From the Editor: War & Maritime

From the Editor: War & Maritime

As you surely know by now, in late February, Russia significantly escalated what had been an ongoing conflict by launching a full-scale invasion into one of its neighboring countries, Ukraine. And although the conflict is taking place on the other side of the world, some of its effects have definitely impacted the West Coast maritime industry. For those keeping track, here’s some of the major ways in which the industry has reacted to and been affected by the conflict. In early March, union longshore workers up and down the coast, in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, said they were refusing…
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Bay Ship & Yacht Leadership Transition

Bay Ship & Yacht Leadership Transition

Bill Elliott, who during a 45-year career transformed Bay Ship & Yacht (BS&Y) into a San Francisco Bay ship-repair conglomerate, has announced a new generation of leadership for the diversified marine services provider. BS&Y’s beginnings were humble though, as Elliot first operated out of a single, mobile shipping container known as the “Shipyard in a Box.” In a transition that takes effect March 28, Joel Welter, the company’s chief naval architect, will become CEO, and Gerona Goethe, currently assistant general manager, rises to become general manager. Vice President Alan Cameron, who joined Elliott’s fledging BS&Y in 1979, currently serves as…
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Technology Key to Vision  at Long Beach, Los Angeles Ports

Technology Key to Vision at Long Beach, Los Angeles Ports

Leaders at the nation’s busiest seaport complex said Tuesday, March 1 that leaning into digital transformation and preparing for volume growth in the coming years will be a major part of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach’s vision for the future. At the Journal of Commerce’s TPM22 Conference, which was held Feb. 22 through March 2 in Long Beach, Calif., Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero and Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka spoke about working together to ease present congestion at their docks and how handling that congestion will shape their future vision.…
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USCG Cutter Polar Star Reaches Antarctica, on Verge of World Record

USCG Cutter Polar Star Reaches Antarctica, on Verge of World Record

Crew members of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star were working with Guinness World Records to become the new official record holders of being able to reach the planet’s southernmost navigable waters. While traveling the Bay of Whales ice harbor near Antarctica in February, the Seattle-based cutter surpassed USCG cutter Polar Sea’s 1997 Guinness World Record, reaching “a position of 78 degrees, 44 minutes, 1.32 seconds south latitude at 12:55 p.m. (Feb. 17) New Zealand time, holding a distance of approximately 500 yards from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf,” according to the agency. Polar Star traveled in…
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Port of Oakland Heading to Green Future

Port of Oakland Heading to Green Future

The Port of Oakland plans to continue investing in programs that support sustainable growth, Executive Director Danny Wan said in his annual State of the Port address on Feb. 2. Wan said this year’s theme is to “invest in and plan for a future that is not what used to be, but one that improves upon the past.” That includes offering punctual, transparent and uncongested cargo drop-offs while providing more entertainment and other options at  the waterfront and enhancing shoreline parks access. “We must do all of the above by bringing into reality green energy technology and dig deep into…
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West Coast Ports Eye  Global Partnerships, Electric Vehicles  to Battle Climate Change

West Coast Ports Eye Global Partnerships, Electric Vehicles to Battle Climate Change

Industrial giants are often the first to be called upon when the nation demands environmental change. West Coast shipping terminals occupy prime waterfront real estate—each of them operating right on the doorstep of a major metropolis. In the regular course of business,  they utilize waterways alongside sensitive marine populations and ecosystems already stressed by human activity. Over the last few decades these ports have made major strides in the move toward greening their operations and being accountable for their impacts on their local environments while servicing goliath cargo ships. The California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach share San…
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Maritime Construction: 2022 Update

Maritime Construction: 2022 Update

As consumer demands grow, so do the vessels that bring those goods to West Coast ports. Throughout the U.S. and Canadian West Coasts, seaports are in the midst of planning and building for that growth, whether it’s outfitting terminals with the tallest cranes and newest cargo-handling equipment, or dredging harbors to ensure that these mega-ships can safely arrive. The COVID-19 pandemic-driven congestion at larger seaports has only highlighted the need for more capacity. Here’s a look at a number of projects port officials are planning, or in some cases, are already in progress. PORT OF LOS ANGELES The nation’s busiest…
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Port of Long Beach to Receive $8M in Federal Funding

Port of Long Beach to Receive $8M in Federal Funding

Vessels that come to the Port of Long Beach may soon be able to better maneuver through its waterways thanks to $8 million in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law allocated to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The money is intended to start and finish the pre-construction, engineering and design phase of certain navigational projects. That could include work to deepen the approach channel from 76 feet to 80 feet, build an approach channel to Pier J South, dredge from 50 feet to 55 feet in parts of the West Basin and structurally improve breakwaters at Pier J, according…
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Port of San Diego Purchases All-Electric Mobile Harbor Cranes, First in North America

Port of San Diego Purchases All-Electric Mobile Harbor Cranes, First in North America

In support of its clean air initiatives, the Port of San Diego has purchased two all-electric Konecranes Gottwald Generation 6 Mobile Harbor Cranes to replace a diesel-powered crane currently in use at the POSD’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, the port revealed in late February. San Diego has said that the all-electric, battery-supported mobile harbor cranes will be the first in use in North America and would support its Maritime Clean Air Strategy and its “Health Equity for All” vision while also increasing the terminal’s productivity and cargo business opportunities. The port has said that it anticipates receiving and putting the…
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Newest BC Ferries Vessel on Its Way from Poland

Newest BC Ferries Vessel on Its Way from Poland

Later this month, BC Ferries’ fourth and final Salish class vessel, the Salish Heron, is set to arrive in Victoria, British Columbia, where it’s expected to begin service later this year. The vessel began its more than 10,000-nautical-mile trek from Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland on Dec. 22. The ship was scheduled to sail about 10,440 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific Coast of North America, arriving at Victoria’s Ogden Point for inspection. It is then expected to move to BC Ferries’ Fleet Maintenance Unit in Richmond, BC for final preparations,…
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