2022 was a wild ride for most major California seaports. The Golden State is home to the nation’s busiest seaports, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which both have seen congestion-inducing record influxes of cargo, but also drops in market share as consumers emerge from the pandemic to spend their money on services rather than products. The Port of Oakland and Port of San Diego have also seen growth in cargo numbers as both are seen as local alternatives to congested ports. Retaining that market share has been further complicated by outside factors, from COVID-19-related factory closures in China to labor issues. Despite those factors, however, private and public sectors continue to invest in California seaports. For example, Japan-based shipping firm Ocean Network Express (ONE)…
U.S.-based ocean carrier Intermarine has joined forces with Thai project and breakbulk cargo specialist WeShip Projects to launch Intermarine Asia and strengthen Intermarine’s position in Europe. As part of the deal, WeShip partners Torben Reinhard and Lars Steen Rasmussen have joined Intermarine’s commercial team. “Intermarine and WeShip have already partnered successfully for over a year now in the Asia-Pacific trade, and we are very excited to combine our organizations to jointly grow the Intermarine presence in Asia and Europe,” Intermarine CEO Svend Andersen said. Since its relaunch in 2020, Intermarine has successfully developed its business within breakbulk and multipurpose shipping, having grown its fleet from six vessels in late 2020 to 25 in 2022. In 2021, Intermarine opened its second office outside the U.S. in Sao Paulo, Brazil, followed by…
In 2008, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) laid out new regulations that mandated strict reductions in air pollutants produced by container, cruise and refrigerated cargo ships docked at the busiest ports in the state. Scaled upward over the following years, the key requirements of the regulation called for a minimum cut of 80% in emissions starting in 2020. The directive—the strictest such pollution control guidelines in the country—has sped the implementation of so-called “cold ironing,” in which ships damp their main and auxiliary engines while at berth and “plug-in” to power onboard generators and other equipment with high-voltage electrical power provided by a shore-side grid. According to CARB, providing shoreside power to a cargo vessel for one day provides air quality improvement equaling the removal of 33,000 cars…
In the third week of September, the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) welcomed the inaugural delivery of Hyundai automobiles to its South Harbor in Tacoma as part of a new partnership with logistics service GLOVIS America and shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions (WWS) that’s expected to lead to an increase in finished vehicles and breakbulk operations. “The GLOVIS America consolidation expands upon a longstanding partnership between GLOVIS America and NWSA at the Port of Tacoma. In addition to Kias, many thousands of Hyundais will begin to be imported and processed at the WWS facility in Tacoma each year, increasing automobile volumes and job opportunities in our gateway,” stated John McCarthy, the Northwest Seaport Alliance Managing Member. This initial shipment of almost 2,000 vehicles on the vessel Grand Mercury is the beginning…
Austal USA Appoints New VP of Global Services and Support Austal USA in mid-August welcomed Michelle Kruger as the company’s vice president of global services and support. Kruger, who will work out of Austal’s San Diego waterfront services facility, is responsible for the company’s global post-delivery repair and warranty efforts, including the development of business strategy and strategic alliances. As the primary customer interface for ship repair and maintenance services, she now leads Austal’s pursuit of future government and commercial business opportunities and post-delivery initiatives. Kruger is a marine engineer with decades of maritime industry experience in new construction, repair and maintenance operations. Prior to joining Austal USA, she was vice president of operations at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. Kruger worked for General Dynamics for over 25 years. Before…
The first delivery of nearly 2,000 Hyundai vehicles recently arrived at the Port of Tacoma’s South Harbor on the vessel Grand Mercury, thanks to a new partnership between logistics service GLOVIS America, shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions and the Northwest Seaport Alliance, it was announced Sept. 23. The partnership is expected to significantly bolster finished vehicles and breakbulk operations, and more business to local partners, the NWSA said. “The GLOVIS America consolidation expands upon a longstanding partnership between GLOVIS America and NWSA at the Port of Tacoma,” NWSA Managing Member John McCarthy said. “In addition to Kias, many thousands of Hyundais will begin to be imported and processed at the WWS facility in Tacoma each year, increasing automobile volumes and job opportunities in our gateway.” GLOVIS, founded in 2002, went…
Smaller ports on the West Coast have been investing in their future in a major way. Officials are looking toward modernization with infrastructure projects focused on reducing emissions, improving efficiency, enhancing rail systems and increasing shore power. Some are also looking at enhancing maneuverability to accommodate bigger ships. Here are some of the highlights of a few of the projects shared with Pacific Maritime Magazine by a number of ports along the West Coast. PORT OF HUENEME Although the Port of Hueneme is considered small, it’s also in a key location as the only commercial deepwater port between Los Angeles and San Francisco. “We are a vital niche market port for autos, fresh produce, general cargo, bulk liquids and fish,” Port of Hueneme Chief Operating Officer Christina Birdsey said. Hueneme…
As consumer demands grow, so do the vessels that bring those goods to West Coast ports. Throughout the U.S. and Canadian West Coasts, seaports are in the midst of planning and building for that growth, whether it’s outfitting terminals with the tallest cranes and newest cargo-handling equipment, or dredging harbors to ensure that these mega-ships can safely arrive. The COVID-19 pandemic-driven congestion at larger seaports has only highlighted the need for more capacity. Here’s a look at a number of projects port officials are planning, or in some cases, are already in progress. PORT OF LOS ANGELES The nation’s busiest seaport is bustling with a bevy of various infrastructure projects. In February, the port, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association broke ground on a Goods…
In support of its clean air initiatives, the Port of San Diego has purchased two all-electric Konecranes Gottwald Generation 6 Mobile Harbor Cranes to replace a diesel-powered crane currently in use at the POSD’s Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, the port revealed in late February. San Diego has said that the all-electric, battery-supported mobile harbor cranes will be the first in use in North America and would support its Maritime Clean Air Strategy and its “Health Equity for All” vision while also increasing the terminal’s productivity and cargo business opportunities. The port has said that it anticipates receiving and putting the cranes into operation in mid-2023. In January, San Diego’s Board of Port Commissioners authorized a purchase agreement with Germany-based machinery builder and service company Konecranes, which has an office in…
Southern California ports experienced an eventful 2021. For Los Angeles and Long Beach, headlines were dominated by record cargo volumes and COVID-driven congestion that saw ships stuck at anchor and containers stacked high at marine terminals. For the Port of San Diego, it was seeing an overflow of cargo that doesn’t normally come across local docks. And while the pandemic continues to be a challenge, it has also prompted the three ports to evolve and adapt, whether by advancing cargo visibility technology, expediting efforts toward a 24/7 operations system or making infrastructure upgrades for future demand. The ports also hope to benefit from the Biden Administration’s and California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent commitment to invest in ports: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes $17 billion for ports and…
