The Prince Rupert Port Authority’s (PRPA) Fairview-Ridley Connector Corridor formally opened on Aug. 24 with an official ribbon cutting ceremony. The Connector Corridor was developed by PRPA as a critical component of the Prince Rupert Gateway’s intermodal ecosystem, a closed loop system of road and rail infrastructure that connects transloading and marine terminal operations within the port’s existing footprint. The road and rail corridor directly links Fairview Terminal, both current and future capacity, with future import and export logistics sites on South Kaien Island and Ridley Island, that the port authority has said will offer new opportunities for Canadian businesses…
Swedish onshore wave energy technology company Eco Wave Power Global AB revealed Aug. 2 that its energy conversion unit, formerly deployed in Gibraltar, is now on its way to AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, with a September arrival expected. Eco Wave Power is an onshore wave energy technology company that has developed a technology for turning ocean and sea waves into green electricity. Eco Wave Power has said that its mission is to assist in the fight against climate change by enabling commercial power production from the ocean and sea waves. AltaSea is a nonprofit public-private ocean institute…
Following marine terminal operations at the Port of Oakland being heavily disrupted for nearly a week in July by truckers who were protesting the state’s “gig worker” law, the port is suing to prevent it from happening again. On July 25, the port filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court against four independent contractor truckers who helped organize and participated in the days of protests by drayage truckers. The lawsuit aims to prevent more protests like the ones that occurred for nearly a week. During the protests, which began July 18 and ended July 23, the port’s shipping terminals were…
Pasha Group subsidiary Pasha Hawaii, together with Texas-based manufacturer Keppel AmFELS, on July 28 announced delivery of the m/v George III, which Pasha has said is the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered vessel to fuel on the West Coast and the first to serve Hawaii. The 774-foot LNG-fueled containership is the first of two new “’Ohana Class” vessels to join Pasha Hawaii’s fleet, serving the Hawaii-Mainland trade lane, according to the company. “Operating fully on natural gas from day one, the new Jones Act vessel surpasses the International Maritime Organization 2030 emission standards for ocean vessels, representing the most…
The Port of Benton, located in south-central Washington, has terminated its lease with the Tri-City Railroad Company as operator of the port’s Southern Connection rail network. The 16-mile rail line runs between Center Parkway in Kennewick and Horn Rapids Road in north Richland. The termination, revealed in late June, follows a ruling from Benton County Superior Court in May that found Tri-City was in default of its lease with the port because the company had not properly maintained the rail system. A final settlement agreement establishing how the transition would occur became effective June 17, and as a result, the…
On July 21, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced $19.6 million in grant awards to 24 small shipyards in 19 states through the Small Shipyard Grant Program, with more than a fifth of the funding going to six West Coast operations. The funds are expected to help awardees modernize, increase productivity and expand local employment opportunities to better compete in the global marketplace. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy, and small shipyards play a critical role in America’s maritime industry, helping us get the goods we depend on every day,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete…
Negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) are progressing. The labor union and employers association have reached a tentative agreement on terms for health benefits, subject to agreement on other issues in the negotiations, they said in a July 26 joint news release. Details of the agreement are currently unknown, as the parties have said they’ve agreed not to publicly disclose the terms of the tentative agreement while negotiations on other aspects of a potential labor contract continue. “Maintenance of health benefits is an important part of the contract being negotiated between…
Seattle-based design and engineering firm Glosten has been selected as the naval architect for the University of California, San Diego’s new coastal research vessel, the university announced Aug. 2. The university has said that the new vessel will include a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-hybrid propulsion system, and that Glosten will provide the preliminary design, contract design and detailed design for the research vessel, which is to be operated by San Diego-based Scripps Oceanography. Glosten was selected after participating in the university’s request for proposal process. The schedule for design and construction includes one year to complete the basic design. Following U.S. Coast…
Over the years, the Arctic has gradually begun to play a more important role when it comes to the shipping of goods between the Eastern and Western hemispheres, and now a couple of elected officials are trying to ensure that the role in it by one of America’s biggest geopolitical adversaries is minimized. Two U.S. senators have put forward legislation that they say would eliminate Russia’s monopoly on Arctic shipping by establishing a permanent U.S. maritime presence in the region. The bill, known as the Arctic Commitment Act, was introduced Aug. 3 by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). It is co-sponsored…
The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies, after monitoring lubricant leaking from a container ship transiting to Anchorage, Alaska allowed the ship to enter the port on Aug. 6 despite the spillage. On the evening of Aug. 4, personnel at the Coast Guard Sector Anchorage Command Center received a notification that the 645-foot container ship Maunalei was leaking lubricant while transiting to the Port of Alaska. The Maunalei is an Alaska-flagged containership that was built in 2006 and has a carrying capacity of 2,410 TEU and her length overall is 207.4 meters (680.4 feet) and her width is 29.8 meters…