August 2022 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

General Dynamics NASSCO Awarded $600 Million to Support U.S. Navy Ship Construction

San Diego-based shipbuilder General Dynamics NASSCO confirmed in late June that it has been awarded a $600 million contract by the U.S. Navy to support construction of the seventh and eighth ships in USN’s the John Lewis-class fleet oiler (T-AO) program, as well as the sixth ship in its Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) program. The contract modifications for long-lead-time material provide $500 million for T-AO 211 and 212, and $100 million for ESB 8. Construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2023 and continue into 2027. “NASSCO shipbuilders are honored to build T-AO 211, T-AO 212 and…

Nigeria, Shipping Industry Launch Strategy to Curb Gulf of Guinea Maritime Piracy

A coalition of global shipping stakeholders and the Government of Nigeria and have launched a new strategy to end piracy, armed robbery and kidnapping in the Gulf of Guinea, the International Chamber of Shipping announced July 11. The newly launched strategy was developed by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), BIMCO, Intertanko, Intercargo, Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), and representatives of the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA, together making up the Nigerian Industry Working Group (NIWG). The strategy, according to the ICS, establishes a mechanism to periodically assess the effectiveness of country-piracy initiatives and commitments in the Gulf. “Targeted at…

New Director Chosen for IMO International Maritime Law Institute

Professor Norman A. Martínez Gutiérrez has been appointed to succeed Professor David Attard as the new Director of the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), based in Malta, the International Maritime Organization revealed July 7. Attard has been IMLI Director for the past 30 years. The announcement was made by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim during IMLI’s Graduation ceremony on July 1. It is expected that Professor Martínez will take the reins of the Institute on Aug. 1. The IMO International Maritime Law Institute was established in 1988, under the auspices of IMO. The Institute’s mission is to enhance capacity-building in…

Doing More with Less

It would appear that “doing more with less” could be the unofficial motto for today’s society, especially regarding the workplace. Restaurants, offices, tech companies and many other businesses are feeling the squeeze of being short staffed and finding it hard to recruit and retain qualified long-term help. What does this mean for the employees who are in the workforce? It means doing more than your normal duties in your job description. While it is a fact that sometimes you just do what needs to be done to perform the task at hand, this extra effort is creating an environment for…

Offshore Wind Update 2022

A lot has happened since the Biden administration in May 2021 announced that California’s northern and central coasts would be open to offshore wind development, identifying two areas in particular: Morro Bay and Humboldt Call. The idea was to pursue the development of floating offshore wind platforms off the California coast as part of the Biden administration’s overall goal of generating 30 gigawatts of domestic offshore wind by 2030. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead agency on offshore wind. This past May, the department announced offshore wind lease sales for the first…

Infrastructure Projects in Full Swing at Major West Coast Ports

A number of big and small West Coast ports are approaching coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic by investing in their future via innovative and forward-looking infrastructure projects. Several of the larger ports are focusing on modernizing their terminals, enhancing rail systems, reducing emissions and/or transitioning to hybrid, increasing shore power and designing projects that aim to improve efficiency and accommodate bigger ships. Here are some of the highlights of the projects: PORT OF LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners recently adopted a $1.9-billion budget for fiscal year 2022-23, much of which will be reinvested into the Port…

Fincantieri Marine Group Announces New CEO

Fincantieri Marine Group, a U.S. subsidiary of Italian shipbuilding giant Fincantieri, announced that general manager Marco Galbiati has been named as the new CEO effective July 6, while former CEO Dario Deste remains the company’s president. Galbiati had been FMG’s general manager since 2018 and in this capacity, had been heavily involved in all aspects of the business and its efforts to grow the workforce in support of important commercial and military contracts. Deste had served as FMG’s president and CEO since 2018, and was recently promoted to lead Fincantieri’s Naval Vessels Division. Galbiati began his business career in 1996…

IANA Award Winners Announced

The Intermodal Association of North America on July 13 announced that the winners of its three industry awards will be honored at the annual Intermodal Expo in September. The winners are: the Silver Kingpin Award—Ted Prince; the Chairman’s Award—Jim Newsome; and the Intermodal Achievement Award—Congressman Alan Lowenthal. The recognitions will take place during Intermodal Expo’s opening general session on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Southern California. Prince, the chief strategy officer and co-founder of Tiger Cool Express, was selected to receive the IANA Silver Kingpin Award for his career-long contributions to intermodalism. Prince is a…

Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach Holds Change of Command Ceremony

Capt. Ryan Manning relieved Capt. Rebecca Ore as the Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach sector commander during a June 21 change of command ceremony at Coast Guard Base Los Angeles/Long Beach. The ceremony was presided over by Eleventh Coast Guard District Commander Rear Adm. Brian Penoyer. Manning reported to Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach from Coast Guard Activities Europe, where he was the commanding officer. Ore will transfer to Coast Guard Headquarters as the assistant commandant for intelligence. As sector commander, Manning is now in charge of more than 550 active duty, reserve and civilian personnel and 1,200 all-volunteer Coast…

OpenOceans Global Launches App to Map Coastlines Fouled by Plastic

San Diego-based environmental organization OpenOceans Global on July 10 said that it was launching an online application allowing citizen scientists to map coastlines around the world that are pervasively fouled by plastic. The goal, according to the non-profit, is to visualize where marine plastic ends up, identify the source, and match the best solutions to stop the flow of plastic to the ocean. “Public perception is that most ocean plastic gathers in five gyres in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans,” OpenOceans Global founder Carl Nettleton said. “The surprising truth is that approximately two-thirds of ocean plastic is on the…