LA, Long Beach Port Directors Outline Priorities, Goals for 2023 and Beyond

LA, Long Beach Port Directors Outline Priorities, Goals for 2023 and Beyond

The leaders of the two of the three busiest seaports in North America in January outlined some of their goals and priorities for the year. Economic growth, job creation and expanding zero-emissions operations are among the Port of Los Angeles’ goals for 2023 and beyond, port Executive Director Gene Seroka said during his annual ‘State of the Port’ speech on Jan. 19. The State of the Port is an annual event put on by the port in conjunction with the independent, non-profit Pacific Merchant Shipping Association. This year’s event, held at the port’s cruise center terminal, attracted 510 attendees, according…
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From the Editor: The Infiltration of MSC

From the Editor: The Infiltration of MSC

One of the dark underbellies of the maritime shipping industry that no one likes to talk about is smuggling. But the weekly magazine Bloomberg Businessweek has taken on the problem head-on in an expose detailing how one of the biggest goods shippers in the world, MSC—Mediterranean Shipping Company—was infiltrated in recent years by Balkan gangs engaging in vast amounts of drug smuggling. In recent years, officials have found that multiple MSC vessels were carrying drugs, and a $100 million ship, the Gayane, was seized by authorities after finding $1 billion worth of cocaine onboard. This information and more is detailed…
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POLB Acquires Federal Help for Channel Deepening Project

POLB Acquires Federal Help for Channel Deepening Project

On Dec. 23, President Joe Biden signed into law the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022, the biennial legislation authorizing federal flood control, navigation and ecosystem improvements that include a Port of Long Beach channel deepening project. The project is one of only five navigation projects nationwide that met the goals of the Army Corps of Engineers’ rigorous planning process to make the cut for construction authorization under the new water resources law. The WRDA was packaged with the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023. The channel deepening project has been in the works for more than…
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Port of LA Seeking Proposals for Cruise Terminal Development

Port of LA Seeking Proposals for Cruise Terminal Development

The Port of Los Angeles on Jan. 31 said that it is inviting comments on a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) for the future development of a new Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal and redevelopment of the existing World Cruise Center on the LA Waterfront. “This cruise development initiative is critical to our business, our community and the L.A. waterfront, and we want to make sure it’s done right,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said. “Each cruise ship that calls the Port of Los Angeles generates more than $1 million into the local economy,” he added, “so it’s…
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MARAD Announces Nearly $20 Million  in Grant Funding Available for Small Shipyards

MARAD Announces Nearly $20 Million in Grant Funding Available for Small Shipyards

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Jan. 20 announced the availability of nearly $20 million in federal funding to help modernize small U.S. shipyards and train the workforce. MARAD’s Small Shipyard Grant Program, the agency said in a statement, strengthens the economic competitiveness of shipyards by providing grants that can be used to purchase equipment or provide employee training. In addition, the grants can support the purchase of American-made manufacturing equipment that support a wide range of jobs, the Maritime Administration said. The grants are available to U.S. shipyards with fewer than 1,200 production employees. Since the…
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Oceanwide Repair Gets New Majority Owner

Oceanwide Repair Gets New Majority Owner

Long Beach, Calif.-based Oceanwide Repair, which provides marine ship repair services for a variety of vessels from tugboats and barges to very large oil tankers, bulk carriers, passenger ships and container ships, has undergone a majority recapitalization. A majority recapitalization is when a business owner sells a majority interest in the company to an investor to raise cash while maintaining a significant minority ownership stake and continuing to manage the business. Oceanwide Repair’s majority recapitalization is with Fletch Equity, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm. “The Fletch team will be partnering with the founders of Oceanwide to grow the company’s…
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Seattle Port Leaders Pledge Against Human Trafficking

Seattle Port Leaders Pledge Against Human Trafficking

The Port of Seattle in January launched its Port Allies Against Human Trafficking (PAAHT) pledge. During January’s National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the port called on its partners and tenants to raise awareness of the signs and behaviors of human trafficking with their employees. At its Jan. 10 meeting, the Port of Seattle Commission approved a proclamation recognizing January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The port said that the pledge represents the next step in the port’s efforts as a regional leader in anti-human trafficking work—including awareness messaging and trainings—that began in 2018 with Commission passage of the port’s…
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Alameda Fire Department Chooses Moose Boats to Build New Fire Boat

Alameda Fire Department Chooses Moose Boats to Build New Fire Boat

San Francisco Bay Area-based boat designer and manufacturer Moose Boats, LLC said in December that it has been awarded a contract by Alameda City Fire Department in Northern California for the construction of an M2–38 catamaran fireboat. The M2—38 aluminum catamaran is to be powered by twin Cummins QSB6.7L 480HP turbo diesel engines coupled to twin Hamilton HJX29 water-jets. Darley pumps are to provide 5,000GPM of water through two five-inch discharges, two four-inch discharges, eight 2.5-inch discharges, and four monitors. Moose Boats did not reveal the dollar amount of the contract or when the vessel is scheduled to be delivered.…
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NW Washington Disaster Grants Available for Flood-Affected Businesses

NW Washington Disaster Grants Available for Flood-Affected Businesses

The Washington State Department of Commerce, in partnership with community assistance program FORWARD and local community organizations, is accepting applications from businesses that sustained physical damage or economic loss due to flooding in Northwest Washington between October 2021 and April 2022. Eligible businesses in Northwest Washington that have sustained physical damage or economic loss due to the flooding between October 2021 and April 2022 are eligible to apply for the program. The Northwest Washington Disaster Grant applications opened on Jan. 4. About $10 million in grant money is being made available to awardees due to an allocation made by the state legislature.…
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Dockworker Pleads Guilty to Billing Sex Services on ILWU-PMA Health Plan

Dockworker Pleads Guilty to Billing Sex Services on ILWU-PMA Health Plan

A Port of Long Beach dockworker has pleaded guilty for taking part in a fraudulent plan to bill his labor union’s insurance to pay for sexual services, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California revealed Jan. 10. Cameron Rahm, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, the attorney’s office said. U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. has set a sentencing hearing on April 25. Rahm is expected to face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the attorney’s office. In his plea agreement, Rahm said he…
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