TraPac Los Angeles recently entered “Green Marine environmental certification program” for the North American maritime industry, becoming the first terminal operator in California joining the program.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) Rule 1142 relating to gaseous leaks from tank vessels will continue to be enforced despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the government of California wrote a letter to the Trump Administration requesting immediate deployment of the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to the Port of Los Angeles until September 2020, so as to be prepared in response to the disease.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted the ‘Fuel Sulfur and Other Operational Requirements for Ocean-Going Vessels within California Waters and 24 Nautical Miles of the California Baseline’ (OGV Fuel Regulation) in 2008. CARB reminds vessel owners and operators that the requirements under the OGV Fuel Regulation are still in effect.
The Offshore Wind California coalition (OWC), urged California to aim towards reaching a minimum of 10GW of offshore wind by 2040, to provide jobs, generate growth and meet the state’s goal to 100% renewable power by 2045.
Turkey’s Yilport Holdins SA is under discussion to purchase a container terminal in Long Beach, California. The discussions are between Yilport’s businessman, Robert Yuksel Yildirim, and terminal owner Cosco Holdings Co. Yet, the discussions weren’t exclusive as there were at least two more bidders.
California’s ballast water management regulations are included in the Marine Invasive Species Act, which can be found within the California Public Resources Code and title 2 California Code of Regulations. These regulations are implemented by the California State Lands Commission, the West P&I Club says. Fines for breaching these regulations are based on a ‘per tank’ basis and can be significant.
A group of House Democrats introduced a suite of eight bills, on December 8, aimed at blocking President Trump’s proposal to expand offshore oil and natural gas drilling around the country. The bills occurred as Trump administration is to release the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, that will define the administration’s vision of drilling procedures.
California recently shared its experience from the first year of enforcing Biofouling Management Regulations, that apply to vessels arriving at California ports from 1 October 2017. The California State Lands Commission emphasised that the International AFS Certificate issued by a vessel’s flag state is not enough to document effectiveness of a vessel’s antifouling coating.
Golden Gate Zero Emission Marine announced the beginning of construction of the ‘Water-Go-Round’, the first-of-its-kind hydrogen fuel cell boat, representing a global paradigm for the advantages of hydrogen fuel cells in the commercial maritime industry. When launched in mid-2019 the Water-Go-Round will be the first fuel cell vessel in the US and the first commercial fuel cell ferry in the world.
