Merchants Exchange Spring 2015 Newsletter

JUNE 2015

A PUBLICATION OF THE MERCHANTS EXCHANGE OF PORTLAND

EXCHANGE THE

QUARTERLY

WELCOME TO THE

EXCHANGE Note from the Executive Director: I am pleased to present to you the newly re-designed Merchants Exchange Newsletter: The Exchange, a publication of the Merchants Exchange! The Exchange has been reformatted to a new magazine style, with new content and items relevant to our membership. We hope it will be a resource to our members and stakeholders within the community!

With the backing of our members, commitment of our Board of Directors and the knowledge and dedication of the staff, the Merchants Exchange continues to serve our members and the maritime transportation industry with our mission “To be the leading provider of information and related services to all stakeholders of the Pacific Northwest intermodal transportation system and to support related business interests for domestic and foreign commerce.”

CONTENTS 4

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

6

COMM CENTER CORNER

8

CYBER SECURITY UPDATE

10

ASSOCIATION UPDATE

In The Exchange newsletter we will continue to share the work being done by staff and the direction we are going – we are attaining our goals and objectives, all which ensure sustainability of the Merchants Exchange and our ability to serve our members.

We look forward to each opportunity to continue to serve our members in 2015 and beyond. We welcome your suggestions for news topics and/or articles.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Liz Wainwright Executive Director Merchants Exchange of Portland

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10

MARITIME FIRE & SAFETY ASSOCIATION & F-PAAC

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CLEAN RIVERS

12

MARITIME COMMERCE CLUB

13

PACIFIC NORTHWEST GRAIN & FEED ASSOCIATION

14

MEX GRAIN COMMITTEE

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MEX SCHOLARSHIP

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Cover photo credit: Jim Horne, Columbia River Pilots 2 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • June 2015

June 2015 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • 3

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Randy Click (2016) President ACGI Shipping Garrett Costello (2016) Vice President Columbia Grain, Inc. Mike Morgan (2017) Treasurer Columbia Export Terminal, LLC Mark Jensen (2018) Secretary Temco Mike Schiller (2016) Port of Vancouver USA Kevin Jones (2018) Tidewater Barge Lines Kristin Meira (2018) Pacific Northwest Waterways Association Philip Brotherton (2018) Transmarine Navigation Corporation Sebastian Degens (2017) Port of Portland Wayne Yim (2017) Cascade Marine Agencies Frank Burg (Ex Officio) President, Clean Rivers Cooperative Owens Corning Richard Vincent (Ex Officio) President, Maritime Fire & Safety Association Port of Portland Capt. Rick Gill (Ex Officio) Columbia River Pilots Legal Counsel: Tyson Calvert Lindsay Hart LLP Term expires (listed in parenthesis) in February of the given year 4 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • June 2015

THE PRINCIPAL ROLE OF A BOARD MEMBER

IS STEWARDSHIP. THE DIRECTORS OF THE MERCHANTS EXCHANGE ARE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE AFFAIRS OF THE EXCHANGE. THIS REQUIRES ACTIVE PARTICIPATION. THE BOARD MUST ENSURE THAT THE ORGANIZATION IS OPERATED FOR A NON-PROFIT PURPOSE; IT MAY NOT BE OPERATED FOR PRIVATE BENEFIT. PROPER STEWARDSHIP REQUIRES THAT THE ORGANIZATION’S ASSETS BE HELD “IN TRUST” TO BE APPLIED TO ITS MISSION.

Captain Rick Gill, Columbia River Pilots

Phil Brotherton, Transmarine Navigation

Phil Brotherton, previously of the Merchants Exchange Board of Directors (2007-2010), has been elected to serve another term, and we are excited to welcome him back. Phil is originally from Connecticut and moved to the West Coast in 1981, where he attended the University of California, Santa Barbara for a year before attending California Maritime Academy. Phil graduated from California Maritime Academy in 1986 with a B.S. in Nautical Industrial Technology. After graduating from CMA, Phil sailed with Exxon Shipping from 1986-1987 before working for General Steamship for six years in Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Phil started In 1995, Rick transitioned into work from Shaver at Transmarine Navigation in 1994 and is currently Transportation where he spent ten years navigating Vice President, Administration and based out of the the Columbia, Willamette, and Snake Rivers before Vancouver, WA office. becoming a Columbia River Pilot in 2005.

Phil has also been an active member of the Columbia Rick currently lives in Warren, OR with his daughter River Steamship Operators’ Association (CRSOA) (17), and his son (15).

Board of Directors from 1998-present, serving two terms as President and one half term as Co-Chair.

Welcome Aboard, Rick!

Capt. Rick Gill comes to the Merchants Exchange Board of Directors as an ex officio director from the Columbia River Pilots, where he is currently serving an administrative pilot role as Vice President. A graduate of the United States Merchants Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY, Rick holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marine Transportation. Upon graduation in 1991, Captain Gill sailed for the Keystone Shipping Company for four years as an officer on vessels hauling crude oil from Valdez, AK to West Coast Ports and served in the US Navy Reserves for eight years.

Welcome Aboard, Phil!

Kevin Jones, Tidewater Barge Lines Kevin T. Jones comes to the Merchants Exchange Board with over 30 years of experience in waterfront operations involving the management of marine terminals, stevedoring services and vessel operations. Kevin started his waterfront career as a customs house broker in the early 1980s and began his progression in the industry by working as a vessel agent. In 1986, he moved to Jones Stevedoring where he would spend ten years as a Vessel Superintendent learning every aspect of cargo stevedoring and labor management and then Assistant Vice President of Sales, working on commercial agreements.

In 1996, Kevin moved to Kinder Morgan to take on the role of Regional Vice President, a position that required the management of all aspects of operations for seven marine terminals with 60 management and 170 longshore employees handling eight million tons of cargo annually for the West Coast. Following his tenure at Kinder Morgan, Kevin moved to his present employment with Tidewater Barge Lines as Manager of Business Development-Infrastructure.

Kevin is active in the waterfront and marine industries and maintains strong long-term business relationships with previous employers, customers, Port Authorities and employer associations.

Welcome Aboard, Kevin!

June 2015 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • 5

COMM CENTER CORNER NEXT PORT OF CALL: Columbia River

96 hours out: Local Shipping Agent submits MFSA Vessel Enrollment

SS Steerman arrives at the Lightship Buoy at the mouth of the Columbia River Vessel awaits Columbia River Bar Pilot

Merchants Exchange Communication Center reviews MFSA enrollment

Columbia River Bar Pilots safely navigates the SS Steerman across the Columbia River Bar

Columbia River Pilot safely navigates the SS Steerman through the river

Vessel arrives at terminal for loading of grain exports

Once cargo loading and notifications are complete, it’s time to go!

Vessel transitions to a Columbia River Pilot

Columbia River Pilots safely navigates the SS Steerman through the river

Vessel awaits the boarding of a Columbia River Pilot

Columbia River Pilots safely navigates the SS Steerman across the Columbia River Bar

6 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • June 2015

Vessel transitions to a Columbia River Bar Pilot

FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE S.S. STEERMAN,

a fictional vessel on a voyage up the Columbia River System!

1. Notifications and Enrollments. Ninety six hours prior to arrival, the local shipping agent submits a number of forms, including the Maritime Fire and Safety Association (MFSA) 96 Hour Vessel Enrollment. a. The Merchants Exchange Communications Specialist on duty reviews the enrollment after submission and imports the ship information into the tracking system. b. Information is confirmed and checked against the Lloyd’s List registry. c. A ship record is now generated and ready for review by the next specialist on duty.

2. Arrived in Astoria! The vessel hails the Columbia River Bar Pilot’s station in Astoria. a. The Merchants Exchange Communications Specialist on duty overhears this transmission over the Marine Radio and prepares the ship electric data card for this voyage.

3. Bar Pilot to River Pilot Transfer! The Bar Pilots have safely navigated the SS Steerman over the Columbia River Bar and past the Astoria Megler Bridge. It’s time for the River Pilots to navigate her through the rest of our river system. a. Launch notifies the Merchants Exchange to report the pilot time and name of the River Pilot who boarded. This is called the leave up time. b. Communications Specialist on Duty now informs any members involved in this arrival. In this case, as the vessel is headed towards a grain elevator in the Portland area, the Specialist calls: i. Tug Company ii. Lines Service iii. Vessel Agent iv. US Customs and Border Protection v. Terminal Security Gate vi. Columbia River Pilots (COLRIP) Dispatch 4. Passing Columbia City. The River Pilot on board the vessel calls the Merchants Exchange to inform them of the estimated time they reach the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia River (often called Kelly Point). This is called the River Time. The vessel is now 2 hours from Berth. a. Notification phone calls are made by the Communications Specialist again. This gives everyone a better idea of when the vessel will be at berth.

5. At Berth! Once the move to berth is complete, the River Pilot notifies the Merchants Exchange of the all-fast time.

The Specialist calls the COLRIP dispatch to report the time.

6. Load Cargo: The ship loads grain at berth. If the vessel moves to any other docks or anchor the Merchants Exchange will work with the Columbia River Pilots, Tug companies, agents, launch company and docks to ensure that all related move times are documented and notifications are made.

7. Departure Readiness! All parties involved need to be notified. This can take place by the vessel agent, COLRIP Dispatch, or the Merchants Exchange (if the firming takes places after 1700hrs).

8. River Pilot boards! She’s ready to go! She heads back down river to the Pilot’s Station in Astoria. Upon arrival, the time will be relayed back to the Merchants Exchange Communications Specialist who records it on the ship card. This is called the Down Time and is passed down to the COLRIP dispatch.

9. Bar Pilot takes her back across the Columbia River Bar to the CR Buoy. Their Columbia River port call is complete.

June 2015 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • 7

CYBER SECURITY

CYBER SECURITY UPDATE How much of your daily life is reliant upon computers? How often do you use your mobile device to access the internet or work files? Do you check your work email on your phone, tablet or personal computer? How much of your own personal information is stored on your computer or on a work system?

If you are like many working professionals in our industry, the answer to the questions above is probably “a lot.”

Technology has evolved to allow us to navigate an unfamiliar area, videoconference across international borders, and send your co-worker that important file---all from your mobile phone or tablet! This increased connection comes with increased risk. In this increasingly connected world, it is imperative to maintain proper cybersecurity protocols in order to protect not only your own personal information, but the information of your company.

The internet is a dynamic technology and as such, always changing and developing. Within this constant maelstrom of technology, new threats are identified daily and cybersecurity breaches are an ever-present threat.

US –Cert (The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team—from the Department of Homeland Security) recommends the following general security for keeping your information secure!

There are some simple habits you can adopt that, if performed consistently, may dramatically reduce the chances that the information on your computer will be lost or corrupted.

How can you minimize the access other people have to your information?

You may be able to easily identify people who could, legitimately or not, gain physical access to your computer— family members, roommates, co-workers, members of a cleaning crew, and maybe others. Identifying the people who could gain remote access to your computer becomes much more difficult. As long as you have a computer and connect it to a network, you are vulnerable to someone or something else accessing or corrupting your information; however, you can develop habits that make it more difficult.

8 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • June 2015

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Lock your computer when you are away from it. Even if you only step away from your computer for a few minutes, it’s enough time for someone else to destroy or corrupt your information. Locking your computer prevents another person from being able to simply sit down at your computer and access all of your information.

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Disconnect your computer from the Internet when you aren’t using it. The development of technologies such as DSL and cable modems have made it possible for users to be online all the time, but this convenience comes with risks. The likelihood that attackers or viruses scanning the network for available computers will target your computer becomes much higher if your computer is always connected. Depending on what method you use to connect to the Internet, disconnecting may mean disabling a wireless connection, turning off your computer or modem, or disconnecting cables. When you are connected, make sure that you have a firewall enabled (see Understanding Firewalls for more information).

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Evaluate your security settings. Most software, including browsers and email programs, offers a variety of features that you can tailor to meet your needs and requirements. Enabling certain features to increase convenience or functionality may leave you more vulnerable to being attacked. It is important to examine the settings, particularly the security settings, and select options that meet your needs without putting you at increased risk. If you install a patch or a new version of the software, or if you hear of something that might affect your settings, reevaluate your settings to make sure they are still appropriate (see Understanding Patches, Safeguarding Your Data, and Evaluating Your Web Browser’s Security Settings for more information).

What other steps can you take?

Sometimes the threats to your information aren’t from other people but from natural or technological causes.

Although there is no way to control or prevent these problems, you can prepare for them and try to minimize the damage.

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Protect your computer against power surges and brief outages. Aside from providing outlets to plug in your computer and all of its peripherals, some power strips protect your computer against power surges. Many power strips now advertise compensation if they do not effectively protect your computer. Power strips alone will not protect you from power outages, but there are products that do offer an uninterruptible power supply when there are power surges or outages. During a lightning storm or construction work that increases the odds of power surges, consider shutting your computer down and unplugging it from all power sources.

Back up all of your data. Whether or not you take steps to protect yourself, there will always be a possibility that something will happen to destroy your data. You have probably already experienced this at least once— losing one or more files due to an accident, a virus or worm, a natural event, or a problem with your equipment.

Regularly backing up your data on a CD or network reduces the stress and other negative consequences that result from losing important information (see Real-World Warnings Keep You Safe Online for more information).

Determining how often to back up your data is a personal decision. If you are constantly adding or changing data, you may find weekly backups to be the best alternative; if your content rarely changes, you may decide that your backups do not need to be as frequent. You don’t need to back up software that you own on CD-ROM or DVDROM—you can reinstall the software from the original media if necessary.

Both the National Cyber Security Alliance and US-CERT have identified this topic as one of the top tips for home users.

Authors Mindi McDowell and Allen Householder (https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-003)

June 2015 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • 9

ASSOCIATION UPDATE

OIL PROGRAM

MARITIME FIRE & SAFETY ASSOCIATION

It has been a busy few months for the MFSA Oil Program!

On March 17th and 18th the MFSA held their Worst Case Discharge Tabletop Exercise in partnership with the Overseas Shipping Group. OSG operates a fleet of tankers and regularly calls on the Columbia-Willamette River system. With nearly 100 people participating in the drill that was held at the Red Lion On the River, the MFSA tested their ability to work with contractors, agencies and the responsible party to respond to a major event. This year’s exercise had a heavy focus on wildlife. The wildlife branch included federal representation as well as members of

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In Plan related news, the International Group of P&I Clubs announced on April 13th, 2015, that the MFSA’s plan now conforms with the IG’s guidance on vessel plans. You can read more about it here.

Training

On March 4, 31 trainees gathered on the M/V Westwood Columbia while it was docked at the Weyerhauser facility in Longview, WA to learn and practice technical skills, including:

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Less than a month later, MFSA followed up with an equipment deployment exercise on April 16th on the Willamette at Swan Island. MFSA’s contractors, Clean Rivers and NRCES, deployed a tandem of shallow water recover barges with skimmers to demonstrate an enhanced skimming configuration of the Clean Rivers – MFSA assets.

F-PAAC

Two trainings were held this Spring for F-PAAC Technicians. The trainings completed the first round of the new F-PAAC Technician training curriculum for land based firefighters.

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both Oregon and Washington departments of Fish and Wildlife. MFSA and OSG added contracted wildlife support.

Reading a vessel’s Fire Control Plan (FCP) and using it to locate shipboard systems and equipment Monitoring and maintaining vessel stability and considerations for dewatering Using MFSA’s Incident Command Radio Interoperability (ICRI) system to enable

10 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • June 2015

communication among F-PAAC agencies with different radios and enhance radio signal inside the vessel •

Setting up the MFSA firefighting foam deployment system

The Clatsop Community College MERTS campus was the location of the training on April 25. Forty-one attendees participated in the training, which focused on: •

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Hands-on use of special extinguishing agents •

CO2

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Foam

Hose line advancement and fire attack using the MERTS live fire prop to simulate advancing the hose line down three decks into the vessel’s engine room

MEMBERSHIP TRAINING:

HAZWOPER Refresher

Mutual Aid Training

Eighty-two people participated in Clean River’s Annual 8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher Training. One of four quarterly trainings provided to Clean Rivers members, the HAZWOPER Refresher consists of a classroom session covering laws and regulations, health and safety plans, hazard communication labeling and job hazard analysis; followed by hands-on demonstrations of air monitoring, vacuum truck operations, grounding and bounding, decontamination and portable storage.

Corey Sipple, NRCES Regional Safety Manager, was the lead instructor for the training.

Mutual Aid Training was conducted on June 3rd. All Clean Rivers members are welcome to participate in the training, which simulates a callout for mutual aid response and practices tasks such as GRP deployment, oil recovery and source containment operations.

For further information, please contact Alyson Evans, Clean Rivers Administrative Coordinator, at 503-220-2084 or evans@pdxmex.com.

CLEAN RIVERS OPEN HOUSE

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Please join us to tour the new facility, see our equipment displays and enjoy a BBQ lunch!

Email evans@pdxmex.com to RSVP.

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Hands-on use of MFSA’s specialized cutting tools •

Petrogen torch

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Magnetic drill

a record attendance of 52 people to hear presentations about new and proposed facility projects throughout the Lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers as well as a presentation from BNSF and a roundtable discussion with county emergency management personnel.

Summit The F-PAAC Annual Summit was held on April 15 at the

Reading the Westwood Columbia’s Fire Control Plan.

Cowlitz County Regional Conference Center. We had

View the most recent F-PAAC training showing the firefighters extinguishing a fire inside the engine room of the MERTS live fire prop.

June 2015 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • 11

STATE OF

THE PORTS Guests joined MCC for a breakfast at the Sentinel Hotel on April 30, where eight ports provided an update on the latest news, challenges, current projects and opportunities in the coming year.

Thank you to all who participated and making this the most successful educational event yet!

Maritime Commerce Club sets sail for fun aboard the beautiful

Willamette Star!

Wednesday, September 9 6:00 - 8:00 PM Details and registration to follow

Don’t miss the best party on the river!

12 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • June 2015

SPEAKERS: Gary Ballew, Director of Economic Development & Marketing, Port of Pasco Kevin Greenwood, General Manager, Port of Newport Geir-Eilif Kalhagen, Chief Executive Officer, Port of Longview Keith Leavitt, Chief Commercial Officer, Port of Portland Gary Neal, General Manager, Port of Morrow Mike Schiller, Business Development Manager, Port of Vancouver Patrick Trapp, Executive Director, Port of St. Helens Mark Wilson, Executive Director, Port of Kalama

Mike Schiller, Port of Vancouver USA, presenting at the State of the Ports breakfast.

2015 Schedule of Events: 98th Annual Convention & Golf Tournaments Sun Valley Resort Sun Valley, Idaho June 24 - 26, 2015 Sun Valley Resort

Annual Idaho Trout Fry & Golf Scramble Clear Lake Country Club Buhl, Idaho September 24, 2015

Clear Lake Country Club

2015 PNWGFA SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

The Pacific Northwest Grain & Feed Association Scholarship Fund has announced the award recipients for 2015. This year, the Scholarship Fund awarded $1,250 to each of these candidates who surpass their peers in scholastic achievements, community service, strong work ethic, and are motivated to continue their college education. The Fund received 17 (complete) applications this year. We are proud to announce the following awardees: JACOB ARLT will attend Walla Walla Community College this fall, as he pursues a career in agriculture. Jacob has been involved in agriculture his entire life, growing up on the family farm. At 15 years old, he used his harvest wages to sign his own land lease and started with his own crop of lentils. Now at 18, Jacob farms 1200 acres of grain crops and C.R.P. After college, he will return home to run the family farm. Jacob was sponsored for this scholarship by Palouse Grain Growers.

NICOLE EDWARDS will attend University of Portland where she plans to obtain her BA in Business and Communications. In addition to being a three-sport student and very community involved throughout high school, Nicole graduated as Valedictorian of her class with 12 varsity letters.

Her plan is to pursue a business degree, then return home and help manage the family farm. Nicole was sponsored for this scholarship by Tri-Cities Grain.

CRYSTAL GODFREY will be attending Utah State University where she will pursue her Bachelor’s Degree in Ag Business. Crystal is known in her community for her work ethic, dedication and compassion to others. In addition to raising bum (orphan) lambs in her youth, she adopted a local elderly couple and regularly cared for them and their residence until their passing. Crystal is a very driven young lady and plans to continue her civic activities. Crystal was sponsored by Gavilon Grain in Burley, Idaho.

MITCHELL JAMISON will begin his classes at University of Idaho to pursue his B.S. in Agriculture Economics. Mitchell was the 2014 FFA Washington State Star in Agricultural Placement award recipient, solidifying his commitment and career in agriculture. He will return home to co-manage the 2200 acre grain farm with his father. Mitchell was sponsored by Palouse Grain Growers.

JOSEPH KOHL will enter the Dawson College in Montana this fall, where he will major in Business Administration and minor in Ag Business. He is currently employed at Columbia Grain and plans to continue his career with CGI upon his graduation. Joseph was proudly sponsored by Columbia Grain Great Falls and Kasa Point, Montana.

CODY MEYER will be attending Walla Walla Community College to pursue Ag Business and Plant Science. Cody hopes to first work for a fertilizer company, aiding the community and world with the production of quality food products, before he returns home to run the family farm. Cody was sponsored by Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative.

June 2015 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • 13

The MEX Grain Golf Committee held its 30th Annual Invitational Golf Tournament on June 5, 2015 at the OGA Golf Course in Woodburn, Oregon.

Thank you to all who participated!

Thank you to our sponsors who generously contributed to the Merchants Exchange Grain Committee Golf Tournament!

Platinum

Gold

Silver

14 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • June 2015

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BUY YOUR MEX SCHOLARSHIP FUND RAFFLE TICKETS! 1 TICKET FOR $10 3 TICKETS FOR $25 7 TICKETS FOR $50

WIN ONE FULL WEEK AT A WORLDMARK DESTINATION OF YOUR CHOICE! (Maximum of 8,000 credits)

cheryls on 12th bravo sign b&w.pdf 1 10/22/2012 6:49:35 PM

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WIN A SPECIALTY GIFT BASKET from Cheryl’s on 12th - including fine food and beverage from local artisans

WIN A ROUND OF GOLF FOR FOUR + carts at Stone Creek Golf Club in Oregon City, Oregon

WIN A TWO NIGHT STAY AT SUNRIVER RESORT - Minor restrictions may

apply

Raffle drawing will be held at the Merchants Exchange Open House July 30th, 2015 June 2015 • Merchants Exchange of Portland • 15

CONTACT US 24 / 7 COMMUNICATION CENTER (503) 228-4361

Note from the Editors: Bekah Canfield and Hannah Zaayer are CoEditors of The Exchange and we would love to hear from you! If you have an issue or an article that you would like to see printed in The Exchange for future issues, please feel free to email Bekah (canfield@pdxmex.com). If you are a member who would like to publicize or announce an upcoming event or industry announcement, please email Hannah (zaayer@pdxmex.com)

contactus@pdxmex.com

200 SW Market Street Suite 190 Portland, OR 97201

Thank you!

CALENDAR June 24-26 PNWGFA Annual

Convention, Sun Valley, ID

July 8

LCR Harbor Safety Committee Meeting - Astoria 16 USCG Industry Breakfast

August 13 CRSOA Luncheon 20

USCG Industry Breakfast

24 CRSOA Summer Picnic 30 MEX Open House

September 9 MCC Harbor Splash

October 8 CRSOA Luncheon

17 Captain of the Port Breakfast 15 Captain of the Port Breakfast 29 PNWGFA Idaho Trout Fry

November 19 USCG Industry Breakfast