Astoria Oregon News

Bollinger Shipyards recently delivered the USCGC David Duren to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 182nd vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 56th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.“We’re incredibly proud to deliver the USCGC David Duren, the first of three Fast Response Cutters to be homeported in Astoria, Oregon,” said Bollinger President & CEO Ben Bordelon. “We’re confident that pound for pound…

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC-632) is scheduled to offload more than 26,000 pounds of seized cocaine in San Diego Friday.The cocaine, worth an estimated $350 million, was seized in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The contraband represents six suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions and the recovery of floating cocaine bales by the crews of two Coast Guard cutters off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America between late June and mid-July.Six of the interdictions were carried out by the Steadfast’s crew…

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Forward (WMEC-911) offloaded approximately 34,780 pounds of cocaine Tuesday in Port Everglades worth an estimated $466 million wholesale seized in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.The drugs were interdicted off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America and represent 21 separate, suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions by the U.S. Coast Guard:The cutter Forward was responsible for eight cases seizing an estimated 14…

The U.S. Coast Guard will offload more than 47,000 pounds of cocaine worth over $721 million Thursday at 9:30 a.m., which was seized in 23 separate interdictions in the eastern Pacific Ocean by U.S. and Canadian forces operating in international waters off the coast of Central and South America. Senior U.S. and Canadian officials will be at the offload to discuss new tactics used by transnational organized crime groups and to highlight international cooperation in combating the threat posed by these dangerous groups. U.S.

The 20-year-old U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Elm is scheduled to make its way to the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore this month for a planned major dry dock overhaul. The cutter’s departure from Atlantic Beach, N.C. will mark its last from its current homeport. After the overhaul work is completed, the Elm will report to a new homeport in Astoria, Oregon. Coast Guard Cutter Maple, which is presently undergoing a midlife overhaul of its own, will replace the Elm in Atlantic Beach this April.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast returned home to Astoria, Oregon in late December after making several drug busts while on patrol in international waters off the coasts of Mexico and Central America. Over the course of a 50-day counterdrug patrol in the Eastern Pacific, Steadfast crewmembers interdicted five separate vessels engaged in suspected illegal drug smuggling. During the patrol crewmembers detected and boarded a low profile vessel, a custom fabricated boat specifically built to evade law enforcement.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Friday it will homeport two of the service’s new Sentinel-Class 154-foot Fast Response Cutters (FRC) in Astoria, Oregon, starting in 2021. These two ships have not yet been named, but the FRCs are named after enlisted Coast Guard personnel who distinguished themselves in the line of duty. Each of the two Astoria-based FRCs will provide the coastal maritime community with a 30 percent increase in annual operating hours on regional waters over the Coast Guard’s legacy 110-foot Island class patrol boats like the Coast Guard Cutter Orcas, homeported in Coos Bay, Oregon. The FRC is equipped with improved command and control capability as well as increased sea-keeping abilities…

“If it works well, then why change it?” might have been the idea of the owner of a new Yukon River salmon tender building at WCT Marine’s shipyard at Tongue Point on the Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon. Owner R. Bodey had Tullio Celano draw up a set of plans from a vessel that he had owned some year before. He took these to Willie Toristoja and his crew at WCT Marine Construction, Inc in Astoria, Oregon where the steel hull and aluminum superstructure were well along by the end of November, 2016. The boat is designed to serve as a tender for salmon on the Yukon River.

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Fir, a 225-foot buoy tender homeported in Astoria, Oregon, participated in a Spilled Oil Response System exercise near Blake Island, Washington, Wednesday. The exercise was part of an annual response exercise and included members of the Coast Guard 13th District Response Advisor Team, Pacific Strike Team out of Novato, California, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Washington State Department of Ecology, Harley Marine Service Inc., Navy Region Northwest, Washington State Ferries, and the Marine Spill Response Corporation.

The U.S. Energy Department said on Thursday it has approved Oregon LNG to export liquefied natural gas, as the Obama administration works through applications to export fuel from the domestic drilling boom to markets in Asia and Europe. Oregon LNG, which is controlled by Leucadia National Corp , has been authorized by the department to export up to 1.25 billion cubic feet per day of the fuel. The Astoria, Oregon-based project still needs approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Chris Reese)

The Coast Guard hoisted a female hiker who became trapped along the Ecola State Park cliffs by the incoming tide south of Seaside, Oregon, Sunday. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River in Warrenton, Oregon, received a report from local authorities of a stranded hiker, at approximately 3:55 p.m. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, Oregon, launched to the scene and safely hoisted the stranded hiker. Rescued was Rochell Blair, whose age and area of residence have not been identified. She was flown to Seaside Airport and transferred to fire rescue personnel. There were no reports of injuries.

Kvichak Marine Industries recently delivered Astoria, a self-righting 74’ all-aluminum pilot boat, to the Columbia River Bar Pilots (CRBP) of Astoria, Oregon. Astoria is the third CRBP pilot boat designed by Camarc, Ltd., of the UK and built by Kvichak. The pilots christened Astoria at a ceremony last week where the vessel has joined Columbia, built in 2008. Chinook, built in 2000 is retiring this spring. The pilots operate the vessels over the bar at the mouth of the Columbia River.

Coast Guard and State of Alaska personnel are monitoring a 65-foot fishing tender grounded near Shoup Bay, four miles west of Valdez, Sunday. The owner of the 65–foot fishing tender, Fate Hunter, is working with Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez and State of Alaska personnel to minimize environmental impact from the grounding and refloat the vessel. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage command center watchstanders received a call Sunday morning from the crew of the Fate Hunter, reporting the vessel had run aground near Shoup Bay with four persons on board.

Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) has announced the program for the eighth annual Ocean Renewable Energy Conference presented by the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC). “Community and Industry: Collaboration, Innovation and Opportunity” is the theme of the event that takes place September 25-26, 2013 at the Liberty Theater in Astoria, Oregon. Over the past two years, Oregon has been engaged in a one-of-a-kind effort to plan for the development of ocean wave energy in our territorial seas. OWET has been proud to represent the wave energy industry and ensure that the territorial sea plan provides a flexible and reasonable plan for accommodating ocean energy.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. has launched the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fir, the thirteenth ship in a series of 16 seagoing buoy tenders being built at Manitowoc's Marinette Marine subsidiary. This 225-ft. Juniper-class vessel is part of a series of contracts that were awarded to Marinette in 1993 and 1998. "Like its sister vessels, the Fir contains the most advanced technology available for buoy tenders," said Terry D. Growcock, Manitowoc's president and chief executive officer. "We believe the new FIR is as strong as Manitowoc's commitment to the U.S. The launch ceremony, which took place August 18, featured Vice Admiral Thomas J. Barrett, Vice Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, as the keynote speaker.

Seattle - The pilot boat Connor Foss is currently under construction at the Foss Maritime Company's Shipyard in Rainier, Oregon, and will replace the Arrow 2 in June, 2012. The Arrow 2 will be taken out of service after fifty years transporting River and Bar pilots on the Columbia River at Astoria, Oregon. The Arrow 2 began service on the Columbia River in 1962. The steel hull launch boat with a single 700 horsepower engine has made thousands of pilot transfers in its long career. "It's just time to upgrade our equipment," said Foss project manager Dan Cole.

VideoRay LLC released what is believed to be the first images taken underneath a grounded cruise ship. When the United States Coast Guard’s Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91101, based in Seattle, Washington responded to the grounding of the 360 foot passenger overnight sternwheeler Empress of the North, a VideoRay ROV was used to investigate the conditions under the hull. Shortly after deploying the ROV, the MSST saw dramatic images as the robot swam under the vessel and revealed that a large boulder had actually punctured the hull. The team immediately worked out a new refloating plan, which was ultimately successful. The Empress of the North ran aground on March 24 on the Columbia River, near Washougal, Washington. Aground it sat at an 8 – 10 degree list.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, and a partner of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, announced the appointment of Jerry Ostermiller as the president of the National Coast Guard Museum. An accomplished museum administrator with over 25 years experience, Mr. Ostermiller will establish museum programming, develop internal infrastructure and lead capital campaign fund raising efforts for the construction of the country's newest national museum in New London, Connecticut. The United States Coast Guard is the only military service that does not currently have a national museum, which recounts the institution's history, service and missions. Mr.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice stating that on February 4 it will convene an engineering design and technical conference in Astoria, Oregon with the LNG Development Company LLC regarding the proposed Oregon liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal.  In view of the nature of the critical energy infrastructure information and security issues to be explored, the cryogenic conference will not be open to the public.  74 Fed. Reg. 4956  (January 28, 2009). (Source: Holland & Knight)

Gary Faber brings more than 30 years of experience in the maritime industry to the position of president and COO of Foss Maritime Company. His extensive experience in marine engineering, vessel operations, salvage and project management in extreme environments extending from the arctic regions of Alaska all the way to the southern extremes of South America frame perfectly the diverse workload of this Seattle-based marine services firm. His notable accomplishments include recognition for the U.S.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice stating that the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) concerning the proposed Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility to be constructed on the Oregon side of the Columbia River approximately 38 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean is available for public review. Meetings to receive public comments will be held in Cathlamet, Washington (November 6); Longview, Washington (November 7); and Astoria, Oregon (November 8). Written comments should be submitted by December 24. 72 Fed. Reg. 58653 (HK Law).

Molly Murphy Crowley, 71, of Piedmont, Calif., Crowley Maritime Corporation board member, past Portland, Ore. real estate mogul, philanthropist and competitive amateur golfer died March 21 following an illness surrounded by her family at her Indian Wells, Calif. vacation home. Mrs. Crowley was born Nov. 27, 1938 in Portland to Dorothy and Peter Murphy. She was the third of eight children, and attended grade school at St. Thomas More Catholic School and high school at Holy Child Academy in Portland, and college at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y.

1908-An Act of Congress (35 Stat. L., 160, 162) delegated to the Lighthouse Board the duty of caring for and maintaining the anchorage buoys previously placed by the United States in the harbors of New York and Philadelphia. 1951- USS Valcour was rammed by the collier Thomas Tracy. CGC Cherokee responded and assisted in extinguishing the resulting fires and towed the Valcour to Norfolk. Thirty-seven Navy sailors perished. 1997- The 757-foot containership Ever Grade collided with CGC Cowslip 10 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon. The buoy tender suffered significant damage from a glancing blow along her port side. Visibility at the time was less than 20 yards due to thick fog in the area. The Cowslip was repaired and returned to service.