Oxnard Harbor District Welcomes New Commissioner

Oxnard Harbor District Welcomes New Commissioner

By Karen Robes Meeks Celina Zacarias, senior director of Community and Government Relations for California State University, Channel Islands and chair of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce, is the Oxnard Harbor District Board of Commissioners’ newest member. The board appointed Zacarias earlier this month to fill the position left vacant by the late Dr. Manuel Lopez. “I would like to thank the Oxnard Harbor Board of Commissioners for appointing me to the recent vacancy left by the passing of the Honorable Dr. Manuel Lopez,” she said. “It is an honor to be selected to serve with such a hardworking and…
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Local Coast Guard Crew Offloads Drugs in Drug Interdiction

Local Coast Guard Crew Offloads Drugs in Drug Interdiction

By Karen Robes Meeks Crew members of US Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) recently participated in a series of interdictions that seized almost 20,000 pounds of cocaine worth about $338 million from the Eastern Pacific Ocean. During these interdictions that took place between mid-November and mid-January, the Munro , a 418-foot national security cutter homeported in Alameda, California, seized 6,680 pounds in three separate cases, according to the agency. "By disrupting the profits of these cartels, we are reducing their effectiveness and helping our partner nations maintain their stability," said Rear Adm. Peter Gautier, the 11th Coast Guard District commander. "These efforts also…
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Port of Oakland Unveils Sculpture Honoring Mariners

Port of Oakland Unveils Sculpture Honoring Mariners

By Karen Robes Meeks The Port of Oakland and the International Maritime Center recently commemorated mariners lost at sea with a new abstract sculpture called “Sea Remembrance” located next to the IMC facility at Port View Park. Artist James Allen King - a member of the Sailor's Union of the Pacific - donated his time to create the metal sculpture. The sculpture’s foundation was constructed by volunteers from California State University Maritime Academy and the Clean Living Learning Center. Donations are being gathered to pay for final expenses. “Seafarers make costly sacrifices being away from home at sea for months…
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Port of Los Angeles Official Reappointed to State Commission

Port of Los Angeles Official Reappointed to State Commission

By Karen Robes Meeks California Governor Gavin Newsom recently reappointed Port of Los Angeles General Counsel Janna Sidley to the “Little Hoover” Commission, whose purpose is to investigate state government operations and policy, and through reports and legislative proposals, make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature to promote economy, efficiency and improved service in state operations. Sidley, who oversees all litigation involving the Harbor Division of the City Attorney’s office, will continue to serve on the independent state oversight panel, which she has been a part of since 2016. “It’s been an honor to serve on this prestigious panel for…
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Port of Seattle Adds Environmental Prerequisite for New Cruise Terminal Partners

Port of Seattle Adds Environmental Prerequisite for New Cruise Terminal Partners

By Karen Robes Meeks In its updated Request for Proposal for partners of a new cruise terminal, the Port of Seattle is asking for cruise vessels to have shore power capabilities and zero-emissions cargo handling equipment, among other environmental requirements. “A key element of the port’s clean air and climate change strategy is to ultimately have all vessels utilizing shore power at berth,” said Stephanie Jones Stebbins, Managing Director of the Maritime Division at the port. “The port intends to require 100 percent of homeport cruise vessel calls at the new terminal to be shore-power capable and plug-in starting the…
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Alaska Marine Lines Supports New Hydropower Facility Project

Alaska Marine Lines Supports New Hydropower Facility Project

By Karen Robes Meeks Alaska Marine Lines is doing some heavy lifting on the new hydropower facility in Kake, Alaska. The company is moving penstock pipe and other materials for local electrical utility Inside Passage Electric Cooperative (IPEC), which is constructing the plant at an old hatchery. The $10 million project - which is expected to be finished this year - will allow the community to switch from diesel and generators to a cleaner, less expensive power source that could also mean an annual reduction of 2 million pounds of CO2, according to Lynden. "We started working on the project…
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Port of Long Beach Cargo Down in January

Port of Long Beach Cargo Down in January

By Karen Robes Meeks The Port of Long Beach saw cargo movement fall 4.6 percent last month compared to January 2019 according to numbers released Wednesday. The port handled 626,829 TEUs, including 309,961 imported TEUs and 108,624 exported TEUs. When compared to the same period last year, imports were down 4.3 percent and exports fell 7.4 percent. Empty containers also dropped 3.7 percent to 208,244 TEUs. “The new year is starting with a new set of challenges that are impacting importers and exporters, but we remain optimistic and expect to see modest growth in 2020,” said Port Executive Director Mario…
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Imports and Exports Up at Port of Oakland

Imports and Exports Up at Port of Oakland

By Karen Robes Meeks The Port of Oakland saw a 7.3 percent increase in loaded imports and handled 3.3 percent more loaded exports in January than it did a year ago, according to the latest figures released Tuesday. After three consecutive months of decline, Oakland showed an increase in imports, while exports have been up for the fourth straight month. The port also posted a 17.7 percent decrease in empty containers year over year. Port officials are crediting the increases in loaded imports and exports to strong domestic and Asia consumer demand, but the coronavirus could dampen trade growth. “It’s…
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Vessel Operator Pleads Guilty in Bilge Waste Discharge Matter

Vessel Operator Pleads Guilty in Bilge Waste Discharge Matter

By Karen Robes Meeks Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (Singapore) PTE LTD. (Bernhard), has pleaded guilty in federal court to keeping “false and incomplete records” about how bilge waste was discharged from the tank vessel Topaz Express. This is considered a felony violation. The plea agreement calls for the company to serve a four-year probation, enact a comprehensive Environmental Compliance Plan that will apply to all of its 38 vessels that call on US ports, and pay a $1.75 million fine, the largest imposed by the District of Hawaii for this kind of offense. “This case was built on the hard work of…
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Cargo Volumes Dip at Port of Los Angeles

Cargo Volumes Dip at Port of Los Angeles

By Karen Robes Meeks The Port of Los Angeles saw a 5.4 percent drop in cargo movement last month when compared to January 2019, according to new numbers released Thursday. The port handled 806,144 TEUs, including 414,731 TEUs in imports, a 3.5 percent decrease from the same period last year. Following 14 straight months of declines due to tariffs on US products, exports rose 2.2 percent to 148,206 TEUs. Meanwhile, empty containers fell 12.4 percent to 243,207 TEUs. “We anticipated that tariffs would continue to impact cargo volumes as we moved into 2020, and our January volumes reflect that ongoing…
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