January-February 2023 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Facial Biometrics Introduced at Port of San Diego by U.S. Customs, Princess Cruise Line

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in partnership with Princess Cruises, expanded the use of facial biometrics into the debarkation process at the Port of San Diego, becoming the latest seaport to modernize efforts to revolutionize cruise travel. “As cruise travel resumes around our nation’s ports, it is increasingly important to implement this technology and safely restart cruising, a vital sector of the US travel economy,” Jennifer De La O, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego, said. “With the biometric facial comparison process, travelers have the benefit of secure, touchless and streamlined entry procedures into the United States.”…

UWL Opens First China Office

U.S.-based global third-party logistics solutions provider UWL has expanded its global footprint with the opening of its first office in China in Shanghai’s Bund area. UWL began servicing customers on Dec. 1. “2021 and 2022 were years of tremendous challenge for UWL and our customer base, who to this day, remain heavily invested in China and Asia for their manufacturing needs,” UWL President Duncan Wright said. “This expansion is part of our strategy to be physically closer to our customers’ factories and our ocean network and carrier partners. The better we can collaborate on solutions and have more direct control…

Coast Guard Cutter Midgett Returns to Honolulu After Three-Month Deployment

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Midgett and crew returned to its homeport of Honolulu on Oct. 31 following an 83-day, 16,000 nautical-mile deployment to the Western Pacific. The Midgett and crew departed Honolulu in August to the Western Pacific to operate under the tactical control of U.S. Navy 7th Fleet to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region. “The Coast Guard strives to be a trusted partner, and we play a vital role in ensuring safety, security, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific,” Pacific Area Commander Vice Adm. Andrew J. Tiongson said. “As the region faces challenges like climate change and…

Kongberg Maritime Awarded Vessel Design Contract

Kongsberg Maritime announced in mid-November that it has won a NOK 300 million ($30 million USD) contract with Pelagic Wind Services to supply advanced vessel design and equipment for two new commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) to be built at Cochin Shipyard in India. The CSOVs are to be built to Kongsberg Maritime’s UT 5519 HL design. “We’re delighted to work with Kongsberg Maritime to develop this next-generation vessel, which is firmly focused on sustainable operation, safety and efficiency,” Pelagic Wind Services CEO Andre Groeneveld said. The equipment package includes a complete hybrid propulsion system driving highly efficient, permanent magnet…

Coast Guard Cutter Healy Returns to Seattle

After 17,000 nautical miles and 124 days at sea, the crew members of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy came back to its homeport in Seattle, the agency announced Nov. 11. The crew’s journey was considered a historic one as the 420-foot medium icebreaker traveled in high Arctic latitudes and reached the geographic North Pole Sept 30, “only the second time a U.S. surface vessel had reached 90 degrees north unaccompanied,” USCG said. The crew also provided law enforcement presence in the Arctic and the Gulf of Alaska. “It is more important than ever before to provide security and sovereign…

Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry Completes South Pacific Patrol

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Oliver Berry returned to homeport in Honolulu on Nov. 22 following a 38-day expeditionary patrol enforcing international living marine resources treaties and conducting joint operations with partner nations across the South Pacific. During the 7,000 nautical-mile patrol, the Oliver Berry crew conducted 12 fisheries boardings, identified 16 fishery and safety violations, and completed 18 community relation events while sailing from Honolulu, Hawaii to Kiribati, Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga and American Samoa before returning to homeport. During the first port call of the patrol at Kiritimati Island, Kiribati, the Oliver Berry crew delivered COVID-19 personal…

USCG Recovers Oil from Sunken Vessel in LA Area

In late October, the U.S. Coast Guard completed cleanup efforts after the 70-foot fishing vessel Bill Ketner partially sank at a pier in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles. At about 7 p.m. on Oct. 24, the Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach Incident Management Division received notification that the f/v Bill Ketner had partially sunk at the pier with a max capacity of 2,500 gallons of diesel onboard. Working alongside Los Angeles Port Police and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Coast Guard pollution responders oversaw the successful clean-up operation, the…

Pacific Northwest Ports: Transition and Transformation

More than a century ago, the bustling Port of San Francisco dominated the U.S. West Coast’s international and domestic intercoastal deep-water trade. Meanwhile, the ports of Washington and Oregon were busy handling export cargoes such as lumber, agricultural products and coal. Japan’s NYK steamship line had begun service between Japan and Seattle in 1896, but 13 years later a unique agreement between the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. and Japan’s Osaka Shoshen Kaisha (OSK) Line created what was the very first ship-to-train trans-shipment agreement. It would revolutionize the international movement of goods. Under the terms of the agreement,…

Ocean and Coastal Towing News: 2022 In Review

Maritime shipping volumes stalled at some West Coast ports in 2022, but even still, there remained a large need for ocean and coastal towing services to guide commercial vessels of all sizes to shore. In fact, according to an analysis released in March by the global firm Technavio Research, the tugboats services market is expected to grow by $2.42 billion between now and 2026, with 33% of that growth originating in North America. The report, titled “Tugboats Services Market by Application and Geography—Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026,” states that the market will witness a year-over-year growth of 14.24% in 2022 and…

WCT Barges Pilings from Astoria for I-205 Bridge Work

The Oregon Department of Transportation’s I-205 Improvements Project involves some challenging engineering on the Abernethy Bridge, across the Willamette River south of Portland. This stretch of I-205 carries more than 100,000 vehicles daily and needs a major upgrade to become a “seismically resilient lifeline” in the event of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, according to the Oregon DOT. Many local contractors are delivering large amounts of material and equipment by road to designated drop-off zones, but WCT Marine, at the Hyak Tongue Point shipyard in Astoria, is using the river itself to ship dozens of steel pilings to support temporary…