We’re Humboldt Maritime Logistics and we live and work in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Having lived, fished and surfed in Humboldt County since moving here in 1995 to earn an Oceanography degree from Humboldt State University, I can’t help but have a deeply rooted appreciation for our bay and all of its ecological importance and natural beauty.  The years I’ve spent working on Humboldt Bay in the tugboat industry have also taught me something: The bay is an economic asset and opportunity for us all.

In 2007 I founded Humboldt Maritime Logistics. It’s a locally based West Coast maritime transportation company that respects the bay as an ecological epicenter of our region, but that also provides economical benefits to the community.

As of 2009, my business partner and I have designed a coastal container-on-barge service that will reduce our local shippers’ transportation costs, provide them with a more environmentally friendly means to ship their goods, and will help them gain greater market access. It is the first integrated marine highway freight program for the U.S. West Coast.

In order to ensure both public and private support for the project on the local and national level, we’ve teamed up with the Humboldt Bay Recreation & Conservation District. The end result is a unique public-private partnership called the Blue Coast Intermodal West Coast Hub-Feeder.

People often talk about short sea shipping like it’s an ideological concept that’s going to require great coastal bureaucratic cooperation and infrastructure improvements. But we think of short sea shipping as the connection of existing freight lanes into a continuous loop, allowing shippers to pool freight into increased economies of scale and gain greater coastal market access.  A well organized and specifically designed coastal freight program will work to the benefit of all participating shippers.

We see this as an appropriately scaled service to our community, one that can be implemented easily here in Humboldt Bay as the barge service comes to fruition.  We see this as a way to stimulate our local economy, create jobs, and help insulate our shippers from rising transportation costs and impending air quality restrictions.

Please email us – or call me directly – if you have any questions about HML or our plans for the future.

Capt. Stephen J. Pepper
President
USCG 200 GT NC MTV

Phone: (707) 616-5244
Email: info@humboldtlogistics.com
Contact form: Click here
Mail: PO Box 3153, Eureka, CA 95502