Port of Oakland Names New COO

Port of Oakland Names New COO

By Karen Robes Meeks Oakland International Airport Assistant Director of Aviation Kristi McKenney is the new Port of Oakland Chief Operating Officer, a newly created role. McKenney, who came to the port in 1994 as an environmental planner before becoming assistant director of aviation in 2014, will now be tasked to oversee port operations, including engineering services, environmental programs and planning, utilities and IT, as well as ensuring the port is complying with board policies and government regulations. “I’m grateful to the Board for establishing the COO position and pleased that Kristi is joining our executive team,” said Port Executive…
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US Coast Guard Working on Vessel Aground in Hawaii

US Coast Guard Working on Vessel Aground in Hawaii

By Karen Robes Meeks The US Coast Guard, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and contractor personnel are teaming up to respond to the removal of potential pollutants that may stem from a 63-foot fishing vessel that ran aground on Monday on rocks northwest of Hilo Harbor, Hawaii. There are two marine batteries as well as up to 1,800 gallons of diesel aboard the Midway Island, a US-flagged vessel that was grounded after traveling from Los Angeles, Calif. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident. Meanwhile, a safety zone that extends 100-yards in all directions from the source…
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Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports to Consider Clean Truck Rate

Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports to Consider Clean Truck Rate

By Karen Robes Meeks A proposed Clean Truck Rate resolution will be considered by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach harbor boards later this month. If approved, the proposed rate, which is said to help speed up the introduction of cleaner drayage trucks at the twin ports, could be collected as early as the latter half of 2020. The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners will consider the Clean Truck Rate proposal at a meeting schedule for 9 a.m. on Feb. 20 at the Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro, Calif.,…
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Port of Los Angeles to Rename Street After Late Union Leader, Commissioner

Port of Los Angeles to Rename Street After Late Union Leader, Commissioner

By Karen Robes Meeks On Saturday morning, Feb. 8, Los Angeles port, union and community representatives will unveil a new street name honoring the former Los Angeles Harbor Commission Vice President and International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) leader Dave Arian. Arian died in January 2019 after battling thyroid cancer. A part of Miner Street south of 22nd Street in San Pedro, Calif., will be renamed “Dave Arian Way,” after the lifelong San Pedro resident who began working on the Wilmington waterfront when he was 18. He served three terms as president of ILWU Local 13 before becoming, in 1991,…
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Port of Everett Closes on LTGO Bond Sale

Port of Everett Closes on LTGO Bond Sale

By Karen Robes Meeks The Port of Everett in late January closed on the $26.3 million sale of Limited Tax General Obligation (LTGO) bonds that will go toward newly acquired properties such as the Norton property in north Waterfront Place and the old Kimberly-Clark mill site, the port announced. The port was able to secure a low 3.08 percent interest rate over the bonds’ 30 years in part because of its strong Aa2 LTGO bond rating. The rating reflects “the port’s sizeable and rapidly growing tax base, its participation in the broad and diverse Puget Sound economy, and adequate financial…
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Port of Hueneme Earns Business Honors

Port of Hueneme Earns Business Honors

By Karen Robes Meeks The Port of Hueneme recently netted the California Green Business Network Certification and the 2020 Outstanding Business Catalyst Award. The green certification is issued by the EPA-funded and CARB-assisted nonprofit California Green Business Network, which is designed to help public agencies and utilities team up with businesses to exceed environmental standards. The 2020 Outstanding Business Catalyst Award was bestowed by the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce to honor the port’s impact on the local economy. “What a great way to begin the New Year! Having both the business and environmental communities recognize the work the port is…
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Port of Camas-Washougal Receives Funds for Community

Port of Camas-Washougal Receives Funds for Community

By Karen Robes Meeks The Port of Camas-Washougal recently secured a $216,131 grant and $1.22 million loan from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to augment construction at the Steigerwald Commerce Center. The money will go toward the creation of the center’s 50,000-square-foot Building 20. With an estimated $1 million in private investment, the project is expected to create as many as 80 permanent jobs over the next five years. "We are grateful and very excited for the opportunity CERB has provided,” said Port Chief Executive Officer Ripp. “The employment opportunities this project creates for the community is…
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49-foot Crabber Fits the Bill for Crescent City Fisherman

49-foot Crabber Fits the Bill for Crescent City Fisherman

ROBERT WAKEFIELD BEGAN FISHING OUT OF CRESCENT CITY ON THE northern California coast in 1977 and soon decided he wanted a boat of his own. By 1979, he had become the owner of a small wooden boat, and has worked his way through several more over the last 40 years. His son Troy started fishing with him in 2007, and went full time in 2009. Since then, they’ve fished primarily for Dungeness crab and prawn and trolled for salmon on an older wooden trawler. Robert still appreciates the lines of a traditional design, but he has done his fair share…
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International Scientific Conference Held on Status of Pacific Salmon Stocks

International Scientific Conference Held on Status of Pacific Salmon Stocks

Fisheries scientists from Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan and the Republic of Korea gathered virtually at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Russia’s Sakhalin Island this past week to ponder the status and redistribution of Pacific salmon stocks.During the Feb. 19 gathering participants agreed to continue monitoring the migrations of these fish, and to intensify the study of their marine life to improve the accuracy of forecasts, the website Fish Information & Services reported. FIS, which produces daily reports, is widely considered to be the standard for global seafood industry information on the Internet.Ilya Shestakov, the head of Russia’s Federal Fisheries Agency, noted…
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Trident Seafoods Resumes Operations at Akutan; Fire Aboard Trident Vessel

Trident Seafoods Resumes Operations at Akutan; Fire Aboard Trident Vessel

Trident Seafoods resumed operations at its Akutan processing facility on Feb. 19, in the wake of a COVID-19 outbreak that had put work there on hold since Jan. 21.Trident has taken additional steps to combat future COVID-19 risks there, including redesign of shift and break schedules to limit close contact and capacity limits to allow distancing in all areas outside of workstations.115 employees who were quarantined in Sand Point and Anchorage have returned to Akutan to participate in crab and Pacific cod processing at a crucial point in the season and to prepare for Pollock processing to resume this week.Trident…
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