The San Francisco Bar Pilots christened their new pilot boat the Golden Gate hailing it as the next generation of low emission vessel technology for the San Francisco Bay.

The Bar Pilots said that the Golden Gate, which replaces a vessel under the same name, “is a state-of-the-art pilot vessel that advances the organization’s sustainability goals and whose funding was made possible through last year’s Assembly Bill 2056 legislation authored by California Assembly Member Timothy Grayson (D-Concord).”

On October 12th, Captain David McCloy, S.F. Bar Pilots, told an audience at the christening ceremony that took place at Pier 9 in San Francisco: “I am pretty sure we’re still the first Tier 4  (low emission) compliant pilot boat in the United States right now …It was quite a big deal … to put a vessel like this in service (during the) pandemic and supply chain issues.”

According to Diesel.net: “On May 11, 2004, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) signed a final rule introducing Tier 4 emission standards, which were phased-in over the period of 2008-2015. The Tier 4 standards require that emissions of PM and NOx be further reduced by about 90%. These emission reductions have been achieved through the use of advanced exhaust gas aftertreatment (sic) technologies, with most Tier 4 engine families using urea-SCR catalysts for NOx control.”

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LR: Stas Margaronis, Evey Hwang, Susan Ransom & Ron Brown

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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AGTC’s Friedmann says lack of ILWU-PMA contract could be “dangerous, permanent.”

Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AGTC) Executive Director Peter Friedmann has again warned that the lack of a West Coast labor contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) could be “dangerous” and “permanent.”

Friedmann provided AJOT with an update sent to AGTC members on the dangers created by the lack of an ILWU-PMA contract: “Currently, too many West Coast marine terminals are operating on reduced schedules, some are open only four days a week, creating massive disruption and trucking, storage expense for agriculture exporters. Terminals are closing because they lack sufficient volume of import containers to justify hiring the longshore labor to keep them open. So, both the terminal operators and the longshore labor are losers.”

On the trend of cargo being shifted from the West Coast ports to East Coast ports, Friedmann explained why cargo losses could be permanent:

“The uncertainty that accompanies marine terminal operations without a labor contract, creates a disincentive to invest in additional facilities through which cargo will transit West Coast gateway ports. For example, transload facilities that might have been built to serve a West Coast gateway are being built to serve cargo through East Coast gateways. The same for warehouses, cold storage facilities, etc. Once those are built, the millions of dollars spent will not be abandoned – the cargo will continue to move through those facilities for years, even decades, to come. This makes it even more challenging for the West Coast gateways to claw back lost import container market share.”

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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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The 96th Annual Propeller Club convention, held in Athens, Greece between September 20th and 22nd, demonstrated the continued power of Greek shipping. The convention was hosted by the Propeller Club of Piraeus under the leadership of President Costis Frangoulis and General Secretary Danae Bezantakou.

The International Propeller Club of the United States convention was called to order by President Jim Patti and supported by Executive Vice President Joel Whitehead. As a reflection of its increasingly international composition, the organization will now be known as the International Propeller Club.

This was reflected in the Propeller Club awards:

• The Port of Piraeus club was recognized by the International President’s Award for Excellence
• Geraldo Tiedemann, Port of Bilbao (Spain) was recognized as the Propeller Club Person of the Year,
• Melina Travlos, President of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) was recognized as Maritime Person of the Year
• The Port of Seattle club was recognized as the Propeller Club Port of the Year

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