Humboldt Bay News

The U.S. Coast Guard said one of its buoy tenders accidentally discharged approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel 30 miles offshore of Fort Bragg, Calif., Friday morning.The vessel, USCGC Alder (WLB-216), was enroute to Humboldt Bay when the incident occurred, the Coast Guard said.Members of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Incident Management Division notified interagency stakeholders and are investigating the oil spill and cause. They are also evaluating potential impacts to sensitive sites.

The U.S. government has awarded a major grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District for the construction of a new marine terminal to be primarily used for floating offshore wind-related activities.The grant for the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind MVP (Minimum Viable Port) project comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) grant program, which received a substantial funding increase…

U.S.-based maritime logistics and offshore services firm Crowley on Wednesday announced a new investment in Tugdock. Tugdock has developed "the world’s first road-transportable floating dry dock" known as the Tugdock Submersible Platform (TSP), to help advance offshore wind energy in the U.S.Crowley and Tugdock will explore the potential use of the platforms in locations such as the U.S. West Coast, where depth and conventional dry docks may be ill-suited for the logistics required.“This…

2022 closed with significant developments to advance offshore wind (OSW) and the necessary, related work required at U.S. ports – on the east and west coasts and the Great Lakes. Some of these developments included:Funding – MARAD’s Port Improvement Development Project (PIDP) grants provided over $100 million for wind at four ports.Corporate leadership – Marine giants Foss and Crowley stepped up to lead development projects in California and Massachusetts.New industry focus – The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) started a program called POWERS – “Port Opportunities With Energy…

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced more than $703 million to fund 41 projects in 22 states and one territory that designed to help improve port facilities through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. Following is the full list of FY 2022 Port Infrastructure Development Grant Awards:ALASKANorth Extension Stabilization Step 1 Project ($68,700,000), Anchorage, AlaskaThe Project will reconfigure and realign the shoreline within the “North Extension” (the area north of the existing general cargo terminals) at the Port of Alaska in Anchorage, Alaska.

Crowley signed an agreement on Thursday with the Port of Humboldt Bay to exclusively negotiate to be the developer and operator of a terminal to serve as California’s first hub for offshore wind energy installations. Through Crowley’s Wind Services group, the company will enter into negotiations with the port to lease and serve as the port’s developer of the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal. The services provided will support tenants in the manufacturing, installation and operation of offshore wind floating platforms…

After being very much on the margins of the offshore wind industry, floating offshore wind now appears to be ready to hit the mainstream. With gigawatt scale developments already on the horizon, what will the infrastructure needed to build and support them look like? Over the past 12 months, the floating offshore wind sector appears to have had a major dose of adrenaline. While the largest development, to date, is the relatively small-scale 50MW Kincardine project off northeast Scotland (which will be outdone by the 88MW Tampen project in Norway later next year [2022])…

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dorado (WPB-87306) was decommissioned Wednesday after 23 years of service. The vessel was the Coast Guard's sixth 87-foot Marine Protector-class patrol boat to serve as the Coast Guard’s primary nearshore patrol asset.“I would like to thank my crew and all previous sailors for bolstering her highly successful service life,” said Lt. Rebecca Cotton, the Dorado’s commanding officer, during a decommissioning ceremony in Crescent City, Calif. “They made the Dorado an unforgettable cutter in which to serve the West Coast for the past 23 years.

At the end of 2019 – December 27, to be exact – the US Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary – filed a request for information regarding the development of a National Freight Strategic Plan (NFSP), required by the multi-year federal transportation bill, passed in 2015, called the FAST Act – “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation.”By the close of the public comment period (Feb. 10) DOT had received 82 comments. Importantly, for the maritime industry, maritime businesses and trade groups…

California Energy Commission has awarded Aker Solutions and Cognite a $2 million grant for a project called NextWind Real-Time Condition Monitoring.The project is focused on next-generation solutions in wind through digitalization and aims to develop a holistic digital solution that will enable monitoring the condition of an offshore floating wind farm and its impact on the environment via live data streaming.Aker Solutions, partnering with Cognite, was selected for the grant award as part of the California Energy Commission's Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC).

California Dreamin': In CA, offshore wind has unlimited potentialWhen it comes to States promoting renewable, non-fossil electricity generation, California surely leads the list, from utility-scale regional grids to individual rooftop solar panels.In fact, a December 2018 update from the California Energy Commission (CEC) estimates the state may already have exceeded an initial renewable generation goal of 33% by 2020. CEC estimates that in 2018 that generation number was already 34%.

Offshore renewable energy is gaining investment support in the United States, particularly on the east coast. While the U.S. is a full generation behind its European counterparts in tapping the wind as an energy source, if current plans come to fruition it could gain ground quickly. Recently we spoke with Astrid Skarheim Onsum, SVP, Head of Wind Aker Solutions, for her view on the path ahead and the growing role and promising future of ‘floating wind.’Please give an overview of your responsibilities as SVP…

This West Coast boat builder stays busy creating high quality fireboats for a diverse set of demanding, multi-missioned first responders. For Moose customer satisfaction is the name of the game. This year, they’ve got that box checked.Vallejo,CA-based Moose Boats builds aluminum catamaran and monohull vessels designed to meet a variety of mission-specific applications for military, law enforcement, emergency response, firefighting and security patrol purposes. It’s been a busy year for Moose, who also recently laid the keel for a 75’ catamaran crew boat for Westar Marine Services in San Francisco. But, it is fireboats that this builder is known for. And, at present, it would not be an exaggeration to say that fireboats are ‘hot’ for Moose Boats.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is responding to a vessel fire near Trinidad, Calif. on Wednesday.A helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay has deployed in response to the fire aboard commercial fishing vessel Midori off the northern California coast.The Coast Guard said it also launched a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Station Humboldt Bay to assist the stricken vessel.

A Coast Guard aircrew rescued two distressed surfers near Trinidad Saturday afternoon. At approximately 4:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay received a call from a person ashore stating his friends needed assistance and were stranded on Camel Rock. A Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter aircrew was launched from Sector Humboldt Bay and within minutes were on scene at Camel Rock, approximately one-quarter mile offshore. They discovered two distressed surfers needing assistance. The rescue swimmer was lowered to the surfers to determine their condition. Once initial assessments were complete, the surfers were hoisted to the helicopter and brought ashore to awaiting EMS at Arcata-Eureka Airport in stable condition.

Specialty workboats redefined: versatility, value and multi-mission capabilities, all rolled into one affordable hull. In a world where small to medium sized municipalities and port authorities have to make every dollar go a long, long way, any opportunity to leverage just one hull over multiple mission sets grabs a lot of attention. Nevertheless, Job 1 on that set of requirements is arguably the need to provide robust firefighting capabilities. Sure, everyone would like to have the ability to pump 15,000 gallons per minute (gpm), but at the same time, not everyone can afford it. Nor does everyone have the available draft to support such a (larger) platform.

1853- The ship Cornelius Grinnell grounded in a heavy surf off Squan Beach New Jersey. A surf car was used to rescue all 234 persons on board. 1925- Alaskan Game Law enforced by Coast Guard. 1918-Surfmen from the Humboldt Bay Lifesaving Station rescued the 430-man crew of the Navy cruiser USS Milwaukee after the cruiser ran aground. 1982- Air Florida Flight 90 crashed onto the 14th Street Bridge and then into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., during a heavy snow storm. Coast Guard units, including the cutters Capstan and Madrona, divers from the Atlantic Strike Team, a helicopter from AIRSTA Elizabeth City, personnel from Curtis Bay, and reservists from Station Washington, assisted in the rescue of the five surviving passengers and the recovery of the aircraft's wreckage.

Most people who encounter the Coast Guard near shore will get a good look at a Response Boat-Small (RB-S). With more than 400 boats in operation, the RB-S is the largest vessel class in the Coast Guard’s fleet. The boats are in constant use, from life-saving to law enforcement and homeland security missions. But the redoubtable RB-S is approaching the end of its service life and the the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate has launched an ambitious project to replace this important asset. The RB-S II will be one of the largest boat buys of its kind.

Moose Boats, a boat designer and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been awarded a contract from Bellingham Fire Department in Washington State for the construction of a M2-38 Catamaran CBRN Emergency Response and Recovery Vessel. The M2-38 aluminum catamaran will be powered by twin Cummins QSB6.7 425hp turbo diesel propulsion engines coupled to Hamilton HJ292 water-jets via TwinDisc 5075SC marine transmissions. The M2 will be equipped with dual Hale 1,000GPM rated fire pumps…

NOAA’s Marine Debris Program provided $967,000 through its Restoration Center to support locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention and removal projects. Eleven groups across the country received funding to remove derelict fishing nets, litter, lumber, tires and other harmful marine debris from shorelines and coastal waters. “Marine debris plagues coastlines all over the country, and these communities have the expertise and motivation to address it,” said Nancy Wallace, Marine Debris Program director.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Port State Control (PSC) updated its list of vessels and ship management companies that are prohibited from carrying U.S. government impelled cargos. Americas Marine Management Services, Inc. Caribbean Ship Services, Inc. Elicla Maritime Advisor & Broker Inc. Enterprises Shipping & Trading S.A. Fusion Holdings International S.A. Held Bereederungs Gmbh & Co. Jutha Maritime Public Co. Ltd. Labris Co Ltd. Norbulk Shipping UK, Ltd. Nordana Line (Singapore) Inc. Nordica Schifahrts GmbH & Co. Northway Marine Corp. Sea Trader International Co., Inc. Seatrade Groningen B.V. V Ships (UK) Ltd. Valencia Shipping Corp. Wavecrest Shipmanagement, Inc.

Moose Boats Announces Fire Boat Contract Award from West Pierce Fire and Rescue. Moose Boats, a boat designer and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been awarded a new contract from West Pierce Fire and Rescue in University Place, WA for the construction of a M2-37 Catamaran Fire Rescue Boat. The M2-37 is a 37’-0” aluminum catamaran powered by newly introduced twin Cummins 6.7ltr 425hp turbo diesels and is propelled by Hamilton 292 water jets. The vessel will provide West Pierce Fire and Rescue with fire fighting, rescue, dive and shore landing capabilities.

Washington ship builder Penn Cove Shellfish (DBA Everest Marine) has chosen Arkansas-based NAMJet to provide propulsion solutions for its newest oyster harvest vessel, Kumo Express. Designed to harvest oysters grown on intertidal longlines in Humboldt Bay, California, the Traktor Jet-powered Kumo Express provides exceptional maneuverability and power in the shallow, windy working conditions common across the Pacific Northwest. Powered by twin 300-horsepower (hp) John Deere engines…