July-Aug 2023 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Seattle Maritime Jobs Campaign Kicks Off

In mid-May, a collective of Seattle-based maritime organizations, including the Port of Seattle, kicked off a local “Maritime Works” campaign drawing awareness to local opportunities for young adults looking for a high-wage career based in Puget Sound. For the first time, essential maritime career information is consolidated on one website, washingtonmaritimecareers.org, where multiple career paths are presented including contacts, wage scales, education requirements and necessary tools to get started. Campaign partners, including the Port of Seattle and Propeller Club, launched the initiative May 12 at the annual Seattle Maritime Breakfast. “Maritime and industrial businesses are part of Seattle’s future,” Port…

Woman Sentenced to Prison for Fake ILWU-PMA Health Plan Claims

A Los Angeles area woman who sent false claims to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union-Pacific Maritime Association (ILWU-PMA) benefit plan at the Port of Long Beach has been sentenced to 27 months in prison, City News Service reported May 23. Sara Victoria, 46, who pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and aggravated identity theft last year, will also have to pay $551,810 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Victoria, along with eight other defendants—seven of them Port of Long Beach dockworkers -- took advantage of the union health benefit plan that covers overall chiropractic services without…

From the Editor: National & International?

As you know if you’ve been reading this magazine for at least a couple of years, each issue of Pacific Maritime contains an international news section in its back half, usually around pages 44-45. But since the number of issues of the magazine that come out each year has changed, it has me wondering if we should also make another change, and I’d like your input. Although the International Report is chock full of useful, interesting information, I’ve begun to wonder if that space might be better filled by a National Report that focuses on important U.S. maritime news and…

General Dynamics NASSCO Awarded $736 Million to Build USN Tanker

General Dynamics NASSCO said May 23 that it has been awarded a $736 million addition to an existing contract for construction of a ninth ship in the U.S. Navy’s John Lewis-class fleet oiler program. The exercised option comes in addition to the earlier awarded eight ships, bringing the total contract value to about $5.5 billion for construction of nine ships. “NASSCO is proud of our ongoing dedication to deliver these ships to the fleet,” General Dynamics NASSCO President Dave Carver said in a statement. Construction of the ninth oiler is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2025. In…

Vancouver USA Receives State Funding for Terminal Redevelopment

The Port of Vancouver USA in mid-May said that it’s set receive $3.5 million from the Washington State Legislature to remove the port’s 100-year-old Terminal 1 dock. The state’s final 2023 capital budget included funding for the Port of Vancouver USA’s next phase of its Terminal 1 redevelopment project, signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on May 16. The port plans to demolish and rebuild the dock that once supported a hotel and restaurant. The removal phase is scheduled to begin fall 2023. During the process, 880 old wood pilings are expected to be removed. The process of removing…

Study: Propane Terminal Tractors Up to 99% Cleaner Than Diesel

New data released from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) in mid-May contends that propane-powered terminal tractors are significantly cleaner than their diesel counterparts in several key emissions reduction areas. In recent testing at the Washington, DC-based PNCT, researchers collected emissions data from a propane terminal tractor built by German manufacturer MAFI and Tier 4 diesel technologies. The results confirm the propane-powered tractor yielded 99% fewer nitrogen oxide (NOx) composite and idle emissions than either diesel tractor. Additionally, PERC said, the propane tractor produced 77.5% fewer THC idle emissions, 14% fewer brake-specific carbon…

Port of Long Beach Unveils Offshore Wind Facility Concept

The Port of Long Beach in May released plans for an ambitious facility conceived to help California and the U.S. reach renewable energy targets in the coming decades. The proposed floating offshore wind facility – known as Pier Wind – would support the manufacture and assembly of offshore wind turbines standing as tall as the Eiffel Tower, according to port officials, who add that it would be the largest facility at any U.S. seaport specifically designed to accommodate the assembly of offshore wind turbines. “Imagine fully assembled wind turbines capable of generating 20 megawatts of energy towed by sea from…

Port of Seattle Commissions New Shore Power System

The Port of Seattle is installing a third shore power system at Pier 66, making it among the world’s first ports with three shore power systems for cruise ships, officials said in late May. Shore power technology can significantly reduce emissions and improve air quality by allowing ships to connect to electricity and turn off diesel engines while at the dock. Seattle operates the largest and fastest-growing cruise port on the West Coast with more than 200 vessels in a typical season between April and October. Adding a third shore power system is a major component of the port’s Waterfront…

Vancouver BC Lauds Completed Projects, DP World’s 100th Anniversary

May has been a month for celebration in Vancouver, British Columbia, where logistics company DP World and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority celebrated not only a newly completed Centerm Expansion Project at DP World Vancouver, but also the 100th anniversary of the port’s marine terminal operations. DP World teamed with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority to finish the Centerm Expansion Project, a $350 million CAD ($260 million U.S.) project to bolster throughput by 60%, with the larger terminal now able to process 1.5 million TEUs annually -- compared to 900,000 TEUs previously -- and add 15% to the terminal’s overall…

Crowley Opens West Coast Wind Services Office

Furthering its efforts to create a terminal aimed at meeting the demand of future offshore wind development on the West Coast, Crowley has opened a wind services office in Eureka, Calif., the company announced in April. The new space at the Carson Building in Eureka’s historic Old Town area allows the company to move forward on a new agreement with the Port of Humboldt Bay to exclusively negotiate to build and run the terminal, according to Crowley, which is also developing wind services terminals in Louisiana and Massachusetts. Once completed, the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal is…