September 2022 – Page 3 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

More Western Shipyards: Full Steam Ahead

The famous Greek historian Herodotus is credited with saying, “The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance.” Surely, Herodotus was talking to the working commercial fisherman about the importance of shipyard dock talk. The comings and goings of notable boats, repowers and refits (and regrets), dredging delays, infrastructure grants won, and the like is not idle trivia. One-part gossip, four parts pertinent business information, shipyard dock talk is still the best way for professional mariners to maintain the pulse of the scene. It’s in the spirit of spreading useful dock talk that the following information from some…

West Coast Shipyards: 2022 Update

Whether it’s a ferry carrying passengers to work in the Bay Area or a U.S. Navy vessel supporting military missions in the Pacific, chances are that the vessel was designed, built and/or repaired by a West Coast shipyard. Up and down the coast, there’s a bevy of craftspeople working on a number of major projects for public and private sector clients such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Navy, Crowley Maritime, Foss Maritime and the cruise industry. Here’s a look at the projects being worked on by a handful of West Coast companies. AL LARSON BOAT SHOP…

46th Annual Interferry Conference Set for Oct. 1-5 in Seattle

Cutting-edge solutions to an increase in human and technological challenges are expected to be unveiled when global trade association Interferry stages its 46th annual conference in Seattle the first week of October. The full event, which is themed “Power and People,” is scheduled to run from Oct. 1-5, with a two-day speakers program scheduled for Oct. 3-4 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center on Seattle’s waterfront. The conference is to be co-hosted by ferry operators Washington State Ferries and FRS Clipper. Day 1 of the speakers program focuses on the “People” component of the theme, with an opening keynote…

Carbon Emissions Down 46% for Seattle’s Port-Owned Facilities, Operations

The Port of Seattle’s annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory, which was released Aug. 9, shows that it cut emissions from its own operations by 46% in 2021 over 2005 baseline. The port’s Aviation division became the first major operating division to meet Seattle’s ambitious goal to reduce owned and controlled emissions by 50% by 2030. The massive reduction came almost entirely from the purchase of renewable natural gas produced from landfill waste, the port said. The port has indicated that it expects to eliminate all carbon emissions from port-owned and -controlled sources by 2040 and for all entities operating at…

Port of LA Congestion Reduction Project Receives $3M Federal Grant

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration on Aug. 10 awarded a $3 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant to the Port of Los Angeles Gateway Project. The grant is expected to help the port deploy advanced technologies to improve trucking, drayage and terminal operator activities. Specifically, the Gateway Project will implement cloud-based, artificial intelligence applications to help streamline and schedule the staging of cargo and empty returns, according to the POLA. The application introduces new means to help direct cargo owners, truckers and drayage drivers and reduce congestion at the port. “ATCMTD grants promote…

USCG Expanding Its Astoria, Oregon Facilities to Accommodate Fast Response Cutters

The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a contract to expand its shoreside facilities at East Tongue Point in Astoria, the USCG announced July 12. The winning bid was placed by GWWH, a joint venture team comprised of Granite Construction, Webcor Construction LP, Weeks Marine, Inc. and Healy Tibbitts Builders, Inc. The $30 million contract provides design-build improvements at the facility to accommodate the homeporting of fast response cutters (FRCs). The facilities are planned to include a fixed pier, two floating docks, gangways between the docks and pier, cutter shore tie utilities on the pier, underground utilities on the shore, new…

Assoc. of Pacific Ports Elects New President

The Association of Pacific Ports announced Long Beach Harbor Commissioner Bobby Olvera Jr. as APP’s new president on Aug. 5. Olvera assumes the role following the tenure of Kimberlyn King-Hinds from the Commonwealth Ports Authority, Northern Mariana Islands. “I look forward to working with APP members in the coming year,” he said in a statement, adding that “collaboration and communication between us all are essential as we work to further the best interests of our communities and constituents.” As International Vice President (Mainland) of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Olvera serves as the Vice President of the Long Beach…

NW Seaport Alliance Expands Domestic Intermodal Capacity with New Rail Lease

At a July 6 meeting, Northwest Seaport Alliance commissioners voted to approve a 16-acre lease to BNSF Railway Co. that would allow BNSF to develop and operate a domestic intermodal facility at Lot M in the Tacoma Harbor. The new BNSF facility would increase cargo volumes moving to and from the Seaport Alliance and inland U.S. markets via rail. The adoption of the lease positions the NWSA as a port directly served by two mainline railroads in the domestic movement of containers. The Seaport Alliance is a marine cargo operating partnership of the Seattle and Tacoma seaports. “Growing the NWSA’s…

Project Would Convert Plastic Ocean Waste to Bricks

An engineer with a background in Alaska’s commercial fisheries is working to recycle plastic garbage retrieved from oceans into construction industry materials, including plastic bricks. Patrick Simpson, president and chief executive officer of PKS Consulting, grew up in a fishing family in Cordova, Alaska. He worked his way up from crew to being a vessel captain, then studied engineering in college. He embarked on various commercial fisheries-related research projects, one being getting plastics out of oceans and recycling them into useable products. His latest grant, funded by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will…

WETA Awarded Nearly $15 Million to Develop Electric Ferry Network

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) has won a $14.9 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) to develop a high-frequency network to serve some of San Francisco’s fastest growing neighborhoods with battery-electric ferries. The grant, announced July 15, is to fund the construction of ferries and shoreside charging infrastructure to support the San Francisco Clean Ferry Network, which will use zero-emission ferries to connect waterfront San Francisco neighborhoods including Downtown, Treasure Island and Mission Bay, WETA said. This grant, through CalSTA’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, is the latest in a series…