USCGC Hickory Investigation

USCGC Hickory Investigation

The commanding officer of Homer, Alaska-based US Coast Guard Cutter Hickory has been temporarily relieved of his command following this month’s release of an investigation into a fatal crane accident in a Coast Guard buoy yard Jan. 31. According to the agency, the investigation found improper operation of the shoreside crane that caused the death of Chief Warrant Officer Michael Kozloski and “leadership deficiencies aboard the Cutter Hickory, which contributed to inadequate crewmember training and complacency with shoreside operations.” “Command positions overseeing Coast Guard units, such as the Cutter Hickory, are among the most important and challenging assignments in our service,” said Rear Adm.…
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New Long Beach Finance Director

New Long Beach Finance Director

Los Angeles World Airports Deputy Executive Director and Comptroller Wei Chi has returned to the Port of Long Beach, this time as its new director of finance. The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the hiring earlier this month. Chi has a mix of private and public sector experience. He was a senior executive with BP and ARCO before becoming an assistant chief financial officer for the Long Beach port. He was a member of the executive team that led the San Pedro Bay Ports’ Clean Trucks Program financial goals. While working for LA World Airports, Chi oversaw the…
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Harrison to Command USCGC Kimball

Harrison to Command USCGC Kimball

Capt. Holly Harrison took command of the US Coast Guard Cutter Kimball earlier this month. Harrison, who served as executive assistant to the director of the Coast Guard Investigative Service, is taking over from Capt. David Ramassini. Her Coast Guard career began as a deck watch officer aboard USCGC Storis in Kodiak, Alaska. In the Coast Guard 14th District in Hilo, she was executive officer of USCGC Kiska. She then headed east to other afloat assignments, including commanding officer of USCGC Aquidneck in North Carolina and later in Bahrain, executive officer of USCGC Legare and USCGC Northland both in Portsmouth, Virginia. In 2003, aboard Aquidneck, she and her crew supported Operation Iraqi…
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Redwood City Flex Time

Redwood City Flex Time

Starting June 7, the Port of Redwood City will be closed on alternating Fridays as part of a pilot program to help “ease employee commute time, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide one additional hour of business administration to the public Monday through Thursday,” according to the port. As of May 28, the new administrative office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, and closed every other Friday. The change is prompted in part by the Bay area’s high cost of housing in which many endure long commutes to…
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Coast Guards Cooperate

Coast Guards Cooperate

US and Canadian Coast Guard members teamed up earlier this month to conduct an oil spill response drill in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in British Columbia, Canada and the United States. The drill was done in partnership with the Washington Department of Ecology and the BC Ministry of Environment. The goal was to “test the activation process for the Canada-United States Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan, Pacific Annex, and to test moving response assets and personnel across the US/Canadian border,” according to the US Coast Guard. “These types of joint exercises are a great way to test our…
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Everett Closer to Acquiring Mill Site

Everett Closer to Acquiring Mill Site

The Port of Everett moved one step closer to possibly acquiring by condemnation the 67-acre former Kimberly-Clark (K-C) mill site, which sits in the middle of an increasingly busy waterfront. Earlier this month, port commissioners authorized a public meeting to “consider taking final action of legal proceedings, if necessary,” to obtain the former K-C mill site, which accounted for 700 direct jobs until its 2012 closure. According to the port, the commission, which first moved to acquire the site in February 2016, has been in talks with K-C for several years as the company worked through several environmental and structural…
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Port of Vancouver USA Wins Outreach Award

Port of Vancouver USA Wins Outreach Award

The Port of Vancouver USA has earned the Washington Public Ports Association’s Community Outreach Award for its annual Lecture Series. The award, which the port accepted earlier this month in Spokane, Wash., recognizes a port effort or project that engages the residents of the community in a positive way. “The Lecture Series has been an incredible opportunity to reach out to, and connect with the community in a way we never have before,” said CEO Julianna Marler. “We are grateful to the many organizations and individuals that dedicated their time and expertise to make these lectures happen.” Since launching in…
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Alaska Coast Guard Promotes Safe Boating Week

Alaska Coast Guard Promotes Safe Boating Week

This week, the US Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary throughout Alaska are promoting safe boating practices in recognition of National Safe Boating Week, a pre-Memorial Day campaign to help lower boating deaths and accidents. "Boating safety is of paramount importance," said Paul Webb, Coast Guard 17th District search and rescue specialist. "With the ever-changing weather in Alaska the only thing that we have control over is how we prepare. Preparing for a worst-case scenario grants you a better chance of survival and allows the Coast Guard valuable time that you may not otherwise have." Last year, the Coast Guard…
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Oakland Imports Up

Oakland Imports Up

The Port of Oakland says its import business continues to grow despite tariff increases. Last month, the port saw its busiest April in history, with imports jumping 7 percent when compared to the same period last year while exports rose 1.7 percent. Although the numbers are up, there’s still cause for concern since the Trump Administration raised tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent, according to the port, which counts China its biggest trading partner. “We entered this year with uncertainty over the trade outlook, so we’re gratified by the solid performance of import…
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Domestic Maritime Impact Celebrated at Seattle Breakfast

Domestic Maritime Impact Celebrated at Seattle Breakfast

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell joined business and government leaders from around the region on Friday, May 17, at the Seattle Maritime Festival Breakfast, presented by the Seattle Propeller Club in collaboration with the Port of Seattle, to celebrate the importance of the domestic maritime industry, which sustains 22,500 local jobs, and announce a 34 percent growth in domestic maritime jobs created in the State of Washington. According to the findings of a new report conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on behalf of Transportation Institute (TI), the domestic maritime industry in Washington ranks sixth among all American states for jobs and labor…
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