As you probably know by now, President Joe Biden announced in mid-October that the Port of Los Angeles would begin operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to deal with a backlog of cargo that needs to be moved off the docks, and to help reduce a queue of dozens of containerships sitting anchored in San Pedro Bay. And while the announcement was certainly a welcome one for those in the maritime goods movement industry, don’t expect the backlog to be cleared overnight. Or within a week. Or maybe not even by the end of the…
Freight needs to move,and something needs tobe done about it. That was the overarching sentiment expressed by executives of some of the country’s busiest marine terminals who gathered recently to discuss cargo congestion, chassis, on-dock rail, truck appointment systems and upcoming labor contracts at the annual Intermodal association of North America (IANA) Intermodal EXPO in Long Beach, California. The “Inside Marine Terminals” panel Sept. 14 included Sal Ferrigno, vice president of SSA Terminals; Jon Poelma, managing director of APM Terminals; Brian Kobza, director of sales and marketing at GCT USA; and the panel’s moderator Rob Cannizzaro, vice president of operations…
Noel Hacegaba knows exactly how busy the Port of Long Beach is. In a Sept. 14 conversation with attendees at the annual Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) Intermodal Expo in Long Beach, the port’s deputy executive director of administration and operations reported at least 56 container vessels at anchorage that day, 13 months of record cargo volumes coming to its docks, and longer wait times for goods sitting at terminals before leaving by truck or by rail. “We are in the midst of a record surge,” he said, adding that the port posted a 30% increase in cargo between…
Orange Coast College’s full mission bridge simulator. Image via Orange Coast College. Training Resources Maritime Institute (TRLMI) of San Diego and Orange Coast College’s Waterfront Campus announced in mid-October that they’ll collaborate to offer professional mariner training at the new OCC Professional Mariner Training Center in Newport Beach, Calif. TRLMI will provide curriculum and certified instructors to teach a range of courses—including U.S. Coast Guard certified ones—at the new OCC Mariner Training Center starting in January 2022. OCC’s Waterfront Campus is home to state-of-the art maritime training and a waterfront facility with boats ranging from 9 to 92 feet. Waterfront…
Princess Cruises celebrated the arrival and return to service of its cruise vessel Majestic Princess at the Port of Los Angeles in October. The vessel just completed a partial summer season in Alaska and is scheduled to depart from the Port of LA on 14 roundtrip departures through the end of the year. Cruise itineraries include the Mexican Riviera, California Coast and West Coast Getaways, ranging from three to 10 days in length. Princess Cruises, Los Angeles’ hometown cruise line and leader on the West Coast, sails more frequently than any other cruise line in the region, contributing $594 million…
Drayage truckers can now receive information, alerts and updates about adverse traffic conditions within the Port of Long Beach through a new opt-in texting notification system. The port’s new “Truck Alert” program delivers text messages with a specific focus on serving truck drivers delivering cargo to and from Long Beach, America’s second-busiest container seaport. Without using spaces or hyphenation, users can text the keyword TruckAlert (not case-sensitive) to 79516 to subscribe for notifications about road closures, crashes and other conditions at the Port, along with a suggested detour. To be removed, subscribers can text STOP to 79516. “Truck Alert is…
After years of work and the acquisition of specialized equipment and experience, Washington Marine Cleaning has commenced operation of a new industrial wastewater pretreatment facility and associated laboratory at the company’s Everett, Wash. location. The pretreatment facility’s opening has brought a new outlet in the Pacific Northwest for nonhazardous, oily and industrial waste streams emanating from ship bilges and tanks, as well as other maritime sources. Washington Marine Cleaning received an industrial waste discharge permit by the City of Everett in October, 2020, enabling the company to provide centralized waste treatment services to the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Since then…
Bremerton, Washington-based aluminum boat supplier SAFE Boats International has been awarded an $89,717,984 firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract for design, construction, outfitting, reactivation, and training for six Mark VI Patrol Boats with an option for two additional vessels. The contract will provide Mark VI Patrol Boats to Ukraine via a U.S. State Department-approved agreement utilizing Building Partner Capacity (BPC) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funds. Work will be performed in Washington state and SAFE Boats expects to increase their workforce by up to 75 new positions, primarily at their Tacoma facility. “This award is the culmination of hard…
A huge new ship-to-shore crane (STS) began operating at the Port of Oakland’s Ben E. Nutter Terminal at the end of September. The terminal is run by Everport Terminal Services, which made the investment in the giant crane to enhance its maritime infrastructure at Oakland. Port officials said the timing couldn’t be better as cargo volume at Oakland was expected to increase in the fall as the holidays approach and U.S. consumers buy gifts for family and friends. “New container cranes help keep the Port of Oakland competitive and ready to handle record cargo volumes,” Maritime Director Bryan Brandes said.…
The Port of Los Angeles announced in mid-October it’s transitioning into a 24/7 operation in an effort to ease cargo congestion. The announcement came after President Biden met with port Executive Director Gene Seroka about the congestion and cargo movement challenges. Seroka said that operational details are being discussed and worked out with the supply chain stakeholders, and remarked that the announcement represents a “commitment from industry leaders responsible for moving goods on behalf of American consumers and businesses to open up the capacity needed to deliver.” “It’s a call to action for others to follow,” he explained, adding that…