seattle has set off a buzzsaw of issues among port neighbors and regulatory agencies – federal, state and local. The Guard has been challenged across numerous fronts. A common message is that while most people support the Coast Guard’s mission and acknowledge the need for expansion and modernization at Base Seattle, the Guard’s current draft proposal, released in October, is drastic, a steam roller that flattens everything in its path. Consider: “Coast Guard land acquisition under any of the alternatives would result in direct, significant adverse impacts associated with displacement of existing…

Maersk, Shanghai International Port Group Sign ‘Green’ Fuel Partnership

A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) announced in late March that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) on strategic cooperation for a Shanghai port methanol marine fuel project. The two parties said they’re joining together to explore green methanol fuel vessel-to-vessel bunkering operation after delivery of over a dozen Maersk green methanol container vessels in 2024. “Maersk has set a net-zero emissions target for 2040 across the entire business, and the delivery and operation of its 19 vessels with dual-fuel engines able to operate on green methanol will accelerate the evolution of climate neutral shipping,”…

Foss Line Service Receives PMA Safety Award

The Pacific Maritime Association in March awarded Foss Line Service with a Zero Injury Rate designation and First Place in Safety at the 75th annual PMA Safety Awards. Accepting the awards on behalf of Foss Maritime were Zach Vetter, the company’s line service manager and Casey Johnson, the line superintendent for Foss Maritime. In 2022, Foss Line Service ensured everyone stayed safe on every single job, the company said in a statement. “I would like to thank our line superintendents for making sure everyone is safe during all our line jobs,” Vetter said. “They work very well with the longshoreman…

MSC Teams with GCMD to Accelerate Decarbonize Efforts

In mid-March, Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) and the Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) announced the signing of a five-year partnership agreement under which the two parties are combining forces on decarbonization efforts. The non-profit GCMD, which is among the world’s largest bunkering hubs and the second largest container port, aims to help the industry eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by shaping standards for future fuels, financing first-of-a-kind projects, and piloting low-carbon solutions in an end-to-end manner under real-world operations conditions. Geneva, Switzerland-based MSC has 730 vessels and one of the maritime industry’s largest newbuilding orderbook of energy-efficient container ships.…

TT Club Appoints Two to Senior Positions

In mid-March, London-based International freight and logistics insurer TT Club announced two new appointments to senior positions within the company. Kevin King has been promoted to deputy chief executive officer and Mark Argentieri to chief operating officer (COO) in place of King. The company said that King and Argentieri have both been working closely with TT’s CEO, Charles Fenton, in recent years in order to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities, as Fenton plans to step down from the CEO role at the end of 2023. Beyond then however, Fenton is expected to remain close to the business, after having…

Auto Import Business Launches at Port of Portlan

A new auto import business launched at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6 in early March. At its onset, longshore workers unloaded about 3,100 General Motors vehicles from the ro/ro vessel Dong-A Metis at Berth 601, the majority of which were routed to points in the inland U.S. via rail. Portland has said that it anticipates welcoming four ships each month, bringing about 160,000 GM vehicles through the port each year. “From the longshore workers unloading the ships to the folks moving the imports to rail cars destined for the Midwest, this new business further solidifies the port as a…

Port of Prince Rupert Export Logistics Project Moves Forward

The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) said in early March that its Ridley Island Export Logistics Project (RIELP) has reached a significant milestone: receipt of its final determination of the federal environmental effects evaluation review. “Federal authorities have determined … that the Ridley Island Export Logistics Project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects,” the port said in a March 2 statement. “This concludes the federal environmental review process, which is a prerequisite for the federal authorities to consider the required authorizations for the project to proceed.” The export logistics complex, which is planned for the southern end…