Sand Island News

The U.S. Army Corps’ Mobile District published a “Market Research and Sources Sought Notice” seeking information on contractors for dredging within the boundaries of Sand Island Beneficial Use Area (SIBUA) in Mobile County, Ala.Note the ACE’s phrase here: this is a “sources sought synopsis,” not yet a solicitation. ACE uses this initial query to check availability of “potential qualified small business firms who own dredges capable of performing the work.” Responses are used to make upcoming acquisition decisions.

Matson has taken delivery of Matsonia, the second of two new Kanaloa Class combination container / roll-on, roll-off (con-ro) ships built for the U.S. carrier at General Dynamics NASSCO's San Diego shipyard. Weighing in at over 50,000 metric tons, Matsonia and Lurline are each 870 feet long, with 114 feet beam and a deep draft of 38 feet. The sister ships have an enclosed garage with room for approximately 500 vehicles, plus ample space for rolling stock and breakbulk cargo. Lurline…

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will stand up its first unit dedicated to supporting the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) in New London, Conn. today.The new Auxiliary unit will support the RDC mission by coordinating requests for assets and skills in three focus areas: subject matter expertise, field research activities and public affairs. The new Auxiliary unit coordinator, Bruce Buckley, will develop a skills bank that matches Coast Guard research priorities to Auxiliary skill sets across the nation.

Unique among the nation’s armed services, the Coast Guard’s missions include national defense, law enforcement, natural disaster incident management, recreational boating safety and environmental protection. This diversity of mission scope presents opportunities for the Coast Guard at the strategic, operational and tactical levels as the service works to make their efforts as effective and efficient as possible.Contributing to the service’s overall execution effort is the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), based in New London, Connecticut.

The Coast Guard continues to respond to an incident aboard the commercial fishing vessel Miss Emma off Oahu, Wednesday.“We’re pleased there was no loss of life in this case, and there are no current reports of pollution,” said Lt. j.g. Seth Gross, a command duty officer for Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. “We will conduct another overflight of the area today, and Coast Guard personnel are investigating the cause of the fire."The vessel caught fire Tuesday afternoon about 8 miles south of Sand Island prompting a search and rescue response.

The U.S. carrier in the Pacific, Matson has received three new 65 long-ton capacity gantry cranes at its Honolulu hub terminal at Sand Island.The biggest ship-to-shore container cranes to be deployed at any commercial harbor in Hawaii, the cranes arrived aboard a special heavy-lift vessel on Saturday and were positioned for discharge starting on Tuesday morning.Matson's acquisition of the new cranes, along with the upgrading of three existing cranes and other improvements, is part of a multi-year $60 million terminal expansion and modernization project at its hub that is tied to the deployment of four new ships between 2018 and 2020.Built for Matson by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding…

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) conducted a successful test burn of oil using the purpose-built burn pan on Little Sand Island in Mobile Bay, Ala. during the week of September 17, 2018.Controlled, pre-planned burns conducted using the Joint Maritime Test Facility allow researchers to gather critical data to help oil spill responders determine best practices for operational use of in-situ burning, develop new equipment with procedures, and to refine training…

Honolulu-based Matson Inc reported fourth-quarter net income of $166.9 million. On a per-share basis it has profit of $3.90. The ocean transportation and logistics services company posted revenue of $516.1 million in the period, beating Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $503.2 million. The  U.S. carrier in the Pacific reported profit of $232 million, or $5.37 per share for the year. Revenue was reported as $2.05 billion. Matt Cox, Matson's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Matson's core businesses performed well during the fourth quarter supported in particular by continued strong demand in our China service and higher lift volumes at SSAT. Overall, 2017 was a solid year for Matson.

Matson, Inc. said its subsidiary Matson Navigation Company, Inc. has replaced one of its three barges dedicated to serving Hawaii's neighbor island ports with a newer, larger barge that will improve service levels. The container barge Columbia, to be renamed Mauna Loa in honor of the barge it replaces, is now Matson's largest barge. At 360 feet long, with a beam (width) of 100 feet and cargo carrying capacity of 12,600 tons or 500 TEU, it is 12 feet longer and 40 feet wider than the barge it replaces, with the capacity to carry 180 more TEU or nearly 8,000 tons more cargo. Built in 2012 by Gunderson Marine and classified as a Deck Cargo Barge with approximately 33,000 square feet of deck cargo space, the vessel's design enables swifter and more fuel efficient transits.

Honolulu-based Hawaii Stevedores, Inc. has received confirmation from Hawaii State Department of Transportation (HDOT) that, together with the state, Hawaii Stevedores will continue the joint development of the Kapalama Container Terminal (KCT). The state has confirmed its commitment for Hawaii Stevedores to lease the new 84-acre, state-of-the-art KCT, which will be constructed at the former Kapalama Military Reserve Terminal at Sand Island in Honolulu, as part of the state’s $448 million harbors modernization plan. “KCT is a shining example of a public/private investment partnership,” said George Pasha, IV, President and CEO, The Pasha Group, which owns Hawaii Stevedores.

Matson Navigation Company, a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific, has signed contracts with Paceco Corporation for the purchase of three new 65 long-ton capacity cranes and modifications to upgrade three existing cranes at its Sand Island Terminal in Honolulu Harbor. The investments are part of a broader $60 million terminal expansion and modernization program Matson is undertaking to prepare its operational hub in Hawaii for the arrival of four new ships the company has on order with a combined value of approximately $930 million and deliveries starting next year. The new cranes will be built by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (MES), delivered next year and installed at Matson's Sand Island Terminal in Honolulu in early 2019.

Coast Guard R&D Center’s JMTF is a big part of the nation’s environmental research efforts. In 1972, the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) established the Fire and Safety Test Detachment (FSTD), which later became the Joint Maritime Test Facility (JMTF), at Coast Guard Sector Mobile in Mobile, Alabama. As part of the unit’s establishment, test facilities were also built on nearby Little Sand Island in Mobile Bay. Since its inception, multiple retired commercial vessels were used as test platforms ending with the State of Maine, which was removed in 2010.

The U.S. federal government has killed more than 1,000 seabirds on an Oregon island since May to protect endangered salmon as part of a plan that environmentalists say is flawed and are seeking to stop with a lawsuit. So far, 1,221 adult cormorants have been killed and more than 5,000 nests destroyed, U.S. officials said on Friday, adding the killing was expected to continue until mid- to late October when the seabirds migrate for the winter. "Government agents are racing about in their boat blowing birds out of the sky," said Bob Sallinger, conservation director of the Audubon Society of Portland. The government workers started culling the birds on May 24 as part of a multi-year plan to kill 11,000 double-crested cormorants, which U.S.

A sailboat with five people aboard caught fire off Honolulu, Thursday, promting responsefrom the U.S. Coast Guard who sent a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Honolulu to tow the vessel to Pier 38 in Honolulu. Sector Honolulu Command Center watchstanders received a report at 9 a.m. from patrons at Aloha Tower of the sailboat on fire about a mile off Sand Island. The watchstanders immediately diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau’s smallboat crew, already underway in the harbor for training, and directed the launch of the station’s RB-M crew. Upon arrival the rescue crews assessed the situation and found the crew aboard the sailboat had put the fire out with an extinguisher. No injuries or pollution were reported.

Matson, Inc., a U.S. carrier in the Pacific, reported net income of $9.9 million, or $0.23 per diluted share for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. The company said its second quarter results were negatively impacted by $13.5 million of additional selling, general and administrative expenses related to the company's acquisition of Horizon Lines, Inc. in excess of the company's incremental run-rate target and by $11.4 million of costs related to the company's settlement with the State of Hawaii to resolve all claims arising from the discharge of molasses into Honolulu Harbor in September 2013, which together reduced earnings per diluted share by $0.33. Net income for the quarter ended June 30, 2014 was $18.1 million, or $0.42 per diluted share.

Pacific cargo shipper Matson, Inc. informs that a settlement has been reached with the State of Hawaii to resolve all civil, criminal and administrative claims that the State could have had arising from the discharge of molasses into Honolulu Harbor in September 2013. Matson will pay $5.9 million to the State as compensation for damaged coral and lost fish, as well as the State's response and other costs. As part of the settlement, Matson has terminated its molasses operations in Honolulu and has committed to remove the molasses risers and tanks at Sand Island terminal at an estimated cost of between $5.5 million and $9.5 million bringing the total cost to Matson of between $11.4 million and $15.4 million.

Dave Hoppes, Matson’s senior vice president, ocean services, will retire March 31, 2015, the company announced. John Lauer, currently vice president, Transpacific services at the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Matson Navigation Company, Inc., will succeed Hoppes as senior vice president, ocean services, effective March 31, 2015. The company also announced that Chris Scott, currently director, Asia at Matson Navigation Company, will succeed Lauer as vice president, Transpacific services at Matson Navigation Company, effective March 31, 2015, as part of the transition plan.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said it is investigating a sewage discharge from one of its vessels, the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau, at Coast Guard Base Sand Island, Tuesday. According to the USCG, at approximately 9:30 a.m. Monday a crewmember aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Morgenthau reported the smell of sewage to the Engineer of the Watch. The Engineer of the Watch went to the side of the ship and observed brown water flowing overboard through the sewage discharge port intended for use only at sea and immediately secured the system.

Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. has reported second quarter 2002 net income of $13,197,000, or $0.32 per share. Net income in the second quarter of 2001 was $24,514,000, or $0.61 per share, including a one-time gain of $0.23 per share on the sale of marketable bank securities. Revenue in the second quarter of 2002 was $279,185,000, compared with revenue of $293,012,000 in the second quarter of 2001. Net income for the first half of 2002 was $23,004,000, or $0.56 per share. For the first half of 2001, the Company reported net income of $46,948,000, or $1.16 per share. Revenue in the first half of 2002 was $512,972,000, compared with $567,793,000 in the first half of 2001.

The newest Coast Guard vessel in Hawaii, the 87-ft. (26.5 m) patrol boat Kittiwake, was designed to venture out on the sea when the strength of other ships has failed, when the mystery of that ship and crew's limits has been solved. To the men and women of the 14th Coast Guard District and the hundreds of sailors the new vessel will rescue in the future, the arrival of the Kittiwake is a beautiful sight. Kittiwake was officially commissioned on June 30 during a ceremony held at Coast Guard Search and Rescue Detachment Kauai in Nawiliwili Harbor. Bollinger Shipyards built the $3.5 million Marine Protector Class Coastal Patrol Boat in Lockport, La. to replace the Coast Guard Cutter Point Evans, a Vietnam War-era, 82-ft.

The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that the brown substance that is contaminating much of Honolulu Harbor and Keehi Lagoon and is the apparent cause of death for many marine animals, is molasses that spilled into the harbor from a pipeline under Pier 52. The public is advised not to enter the ocean if they notice a brown color in the water. The plume of dark water is moving with the tides and currents from Honolulu Harbor into the Keehi Lagoon. From the lagoon, it is expected to dissipate into the ocean. DOH also advises the public not to consume any of the dead fish that may be found in the area. In response to the spill…

The Hawaii Department of Health has implemented an incident command system to further organize the response to the molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor, Monday. An incident command post has been established at the Clean Islands Council facility near Sand Island. The incident command is comprised of representatives from the Hawaii Department of Health, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Transportation, Matson, Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The incident command has drafted and approved an incident action plan which outlines key objectives of the response and provides clear direction to all participants.

Donjon removed the Navy research vessel Shadwell from Mobile Bay, after it was grounded as a result of the recent hurricanes. Donjon Marine, Co., Inc., recently removed from strand the Ex-Troop Carrier State of Maine and the Navy research vessel Shadwell, which were grounded on Little Sand Island in Mobile Bay, Ala., as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The operation was planned, and directed by Donjon, but performed with the use of local subcontractors for dredging, crane barge, and towing services. A U.S. Navy Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) also was deployed for diving and support labor. This project also offered an opportunity for the MDSU team to use and train on its hydraulic pulling equipment, which was specifically designed for grounding operations.