Articles – Page 46 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Port of Vancouver USA Launches Cybersecurity Information Sharing Group

To address cybersecurity issues among ports located along the Lower Columbia River, the Port of Vancouver USA and the Maritime Transportation System Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MTS-ISAC) in May revealed the launch of what’s being called the Lower Columbia River Maritime Information Exchange, or LCR-MIX. The primary mission of the LCR-MIX is to enhance communication and collaboration on cyber-threat activity among regional stakeholders and to provide early situational awareness and best practices to prevent incidents. According to the U.S Coast Guard, there were more than 500 major operational cyber-attacks that occurred in the marine industry in 2020, directly affecting…

Resolve Marine Acquires MAC Enterprises

Resolve Marine, a ship and vessel salvage, rescue, emergency response and specialized marine services company, has acquired MAC Enterprises, Inc., a provider of welding, diving, boat watch and chartering services for Dutch Harbor and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. MAC Enterprises, which was established in 1982 by Jimmer and Alyssa McDonald, supports commercial and fishing fleets for some of the largest seafood companies in the country, as well as local, state and national government agencies. The company offers a wide range of OSHA-approved underwater welding and commercial diving services, including hull inspection and surveys, hull and sea chest cleaning and…

FMC Releases Report, Recommendations Re: COVID’s Effects on Maritime Supply Chain

Federal Maritime Commissioner Rebecca Dye at the end of May released a report titled “The Effects of COVID-19 on the U.S. International Ocean Transportation Supply Chain,” which is the culmination of a two-year investigation. The report, which involved hundreds of Commission stakeholders participating through videoconference meetings, phone conversations, emails and presentations to various groups, was presented, along with 12 recommendations to Dye’s colleagues at the May 18 Federal Maritime Commission. During the fact finding, importers and exporters highlighted two recurring pandemic-related concerns: the high cost of shipping cargo, and excessive demurrage and detention charges. “The historically high freight rates experienced recently by…

MARAD Announces New Marine Highway Project Designations

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on June 3 announced the designation of four new Marine Highway Projects—including two in Alaska—as part of the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). Upon receiving the designation, the projects became eligible to apply for funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help address supply chain challenges. A Marine Highway Project is a planned service, or expansion of an existing service, on a designated Marine Highway Route. Since its inception in 2010, the AMHP has designated 58 marine highway projects. Once a marine highway project is designated by the Secretary of Transportation as…

FMC Announces Initiatives to Assist Shippers, Improve Supply Chain Performance

The Federal Maritime Commission on June 8 announced that its establishing three new initiatives that it believes provide enhanced assistance to shippers, continue to improve legal and regulatory compliance of regulated entities, and focus on remedies to supply chain problems. At the direction of Commission Chair Daniel Maffei, the Commission plans to establish a new and permanent International Ocean Shipping Supply Chain Program; re-establish the FMC’s Export Rapid Response Team, and take the steps necessary for carriers, marine terminal operators, and operating seaports to employ a designated FMC Compliance Officer. Each of these was contained in the Final Recommendations made…

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority Projects Receive Sustainable Infrastructure Award

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in partnership with container terminal operator DP World, announced June 2 that the port authority-led Centerm Expansion Project and South Shore Access Project at the Port of Vancouver have been awarded the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) Envision Platinum award, the highest rated award by ISI. The ISI’s Platinum award measures projects based on a number of sustainability achievements, which include: stimulating sustainable growth and development; prioritizing the needs of local communities through investments; stakeholder engagement; reducing emissions and sustainable marine restoration. The Centerm Expansion Project and South Shore Access Project are designed to help…

New Compact Tugboat Can Be Transported Via Truck

Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group has partnered with Tacoma, Wash.-based Silverback Marine to design a compact, 500 horsepower tugboat that can be transported to job sites by truck, the companies revealed in early May. The tug, with an overall length of 25 feet, 10 7/8 inches, a beam of 14 feet, 6 inches and a draft of 3 feet, 4 inches, is designed to produce a bollard pull over 12,500 pounds and has a still water-range of 60 nautical miles pushing about 10,000 pounds at 4.1 knots. A bollard pull is a measure of pulling power of a vessel, comparable…

Study: LA, Long Beach, Vancouver BC Least Efficient Ports Globally

The seaports in Los Angeles, Long Beach, California and Vancouver, British Columbia may be the biggest and busiest in North America, but they’re also least efficient, according to a newly-released white paper. The latest annual Container Port Performance Index, or CPPI, which was compiled by the World Bank Group and S&P Global Market Intelligence, found that among the top 370 ports globally, LA, Long Beach and Vancouver, BC rank in the bottom three. Poorly performing ports, according to the performance index, are characterized by limitations in spatial and operating efficiency, limitations in maritime and landside access, inadequate oversight, and poor…

Oregon DOT Greenlights Increased Capacity at Port of Portland

The Port of Portland said May 31 that it has received $7.37 million from the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Connect Oregon funding program for the Marine Terminal 6 Capacity project, which is meant to increase much needed shipping container capacity and improve container handling safety and efficiency. Terminal 6 is the only ocean container terminal in the Oregon and provides a critical link in container shipment of both exported and imported goods between ship, rail, barge and truck. The current existing container storing area at the port is reaching capacity. The project will provide additional container storage to improve container…

Cargo Congestion: An Update

For the past two years, West Coast cargo congestion has dominated headlines as dozens of vessels at anchor wait to come into seaports and stacks of containers linger at terminals, exposing an already fragile supply chain. The congestion problem -- which stemmed from the pandemic-driven cargo volumes that shattered records last year -- caught the attention of the federal government, which announced it is prioritizing strengthening the supply chain with billions of dollars of investment in port and waterway infrastructure. While consumer demand has slowed a bit from last year’s record pace of goods flowing into U.S. ports, it nonetheless…