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Coos Bay News

13 Feb 2024

US Finalizes Two Offshore Wind Energy Areas in Oregon

BOEM has designated two final Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) off the Oregon coast, the Coos Bay WEA is 61,204 acres and  located approximately 32 miles (mi) from shore. The Brookings WEA is 133,808 acres and  approximately 18 mi off the coast. If fully developed, the Final WEAs could support 2.4 GW of energy production. (Image: BOEM)

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday finalized two wind energy areas (WEAs) in the offshore Oregon region, aligning with government goals to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power along U.S. coastlines this decade to fight climate change.The two WEAs, Coos Bay WEA and Brookings WEA, are spread across 195,012 acres (78,919 hectares) and "the department continues to take steps to evolve its approach to offshore wind to drive towards union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain," said the agency, which is part of the U.S.

22 Jul 2023

Birdon Delivers Ninth and Tenth 47′ MLBs to the US Coast Guard

(Photo: Birdon)

Last month, Birdon delivered the ninth and tenth boats for its 47’ Motor Lifeboat (MLB) Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Since the contract award in 2019, Birdon has established full-rate production facilities on both the East and West coasts to facilitate the delivery process. Birdon said it remains on schedule to complete work for up to 117 47’ MLBs by 2029.On June 9, Birdon delivered the ninth boat for the Coast Guard’s 47’ MLB SLEP. The vessel was completed in Birdon’s Bellingham, Wash.

08 Feb 2023

Frontiers Extend as Developers Eye Floating Wind Potential

CREST Wind, a joint venture between Crowley and ESVAGT, has selected Fincantieri Marine Group to build a service operation vessel for operations in the U.S. offshore wind sector. (Image: CREST Wind)

America may have only entered the offshore wind sector recently, but it is wasting no time in playing catch-up. The White House has set targets of 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 110 GW by 2050. The focus so far has centred on bottom-fixed installations, but the prospect of higher energy yields in deeper waters where the wind blows stronger and longer now beckon. The White House has also set a floating wind deployment target of 15 GW by 2035.From a standing start, there are immense challenges in America’s offshore wind development.

24 Jan 2022

USACE Disaster Relief Includes $32.7 Million to Repair Coos Bay’s North Jetty

(Photo: Port of Coos Bay)

The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay received notification from House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) included $32.7 million in their FY2022 disaster relief supplemental appropriations workplan to support repairs to the North Jetty. The Jetty has been losing approximately 20 feet per year, which has resulted in its receding a total of 900 feet since its original construction design.

08 Dec 2021

Offshore Renewable Energy: A Port Puzzle for Floating Offshore Wind

The (current) world’s largest floating offshore wind farm; Kincardine. Sitting off north east Scotland, it has 9.5MW turbines on semisubmersible type foundations moored to the seabed. Photo from Cobra Group.

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])…

15 Oct 2020

MARAD Awards $220 Mln in Port Infrastructure Grants

© Stuart Westmorland, Danita Delimont / Adobe Stock

More than $220 million in discretionary grant funding has been awarded to improve U.S. port facilities in 16 states and territories through the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced Thursday.“This $220 million in federal grants will improve America’s ports with nearly half the projects are located in Opportunity Zones, which were established to revitalize economically distressed communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L.

15 Jul 2020

WRDA 2020: 'A Step in the Right Direction'

File photo: A tow exits the east lock of the Colorado River Lock system near Matagorda, Texas. (Credit Simon DeSoto, Colorado River lockmaster / courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) favorably out of Committee, Wednesday. The legislation, which provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and studies, as well as policy direction to the Corps for implementation of its Civil Works missions, now heads to the House Floor for a vote.Maritime trade groups Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) and the American Waterways Operators (AWO) applauded the House T&I bill (H.R.

06 Jul 2020

US Approves LNG Exports from Oregon

© vladsv / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Energy Department on Monday approved the export of up to 1 billion cubic feet per day of liquefied natural gas from a proposed terminal in Oregon, a move it said would ease U.S. sales of the fuel to Asian markets.The approval advances efforts by President Donald Trump's administration to increase U.S. fossil fuel shipments around the globe at a time big projects are increasingly under strain from environmental protests and lawsuits.“Today’s export authorization for Jordan Cove, the first U.S West Coast LNG project, will ease access to further position the U.S.

27 Dec 2019

Fishing Vessel Sinks in Coos Bay

A U.S. Coast Guard boatcrew rescued four people from Darean Rose, a 40-foot commercial fishing vessel that sank in Coos Bay, Ore. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Sector North Bend)

Four people were rescued from a commercial fishing vessel that sank in Coos Bay, Ore. on Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 40-foot Darean Rose capsized and sank shortly after leaving the fuel pier at the Charleston Marina with four people aboard who reported sustaining minor injuries.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend were notified at 2:54 p.m. that the vessel had run aground and capsized right after departing the pier.A Coast Guard Station Coos Bay 29-foot Response…

24 Jul 2018

MARAD Awards More Than $20 Mln to Small US Shipyards

Maritime Administrator Mark H. Buzby (Photo: MARAD)

More than $20 million in grant funding has been awarded to support capital improvement projects at 29 small shipyards in 22 states across the U.S.The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) Small Shipyard Grant Program, supports capital improvements that foster increased efficiency and economic growth.“These grants are an investment in our country’s small shipyards and will help create good jobs for America’s workers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L.

11 Jun 2018

Mobile System Used for Treating Ballast Water

(Photo: Glosten)

Glosten and Global Diving & Salvage say they have used a mobile system to treat ballast water on board a 350-foot marine vessel moored in Coos Bay, Ore.The firms deployed the Glosten Ballast Responder successfully treating all 3,990 tons of ballast water on board. The contingency response team deployed from Seattle the morning of May 21 and certified all ballast water on board as safe for discharge by the evening of May 23.“The system and team performed very well,” said Glosten Principal and ballast water treatment expert Kevin Reynolds, PE.

22 Mar 2018

Maritime Simulation: High-tech Meets Practical Skills

Maritime Professional Training (MPT) has just finished a $6m renovation and expansion project with new technology, upgrades in simulation, a new waterside lifeboat training facility, and a recently expanded Main Campus. (Photo: MPT)

When talk turns to ‘Maritime Simulation’ visions of high-tech bridge simulators with seamless graphics and interwoven component simulators – engine room, DP systems, cargo loading – come to mind. But modern simulation is so much more, a wholistic visual, audio, tactile and cereberal experience that prepares mariners to deal with a bevy of real-world situations. Modern maritime simulation has evolved rapidly, driven by exponential leaps in computer and graphic display power, a…

17 May 2017

Oregon County Won't Block LNG Terminal

A coastal Oregon county overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure aimed at blocking a proposed natural gas terminal dealing a blow to what was the latest in a series of efforts to thwart energy projects across the Pacific Northwest. The measure, had it passed, would have banned transport of fossil fuels not intended for local use through Coos County, located about 200 miles (322 kms) south of Portland. Around 76 percent of votes were cast against the measure, with 24 percent in favor, according to unofficial results posted on the Coos County government website late Tuesday. "This ballot measure was not a good measure by any means, and I think (the voters) were able to see that," Coos Bay's mayor Joe Benetti, who opposed the measure, told local newspaper The World.

16 May 2017

Oregon County Mulls LNG Terminal Ban

A coastal Oregon county will vote Tuesday on a ballot measure to block a proposed natural gas terminal, the latest in a series of efforts to thwart energy projects across the Pacific Northwest. The measure would ban transport of fossil fuels not intended for local use through Coos County, located about 200 miles (322 kms) south of Portland. Backers have called the initiative a response to a $7.6 billion proposal by Calgary-based Veresen Inc, to build a facility in the county where natural gas would be liquefied and transferred to tanker ships for sale abroad. They have cast the measure as a local refusal to contribute to global warming. Should the ban pass, it could bring the county into conflict with the administration of President Donald Trump.

29 Apr 2017

US Coast Guard to Base 2 New Cutters in Astoria

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…

18 Dec 2016

Disoriented Mariner Rescued in Charleston, Ore

Coast Guard and local fire department crews responded to a mariner who had become lost while attempting to walk back from his vessel after it went soft aground in the Charleston South Slough, Friday. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Sector North Bend safely hoisted and transported the mariner to emergency medical personnel waiting at sector. Watchstanders at sector received an initial report at 2:49 p.m. from a good Samaritan who was concerned after seeing the 30-foot sailing vessel in the slough circling in the same spot. More good Samarita calls came in as people spotted the man on the ground and walking around his vessel after it had grounded.

15 Aug 2016

Fishermen Rescued from Liferaft West of Cape Blanco

The Coast Guard rescued three fishermen from a liferaft 8 miles west of Cape Blanco at 1:15 p.m., Sunday. The three fishermen, reportedly uninjured, are aboard a Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Lifeboat en route to Station Coos Bay, located in Charleston, after abandoning their fishing vessel when it started taking on water. Coast Guard watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Bend received a mayday call from the fishing vessel McCalis, homeported in Charleston, over VHF-FM radio channel 16 at 11:54 a.m. The fishing crew reported their fishing vessel was taking on water through the fish hold and the dewatering pumps were not keeping up. The crew also announced their intention to abandon ship.

07 Jul 2016

FAST Act Grant Awards Announced

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced 18 proposed grant awards for projects under the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects Program. The program, also known as the Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) grants, is a new competitive grant program established under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to provide funding for nationally significant highway, bridge, and freight projects. The FASTLANE program requires DOT to notify the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee at least 60 days before a grant is awarded for a project.

15 Feb 2016

Six Rescued near Oregon, Washington Coast

The Coast Guard rescued six people in three separate search-and-rescue cases Saturday along the Washington and Oregon coastline. On Saturday morning, the Coast Guard rescued three people near Coos Bay, Oregon when their boat overturned. On Saturday evening, two kayakers were stranded between Hope Island and Whidbey Island, Washington when their kayaks capsized and required assistance. Additionally, a 58-year-old man was retrieved from the water after falling from D dock at the Port of Ilwaco, Washington. At approximately 5 p.m., Saturday, a watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a report from 911 dispatch of a male and female kayaker who capsized on the northeast side of Whidbey Island between Whidbey and Hope Islands.

12 Dec 2015

Port Closures for All of Pacific Northwest Entrances

The Coast Guard's two Captains of the Port have closed all maritime entrances in the Pacific Northwest, Friday, due to severe  sea conditions and large amounts of debris in the water. In Oregon, the ports of Chetco River in Brookings; Coos Bay; Umpqua River in Winchester Bay; Siuslaw River in Florence; Yaquina Bay in Newport; Depoe Bay; Tillamook Bay in Girabaldi; and the Columbia River are closed to all traffic. In Washington the port of Grays Harbor in Westport; and Quillayute River in LaPush are closed. Several storms carrying strong winds and heavy rainfall crossed the Pacific Northwest over the last week and have caused flooding and landslides in parts of Oregon and Washington.

28 May 2014

BOEM to Review Wind Energy Demonstration Project Offshore Oregon

As part of the Obama Administration's Climate Action Plan to create American jobs, develop domestic clean energy sources and cut carbon pollution, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced today that it is seeking public comment as it prepares an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze potential impacts of a proposed wind energy demonstration project offshore the coast of Oregon. Principle Power, Inc. (Principle Power) has requested a wind energy commercial lease from BOEM. The company proposes to design, develop and demonstrate a grid-connected, 30-megawatt (MW) offshore wind pilot demonstration project on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Coos Bay, Oregon.

20 Jun 2014

US Closer to Wave Energy off Oregon

Map of potential ocean wave energy resources (Image: National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan to create American jobs, cut carbon pollution and develop domestic energy sources, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced today it has taken an important step toward issuing a research lease for a facility to test utility-scale wave energy devices in federal waters off Oregon. The non-competitive lease would be for the offshore area where the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center at Oregon State University (Center) would site the hydrokinetic energy research project.

04 Sep 2015

Ailing Crewman Medevaced from Cable Lay Ship off US

Screenshot from U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station North Bend

A crew member reportedly suffering from a heart attack was air lifted by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew from a cable-laying vessel 80 miles west of Coos Bay, Ore. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend on Thursday safely transferred the 55-year-old ailing Frenchman to emergency medical personnel at 6:33 a.m., who transported him to Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay. Coast Guard 13th District command center watchstanders in Seattle received a notification from Rescue Coordination Center France personnel that a crew member on Orange Marine's 469-foot…