Capt. Ibrahim Khalil, the former logistics chief and commanding officer of military personnel at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles–Long Beach, will now lead U.S. Coast Guard Base Seattle, taking over for Capt. Jed Boba, who is retiring from the USCG after more than 25 years of service. The transfer of leadership was made official earlier this month in a change of command ceremony presided over by Rear Adm. Jon Hickey, the Coast Guard director of operational logistics. Base Seattle is the only USCG Base in the Pacific Northwest and has 450 active duty, reserve, and civilian personnel. It supports 26…

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Hawai’ian county of Kauai teamed up Aug. 12 for a search and rescue exercise off the island’s southern coast. The exercise, which takes place bi-annually, allows agencies to review notification and response procedures and point out any response communication and coordination issues between the agencies. In this exercise, agencies responded to a simulated call from a person concerned about an overdue paddler. Participants in this year’s exercise included members of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu; Coast Guard Station Kauai; Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point; the Kauai Fire Department; the Kauai Police Department;…

Beginning Aug. 16, veteran leader Delmas Whittaker takes charge of the Port of Seattle’s Marine Maintenance Department, serve on the Maritime Directors Team and oversee about 150 employees, the port announced earlier this month. Whittaker, who joined the port 13 years ago, has for the last three years been in the Maritime Division as the Senior Manager Fishing and Commercial Vessels at Fishermen’s Terminal. He has overseen maritime operations and facilities management of Fishermen’s Terminal, Salmon Bay Marina and the Maritime Industrial Center. “Delmas Whittaker has proven to have the leadership ability, integrity, and skills throughout his tenure at the…

On Aug. 12, Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced that the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority will work with partners to design, by March 31, 2022, a new collaborative system to manage marine vessel traffic and optimize the supply chain flow for the gateway. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, which manages the Port of Vancouver, will work with partners to develop the implementation plan for the new system, which according to the transport minister’s office, will include measures to: Strengthen marine safety by reducing congestion and actively managing marine traffic in the busiest, most confined waters of the port; Improve…

Those who work within the Western U.S. and Canada spill prevention and response industries are invited to attend the 2021 CLEAN PACIFIC Conference on Aug. 17-18 at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington in Renton, Wash. The conference will also be offered virtually for those who cannot attend in person. The event, which will be regionally focused, will feature six live sessions, three on-demand sessions, more than 15 exhibitors and several networking opportunities and events. Sessions include Wildlife Issues and Regulations in the Northwest Region, Evolving Response Issues - A Mixture of Challenging Topics and Practical Applications, and Transboundary and Stakeholder…

Local organizations looking to apply for the Port of Long Beach’s Community Grants Program are encouraged to attend a pair of upcoming workshops. Public and private groups that work with children, senior citizens, those with respiratory issues and other populations affected by port operations. This round of grants will focus on building solar energy projects or creating park space and the workshops will give applicants insight on how to pitch. The port plans to select the recipients later this year. The meeting on solar power and solar heating will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Aug. 17 (click…

After a year of throughput increases, the Port of Oakland saw cargo volumes fall last month, according to new numbers released Wednesday. Oakland saw 3.5% less cargo in July from the same time a year ago, while imports last month dropped 1.7% and exports fell 4.7% year over year, according to port data. Officials at Northern California’s largest port say the declines were due record cargo felt in the first part of 2021, adding that the surge in shipments held up on docks resulted in some delivery delays. To adjust, some shipping lines dropped some voyages to Oakland, which led…

The Port of Oakland’s efforts to emerge from the effects of the pandemic have made an impact on its most recent bond ratings. Fitch Ratings recently affirmed the Northern California port’s bond ratings with and A+ for senior lien revenue bonds and As for intermediate lien revenue bonds and the underlying bank bond rating for the port’s commercial paper notes, the port said. Fitch also moved the port’s ratings outlook to stable after previously issuing a negative rating due to the pandemic’s effect on airport business. The port, which runs Oakland International Airport, has since seen business pick up in…

U.S. Coast Guard officials recently stopped an illegal charter vessel in Shoreline Marina in Long Beach, Calif. The Godfather, a 65-foot pleasure craft with 26 passengers, had a number of violations, including not having a valid certificate of inspection, not having a Coast Guard-licensed captain, running without the appropriate certificate of documentation endorsement and for failing to have a random drug testing program, according to USCG. “The Coast Guard will aggressively pursue any operator who is putting their customers at risk by operating outside these critical safety requirements,” said Lt. Cmdr. Braden Rostad, Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach's Investigations…

Skagit County (Wash.) Public Works and naval architecture and marine engineering services company Glosten are looking for applicants interested in offering their expertise in electric systems integration for the creation of a new all-electric ferry that will replace the 40-year-old diesel-powered m/v Guemes. “Complete integration between the ship and shore electronics is essential for a successful construction project and reliable ferry,” Skagit County Public Works Ferry Operations Division Manager Rachel Rowe explained. “Selecting a single electrical systems integrator during contract design will ensure that the county can effectively balance cost and performance for these critical systems even though equipment purchases…