News Briefs – Page 39 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

09 Dec

BOEM’s Wind Energy Auction for Five Leases Off California Announced

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsboem, offshorewind

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s wind energy auction for five leases off the California coast yielded “competitive high bids totaling $757.1 million from five companies,” the Department of the Interior announced Dec. 7. A first for the region, the sale of five lease areas encompassing 373,268 acres off Central and Northern California surpassed the initial lease sales that took place in the Atlantic region, the department said. The five companies and their bids are:   Lease Area  Acres  High Bid  RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC  OCS-P 0561  63,338 $157,700,000 California North Floating,…

09 Dec

NASSCO Lays Keel for USNS Robert F. Kennedy

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newskeel, nassco, usns

San Diego-based shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO has laid the keel for the future USNS Robert F. Kennedy, honoring the late U.S. Attorney General and New York senator, the company announced Dec. 5. Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the vessel’s sponsor and the daughter of the man the vessel is named after, was present to etch her initials onto a steel plate that is to be added to the keel of the vessel. The USNS Robert F. Kennedy is the U.S. Navy’s fourth ship in the John Lewis-class fleet replenishment oiler program. The vessel is part of a multi-vessel contract…

09 Dec

Canada’s Port of Vancouver a Testing Ground for Sustainable Fuel, Tech

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsemissionstechnology, portofvancouver

Canada’s biggest seaport, the Port of Vancouver, is paving the way for sustainable fueling and technology with the help of industry stakeholders and a joint funding initiative, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced Dec. 6. Thanks to the Low-Emission Technology Initiative, the port authority and the Province of British Columbia each contributed $1.5 million to help move port operations toward low-emission fuel use. The initiative, according to the port authority, involves demonstrating battery-electric terminal tractors, making commercial ferries run completely on biodiesel, powering a crane with hydrogen and running a terminal locomotive and a port patrol boat completely on renewable…

09 Dec

Port of Grays Harbor Deputy Executive Reappointed to State Board

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsfreightmobility, graysharbor

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has reappointed Port of Grays Harbor Deputy Executive Director Leonard Barnes as a port district representative to the Washington State Freight Mobility Investment Board, the port announced Nov. 23. First appointed in April 2017, Barnes is part of the 12-member board responsible for “creating a comprehensive and coordinated state program to facilitate freight movement between and among local, national and international markets which enhances trade opportunities,” according to the port. The board also works to find ways to reduce the effects of freight movement on communities. “With more than three decades of experience in freight,…

06 Dec

Port of Seattle Hires New Labor Relations Director

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Terminal Operationslaborrelations, portofseattle

The Port of Seattle has hired longtime labor veteran Mikel O’Brien as its new senior director of labor relations, the port announced Dec. 1. O’Brien, who had been the port’s senior manager for labor relations since 2015, brings more than 25 years of human resource and labor relations expertise to the new role, 22 of which were with the port. She also worked in HR and labor relations in Utah and Washington state. As senior manager, she oversaw a team responsible for “negotiating and administering 24 collective bargaining agreements covering over 1,000 employees,” as well as managing compensation studies, serving…

06 Dec

Port of Grays Harbor Chief Receives Service Award from PNWA

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, Terminal Operationspnwa, portofgraysharbor

Port of Grays Harbor Executive Director Gary Nelson has been given a Distinguished Service Award by the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, the port announced Nov. 25. The honor, which was awarded to Nelson during PNWA’s annual convention on Oct. 12, spotlights those who made tremendous contributions to the region’s navigation, energy, irrigation and recreation communities, according to the port. Nelson has been with the port since 2000, overseeing the “historic growth and diversification of the marine terminals, the completion of Deeper Draft, and the addition and expansion of the port’s business portfolio to include the Satsop Business Park and Friends…

06 Dec

USCG Cutter Bertholf Returns from 77-Day Patrol

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsbertholf, cutter, uscg

After more than 18,000 nautical miles and 77 days on patrol, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bertholf returned to Alameda, Calif. from a trek through the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Guard announced Dec. 3. During that time, the 418-foot Legend-class national security cutter engaged in drug enforcement, including the boardings of several suspected drug-smuggling vessels that resulted in detaining a number of suspected drug smugglers and the interdiction of over 1,050 pounds of cocaine, according to the Coast Guard. This was done while providing enforcement off the Central and South America coasts in support of Joint Interagency…

06 Dec

MARAD Publishes Energy Efficiency, Decarb Guide Developed by Glosten, META

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsglosten, marad

An Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization Technical Guide created by naval architecture company Glosten and the Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance program has been published by the U.S. Maritime Administration, Glosten announced Dec. 1. Glosten, which has an office in Seattle, developed the guide for “owners and operators looking for greenhouse gas emissions-reducing measures that will fit their fleets and operating profiles,” according to the company. “As green technologies are commercialized and regulatory pressures intensify, it is becoming increasingly important for the marine industry to understand the array of options for decarbonization,” Glosten said. The guide features several sections, including sections…

02 Dec

From the Editor: A Note About Upcoming Changes

Mark Edward NeroFrom the Editor, News, News Briefs

Hello, I wanted to take a moment to let you know about some upcoming changes coming to the print and online editions of Pacific Maritime. First, the big news is that PacMar is switching to a bimonthly printing schedule in 2023. This means that the next issue of the magazine will be cover dated January/February, rather than just January. The plan is to publish six issues in 2023 – one every other month – plus an annual in late summer/early fall that focuses on port facilities, repair facilities, shipyards, intermodal yards and related maritime entities. The reduction in the number…

02 Dec

Coast Guard Extends Proposed Base Seattle Expansion Public Input Period

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsbaseseattle, uscg

The U.S. Coast Guard is giving stakeholders more time to weigh in on an environmental document for the proposed expansion of Coast Guard Base Seattle. The Guard has extended the deadline for public input on the project’s Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to Dec. 16. The original deadline was Dec. 2. The goal of the draft statement is to investigate possible “environmental and socioeconomic impacts, and identifies related mitigation measures, associated with land acquisition, facility and infrastructure modernization, and continued operation to support current and future Coast Guard missions at Base Seattle,” according to the agency. The full document is available…