July-Aug 2023 – Page 2 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Major California Ports Ink Data Partnership

In an effort to advance a digital strategy to help California’s competitive edge on trade, five seaports in the state agreed April 25 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that kicks off the California Port Data Partnership. Under the agreement, the Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Hueneme and San Diego seaports have agreed to move as one on “advance computerized and cloud-based data interoperability with a common goal of supporting improved freight system resilience, goods movement efficiency, emissions reduction, and economic competitiveness,” according to the April 26 announcement. The agreement and partnership have been months in the making, allowing the…

USCG Participates in Active Shooter Drill at Alaska Marine Terminal

On April 26, members of the U.S. Coast Guard and agency partners took part in a full-scale active shooter exercise at the Ketchikan Alaska Marine Highway System Terminal. Participants, which included Coast Guard Sector Juneau, Coast Guard Station Ketchikan and Coast Guard Public Information Assist Team, were able to run through tactical processes, practice ways to de-escalate the situation and utilize crisis communications during the exercise, which involved an “active shooter” at the terminal and on the 408-foot AMHS marine vessel Matanuska, according to the agency. Coast Guard Station Ketchikan was also able to use a 45-foot medium…

Coast Guard Cutter Stratton Departs Japan

Northern California-based U.S. Coast Guard cutter Stratton departed Yokosuka, Japan on May 3, following a scheduled port visit while deployed to the Indo-Pacific. Stratton is currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific to engage with ally and partner nations and to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. “Deploying U.S. Coast Guard assets to the Indo-Pacific promotes security, safety, sovereignty and economic prosperity in the region while strengthening relationships between the U.S. and partner nations,” Stratton’s commanding officer, Capt. Brian Krautler said. Yokosuka was Stratton’s third port visit since departing its homeport of Alameda, California. The cutter’s crew was conducting exercises in the…

Northern Edge War Games Take Place in Gulf of Alaska

Thousands of U.S. military service members, five ships and over 150 aircraft were in Alaska from early-to-mid-May for Northern Edge 2023 (NE23), war games in the Gulf of Alaska and elsewhere in the state to enhance combat readiness. They were joined for the Indo-Pacific Command exercise by other service members from the United Kingdom and Australia to provide opportunity for joint, multinational and multi-domain operations designed to offer high-end, realistic war fighter training. Northern Edge got underway May 4 and continued through May 19. For security reasons, the start of the biennial training is never announced until it’s already underway.…

Polar Star Home After Operation Deep Freeze

On April 10, the Coast Guard cutter Polar Star and its crew returned to Seattle following a 144-day deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2023. This was the Polar Star’s 26th voyage to Antarctica for Operation Deep Freeze, which is an annual joint military service mission to resupply the U.S. Antarctic stations, in support of the National Science Foundation, the lead agency for the U.S. Antarctic Program. This year marks the 63rd iteration of the annual operation. The Polar Star is a 399-foot heavy polar icebreaker commissioned in 1976. It weighs 13,500 tons and is 84-feet wide…

‘Bulldog of the Bering’ Returns to Kodiak After 30 Days at Sea

The Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley returned to Kodiak, Alaska, in early May after a 30-day patrol in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands to enforce federal fishery laws and ensure mariners are maintaining all required safety equipment. The crew sailed the 282-foot medium endurance cutter over 2,000 nautical miles from the Alaska Peninsula to Adak and north of the Pribilof Islands, also steaming west to cross the 180th Meridian into the eastern hemisphere, to conduct a time-honored naval ceremony. Training and drills were performed throughout the patrol to ensure mission readiness. Crewmembers donned firefighting gear for simulated engine room fires, arranged…

$220 Million in Federal Funds Available for Passenger Ferry Projects

About $220 million in grant funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is now available for projects that seek to help or upgrade passenger ferry service throughout the nation, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced. Proposals must be submitted by July 17. About $50.1 million is available in FY 2023 through the Passenger Ferry Program, which funds projects to purchase, replace, or update passenger ferries, terminals and equipment. About $5 million is dedicated to low- or zero-emission ferries and related facilities/equipment, according to the FTA. “Passenger ferries provide critical and cost-effective travel for people throughout…

West Coast Shipyards Win Federal Grants

Shipyards in Alaska, California and Washington were among 27 companies to receive grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s Small Shipyard Grant Program, which helps shipyards fund facility upgrades, raise productivity and increase job opportunities in the area, it was announced May 3. They include: Highmark Marine Fabrication, LLC of Kodiak, Alaska, which plans to use its $969,191 to buy a 120-ton rough terrain crane. Bay Ship & Yacht Co., of Alameda, Calif., which plans to use its $830,380 grant toward a 165-ton Grove GRT 9165 crane with a 205-foot boom. Driscoll, Inc. dba Driscoll Boat Works, LLC…

Port of Oakland, Japanese Officials Discuss Decarbonization Efforts

A delegation of Japanese Ministry officials and representatives from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) met with the Port of Oakland in May to discuss initiatives to reach zero emissions from seaport operations. The meeting was a follow-up to a clean energy trade mission to Japan in March where California policymakers, decisionmakers and business executives met to exchange ideas about tackling climate change, growing green energy and creating new investment and trade opportunities. As a major U.S. West Coast seaport, Port of Oakland officials were part of the California delegation and discussions. Japan’s Director General of Ports and Harbor Bureau…

USCG Gets More Time to Finalize Base Seattle Modernization Plan

The U.S. Coast Guard now has more time to conduct more analysis on the proposed Base Seattle Modernization project. The Department of Homeland Security has extended the U.S. Coast Guard’s timeline to finalize the project’s Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) from May 7 to Dec. 31, giving the agency more time “to consider public comments received on the Draft PEIS and conduct additional analysis that will help inform a final Record of Decision.” Before a Record of Decision is issued “stating the Coast Guard’s decision on the selected alternative,” the public will have a chance to look over the final…