Oakland Estuary News

Recent storms that crossed the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this week left multiple vessels, docks, and barges adrift, causing navigational safety issues around the areaThree 60-foot deck barges were adrift, causing an allision with the 3rd Street Bridge at McCovey Cove leading to Mission Creek. U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco's Prevention Department was made aware of the situation and broadcasted a Notice to Mariners, noting that the area was closed to navigation. A finalized assessment of the bridge is pending the completion of an inspection by engineers.

A passenger is missing after reportedly jumping from a ferry that was underway in the Oakland Estuary on Sunday afternoon.A witness alerted the captain of the 400-passenger ferry Carina, who immediately turned the vessel around to initiate rescue procedures, San Francisco Bay Area's Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) said.The ferry crew contacted the authorities and remained on scene until first responders arrived, WETA said.Oakland Fire Department was first on scene, and the U.S. Coast Guard also deployed two vessels to assist in search and rescue efforts. The overboard passenger has not been recovered, authorities said.The incident disrupted San Francisco Bay Ferry operations, but Oakland and Alameda service resumed with some initial delays.

Three cruise ships will idle at the Port of Oakland without passengers while cruise operations are suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the port said Friday. The .Two Norwegian Cruise Line vessels, Regatta and Norwegian Jewel, have tied up at Oakland’s Outer Harbor Terminal, which is currently not in use for the port’s container shipping business. Another, Seven Seas Mariner, is docked at Howard Terminal on the Oakland Estuary, no longer considered large enough for container operations.

SSA Terminals, the operator of Oakland International Container Terminal, submitted last week a $30 million order for three 300-foot-tall gantry cranes, which are expected to be delivered in 18 months.The cranes will go to Oakland International Terminal on Oakland Estuary and will become the tallest on the West Coast, port officials said.The project aims to prepare the port to handle the world's largest container ships, which can be up to 1,300 feet long and carry nearly 23,000 cargo containers. The containers can be stacked up to 12-high above deck on the largest vessels, officials said.“This demonstrates the faith that business partners have in Oakland as a trade gateway,” said Port Maritime Director John Driscoll.

U.S. Coast Guard and firefighter crews helped rescue four people from a boat fire Tuesday afternoon in Alameda, Calif. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Command Center personnel received a 911-relay report at 3:51 p.m stating an engine room fire broke out aboard a 32-foot pleasure craft near the Alameda ferry terminal in the Oakland Estuary. The Sector San Francisco Command Center issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and dispatched a rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station San Francisco. Alameda Fire Department personnel also responded with a fireboat and an engine company from shore. The Coast Guard rescue boatcrew quickly arrived on scene and safely removed all four passengers from the vessel.

Containers fell into the water from motor vessel NYK Aquarius while offloading cargo at SSA Facility Berth 57 in the Oakland estuary, causing the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and local fire department personnel to enforce a safety zone in the area. At approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders received a report of three drifting containers in the Oakland estuary. Coast Guard Station San Francisco launched two response boatcrews to maintain a 500-yard safety zone with Alameda County Fire Department and Oakland Fire Department crews. Coast Guard crews safely escorted dinner cruise vessels to their berths in Oakland until the containers could be safely removed.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Incident Management Division were notified by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) on-scene coordinator that their contractor, Global Diving and Salvage, Inc. (GDSI), had discovered tar balls and heavy oil while removing sediment from the tug Respect in the Oakland Estuary Oct. 14, 2013. Further research on the Respect showed an estimated 300-500 gallons of oil had been left aboard during removal operations conducted in 1998. The Respect was then vandalized in 2007 and sank with an unknown oil potential.

Built in 1945, the 141-foot steam powered tugboat was utilized by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroads. Originally named the Edward J Engel, it moved railroad car barges from Oakland to San Francisco until 1969. After which she passed through several hands and eventually her name was changed to TV ‘Respect’. She remained a steam powered vessel till 2007, when she sank at her moorings in the Oakland Estuary. In 2013, the United States Environmental Protection Agency embarked on a program to clean up the Oakland Estuary. Global Diving & Salvage, Inc.

Moose Boats, a designer and builder of aluminum boats, has delivered a Moose M2-37 security and patrol vessel to the Oakland Police Department to provide expanded patrol duties at the Port of Oakland in addition to shallow draft response for Oakland’s waterfront. The procurement by City of Oakland was funded by  U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s 2010 Port Security Grant Program. The vessel is stationed at Jack London Square and will provide security patrol for critical infrastructures including the Bay Bridge and Oakland Airport’s perimeter…

To better serve its Oakland ship assist and escort customers Crowley Maritime Corporation is relocating its tugs to Berth 9 in the Port of Oakland effective Friday, June 16. The move, eight miles away from Crowley's previous terminal at 10th Avenue, will allow Crowley to provide faster service upon receiving a customer's ship assist request. Crowley tugs will be based closer to most customer operations and will be able to work with greater ease in the expanse of the Outer Harbor. Tugs will no longer need to sail through the Oakland Estuary to reach most vessels. Crowley tugs, which were once a fixture in San Francisco Bay from the early 1900s to 1996, returned home in 2004 to once again provide service to area customers.