The U.S. Maritime Administration has announced a new designation to America’s Marine Highway Program that MARAD said is expected to strengthen domestic trade between Alaska, Hawaii and the Northwest Seaport Alliance. The new Northwest Connect Project Designation on the M-5 Marine Highway Route, which the NWSA and the Port of Alaska jointly applied for last year, would help bolster opportunities for federal funding that could help freight movement from Alaska, Hawaii and Washington state. “The importance of resilient maritime infrastructure and a strong partnership between the Northwest Seaport Alliance and the Port of Alaska is not lost on us,” Port…