Deploying 24-hour per day boat crew patrols is the way U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) Sector San Francisco is keeping vital sea lanes safe and free of obstructions that could slow or stop ocean-going vessels’ ability to access ports in the San Francisco Bay.

Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll, Public Affairs Officer, U.S.C.G. Eleventh District, which includes Sector San Francisco, said in an interview: “Right now a key element is keeping the ship channels clear and insuring there are no obstacles that might lead to a container ship, tanker or tug barge colliding with a floating object.”

Kroll noted that “As supply chain issues are a paramount issue at our six ports in San Francisco Bay, it is essential that we avoid potential hazards for vessels arriving and departing the Bay.”

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On April 16th, the Port of Oakland hosted Mediterranean Shipping Company’s MSC Anna, a 19,200 20-foot container ship, which is one of the largest container ships ever to dock at a North American port, according to Michael Zampa, the Port’s communication director.

Zampa told AJOT that the mega container ship “stopped at the Port of Long Beach to pick up empty containers before sailing to Oakland where it will unload import containers, pick up export containers and return to Shanghai.”

Zampa said, “The ship will tie up at Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT), the Port’s largest container terminal located on the Oakland Estuary. It’s scheduled to spend 24 hours here.”

“We’ve spent years, and millions of dollars keeping ahead of the pace of trade and the size of ships,” Port of Oakland Executive Director Danny Wan said in a statement.

The MSC Anna’s 19,200 20-foot cargo container capacity, makes it one of the largest vessels ever to visit a North American port, Zampa said.

Captain Joseph Long, president of the San Francisco Bar Pilots told AJOT that piloting of the 19,200 TEU Anna demonstrated that the Port of Oakland could handle the largest mega container ships.

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The coronavirus pandemic has affected our nation and the world in ways not seen in a century. This global crisis has disrupted every aspect of our social and economic lives. I read in a media report that worldwide, $1.5 Billion people are now sheltering in place or working remotely. My guess is that most of you reading this are in the “same boat” (pun intended). The maritime industry is not exempt from the impact of this virus. While container shipments have decreased, the maritime transportation and supporting logistics system is vital to the provision of food and medical supplies upon which everyone depends. We provide a critical lifeline to humanity and must take our role as a supply chain system as essential to our global and national health and recovery.

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Oslo, 18 March 2020: StormGeo and DNV GL announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive digitalization and data standardization in the maritime industry.

In the MoU, both parties aim to strengthen the presence and integration of StormGeo’s fleet performance management and weather intelligence solutions on DNV GL’s independent data platform, Veracity. This will give StormGeo’s customers an enhanced service offering, helping them to further optimize the operations of their fleet. Veracity users will benefit from easy integration of StormGeo’s weather intelligence services that can be accessed on the Veracity Marketplace.

“We are very happy to deepen the partnership with DNV GL to make data sharing for our clients even easier,” says Thilo Dückert, StormGeo VP, Fleet Performance Management. “Today StormGeo offers an integrated solution to span navigation and voyage planning, weather routing and fleet performance management. We believe this partnership signals the industry that we intend to further enhance our service portfolio to help clients improve safety and fuel efficiency of their vessels.” 

“With Veracity, we have built an independent network of industry relevant companies, where the members of the network can buy, combine, share and collaborate on data to optimize their operation – all while knowing their data is safe and secure throughout the process,” says Mikkel Skou, Director of Veracity at DNV GL. “StormGeo is an important supplier to many of Veracity’s customers and we have received interest from our clients for stronger integration with StormGeo in our platform products. We now look forward to closely examine how we can do this in a manner where both companies’ customers can gain from our united strengths.”

The MoU builds on an agreement from March 2019 when DNV GL and StormGeo announced that they would consolidate their fleet performance solutions under the StormGeo banner. The agreement combined DNV GL’s ECO Insight and Navigator Insight solutions with StormGeo’s FleetDSS and ship reporting solutions. StormGeo is now servicing a fleet of more than 12,000 vessels that receive route advisory, weather intelligence, navigation and planning, or fleet performance. 

About Veracity by DNV GL
To facilitate frictionless connections between different industry players, domain experts and data scientists, Veracity by DNV GL has built a secure network facilitating exchange of datasets, APIs, applications and insights. Named after one the four Vs of Big Data: Volume, Velocity, Variety and Veracity – our network is designed to help companies unlock, qualify, combine and prepare data for analytics and benchmarking. We are not looking to own data, but to help our customers and other stakeholders in our industries leverage the ever-increasing amount of data they own.
For more than 150 years DNV GL has been a trusted expert and data manager in the analogue world, connecting yards, designers, owners, operators, contractors and authorities. Now the company is fulfilling this same role in the digital domain with Veracity by DNV GL.

About DNV GL
Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. We provide classification, technical assurance, software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries. We also provide certification services to customers across a wide range of industries. Operating in more than 100 countries, our professionals are dedicated to helping our customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.

About DNV GL – Maritime
DNV GL is the world’s leading classification society and a recognized advisor for the maritime industry. We enhance safety, quality, energy efficiency and environmental performance of the global shipping industry – across all vessel types and offshore structures. We invest heavily in research and development to find solutions, together with the industry, that address strategic, operational or regulatory challenges. For more information visit: www.dnvgl.com/maritime

About StormGeo 
StormGeo is a global provider of weather intelligence and decision support services, with leading solutions for shipping, oil and gas, renewable energy, utilities, cross industry and aviation. More than 12,000 ships rely on StormGeo software or services for navigational planning, route optimization, weather and fleet performance. The company has 24 offices in 15 countries, including eight 24/7/365 global operations centers. As a participant in the UN Global Compact for Sustainable Ocean Business, StormGeo’s passion for weather and the protection of natural resources motivates us to support our clients to make informed, environmentally responsible business decisions. For more information, visit www.stormgeo.com

Media contact DNV GL:
Nikos Späth, Head of Media and Public Relations
DNV GL Maritime Communications
Phone: +49 40 36149-4856
Email: nikos.spaeth@dnvgl.com

Media contact Veracity by DNV GL:
Gabriela Stojicevic, Head of Communications
Veracity by DNV GL
Phone: +47 4003 9672
Email: gabriela.stojicevic@dnvgl.com

Media contact StormGeo:
Cynthia Harris
Chief Marketing Officer, StormGeo
Phone: +47 902 37 277
Email: cynthia.harris@stormgeo.com

In an unusual display of unity, Willie Adams, president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Jim McKenna, president of the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) pledged to work together to help U.S. West Coast ports regain lost market share from rival ports on the East and Gulf Coasts.

Both leaders agreed that it was vital to lobby the two West Coast rail providers, the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe, to reduce the rates they charge for transporting containers to and from the West Coast ports.

Speaking before the Propeller Club of Northern California at Oakland, Willie Adams said the West Coast ports “need to make sure our voices are heard in Washington, DC… our competitors on the East and Gulf Coasts are being heard and it is costing us.”

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Speaker at Propeller Club meeting says over 600,000 of the state’s residents will be exposed to flooding at the end of the century.

Speakers at a “Storms, Flooding and Sea Level Defense Conference” in Oakland, California, warned attendees about myriad dangers to coastal and inland residents in coming years from rising sea levels.

Sponsored by the Propeller Club of Northern California, the event featured about three dozen speakers, including representatives from seven of California’s ports, and had more than 150 attendees. Several speakers came from the Netherlands to speak about their efforts to address the issue.

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