Petition circulates requesting Blaine Harbor fuel services

A petition asking the Port of Bellingham to bring a fuel pump to Blaine Harbor has resurfaced conversations on fueling for boats mooring in the harbor, which have relied on Semiahmoo Marina to power their boats for nearly a decade.

Previously, the now-shuttered Blaine Marina Inc. offered fuel to both recreational and commercial boats mooring in Blaine Harbor. The Semiahmoo Marina Condominium Association (SMCA) competed with Blaine Marina Inc. for the best pricing, according to the petition, but that fuel service ended when Blaine Marina Inc. closed in 2015 after 60 years in business.

In 2016, the port discussed bringing back fuel services to Blaine Harbor over several meetings. During the April 5, 2016 meeting, Semiahmoo Marina harbormaster Doug Romano and Paul Barlock, then president of SMCA board of directors, presented to the port commissioners about offering fuel discounts to boats mooring in Blaine Harbor as an alternative to restarting fueling in Blaine.

Barlock told commissioners that Semiahmoo offering fuel would let the port to save money on installing and operating a fuel dock, allowing the port to allocate that money to other improvements in the harbor.

Milan Slipcevic, then president of Whatcom Commercial Fishermen’s Association, said during the April 2016 meeting that he was concerned about the lack of competition for Semiahmoo.

“The intent is not to become a commercial monopoly as much as spend your money wisely and if we can help the port, we want to help you,” Barlock had said.

Dream Boat Company owner Randall Parten said the discount ended several years ago along with a discount for commercial boaters and Semiahmoo Yacht Club tenants.

Parten, who operates the yacht brokerage out of Blaine Harbor, created the petition to the Port of Bellingham calling on the port to prioritize bringing fuel services to the harbor and in the interim ask SMCA to reinstate the fuel discounts.

As of September 17, the petition had about 70 people support it, though some only included their IP address and not their actual signature. Parten said some people were afraid to sign in fear of retaliation.

Mike Hogan, public affairs administrator at the Port of Bellingham, wrote in an email to The Northern Light that port executive director Rob Fix received the petition on August 5 and had verbal conversations individually with the commissioners about Blaine fuel services. Fix reached out to Semiahmoo Marina to try to get the discount reinstated and, as of September 18, Semiahmoo had not indicated whether the discount would be reinstated, Hogan said.

Port staff plans to bring the topic to commissioners for discussion and direction at an upcoming port meeting, Hogan said.

“Short of a discount from Semiahmoo, the Port will likely start to plan for a new fuel service in Blaine Harbor,” Hogan said. “This will be an expensive project and challenging to permit, therefore it will likely be years before we see the project get started.”

The 2022 Blaine Wharf District Master Plan, a joint planning document between the port and city of Blaine, states the area is in need of an upgrade to better serve the marine industry and lists fueling facilities as a priority.

Romano wrote on behalf of SMCA in an email to The Northern Light that SMCA never intended for the discount to be offered in perpetuity.

“SMCA never executed an agreement with the Port, and it had no obligation to offer such a discount,” Romano wrote. “When it became financially infeasible to continue, SMCA ceased offering a discount to Port moorage tenants.”

At the time of SMCA’s proposal to the port in 2016, Semiahmoo Marina was offering diesel for $1.99 per gallon and $2.99 per gallon for gasoline, according to SMCA’s port presentation.

Semiahmoo Marina has two 12,000-gallon fuel tanks with current fuel prices of $4.39 per gallon for diesel and $5.69 per gallon for gasoline, according to the SMCA website. SMCA owners receive a 35-cent discount per gallon and SMCA tenants receive a 20-cent discount per gallon.

Romano wrote that SMCA consistently sets its fuel prices near the median level based on fuel surveys for the Pacific Northwest.

Parten’s petition was sent to the port the same day that he and Western Yacht Systems owner David Rasmussen filed a lawsuit against SMCA, Romano and SMCA president Tom Johannessen in Whatcom County Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges unlawful trade, unlawful monopoly, unfair competition and defamation, among other complaints. According to Parten, he had been unjustly accused of operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol.

Parten wrote in the petition that Semiahmoo Marina, as a private entity, had banned him and Rasmussen from buying fuel and offering commercial services at the 300-slip marina. Parten added it’s a public safety issue when his company, which also offers towing and marine rescue, doesn’t have access to fuel nearby.

Parten alleged Johannessen started a boat surveying business in 2019, and shortly thereafter began constraining outside marine service providers.

Rasmussen said he lost all of his Semiahmoo customers, about 20 percent of his clientele, when he was banned a few years ago.

“There are many hundreds of boaters in our area that no longer have access to what is a miniscule number of marine service providers in our immediate area,” Parten said.

“In light of pending litigation recently initiated against SMCA in Whatcom County Superior Court (which SMCA is vigorously defending), we will not comment on matters that might bear upon the litigation,” Romano wrote.

“[SMCA] enforces rules and regulations which are designed to maximize the enjoyment of the marina by its members,” Romano wrote. “SMCA has the right to ban third parties from using SMCA facilities for violations of such rules and regulations.”

Parten said he gets fuel in Bellingham when he’s towing a boat there or goes to Point Roberts, where fuel is more expensive. He then burns the fuel he’s purchased on his return trip.

“In my mind, the injustice of that petition is they’re not just a private entity, they’re a private entity that made a commitment to the government and the community,” Parten said. “It changed the dynamic.”