Mark Edward Nero – Pacific Maritime Magazine

16 Apr

New Electric Tugboat Fleet Unveiled at Port of Vancouver

Mark Edward NeroNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsportofvancouver, saam, towage, tugboats

SAAM Towage and a coalition of public and private sector partners on April 10 unveiled the first 100% electric, zero-emission tugboats that are to service clients at the Port of Vancouver starting this spring. “In all the world, there are only a handful of electric tugboats in operation. We’ll now see two of them hard at work in Vancouver’s magnificent harbor,” British Columbia Premier David Eby said. “The reduction in pollution from these electric tugs is the equivalent of taking 600 vehicles off the road.” “Today, we are taking a decisive step into the future,” SAAM’s CEO, Macario Valdés said.…

02 Apr

From the Editor: The Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Mark Edward NeroFrom the Editor, News, News Briefs, PMM Online News

During the early morning hours of March 26, a 10,000-TEU capacity containership, the Singapore-flagged Dali, suffered a complete power loss, resulting in the massive vessel crashing into a support beam for the Francis Scott Key Bridge near the Port of Baltimore. The cause of the outage is still under investigation, but the allision resulted in the deaths of six construction workers who had been on the bridge repairing potholes at the time, as well as the total loss of the bridge itself. Part of the 1.6-mile bridge was turned into a twisted heap of metal by the 984-foot Maersk-chartered cargo…

05 Mar

From the Editor: California’s AB 2220

Mark Edward NeroFrom the Editor, News, News Briefs, PMM Online News

The future of some commercial marine activities in California is now in doubt, following legislation proposed by a state Assemblymember in February that would restrict certain types of fishing in state waters. Assembly Bill 2220 would do three things: completely ban commercial fishing for sea bass, eliminating current exceptions; ban the use of gill nets, also eliminating current exceptions, and mandate that commercial fishing vessels operating with a state permit carry an independent third-party observer onboard while operating within state fisheries. If passed and signed into law, the proposed legislation, which was drafted by Assemblyman Steve Bennett (D-Ventura), could have…

06 Feb

From the Editor: Panama Canal Update

Mark Edward NeroColumns, Editorial, From the Editor, News

A few months ago, I wrote a column detailing how the Panama Canal has been affected by drought, and how vessel traffic through the shipping route has been adversely impacted by it. If you missed that column and aren’t familiar with the ongoing situation, here’s a summary: according to climate scientists, Panama experienced its worst drought in over two decades last year, even though the country’s rainy season, which lasts from May through December. Typically, the country experiences anywhere from 8.4 inches to 27.5 inches of rain during the last seven months of the year, but fell well short of…

23 Jan

POLB CEO Outlines Port’s 2024 Goals and Priorities

Mark Edward NeroNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newspolb, rail, TEUs

During his seventh annual ‘State of the Port’ address, which was given Jan. 17 in front of an audience of about 800, Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Officer Cordero announced that construction is expected to begin this year on the port’s Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, which aims to move cargo more quickly, make the port more competitive and improve the environment for nearby communities. As the centerpiece of the POLB’s on-dock rail projects, the Pier B On-Dock Rail facility would move freight faster and more sustainably, Cordero said. Specifically, he remarked, it would double the size of…

16 Jan

POLA Head Seroka Outlines Port’s 2024 Goals, Priorities

Mark Edward NeroNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newspola, seroka, sotp

In his ninth annual ‘State of the Port’ address, given before an audience of about 550 community, business and labor stakeholders, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka presented the port’s top initiatives and plans for 2024, including workforce development and improving infrastructure to handle additional cargo. The luncheon, sponsored by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, was held Jan. 10 at the POLA’s World Cruise Center terminal. During his nearly 40-minute speech and presentation, Seroka detailed, among other things, his port’s capital improvement projects and commitment to sustainability and the environment. Regarding the port’s 10-year capital improvement program, major…

02 Jan

From the Editor: 2024

Mark Edward NeroFrom the Editor, News, News Briefs

Happy New Year! As 2024 gets into full swing, we here at Pacific Maritime Magazine hope that the year will be a very pleasant and prosperous year for you, your loved ones and your colleagues. Here at PMM home base, we’ve been cooking up some special content to publish throughout the upcoming year, and I’d like to take a moment to tell you about some of it. If you subscribe to the print edition of Pacific Maritime, you’ve probably already seen some of our 2024 content by now. In the magazine’s January/February issue, which was mailed out in December, articles…

05 Dec

From the Editor: Decarbonizing Global Maritime Transport

Mark Edward NeroEditorial, From the Editor, News, News Briefs, PMM Online News

The maritime goods transport industry’s slow-paced shift away from fossil fuels usage took a symbolic step forward in early December, when the CEOs of some of the world’s leading global shipping lines issued a joint declaration calling for an end date for fossil-only powered newbuilds. In their statement, the CEOs also urged the global regulator International Maritime Organization (IMO), to create the regulatory conditions to accelerate the transition to green fuels. “Being at the forefront of introducing lower greenhouse gas emission ships underscores the CEOs’ commitment to the IMO GHG reduction objectives,” according to a statement released Dec. 1 by…

05 Dec

Port of Grays Harbor Executive Director Nelson to Retire

Mark Edward NeroNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsceo, graysharbor, newsmakers

After nearly 24 years on the job, Port of Grays Harbor Executive Director Gary Nelson has said that he’ll retire March 31, 2024. Nelson, whose pending retirement was announced by the port Nov. 14, was hired as executive director in April 2000, when the port had only 21 vessel calls handling 85,000 metric tons of cargo with an operating budget of just $5.2 million. More than two decades later, Grays Harbor is projected to have 100 vessel calls and handle more than 3 million metric tons of cargo with an operating budget of nearly $40 million by the end of…

07 Nov

From the Editor: Printing Spare Parts

Mark Edward NeroFrom the Editor, News, News Briefs, PMM Online News

Could 3D printing spare parts soon become commonplace in the maritime shipping industry? There’s a very interesting story recently published by Forbes magazine that indicates that it might be. According to the article, marine industry supply chain and distribution company Thyssenkrupp Materials Services has “invested substantially” in 3D printing technology and has been using it to manufacture critical spare parts faster and cheaper than traditional manufacturing. The company has even dropped 3D-printed parts onto a vessel from a drone, the article states. A huge leap forward when it comes to 3D printing for the maritime industry came in October, when…