March 2022 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Three Cruise Lines Agree to Health, Safety Protocols to Resume Sailing in Hawaii

Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Lines and the World Residences at Sea have signed port agreements formalizing their commitment to follow health and safety protocols to operate in the state, the Hawaii Department of Transportation Harbors Division has announced. Under a Centers for Disease Control order, cruise lines capable of carrying over 250 persons (passenger and crew combined) with itineraries and overnight stays must have a formal agreement with local port and health agencies. The agreement has to have a medical component with an evacuation plan for passengers or crew needing care; a housing agreement if passengers or crew need…

Hawaii Harbor Nets Over $8M in Federal Funding

More than $8 million will go toward maintaining the Maui and Molokai harbors, thanks to federal funding given to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Hawai‘i as part of Congress’ Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, signed into law in 2021. About $4.6 million will be set aside for the Kahului Deep Draft Harbor, Maui’s only commercial port on the island’s northern coast. Meanwhile, $3.5 million will be used for the Kaunakakai Deep Draft Harbor on the south central coast of Molokai. Such projects help the Army Corps maintain and run the harbors. “As an island state, our…

Port of Oakland Introduces New Queuing System

Container ships moving through the San Francisco Bay Area will now be part of a new queuing system aimed at increasing safety and air quality. On Jan. 10, the Port of Oakland launched a system in which container ships are assigned in the arrival queue based on when they left their last port of call. They then sit outside a new “Safety and Air Quality Area” located 50 miles off the coast until their arrival appointment. Under the previous system, vessels entered the queue when they crossed a line 80 nautical miles from the coast. “The Port of Oakland is…

Port of Port Angeles Seeking Funding for Dry Dock Study

The Port of Port Angeles is looking to fund the development of a study that would delve into the feasibility of a dry dock. Port officials plan to seek some of that funding by applying for the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) planning grant program. The POPA’s port commission authorized the port’s executive director to formally apply to CERB for funding assistance during its Jan. 25 meeting. Up to $50,000 could be made available to help pay for the study, which would look at the port’s options for buying and installing a dry dock to…

Port of LA, Partners, Form Dairy Exports Working Group

The Port of Los Angeles and container shipping company CMA CGM are teaming up with the International Dairy Foods Association to form a Dairy Exports Working Group to help find and deal with supply-chain issues affecting U.S. dairy product exports, according to the port. First announced at the Dairy Forum 2022, held Jan. 23-26 in Palm Desert, the new working group is expected to concentrate on West Coast seaports, where the export journey starts for many dairy goods, and explore ways to move those products more efficiently from the nation’s interior to the West Coast, the port said. “U.S. dairy…

Port of Everett Selects Puget Sound Developer for Waterfront Place

A diagram of the Port of Everett, including Waterfront Place. Image via Port of Everett. The Port of Everett and Puget Sound-based real estate development and investment firm Schuster Group have inked a long-term agreement to construct and operate up to 44,431 square feet of retail and restaurant space at the new Waterfront Place mixed-use project. The deal calls for developing a pair of Port Gardner Landing buildings at 1710 West Marine View Drive starting in early 2022. The 6,500-square-foot project is expected to house a coffee shop and brewery expansion. Both are expected to feature outdoor patio space. The…

Port of Los Angeles Launches Cyber Resilience Center

The Port of Los Angeles has bolstered efforts to protect the port community from a potential cyber threat with the announcement of a new Cyber Resilience Center. The “state-of-the-art port community cyber defense solution” was designed, according to officials, to enhance cybersecurity readiness and the ability to share intel with those in the supply chain on potential threats and recovery capabilities. The center, created in collaboration with stakeholders, will be run by technology company IBM. “We must take every precaution against potential cyber incidents, particularly those that could threaten or disrupt the flow of cargo,” said Port Executive Director Gene…

Port of Oakland Partners with Feds to Help Ag Exporters

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Port of Oakland are teaming up to help agricultural exports move their goods through Oakland more quickly, the port announced Feb. 1. The federal department plans to fund 60% of the cost to launch a temporary yard exclusively for export distribution on 22 acres of waterfront property at the port as a way to address congestion of empty containers that’s impacting the movement of exports in Oakland. This would give agricultural exporters sole use of pre-cool refrigerated containers and USDA incentives to use the “pop-up yard.” This would also divert trucks away from…

Port of Los Angeles Extends Container Excess Dwell Fee to Spring

Amid ongoing efforts to curb the number of aging containers at its docks, Los Angeles Harbor Commissioners have agreed to push the POLA’s Container Excess Dwell Fee into the spring and extend the fee trigger for cargo leaving by rail. Initially approved Oct. 29, the fee program was supposed to expire after 90 days, but the commission extended it to April 29 and altered it so that the fee would apply to an import leaving by train after nine days, the same amount of days for containers leaving by truck. Prior to the change, the fee applied to imports departing…

Port of Olympia Makes Operational Changes Due to COVID Surge

Amid growing COVID-19 cases in Thurston County, Wash., the Port of Olympia is temporarily closing its offices to the public, offering limited public access to port business and administrative functions while continuing to conduct port commission meetings remotely. Port staff will be accessible via phone and email. In-person meetings are available by request. To reach the administrative office, call (360) 528-8000. Port commission meetings are being held via Zoom and can be accessed at https://portolympia.com/commission/. Operations continue at Swantown Marina, but offices will be closed to public access and staff is conducting business by telephone, email and internet. Maintenance and…