A Proclamation on National Maritime Day, 2023

     On National Maritime Day, we honor the thousands of dedicated merchant mariners who serve on United States vessels around the world.  During times of both peace and war, merchant mariners are always there — stepping up to transport equipment, troops, and goods across the globe to make our country safer and stronger.

     With professionalism and passion, merchant mariners have forged us into the maritime Nation we are today.  During the Revolutionary War, merchant vessels joined the vastly outnumbered American fleet to help defend our independence.  During World War II, as our brave service members battled the forces of fascism, more than a quarter-million members of the Merchant Marine volunteered to transport tanks, ammunition, and troops across the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.  Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of freedom.  And today, merchant mariners not only help move hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of cargo through our 25,000 miles of waterways and more than 360 commercial ports annually — they also crew vessels of our United States Ready Reserve, shipping vital military cargo to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against Russia’s brutal war. 

     My Administration remains steadfast in its support of the Merchant Marine as well as the Jones Act, which ensures American workers see the benefits of our domestic maritime industry.  We are also making historic investments to improve our maritime supply chains by making it easier, faster, cheaper, cleaner, and safer for ships to get in and out of our ports.  We are strengthening our support for licensed Merchant Marine Officers, including requesting $196 million in my 2024 Budget to upgrade the United States Merchant Marine Academy’s campus, expand training, and help prevent sexual assault and support survivors — because every person at the Academy deserves to feel safe and have their contributions fully valued.  We are also working to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the ranks of the Merchant Marine because our economy and national security are strongest when we draw on the full skillsets and diversity of our Nation.

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In January, Amazon announced it is supporting Forum Mobility, an Oakland, California zero-emission trucking solutions provider, that is building electric truck charging stations for harbor trucking fleets and drivers.

The venture is supported by a new $400 million joint venture, led by the commercial real estate company CBRE. In addition, Homecoming Capital provided $100 million.

Forum Mobility’s investors include Obvious Ventures, Edison International, Overture, Homecoming Capital, CBRE Investment Management, Elemental Excelerator and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, the announcement said.

The endorsement from Amazon signals that a major retail and logistics company is ready to make the investment in electric trucks and charging stations.

Rodrigo Prudencio, principal at Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund said of the commitment: “To address global warming at scale, we need solutions that support the transition to electric vehicles, especially in hard-to-decarbonize sectors like heavy duty trucking. Forum Mobility’s solution will help small business owners electrify their transportation fleets, remove air pollution from California’s ports, and provide the charging infrastructure needed to support the growing use of electric trucks.”

At the January announcement, Matt LeDucq, CEO and Co-founder of Forum Mobility explained: “We are building a comprehensive charging network for heavy-duty trucks to make the transition to electrification. This network will need a lot of infrastructure and real estate, and CBRE IM is the perfect partner to help us build charging where it’s needed most. Fleets can bring their trucks to our network, or we can provide electric trucks bundled with charging. Today we can provide a Class 8 electric truck, and all its charging needs, at a monthly price that’s competitive with diesel – without the emissions… With new rules coming soon from the California Air Resources Board, we help fleets and drivers looking to make the jump to electric.”

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The “Storms Flooding and Sea Level Defense 2022” conference, produced by the Propeller Club of Northern California and the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), heard that coastal protections will cost for: 1) Louisiana  $50 billion; and 2) for Texas $34 billion.

In one instance, the cost of storm surge barriers to protect Texas’ Galveston Bay rose from $12 billion in 2019 to $17 billion in 2022.

On October 11, 2022, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New Orleans District began construction of an underwater sill, across the bed of the Mississippi River channel to prevent further upriver progression of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico. Fresh water in Palquemines Parish, South of New Orleans, was threatened.[1]

The cost for coastal protections in Texas may go higher if Congress does not appropriate funding right away, according to Kelly Burks-Copes, Chief, Program Support Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District.

Other states will also be seeking federal funding for coastal protection projects and may also experience accelerated costs if Congress delays funding.

The Storms Flooding & Sea Level Defense 2022 conference took place via Zoom on November 9th, 2022.

The conference sponsors included: Towill, Fugro, Wilshire Consulting, Port of Los Angeles, Stantec, Cell-Crete and Watermaster, North America.

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The U.S. Coast Guard is warning that U.S. ports and marine terminals remain exposed to cyber attacks on a number of different fronts.

In a presentation to the Propeller Club of Northern California, Commander Boris Montatsky, who serves at the U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command as the Cyber Effects and Protection Division Chief, said there are six areas of risks at ports, marine terminals and on vessels:

Facility Access: A compromise “impacting physical access control systems can lead to supply chain delays and localized traffic congestion in the vicinity of a port.”

Terminal Headquarters/Data: Terminal & Gate Operating Systems (TOS/GOS) streamline the flow of cargo in a port. A compromise “to a port’s TOS/GOS data could result in leaks of sensitive supply chain data from port customers. Manipulation of TOS/GOS data could also be used for smuggling or cargo theft.”

Terminal Headquarters Ransomware: A ransomware attack affecting TOS/GOS systems “could make critical systems and data inaccessible. This could lead to a full stop of port operations, resulting in financial losses and supply chain disruptions. “

Operational Technology (OT) Systems: Maritime infrastructure relies on various OT systems to control pumps, cranes, and other industrial equipment: “The compromise of an OT system can cause safety issues and lead to loss of life or property. In addition, a compromise can disrupt facility operations. “

Positioning, Navigation, & Timing (PNT): PNT often supports many vessels within a port’s vicinity and is critical to maritime operations: “Loss of PNT can impede vessels’ ability to safely navigate a port, and lead to an increased risk of collisions and groundings. Any of these events can result in environmental damage, loss of life, property, or a disruption to safe navigation.”

Vessel: A compromise to shipboard systems “could impact a vessel’s ability to safely navigate and manage their cargo. A vessel compromise could also lead to disruption of shore-side systems, because lateral movement is possible through shared wireless or wired networks, portable media and other interconnections.”

Challengers Fighting Cyber Attacks

Captain Taylor Lam, Commander Sector San Francisco, provided an overview of issues facing the Coast Guard and the U.S. maritime industry: “We’re probably not where we need to be yet, but we have certainly made significant advances and strides in where we need to go…”

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