California State Assembly Speaker Emeritus John A. Pérez is the newest member of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, the agency that governs the Port of L.A. The Sept. 20 announcement came following the Los Angeles City Council’s unanimous approval of Pérez’s appointment. Pérez, an L.A. Mayor Karen Bass nominee, brings a breadth of experience in labor and government, including serving on the Board of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, California League of Conservation Voters and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. He was elected to the California Assembly to represent Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding areas in November 2008 and served as Assembly Speaker from 2010-2014. In that role, he oversaw 1,300 employees and a $156 million budget. During his tenure, Pérez supported job growth and economic…
New floating and anchoring systems within the Wrangell Harbor Basin in Southeast Alaska will be funded through a $25 million grant from the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. The grant, announced June 26 by U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, is one of 148 projects nationwide to make transportation infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather and improve supply chains to keep costs down for consumers. The project will fund planning, design and construction of floating and anchoring systems within the Wrangell Harbor Basin. The project will also construct water, electrical and fire suppression systems and relocate inner harbor parking. Transportation officials said that once complete, the project will resolve major safety issues such as the deteriorating condition of the basin and transform the…
Efforts to relocate commercial fishing facilities from the Port of Hueneme to Ventura Harbor are moving forward with the help of a $16 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency’s Port and Freight Infrastructure Program, the seaport announced Aug. 1. The Ventura Port District and the port can now begin the next phase of its Commercial Fish Landing Modernization Project, which would move commercial fishing facilities from the port to free up space for cargo and build a new facility at the harbor that would “improve and increase the squid landing capacity including absorbing the fish offloading activities transitioning from the port,” according to the announcement. The port and district said they plan to use that money for environmental review and engineering design services. “We are poised to embark…
The Port of Grays Harbor revealed Aug. 1 that the Soy Transportation Coalition has contributed $1.3 million to help fund the port’s Terminal 4 Expansion and Redevelopment Project. The funding came from farmer contributions represented by the Iowa Soybean Association, the Kansas Soybean Commission, the Nebraska Soybean Board, the North Dakota Soybean Council, the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, the Soy Transportation Coalition and the United Soybean Board. “It was an easy decision to invest in this project, as the movement of soymeal to global markets benefits farmers near and far,” Soy Transportation Coalition Executive Director Mike Steenhoek said. “Partnerships like these will continue to pay dividends well into the future.” The money is expected to pay for pre-engineering, design and site development work for the project, which…
Extensive plans to renovate St. Herman Harbor in Kodiak, Alaska are in the works, with construction on the estimated $60 million project tentatively set to begin in the summer of 2027. “St. Herman Harbor will not see this type of renovation again in my lifetime, so we want to do everything possible to get it right,” said Dave Johnson, a veteran U.S. Coast Guard helicopter pilot who took on the post of harbormaster at Kodiak in 2002. “Spending the money up front to make sure we get the harbor we need is critical,” Johnson said, in responses to questions following his update on the project at the ComFish Alaska 2024 trade show held in Kodiak in April. For example, he explained, it would cost an additional $100,000 to add a…
The Los Angeles Harbor Commission has approved a $2.6 billion spending plan for the 2024-25 fiscal year that includes $257.7 million set aside for the capital improvement projects at the Port of L.A., it was announced June 6. The budget for the port’s capital improvement program, which is 19% more than last year’s improvement projects budget, includes $44.3 million for the interchange reconfiguration of State Route 47/Vincent Thomas Bridge and Front Street/Harbor Boulevard; $15.3 million for the Zero-Emission Port Electrification and Operation Program and $14.2 million to restore and update Pasha Terminal. The budget also dedicates $4 million to planning work related to the $150 million Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach Good Movement Workforce Training Facility project, which began its environmental review process earlier this year.…
Crowley Maritime’s first all-electric ship assist harbor tug could be operating in San Diego as early as this spring. Crowley announced Jan. 24 that it accepted delivery of eWolf, the electric tugboat designed by its engineering services team and built by Master Boat Builders at its Coden, Alabama shipyard. The new 82-foot tug is expected to curb 178 tons of nitrogen oxide, 2.5 tons of diesel particulate matter and 3,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide in the first decade of operations, according to Crowley. According to Environmental Protection Agency calculations, that’s equal to eliminating the use of 350,000 gallons of gas. “The eWolf will provide services through its advanced vessel control technology and first-in-class energy features, while providing the safety, quality and reliability that Crowley and our mariners are known…
Port of Grays Harbor Deputy Executive Director Leonard Barnes has been chosen as the port’s next executive director. He is succeeding Gary Nelson, who is expected to retire in March. The Port of Grays Harbor Commission is expected to consider Barnes’ employment agreement at its Jan. 9 meeting. It was at a special Dec. 14 meeting that the commission authorized port Director of Finance and Administration Mike Folkers and legal counsel Art Blauvelt to begin employment agreement talks with Barnes. Barnes began his career at the port in 1984. Since becoming deputy executive director role in 2005, he has been in charge of business development, industrial property leases and airport and marine terminal operations at the port. He has been active in a number of organizations, including the Northwest Marine…
Port of Los Angeles Assistant Chief Harbor Engineer Chris Brown has been named the port’s new chief harbor engineer in charge of its Engineering Division. Brown takes over for Dina Aryan-Zahlan, who has been promoted to Deputy Executive Director of Development, the port announced Jan 3. In his new role, Brown’s expected to oversee planning, development and design of infrastructure and facilities at the port, including wharves, terminals and rail. “Chris has been a pivotal player in many port infrastructure projects over the last two decades, including the award-winning Wilmington Waterfront Park and the current port-wide electrification program,” Aryan-Zahlan said. “This promotion recognizes all his hard work, dedication and contributions to these critical infrastructure programs,” she continued. Brown, who earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of…
Two projects to help larger cargo vessels better navigate the Seattle-Tacoma harbor have advanced to the design phase. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have signed design agreements with the ports of Seattle and Tacoma for the Seattle Navigation Improvement Project and the Tacoma Harbor Navigation Improvement Project, the Northwest Seaport Alliance announced Dec. 12. The project in Tacoma includes designing the deepening of Blair Waterway channel and potentially using the dredged material at the East Commencement Habitat Opportunity (formerly Saltchuk) area, while the Seattle project calls for deepening the West Waterway Channel Deepening Project to minus-57 feet mean lower low water. “This deepening project fits into our comprehensive work to modernize the Blair Waterway which has included the Husky Terminal Modernization project, crane raising at Pierce County Terminal and…
