April/May 2021 – Page 2 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

MBARI to Build State-of-the-Art Research Vessel

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is charting a new chapter in its ocean research with the construction of a new, state-of-the-art research vessel named in honor of the organization’s founder, David Packard, the organization announced in mid-April. The r/v David Packard will be capable of accommodating expeditions in Monterey Bay and beyond to further the institute’s mission to explore and understand the changing ocean, according to the research institute. The research vessel is designed at 50 meters (164 feet) long and 12.8 meters (42 feet) wide with a draft of 3.7 meters (about 12 feet). It will be…

Port of Long Beach Debuts Upgraded Fireboat Station

More than a decade after an independent study found that fire safety facilities and equipment at the Port of Long Beach were in urgent need of modernization, a gleaming new fire station has opened at the port. Fire Station No. 15, a 20,000-square foot facility with an 11,200-square foot covered boat bay, is now operational. “This moment has been a long time coming,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said. “It’s an important milestone for the safety of the Long Beach community and this critical national economic engine.” Station 15, located on Pier F between Middle Harbor and…

Vigor Delivers Newbuild Pilot Boats to Port of LA

By Karen Robes Meeks After a two-year design and build process with Vigor Industrial and a 1,000-mile trek from Vancouver, Washington, the Los Angeles Pilot Service’s newest boats have made their way to San Pedro Bay and are now in service at the nation’s busiest seaport. Seeing the Angels Pilot and the Angels Navigator in action at the Port of Los Angeles marks a big moment for the pilot service. “We are very happy we were able to work with the port in procuring these boats,” said Chief Port Pilot Captain David Flinn, who oversees the Los Angeles Pilot Service…

Morro Bay Nonprofit Raising Funds for Harbor Patrol Boat

By Karen Robes Meeks For the last seven years, Friends of the Morro Bay Harbor Department has galvanized the community to help its harbor department in need, whether it’s refurbishing lifeguard stations or installing a solar-powered emergency phone in a remote part of the sand spit. Now, the nonprofit community group is tackling its biggest challenge yet: raising funds to refurbish a much-needed patrol boat for the harbor department. Friends of the MBHD is working to reach its $100,000 goal to help the department outfit a newer used vessel with a pair of new Yanmar diesel engines and outdrives, updated…

Brusco’s Partnership with Diversified Reaches 20 Years and 10 Tugs

By Peter Marsh The Pacific Northwest has been the center for tug construction on the West Coast for at least the last 40 years, during which the azimuth stern drive (ASD) and the use of computer-aided lofting and cutting have revolutionized the way tugs are built and used. This has had the effect of allowing a typical ASD tug to become a multi-purpose craft: able to handle both ship-handling, escort and short hauling assignments with only slight additions to the deck gear. Today, naval architects are able to take their well-tested hull shapes and modify accommodation and machinery layouts using…

New Vessel & Tug Review

By Peter Marsh Munson Builds High-Speed Skimmer for Oil Spill Contractor Located 400 miles north of Fairbanks on Alaska’s north slope, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska is home to the largest oil field in North America. The regional oil spill response contractor, Alaska Clean Seas, maintains about 60 miles of oil containment boom and more than 100 specialized response vessels. The latest of these vessels is the 48-foot x 16-foot Pt. McIntyre, a Munson purpose-built oil aluminum skimmer designed to operate in the harsh environment above the Arctic Circle. It is based on a standard landing craft hull that company founder Bill…

The Hybridization of Washington State Ferries’ Jumbo Mark II: A Zero-Emissions Mission

By Sean Caughlan and Matt von Ruden With a capacity of 2,499 passengers and 202 vehicles, the m/v Tacoma, m/v Wenatchee and m/v Puyallup are the largest of the 21 vessels in the Washington State Ferries fleet. These diesel-electric Jumbo Mark II class ferries, which were built in Seattle and entered service between 1997 and 1999, have provided reliable service on the Seattle–Bainbridge Island and Edmonds–Kingston routes for over 20 years. However, as the largest consumers of diesel in the WSF fleet, they also come with a hefty operational cost and environmental footprint. Over the last decade, WSF has explored…

To Be Paid in Full – Promptly

Life at sea away from family and friends is not always easy for seamen. For their hard work and sacrifices, seamen are entitled to be paid what is due in full in a timely manner. Federal law so provides. Historically, seamen have been considered in need of special protection by Congress and the courts because of the nature of their employment. Various statutes and regulations have been enacted over the years to provide that protection including laws pertaining to compensation. Indeed, the first statute to give seamen a right to collect their wages was enacted in 1790. Wage Law Basics…

Tacoma LNG Facility Nears Opening Date

Submitted by Puget Sound Energy The Port of Tacoma is a deep-water, major shipping hub in the Pacific Northwest. Soon, it will also be home to a new LNG facility capable of providing marine vessels with a safe, reliable, and economic source of liquefied natural gas. That facility, the Tacoma LNG plant, is a jointly-owned endeavor between Washington State utility Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and its commercial sister company Puget LNG. The project broke ground on Nov. 1, 2016 and, ever since, the plant and its team have continued to successfully reach the milestones that a project of this complexity…

International Report

Cargo Ship Freed from Suez Canal The Evergreen Lines cargo ship Ever Given was freed from the Suez Canal on March 29, six days after it became stuck and became the subject of global fascination and occasional ridicule. The 20,000 TEU-class container ship, which is currently leased by Evergreen Marine Corp. under a time charter agreement, had been deployed on a Far East-Europe service route when it became grounded when it collided with the canal bank and became across the waterway. The blockage caused by the 1,300-foot-long vessel had a significant impact on trade between Europe and Asia and the…