News – Page 32 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

New Port of Singapore Chief Executive Appointed

The Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Quah Ley Hoon, is stepping down on Sept. 5 and will be replaced by Teo Eng Dih, who’s currently Singapore’s Deputy Secretary (Policy) of the Ministry of Defense. According to an Aug. 4 news release from the country’s Ministry of Transport, Teo will be appointed as chief executive (designate) of the port authority from Aug. 8 to Sept. 4 and take over as Chief Executive on Sept. 5. As Deputy Secretary (Policy) for the Ministry of Defense, Teo has been responsible for the ministry’s defense policy and diplomacy and…

Simplified Panama Canal Toll Structure Approved

The Cabinet Council of the Republic of Panama said on July 13 that it has approved a new Panama Canal tolls structure recommended by the canal’s Board of Directors, following a formal consultation and public hearing process. With this approval, the Panama Canal will assume a simplified, value-based pricing structure, reducing the number of tariffs from 430 to less than 60. “The proposal aims to strengthen the tolls structure in a way that is consistent with the value provided by the Canal transit service while providing greater visibility and predictability to customers,” Panama Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vásquez Morales explained. The…

NW Seaport Alliance Again Recognized as a Top Green Supply Chain Partner

For the sixth consecutive year, the Northwest Seaport Alliance has earned the distinction of being an Inbound Logistics Green Supply Chain Partner. The recognition highlights NWSA’s commitment to protecting the environment through proactive and collaborative partnerships with supply chain stakeholders and communities across the Puget Sound. The 75 organizations selected by the publication Inbound Logistics represent various trade sectors, including trucking companies, railroads, shipping lines, freight forwarders and air cargo carriers. These companies are recognized for their commitment to supply chain sustainability and ensuring that their operations are environmentally friendly. The NWSA, which is a maritime operations partnership between the…

POLB Begins Demolition of Gerald Desmond Bridge

Demolition of the Gerald Desmond Bridge in the Port of Long Beach began in July with the removal of the section of the span suspended over the Back Channel, which required a 48-hour closure to all watercraft traffic. The Back Channel was closed to vessels for one weekend, from 6 a.m. July 9 to 6 a.m. July 11, as the bridge’s 410-foot-long suspended span was dismantled and lowered onto a barge. The bridge has been closed to vehicle traffic since its replacement opened in October 2020. Vehicle traffic on the replacement bridge was not expected to be affected by the…

U.S., Canada Coast Guards Meet, Talk Joint Mission

The U.S. and Canadian coast guards reaffirmed their commitment to enforcement in the Arctic Ocean on June 7-8 when Rear Admiral Nathan Moore, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard 17th District, and Neil O’Rourke, assistant commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard Arctic Region, convened in Yellowknife and Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada. The leaders and their staff discussed partnering on matters related to the Canada-U.S. trans-boundary waters of the Beaufort Sea part of the Arctic Ocean, including coordinating search and rescue missions, managing waterways and responding to marine environmental issues. “The two regional leaders signed the newly revised Beaufort Sea…

California Ports, Stakeholders Laud Goods Movement Funding in State Budget

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 30 signed the state’s 2023 budget, which includes $2.3 billion in funding for projects that seek to improve the supply chain. Included is $1.2 billion over two years for expanding rail yard expansions, building new bridges and upgrading to zero-emissions equipment; $110 million over three years for a workforce training facility in San Pedro Bay and $159.7 million to buy zero-emission trucks and put in charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure. “We thank the governor and state Legislature for their foresight and responsiveness in including supply chain needs in the budget,” Port of Long Beach…

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to Begin Phasing Out Older Drayage Trucks

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority in mid-June announced that its Rolling Truck Age Program goes into effect Sept. 15. The program aims to phase out older container trucks serving the Port of Vancouver, for the benefit of the region’s air quality and local communities’ health. The program will cap the age of container trucks serving the port. Older, diesel-powered trucks are a significant source of particulate matter, which is known to cause cancer. Currently, some of the drayage trucks serving the seaport are more than 20 years old, according to the Port Authority. “The container trucking sector plays a vital…

Feds, West Coast Seaports Offering Agriculture Exporters Financial Relief

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Commodity Container Assistance Program (CCAP), which includes a partnership with the Port of Oakland and the Northwest Seaport Alliance—the marine cargo operating partnership between the Seattle and Tacoma seaports. Ongoing market disruptions have created logistical challenges associated with the availability and flow of shipping containers to transport agricultural commodities, which has prevented or delayed American-grown agricultural commodities from reaching their markets. “Both the Port of Oakland and the NWSA in Seattle have been identified as key gateways for American-grown agricultural commodities, and each has experienced significant challenges with the…

General Dynamics NASSCO Awarded $600 Million to Support U.S. Navy Ship Construction

San Diego-based shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO confirmed in late June that it has been awarded a $600 million contract by the U.S. Navy to support construction of the seventh and eighth ships in USN’s the John Lewis-class fleet oiler (T-AO) program, as well as the sixth ship in its Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program. The contract modifications for long-lead-time material provide $500 million for T-AO 211 and 212, and $100 million for ESB 8. Construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023 and continue into 2027. “NASSCO shipbuilders are honored to build T-AO 211, T-AO 212 and…

OpenOceans Global Launches App to Map Coastlines Fouled by Plastic

San Diego-based environmental organization OpenOceans Global on July 10 said that it was launching an online application allowing citizen scientists to map coastlines around the world that are pervasively fouled by plastic. The goal, according to the non-profit, is to visualize where marine plastic ends up, identify the source, and match the best solutions to stop the flow of plastic to the ocean. “Public perception is that most ocean plastic gathers in five gyres in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans,” OpenOceans Global founder Carl Nettleton said. “The surprising truth is that approximately two-thirds of ocean plastic is on the…