The Port of Seattle Commission has voted to permanently prohibit the use of biometric technology — including facial recognition — for law enforcement, security, and mass surveillance purposes by the port and any private-sector entities operating at its facilities. The July 13 vote builds on a moratorium on new biometrics uses that the commission put in place in 2019 until policies could be reviewed and developed. The Port of Seattle, which also operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, has said that it’s the first port authority in the nation to formally limit the use of biometric technology. “No one at a port…
The Port of Long Beach has ushered in what it is calling “the next era of environmentally sustainable operations” with the completion of the Long Beach Container Terminal at Middle Harbor, which the port calls one of the most technologically advanced cargo facilities in the world. The third and final phase of the years-long LBCT project was officially proclaimed complete during a mid-August press conference at the 300-acre facility. “Developing this terminal has been one of the biggest and most challenging infrastructure projects in our history,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said during the press conference. Equipped…
Matson Lines and Wan Hai Lines have each introduced first-call services at the Port of Oakland, meaning the shipping lines are now making their initial U.S. stop the Northern California seaport after sailing from Asia. Taipei-based Wan Hai Lines commenced its new service Aug. 8. Called the AA5, the route links Oakland with three Asian ports: Kaohsiung, Ningbo and Qingdao. This follows the July 27 launch of an Oakland-China first-call service operated by Matson Lines. The new Matson service calls Chinese ports in Ningbo and Shanghai and makes stops in Long Beach and Honolulu after visiting Oakland. According to the…
The Port of Los Angeles in July announced that it has launched “Horizon,” a long-term cargo volume predictive feature that offers cargo owners, terminal operators, truckers and other supply chain stakeholders the capability to gauge movement of containers at the port up to six months in advance. Horizon is an added feature of the port’s “Control Tower” service, a cargo flow planning and prediction tool that launched earlier this year. “We’re proud to break ground with this new forecasting tool, which is the first of its kind,” said port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka. “The Horizon predictive technology is…
For two weeks beginning July 18, BNSF Railway limited the flow of international containers from the Los Angeles-Long Beach seaport complex to the railroad’s Logistics Park Chicago intermodal terminal in order to deal with a backlog of intermodal cargo traffic at the terminal. “The rate of containers tendered to us on the West Coast continues to exceed the rate of out-gates from Logistics Park Chicago,” railway spokeswoman Amy Casas is quoted as saying in a July 19 trains.com report. “We are confident in our ability to process and unload volume at the rate that we are seeing demand on the…
The Port of Oakland and its logistics partners have launched a battery electric truck demonstration project on its path to zero emissions at the Oakland Seaport. In mid-July, the port debuted 10 new battery electric trucks at Shippers Transport Express (STE), a port-based trucking operation. The Peterbilt trucks cost a total of $5.1 million and are used to haul cargo within the port’s maritime area. Funding for the trucks comes from a ZANZEFF grant (Zero and Near-Zero-Emission Freight Facility) program. The battery electric truck demonstration project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It expands options for another clean, cargo-handling…
More than a decade after an independent study found that fire safety facilities and equipment at the Port of Long Beach were in urgent need of modernization, a gleaming new fire station has opened at the port. Fire Station No. 15, a 20,000-square foot facility with an 11,200-square foot covered boat bay, is now operational. “This moment has been a long time coming,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said. “It’s an important milestone for the safety of the Long Beach community and this critical national economic engine.” Station 15, located on Pier F between Middle Harbor and…
By Karen Robes Meeks After a two-year design and build process with Vigor Industrial and a 1,000-mile trek from Vancouver, Washington, the Los Angeles Pilot Service’s newest boats have made their way to San Pedro Bay and are now in service at the nation’s busiest seaport. Seeing the Angels Pilot and the Angels Navigator in action at the Port of Los Angeles marks a big moment for the pilot service. “We are very happy we were able to work with the port in procuring these boats,” said Chief Port Pilot Captain David Flinn, who oversees the Los Angeles Pilot Service…