Pacific Maritime Magazine News Online for February 20, 2015

 Promise of the Arctic 2015

By Kathy A. Smith

The rush to push shipping into the Arctic due to receding ice is a little premature say those know the region.

For a start, the majority of ice that is melting is along the Northern Sea Route or Northeast Passage along the north coast of Russia, allowing shipping to take place primarily during the summer months. Conversely, on the northwest side of the polar cap, there is only a two-week period – not consistently the same annually – when the Northwest Passage is open to commercial marine traffic.

While a DNV report on the issue of containerships transiting the Northwest Passage (NWP) suggests traffic could begin between 2030 and 2050, currently, the sheer logistics carry too much economic uncertainty with the unpredictability of ice and snow, which could easily wreak havoc on schedules. .. MORE

Friday, February 20, 2015

Labor Meeting Halts Work at Oakland Marine Terminals

Congestion Drives Down POLB Container Volumes

Puget Sound Container Volumes Take a Dip

Oakland Experiences Dramatic Cargo Volume Drop

Have a news tip to share? Send an email to Mark Edward Nero

CORRECTION: An article in the Feb. 17 edition of PMM Onlinestated that the Pacific Maritime Association locked out longshore workers and halted cargo terminals at 29 West Coast ports during the President’s Day weekend. In actuality, the PMA simply did not order gangs of workers to work at terminals during the time period, and some terminals remained operational during the four days. We regret the error.

By Mark Edward Nero

No gate, yard or vessel work took place during the 8 am to 5 pm shift at Port of Oakland on Feb. 19 as marine terminal operations were halted due to longshore workers taking the day off for a union meeting, the port said. (Read full article)

By Mark Edward Nero

Lingering congestion at West Coast seaports drove down container cargo by 18.8 percent in January at Long Beach compared to the same month last year, according to newly released data.  (Read full article)

By Mark Edward Nero

The ports of Seattle and Tacoma saw their combined container volumes take a double-digit dip of 13 percent in January compared to the same month in 2014, according to data released by the ports Feb. 18. (Read full article)

By Mark Edward Nero

Monthly cargo volume at Port of Oakland declined dramatically in January, the result of the ongoing West Coast waterfront labor dispute. The port reported Feb. 17 that its total containerized volume was down about 30 percent compared to the same month last year. (Read full article)