March-April 2023 – Page 3 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Vessel Profile: North River Boats’ Sounder

North River Boats has built the new 26-foot survey vessel Sounder for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) of Los Angeles. The Sounder is the flagship for a larger series of customizable workboats at North River Boats, based in Roseburg, Ore., that can be scaled from 23 feet to 60 feet in length with beams ranging from 8 feet, 6 inches to 16 feet. For the company, the combination of the boat hull, trailer-able size, topline outfitting and electronic configuration puts the Sounder in play as the most versatile survey vessel of its size on the market. The vessel…

High-Tech Techniques Help Spill Response Become More Efficient, Safer, Productive

Above the surface or underwater, oil and hazardous material spill response and recovery in marine environments is making strides, thanks to technological advances and equipment upgrades, resulting in safer and more efficient work. Autonomous systems are gaining traction, helping increase safety and productivity. Drones are helping make the job more efficient and practical. Skimmers, containment vessels and collection systems are showing promising improvements in both volume and recovery efficiency. Crane barges and other supporting craft utilized in responding to incidents are showing strength and maneuverability in recent case studies. Staying on top of technological advances goes hand in hand with…

Newsmakers

WPPA Hires Port of Seattle’s ffitch as New Executive Director The Washington Public Ports Association has hired Port of Seattle Government Relations Manager Eric ffitch as its new executive director, the WPPA announced in December. Currently, ffitch oversees the port’s Washington state government advocacy efforts in Olympia, among other responsibilities. He has more than 13 years of experience in federal and state government relations, according to the WPPA, and has worked as Congressional staff for former Rep. Jay Inslee, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and Sen. Maria Cantwell. While in Sen. Cantwell’s office, he served as a lead staff member on the…

Coast Guard, Partners Respond to Mysterious Oil Sheen Off Calif. Coast

U.S Coast Guard pollution responders and partners responded to an oil sheen off Summerland Beach in Santa Barbara County, Calif. on Jan. 6. The estimated 1.5-mile to 2-mile-long sheen was reported to be five nautical-miles off Santa Barbara. The sheen’s cause was unknown at the time, but on Jan. 17, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response said the sheen was likely natural seepage. Just after 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, watchstanders from U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Santa Barbara were notified by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services of a possible oil…

Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley Returns to Alaska

The Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley returned to its homeport at Coast Guard Base Kodiak, Alaska on Jan. 13 following an extended seven month dry dock maintenance period in Seattle. While in dry dock, the crew and contractors successfully completed more than $6 million worth of repairs, according to the Guard. The engineering department oversaw 76 work items including major overhauls on the cutter’s controllable pitch propeller system, speed reducers, rudders, and boilers, along with inspections of fuel, sewage, and water tanks. The operations department supervised a renewal of the cutter’s flight deck, navigation systems, and electronics while maintaining critical…

Coast Guard Pursues Civil Penalty for Columbia River AIS Violation

The Coast Guard in late January stated that it’s pursuing a civil penalty with a maximum punishment of $41,000 against a commercial fishing vessel for violating Automated Identification System (AIS) regulations near the mouth of the Columbia River. AIS is a maritime navigation safety communications system adopted by the international community to help save lives and facilitate safe transit of navigable waterways. It automatically transmits vessel information to shore stations, other ships and aircraft. That includes vessel identity, type, position, course, speed, navigational status and safety-related information. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River has said that on Dec. 3, 2022, a…

IMO Extends West Coast Vessel Lanes, Adopts Whale Protections

Commercial vessels along the California coast are to begin lining up for port entry farther west and away from the continental shelf in an effort to protect endangered whales beginning this summer, NOAA announced Jan. 5. The International Maritime Organization has adopted a proposal by the U.S. to expand the area that ships should avoid to allow more protected space for endangered blue, fin and humpback whales. The proposal is expected to go into effect after the spring. The 13-nautical-mile vessel traffic lane extension means that ships would line up for port entry farther west. It also means that the…

Ocean Network Express Acquiring West Coast Container Terminals

Japan-based shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) on Dec. 27 revealed that it has signed agreements to acquire a 51% stake in two terminal operators—TraPac LLC and Yusen Terminals (YTI), which are both currently held by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.—and a shipping company, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, commonly known as NYK Line. TraPac is a container terminal operator and vessel stevedore that provides container terminal services in Los Angeles and Oakland. YTI is a container terminal operator and vessel stevedore that provides container terminal services in Los Angeles. “These acquisitions are part of the integration of the container shipping businesses…

Maritime Construction Projects: 2023 & Beyond

The West Coast maritime construction industry never rests. West Coast maritime construction companies have been busy over the last year with projects from Hawaii to Antarctica, as well as from coast to coast. By no means a comprehensive summary, herein is a peek at a few of the notable West Coast-based maritime construction companies and their recent jobs. Whether the work is dredging for a Navy facility pier or replacing the oldest radar tower in the U.S., workers in the industry rarely shy from a high-seas challenge. While many call the work extraordinary, marine construction professionals call it an average…

Regional Update: California Ports

2022 was a wild ride for most major California seaports. The Golden State is home to the nation’s busiest seaports, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which both have seen congestion-inducing record influxes of cargo, but also drops in market share as consumers emerge from the pandemic to spend their money on services rather than products. The Port of Oakland and Port of San Diego have also seen growth in cargo numbers as both are seen as local alternatives to congested ports. Retaining that market share has been further complicated by outside factors, from COVID-19-related…