Sept-Oct 2023 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

Infrastructure Projects: Smaller Ports Try to Level Up

As competition for cargo continues to intensify, so does investment in infrastructure and cargo-handling equipment at seaports across the globe, especially on the West Coast. One of the latest investment efforts has come from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who on July 6 announced more than $1.5 billion in funds aimed at strengthening the supply chain. The funding includes about $450 million dedicated to zero-emission infrastructure, ships and other transportation modes. “These investments—unprecedented in scope and scale—will modernize our ports, reduce pollution, eliminate bottlenecks and create a more dynamic distribution network,” Newsom said in the announcement. Here’s a look at some…

BAE Systems Awarded $37M USN Ship Repair-Modernization Contract

On July 24, San Diego-based ship repair company BAE Systems was awarded a $37.7 million contract action for the maintenance, modernization and repair of the USS John P. Murtha, a nine-year-old Navy amphibious transport dock ship. The Naval Sea Systems Command, located in Washington, D.C., is the contracting party. The scope of the work to be performed includes labor, as well as supervision, equipment, production, testing, facilities and quality assurance for modernization, maintenance and repair of the vessel. The contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring its cumulative value to $42.44 million. Work is to be performed in San…

Crowley Charters Newest Tier IV Tug to Serve LA, Long Beach Ports

Crowley Maritime said July 31 that it has entered into its fourth long-term charter for its newest Tier IV ship assist tug, Artemis, with Brusco Tug & Barge. “The powerful, state-of-the-art vessel reinforces the company’s commitment to sustainability while providing high performance,” Crowley said in a statement. “The 77-foot tug will deliver 7,000 horsepower with a bollard pull of 96 tons using two Caterpillar Marine 3516 Tier IV-compliant engines, meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emission standards.” Artemis also features advanced technology to enhance maneuverability and provide operators with remote monitoring of its performance, Crowley said, making the tug efficient and…

A Busy Few Months for Maritime Cybersecurity

The late spring and early summer months have been busy for the maritime industry. Over the past few months there have been a series of reports issued by Allianz, DNV and the U.S. Coast Guard that examine trends and offer insights on maritime cyber and physical security that are likely of interest to Pacific Maritime readers. Before we begin to detail these reports, let’s examine the ransomware attack at the Japanese Port of Nagoya on July 5. Nagoya Port Ransomware Attack On or about July 5, the Port of Nagoya was shut down by a ransomware incident infecting computers that…

Navigation Technology: The Useful, the Cool and the Wonky

The march of technological innovation continues, and the maritime navigation space is no exception. From reckoning with newer artificial intelligence and augmented reality capabilities to more traditional evolutions of larger multifunction displays and more accurate compasses, the modern mariner might think he is facing a science fiction novel as he peruses a product catalogue. Pacific Maritime spoke with a number of notable leaders in the maritime navigation technology industry to keep abreast of notable innovations and products on their radars – pun intended. The challenge for all parties: navigating the boundless imaginations and profit-seeking motives to find the tools mariners…

General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers Future USNS Harvey Milk

On July 11, San Diego-based ship design and build company General Dynamics NASSCO held a delivery ceremony for the future U.S. Navy vessel Harvey Milk, the second ship in the U.S. Navy’s John Lewis-class fleet oiler program. The 742-foot-long oilers are designed to transfer fuel to Navy carrier strike group ships operating at sea and have the capacity to carry 157,000 barrels of oil, a significant dry cargo capacity, aviation capability and up to a speed of 20 knots. The vessel’s part of an initial six-ship naval contract NASSCO secured in 2016. The first vessel, the future USNS John Lewis,…

Puget Sound Zero-Emissions Truck Collaborative Launched

For the first time ever, the Puget Sound Zero-Emissions Truck Collaborative recently convened more than two dozen trucking firms, warehousers and other industry stakeholders to in an effort to create a plan to transition to zero-emission drayage trucking in the Puget Sound region by 2050. The initial gathering was announced by the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the marine cargo operating partnership between the Seattle and Tacoma seaports, on June 30. The collaborative, which is expected to meet bi-monthly until December 2024, is tasked with creating a Decarbonizing Drayage Roadmap, a blueprint for maximizing new opportunities such as government funding increases and…

Ceremony Commemorating SoCal Marine Exchange’s 100th Anniversary Held

Dignitaries and officials with the Long Beach and Los Angeles city governments and port offices were on hand in late June as a ceremony was held at the Marine Exchange of Southern California to commemorate the facility’s 100th anniversary. Founded in 1923, the Marine Exchange has been around since the days when the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were much, much smaller and far less bustling than they are today. The exchange acts as sort of a maritime equivalent of an air traffic control, directing vessels to berths at the LA-Long Beach port complex. It also handles vessels…

Alaska Marine Lines Launches New Rail Service Dock

Seattle-based barge service company Alaska Marine Lines in July said that it has launched a new rail service dock in Seattle to accommodate seafood shipments from Alaska to Lower 48 state destinations. The new service, AML stated, is in response to growing demand from customers for Alaska pollock. Much of the pollock was previously routed on vessels that offloaded in Bayside, New Brunswick, Canada, then on a short rail trip within Bayside, followed by trucking to eastern U.S. destinations. “The new dock provides a reliable and efficient shipping solution for seafood companies in Alaska,” the company said in a statement.…

Coast Guard Cutter Healy Gets New C.O., Departs for Arctic

Capt. Michele Schallip on June 29 returned for a second tour as commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy, one of two active icebreakers homeported in Seattle. Commissioned in 1999, the Healy is the newest, largest and most technologically advanced icebreaker in the Coast Guard’s fleet. Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the US. Coast Guard presided over the change of command ceremonies in Seattle in which Schallip relieved Capt. Kenneth Boda as commanding officer. Schallip previously served as the ship’s executive officer from 2018 to 2020. Boda service as the Healy’s commanding officer began in June 2021. Twice…