Reports

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

The Port of San Francisco, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and San Francisco city agencies, has developed seven Waterfront Adaptation Strategies based on over five years of public engagement. This is an impactful moment for the City as we plan for the future and address sea level rise risk now. 

With the Draft Waterfront Adaptation Strategies now available for public feedback, the goal is to reach a Draft Waterfront Adaptation Plan (Tentatively Selected Plan) by summer 2023. ...

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 ...

With the arrival of Pasha’s new George III at the Port of Oakland on August 31st, Ed Washburn, Senior Vice President Fleet Operation, Pasha Hawaii, said the LNG powered ship will substantially reduce or eliminate emissions compared to conventional diesel-powered ships.

Reduced Emissions

On September 6th, speaking to the Propeller Club of Northern California, Washburn provided highlights of how the new U.S. built vessel will reduce emissions: “In terms of emissions, particulate matter, which is a fine black dust is completely eliminated. ...

The United States is facing growing challenges exporting agricultural products abroad at a time when it lacks the U.S. flagged vessels to support international trade, according to panelists addressing a Maritime Day symposium entitled “Do U.S. Exporters Need U.S. Ships?”

The presentations were made before the Propeller Club of Northern California on May 16th via Zoom.

In his welcoming remarks, Jim Patti, president, International Propeller Club of the United States argued that the United States needs to build more commercial vessels as ...

Paul Snell, chief executive officer, British American Shipping, Long Beach, California, suggested that a coastal feeder ship service linking the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland could relieve Southern California port congestion.

Snell was speaking to the Propeller Club of Northern California Maritime Day forum on May 16th, 2022, where he discussed “Challenges to U.S. Exporters.”

Snell said there is a serious problem with the lack of infrastructure at U.S. ports.

He referenced the lack of on-dock rail which has slowed ...

New infrastructure investments will be needed to support U.S. Great Lakes ports and their expansion, says Steve Fisher, executive director, American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA).

The ports are seeing an increase in shipments of wind turbine components, some expansion of container cargoes and continued shipments of steel products and exports of agricultural products.

At the same time, a May report in Maritime Exchange has noted new containership services at the Great Lakes ports of Duluth, Minnesota, and Cleveland, Ohio:

“The rise in ...

New U.S. infrastructure funding will improve grain and energy shipments transported along the inland waterways thanks to improved port, lock, and dam upgrades, according to Paul Matthews, executive director of the Port of South Louisiana:

“We’re so grateful to Congress and President Biden for passing the Infrastructure Act. We all recognize the importance of infrastructure. Our port and the Mississippi River are connected to thirty-two states and two Canadian provinces.”

Tracy Zea, president, Waterways Council, Inc. based in Washington D.C. also hailed ...

Smaller U.S. West Coast ports, including the Ports of Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma are experiencing ocean carrier service cutbacks that are adversely impacting U.S. agricultural exporters, according to Paul Snell, president of Huntington Beach, CA-based British-American Shipping.

The export situation is likely to remain challenging for the remainder of 2022, Snell said.

California Exporters Lost $2.1 billion in 2021

Snell was speaking to the Propeller Club of Northern California on April 19th.

In February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that final 2021 trade ...