14 brought an interesting mix of new vessels to the West Coast, including ferries, pilot boats, tugs and barges. The fact that most of the vessels were built in Pacific Northwest yards to the designs of West Coast naval architects for use in West Coast waters is an indication of both the strength of the commercial maritime industry and the quality of designs and vessels coming from the West Coast.
In March the Columbia River Bar Pilots took delivery of a new 75-foot by 21-foot pilot boat, the Astoria, built by Seattle’s Kvichak Marine Industries to a design by Camarc, Ltd., of the UK. The all-aluminum, self-righting boat is the third by the same builder and designer for the pilots, and will join the 2008-built Columbia and replace the retired 2000-era Chinook. MORE
Thousands of dockworkers from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and their supporters held a march and rally on Jan. 22 to protest the suspension of night shifts at the ports by the Pacific Maritime Association.(Read full article)
Study: Inland Waterways Investment Could Mean $14 Million in Jobs
By Mark Edward Nero
The National Waterways Foundation, a Washington, DC-area based research center, on Jan. 26 released a two-year study examining the waterways’ national economic return on investment and the need for and benefits of an accelerated program of waterways system improvements that sustain and create jobs.(Read full article)
NASSCO Receives $33 Million Nimitz Contract
By Mark Edward Nero
San Diego-based shipbuilding company General Dynamics NASSCO has been awarded a $33.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract for repair and alterations to the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the US Navy said Jan. 22.(Read full article)
LA Mayor Appoints New Port Exec
By Mark Edward Nero
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Jan. 21 that his Deputy Mayor for City Services, Doane Liu, will become Deputy Executive Director and Chief of Staff at the Port of Los Angeles.(Read full article)
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San Pedro Bay Dockworkers Protest Labor Cutbacks
