An Anchorage city panel in late July recommended that the Port of Alaska be renamed for the late Congressman Don Young. But that’s not all: the renaming panel also recommended, on a 3-0 vote, reverting back to the seaport’s previous title, the Port of Anchorage, and that the port’s official name become the Don Young Port of Anchorage. The name “Port of Alaska” is itself only five years old: the state Assembly changed the designation in 2017, in part to convey the port’s importance to the entire state to legislators who fund infrastructure projects. Most freight and consumer goods that…
San Diego-based Maritime Institute has signed a new 10-year lease to locate its newest mariner training facility at the Port of Everett’s Waterfront Place. The new satellite at the Port of Everett will be Maritime Institute’s first in Washington state. The company currently has campuses in Norfolk, Virginia and San Diego, as well as satellite locations in Alameda, California and Honolulu. The company has said that the Everett site would fill a growing need by providing closer training opportunities for existing and aspiring mariners throughout the Pacific Northwest. Both classroom and on-the-water instruction are to take place in Everett and…
A man who was piloting a panga boat has been sentenced to prison following a December incident where he intentionally rammed a Coast Guard vessel while smuggling nearly a dozen migrants in the San Diego area. Jesus Alcaraz-Valdez was sentenced in federal court on July 12 to 60 months in prison for bringing in nearly a dozen undocumented migrants for financial gain and ramming a Coast Guard vessel in an attempt to escape law enforcement. During the early morning hours of Dec.17, Alcaraz shuttled the undocumented migrants from Mexico across the maritime boundary line to the vicinity of the Hotel…
Researchers at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands in July announced that they have launched the Maritime Cyber Attack Database (MCAD), a database of incidents involving the worldwide maritime sector. As of the time of its launch, the database contained more than 160 incidents. The university said in a statement that incidents in the database demonstrate the relevance of cybersecurity across the board of today’s maritime industry and the vulnerabilities that exist. Drawing from open source information, the NHL Stenden’s Maritime IT Security research group collected information on the more than 160 cyber incidents for the MCAD.…
Crew aboard the Coast Guard cutters Steadfast, Vigilant and Mohawk confiscated millions of dollars in illegal drugs during counter-narcotics patrols in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from May through July, the Guard announced this week. On July 17, the crew of the Steadfast offloaded over 11,600 pounds of cocaine and 5,500 pounds of marijuana worth an estimated $158 million in San Diego. “Their unwavering commitment while interdicting drug smugglers at sea is not only commended, but their continued efforts are unmatched,” Coast Guard Eleventh District Commander Rear Adm. Andrew Sugimoto said. “The crew of the Steadfast worked incredibly hard, day and…
POLA Board Elects New President, Vice Pres. Lucille Roybal-Allard (center) and her colleagues on the LA Harbor Board. The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners on July 20 elected former U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard as its new president. The five-member commission also voted in Diane Middleton as its new vice president. Both began their new roles immediately after their unanimous election. Roybal-Allard was appointed to the five-member board by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in May. Roybal-Allard previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives for three decades and was the first Mexican-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. As…
The Port of Tacoma is now determined to phase out port-controlled greenhouse gas emissions a decade sooner than its original 2050 goal, the port announced July 18. Port commissioners agreed to eliminate by 2040 Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions, which stem from buildings and vehicles owned and directly operated by the port and electricity bought for port facilities. This differs from Scope 3 emissions, which include cargo vessels, drayage trucks and facilities leased to the private sector that the port doesn’t directly control. “The port takes seriously our commitment to the environment and clean air,” Port Commission…
There’s been a lot of work recently that has kept West Coast ferry operators busy, including refits, new terminals, additional amenities and new infrastructure, as well as plans for cutting emissions. Some developments are innovative and forward-looking, some are focused on passenger needs, while other projects are investing in strengthening and supporting the ferry service. To find out about the latest news and projects, Pacific Maritime reached out to a number of West Coast ferry operators. Some notable updates include the successful fueling and sea trials of the world’s first commercial hydrogen fuel cell passenger ferry; selection of the design…
After a 13-day strike that suspended cargo movement in British Columbia, longshore workers returned to the waterfront in mid-July following a tentative four-year agreement. However, as of press time, the deal had yet to be ratified. The British Columbia Maritime Employers Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada agreed to the deal on July 13, but rank and file members voted the proposal down on July 28, thereby putting the agreement in jeopardy. As of Aug. 2, leaders of ILWU Canada were recommending that its 7,400 members approve the tentative new deal. However, when this issue went to…
In late July, the Port of Long Beach welcomed the latest green container vessel in Pasha Hawaii’s fleet, the m/v Janet Marie. The Janet Marie, the second of two “Ohana Class” Pasha Hawaii container ships powered by liquefied natural gas, made its maiden voyage July 29 from Long Beach to its home port in Honolulu. Its companion, Pasha’s m/v George III, was the first LNG container ship to refuel on the West Coast during its initial call to the Port of Long Beach in August 2022. “Pasha Hawaii’s newest containership represents our move toward a cleaner future for this port,…