Articles – Page 2 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Alaska Delegation Secures Funding for 1st Commercial U.S. Icebreaker in Decades

U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) and Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) have secured federal funding for the purchase of a commercially available icebreaker ship, they announced March 21. The Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations Act includes $125 million to purchase the icebreaker. The delegation has also secured commitments from the Coast Guard that the icebreaker will be homeported in Juneau, Alaska to afford the vessel greater access and reach into the Arctic. “The inclusion of funding for the first icebreaker in a generation is significant progress for our state and our country’s national security,” Sullivan said…

EBDG Acquires Anchorage-Based Engineering Firm Coastwide

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) has announced that it has formed a ‘strategic partnership’ with Anchorage, Alaska-based marine engineering and naval architect firm Coastwise Corp. As a result, Coastwise has been rebranded as Coastwise Engineering and is now a division of Elliott Bay Design Group, EBDG said in a February announcement, adding that the division would continue to superior naval architecture services to both public and private clients, using existing Coastwise Corp. contact methods. “With a dedicated team of 57 professional staff members, the new EBDG division will provide Coastwise Corp.’s clients in Alaska, as well as the lower 48,…

NASSCO Shipyard Contractor Guilty of Stealing $600K in Computer Equipment

Ernesto Saldivar, a civilian contractor at General Dynamics NASSCO’s San Diego-area shipyard, pled guilty in March to stealing nearly $600,000 worth of computer equipment from three U.S. Navy ships. Saldivar was one of the workers who had participated in the shipyard’s ongoing Navy ship modernization efforts. According to his plea agreement, he stole hundreds of items, such as hard drives and laptops, from declassified areas on ships undergoing maintenance between November 2022 and August 2023. Saldivar was selling the stolen items, including two hard drives containing military communications, on eBay. The affected ships included the USS Pinckney, USS Curtis Wilbur…

Robert Allan Ltd. Delivers Vessel, Opens Scholarship Applications

Vancouver, BC-based consulting naval architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd. announced the end of January that it has delivered the offshore supply vessel ADNOC MD 01 to Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. in the United Arab Emirates. The first of two sister vessels, ADNOC MD 01 was built by Grandweld Shipyards and designed by Robert Allan Ltd. to support local diving operations in the UAE, according to Robert Allan Ltd. The catamaran is 24.90 meters long, (about 81.7 feet) excluding fenders, with an 8-meter (26.26-foot) molded beam and boasts a pair of Baudouin 12M26.3 main engines, 1030 kW at 2100 rpm…

Trigon Pacific Annual Bulk Volumes Up Significantly

Trigon Pacific Terminals Ltd. accounted for almost half of the Port of Prince Rupert’s 2023 export volumes by handling 10.6 million metric tons of dry and liquid bulk products at its terminal last year, company data show. The amount represented a 36% increase of PRPA volumes the previous year, according to the data, which was released at the end of January. As the largest multi-commodity bulk export terminal in Northern British Columbia, Trigon handles Canadian steelmaking and thermal coal, petroleum coke and iron ore pellets. The company also provides rail unloading and berth services for liquid propane gas exports. “It…

HaiSea Unveils New Operations Facility

Maritime services company HaiSea Marine, a partnership between Haisla Nation and Seaspan ULC, recently celebrated the official naming and blessing of its new floating operations facility in North Vancouver, B.C. The location is now the home base for the company’s green tugboat fleet. The new floating facility was recently named and blessed by the Haisla Nation and transported up the Douglas Channel to Kitimat, B.C., where supports HaiSea’s operations. Zewén—the Haisla word for Coho—is now also the name of the new operations and maintenance facility. HaiSea said in a statement issued in mid-March that the facility’s name was inspired…

Coast Guard Halting Audio Navigation Aids at Umpqua River South Jetty, Yaquina Bay

The U.S. Coast Guard plans to discontinue the seasonal Sound Signal audio navigation aids at Umpqua River South Jetty Sound Signal and Yaquina Bay, both in Oregon, at the end of the 2024 spring installation, the agency announced Feb. 7. The Coast Guard is seeking public feedback on the new changes and on the performance and operation of navigation aids. Meanwhile, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River is expected to continue receiving reports of any discrepancies to this and other navigation aids, the agency said. “The U.S. Coast Guard values the input of the maritime community and remains dedicated to…

Cargo Handling Equipment: Sustainability is Key

When it comes to cargo handling equipment, sustainability is the apparent path forward for West Coast seaports, both in terms of environmental innovation and funding. From yard tractors and rubber-tired gantry cranes to ship-to-shore and roll-on/roll-off cranes, the next generation of equipment arriving at West Coast marine terminals is capable of operating on electric charging and/or alternative fuel sources. But funding such innovation will be key to how well terminals move forward on cargo-handling equipment. That’s why port officials have been particularly bullish in going after that funding at the state and federal level to leverage private sector investment. “There…

Offshore Wind and Port Infrastructure Summit

Without a concerted effort to change the trajectory of offshore wind port investment, the U.S. is likely to fall short of both its short term goal of creating 30 GW of new renewable energy by 2030 and long-term goal of 110 GW by 2050. This is according to Darren McQuillan, vice president of global business development with Bardex Corp., a Northern California company that designs, builds and supports engineering systems and propriety products for the marine industry. His comments were made during one of the sessions held during the Floating OSW (Offshore Wind) Port & Vessel Summit that took place…

Gunderson Marine Opening Training Center

Gunderson Marine plans to open a training center later this spring that would serve as a hub for developing trade skills that are in demand in the area, the Portland, Ore.-based company announced Feb. 6. The new center is expected to offer participants hands-on paid training to learn basic metals fitting, industrial safety practices and welding techniques, Gunderson Marine explained in a statement. “The curriculum will cover basic principles, safety protocols and foundational experience in FCAW (Flux-Cored Arc Welding), SAW (Submerged Arc Welding) and SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding) processes,” the company said in a statement on its website. Gunderson…