News Briefs – Page 79 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

06 May

Bay Area Firms Liftech Consultants Inc., McKay International Engineers Merge

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsliftech, mckayinternational, merger

San Francisco Bay area companies Liftech Consultants Inc. and McKay International Engineers have merged under one banner and will be based in Oakland, the companies announced in April. The move combines the firms’ maritime engineering and project management experience and allows the pair to better serve clients by “drawing from an integrated multi-disciplinary engineering team with unified management and administrative support,” according to an announcement regarding the merger. “Clients will benefit from a single-firm solution for communication and coordination between multiple disciplines.” The companies are not unfamiliar with each other, having partnered on hundreds of projects for more than five…

03 May

From the Editor: Maritime Cyberattacks

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

Although large amounts of news and information have been circulating recently pertaining to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, there’s one nugget of information that’s flown under the radar so far: potential retaliation against the U.S. maritime transportation sector. The remarks didn’t receive much media attention, but national Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly recently said that America’s maritime transportation sector could be an infrastructure soft spot that Russia may try to disrupt via cyberattack. “Given the vital role of the industry, the importance of securing systems and functions that make up the maritime transportation sector cannot be…

03 May

LA, Long Beach Ports Again Shift Container Dwell Fee Start Date

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Terminal Operationscontainerdwellfee, pola, polb

Officials at the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports have again moved the start date for collecting on the “Container Dwell Fee,” this time to May 6. The fee, which bills ocean carriers for every import that stays on the San Pedro Bay docks for nine or more days, was delayed after officials reviewed the data and determined that progress is continuing to be made in eliminating the amount of aging cargo clogging up marine terminals. The fee calls for ocean carriers to be charged $100 per import, incrementally rising by $100 per import every day until the import is…

03 May

Matson Announces Initial Q1 Earnings

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsearnings, matson, operatingincome

Honolulu-based Matson Inc. expects the first quarter operating income for its ocean transportation business to be $410-to-$415 million and the operating income for its logistics business to be $16-to-$17 million, with Q1 2022 net income anticipated to be $329.5-to-$338 million, according to the company. Ahead of the company’s May 3 first quarter earnings call, Matson’s CEO said the company is off to a solid start this year with higher year-over-year operating income in ocean transportation and logistics. "Within ocean transportation, our China service continued to see significant demand for its expedited ocean services as volume for e-commerce, garments and other…

03 May

British Columbia’s Port of Vancouver Launches Cruise Season

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Terminal Operationshollandamerica, Koningsdam, portofvancouver

British Columbia’s Port of Vancouver recently launched the start of its cruise season by welcoming the Holland America Line ship Koningsdam to the port’s Canada Place cruise terminal. This is the first time the port is able to welcome cruise ships since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, prompting the Canadian government to prohibit cruise ships in Canadian waters. The government lifted the prohibition last November. “We’re delighted to welcome cruise back to the Port of Vancouver after what has been a long two years,” Vancouver Fraser Port Authority President and CEO Robin Silvester said. “We’re looking…

03 May

DHS Honors San Diego, Seattle Employees

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsdhs, homelandsecurity

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently hosted awards ceremonies at Coast Guard Sector San Diego and Coast Guard Base Seattle to spotlight the contributions of nearly three dozen employees. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John K. Tien was in Seattle on Thursday, April 28 to honor eight employees and in San Diego on Friday to honor 24 employees with the Secretary’s Award. Recipients included Coast Guardsmen, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Customs and Border Protection agents. The DHS Secretary’s Award is given annually to highlight outstanding achievement in the workforce. The employees honored in Seattle and San Diego…

29 Apr

Port of San Diego, USS Midway Museum’s Proposed ‘Freedom Park’ Moves Forward

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Terminal Operationsfreedompark, posd, ussmidway

The Port of San Diego and USS Midway Museum are moving forward on a proposal to turn the Navy Pier into a public space to be named “Freedom Park,” the port announced April 13. Port commissioners inked a Memorandum of Understanding encompassing financial commitments for the project from the port of $11.7 million in federal stimulus funds and the museum’s contribution of at least $30 million. Work on the project involves demolishing the headhouse on the pier, finishing pile improvements and pier reinforcements, building out the park with features that honor San Diego’s military history and other amenities, according to…

29 Apr

New LA Harbor Department General Counsel Named

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newslaharbor, pola, steveotera

Los Angeles Assistant City Attorney Steve Otera has been tapped as general counsel to the Los Angeles Harbor Department, leading the legal team that advises on operations at the Port of Los Angeles and provides counsel to the Los Angeles Harbor Commission. Otera, who takes over the role after Janna Sidley retired earlier this year, is a familiar face at the Harbor Department, where he worked for almost 20 years. In his assistant city attorney role, Otera led the in-house legal staff at the port, counseled on container terminal leasing, land use, contracts and other matters. Before coming to the…

29 Apr

USCG Cutter Polar Star Returns From Operation Deep Freeze

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Vessel Profilescoastguardcutter, polarstar, uscg

After 147 days traveling in Antarctica and the Southern Hemisphere for Operation Deep Freeze, the 140 crew members of the Seattle-based U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star returned to the U.S., dry docking in Vallejo, Calif., for upgrades. Operation Deep Freeze is an annual mission supporting the National Science Foundation. During its most recent deployment, Polar Star made stops in Wellington and Lyttelton, New Zealand, and Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and hosted the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Navy. In Antarctica, the cutter moved through over 450 miles of pack ice and carved out a 37-mile…

29 Apr

Port of Bellingham to Host Marine Trades Job and Internship Fair

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online News, Terminal Operationsbellinghamport, jobfair, marinetrades

The Port of Bellingham is set to host a Marine Trades Job and Internship Fair on May 19. More than a dozen employers are expected to participate in the event, including All American Marine, Trident Seafoods, Bellingham Cold Storage, Northwest Marine Industries, the Blue Water Scholarship Fund, Sun Coast Rigging, Mantle Industries, Northwest Explorations, Bellingham Technical College, Pacific Marine Yacht Systems, Birdon Group, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, Industrial Resources, On-Board Marine, the Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County and the port. Marine trades industries create or support over 6,000 jobs and represent 7% of Whatcom County’s total workforce, according to…