Articles – Page 2 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

West Coast Ocean Observing Systems Secure Federal Funds

West Coast and Pacific Islands-based ocean observing systems are set to receive a combined $27.7 million in federal funding to bolster and expand the reach and capability of U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) regional associations, it was announced Sept. 4. The Department of Commerce and NOAA said 12 grants are being awarded totaling $101.5 million with funds from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act to support IOOS, which helps in the collection of coastal and Great Lakes data and creates infrastructure and tools toward that effort. “With this $101.5 million investment, NOAA’s IOOS will be able to improve and…

Labor Exhibit Debuts at Port of Long Beach

An exhibition highlighting and celebrating the contributions of labor throughout the history of the Port of Long Beach made its debut at the port’s headquarters just before Labor Day and is expected to remain on display through mid-November. The special exhibition, titled “The Workers’ Harbor – How Labor Built and Shaped the Port of Long Beach,” was the brainchild of Harbor Commissioner Bobby Olvera, Jr., who also serves as International Vice President (Mainland) of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). Olvera Jr., who has a more than 30-year history with the longshore union, told Pacific Maritime in an exclusive…

Seaspan Shipyards to Build Polar Icebreakers for Canadian Coast Guard

British Columbia-based Seaspan Shipyards is set to build the first of two new heavy polar icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard later this year, the company revealed Aug. 21. So far, about 80% of the functional design for the icebreaker has been completed, with production design on schedule to support cutting steel in late 2024, according to Seaspan. When completed, the polar icebreaker is expected to be 158 meters (518 feet) long and 28 (about 92 feet) meters wide, and can accommodate up to 100 people. “It will be able to operate farther north, in more difficult ice conditions and…

Intermodal Expo 2024: FMC Chair Update

The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) held its annual expo, dedicated to and for the intermodal industry, from Sept. 9-11 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 third-pay logistics companies, ocean carriers, railroads, ports, motor carriers, suppliers and shippers. Highlights of the three-day program included a plenary speech by Daniel Maffei, who was designated as the Federal Maritime Commission chair by President Biden in March 2021. He was first appointed to the FMC…

Snow & Co. Delivers Research Vessel Resilience to Pacific Northwest National Lab

Officials gathered at the Sequim, Wash. campus of the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on Sept. 5 to dedicate DOE’s first hybrid-electric research vessel, the r/v Resilience, built by Seattle-based Snow & Co. The vessel is a plug-in hybrid that operates on electric power on lower speeds, as well as traveling 20 knots on diesel power. The dedication ceremony marked the beginning of a new era of marine energy research at PNNL-Sequim, part of the DOE’s Office of Science national laboratory system and Resilience’s new home port. Speakers at the dedication included U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, U.S. Rep.…

USCG Icebreaker Returns to Seattle After Antarctic Deployment, Life Extension Project

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star returned to Seattle on Aug. 25 following 285 days away from its home port. After a 138-day deployment to Antarctica, the Polar Star reported to Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, Calif., to commence the fourth phase of a five-year Service Life Extension Project (SLEP). The work completed at Mare Island was part of an in-service vessel sustainment program aimed at recapitalizing targeted systems, including propulsion, communication and machinery controls, as well as effecting significant maintenance to extend the cutter’s service life. Phase four of the cutter’s SLEP took place over about 140…

USCG Cutter Healy Arrives in Seattle Following Scientific Research, Onboard Fire

U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy arrived in Seattle on Aug. 16 after a research mission in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean in support of the Arctic Observing Network initiative, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The Healy’s crew and embarked researchers worked on more than 150 conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) casts to investigate the circulation and properties of the water, monitored for signs of harmful algal blooms and collected observations on marine mammals and birds in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, according to the Coast Guard. Additionally, two subsurface moorings were deployed that are equipped…

Northwest Seaport Alliance Enhances Trade Presence in Vietnam

In an effort to bolster the Pacific Northwest’s trade opportunities in Vietnam, the Northwest Seaport Alliance has chosen United Base Co. to represent the Seaport Alliance in Vietnam, the NWSA announced Aug. 27. The partnership, which began Sept. 1 and contains a January 2025 renewal option, allows the Seaport Alliance to leverage its fast ocean service connection between Vietnam and the Pacific Northwest through the Sun Chief Express service operated by UWL and SWIRE Shipping. The partnership also allows the Pacific Northwest to grow its agricultural exports market and take a bigger piece of the import market from Vietnam which,…

Newsmakers

Port of Portland Taps Branam as New Trade, Economic Development Officer The Port of Portland has selected Kimberly Branam as its new Chief Trade and Economic Development Officer (CTEDO). Her first day in the role was Sept. 30. Since 2016, Branam served as executive director for Prosper Portland, where she oversaw the leadership and management of the city’s economic and urban development agency. Before that, Branam was Prosper Portland’s deputy director for five years. Branam arrived at Prosper Portland after spending four years leading economic development for the city of Portland. During this time, she oversaw the development, adoption and…

Alaska & Hawaii Ports: Upgrades and Improvements

By Mark Edward Nero Alaska and Hawaii may not be part of the contiguous U.S., but being physically apart from the rest of America doesn’t mean that their maritime industries are lying dormant, waiting for something to happen. In fact, commercial maritime operations throughout the Aloha State and the Last Frontier have been busy planning infrastructure upgrades and performing terminal improvements. Here are some of the noteworthy developments at major seaports in each state. Port of Alaska Perhaps the most notable news at the Port of Alaska came in the form of a fairly simple change. In June, a ceremony…