Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar appointed Liz Birnbaum, an attorney with two decades of federal government and private sector experience in energy and environmental policy, as Director of the Department’s Minerals Management Service. The appointment does not require Senate confirmation.<br
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen presented the Auxiliary with a Coast Guard Unit Commendation award Tuesday at Coast Guard Headquarters as part of the Coast Guard's celebration of the Coast Guard Auxiliary's 70th anniversary."The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the finest all-volunteer organization in our nation," said Adm.
The U.S. Coast Guard named its new Assistant Commandant for Acquisition and its Chief Acquisition Officer June 15 and promoted that flag officer to rear admiral upper half.The Coast Guard's newest two-star admiral is Rear Adm. Ronald J. Rábago, a 1978 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy.
Revised guidance on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships was agreed by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) when it met at the Organization's London Headquarters for its 86th session from 27 May to 5 June. Specific guidance relating to the continued attacks on ships off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden was also agreed.
As compact stabilized optics and pointing systems gain in popularity on land vehicles, aircraft, and vessels, engineers have had difficulty finding ultra-compact gyros that offer the performance and long-term reliability required for smaller and lighter applications. KVH Industries’ (Nasdaq: KVHI) new DSP-1500,
Carroll McNulty & Kull LLC (CMK) has announced that Christopher H. Mansuy has joined the law firm as a member. Mansuy brings 35 years of experience to CMK handling maritime and commercial litigation matters in the State and Federal Courts of New York and New Jersey as well as maritime disputes in
Boat security systems supplier Paradox Marine now offers acoustic technology to protect yachts, boats and marinas from intruders. Inferno Intenso Sound Barriers generate a patented, unbearable noise frequency pattern that immediately immobilizes onboard intruders between alarm activation and arrival of security or law enforcement.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has extended its contract agreement with Crowley Maritime Corp. to station a state-funded emergency response tug at Neah Bay for another full year of service beginning July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010.Under the $3.6m extension agreement,
In 1977 the Congress enacted the Clean Water Act and for over 30 years the EPA regulations excluded vessels from the system of permits required under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Lawsuits by environmental interests challenged this exclusion and as of December 19, 2008 this exemption has been eliminated.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report Friday detailing its findings following a review of the Coast Guard's Administrative Law Judge Program that was requested by Congress and welcomed by the Coast Guard.The GAO conducted an independent and objective review of 1,675
Netherlands law firm AKD Prinsen Van Wijmen says a recent decision of the Dutch Supreme Court indicates that, whilst Holland remains an extremely carrier-friendly jurisdiction for disputes under the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR), a much stricter approach
In a statement from Representative Randy Forbes (R-Va.), May 22:“President Obama came to office boldly promising ‘a new era of openness in our country.’ Less than twenty-four hours after taking the oath of office, the new president declared that ‘transparency and
Mustang Survival unveiled its "Go Pro, Go Mustang" campaign with a line-up of new products, new pricing and new service targets.The campaign has been put together in response to shifting market conditions and competitive assessments. Go Pro, Go Mustang kicks off a strategic shift
The Passenger Vessel Association reminded its members that applications for Federal Ferry Boat Discretionary Grants are being accepted through Friday, June 12. This competitive solicitation is different than an earlier one involving funds contained in the Economic Stimulus Act. This
Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd (NYSE: EXM), an owner and operator of dry bulk carriers and a provider of worldwide seaborne transportation services for dry bulk cargoes, announced its operating and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2009. First Quarter Highlights: •
Years of study and effort by NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard will pay off this summer when two changes to shipping lanes into Boston are implemented. Both changes significantly reduce the risk of collisions between large ships and whales.Beginning on June 1, ships 300 gross tons and above
When I was a child, I spent a good part of my time getting into trouble, as most children do. My favorite excuse was “someone else made me do it.” Unfortunately, my father was not a big fan of that excuse and I cannot recall one incident that was overlooked based on this defense.However,
The trend towards outsourcing of ship management services over the past 20 years has created a knowledge gap in shipping companies which once operated a top-to-bottom system to support their fleet. Rodger MacDonald, secretary general of the International Federation of Shipmasters’
Liberty Maritime Corporation President and CEO Philip J. Shapiro testified May 20 on lessons learned from the international piracy crisis and the immediate need to protect American merchant mariners on U.S.-flag vessels. In his testimony before the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee,
Ray Mabus, former Mississippi governor and U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was sworn in today as the 75th Secretary of the Navy. Leading the Navy and Marine Corps, Secretary Mabus will be responsible for an annual budget in excess of $150 billion and almost 900,000 people. <br
The U.S. Coast Guard announced on May 18 the publication of an updated and revised Model Maritime Service Code designed to assist countries seeking guidance in developing effective maritime forces with corresponding authorities.The Model Maritime Service Code, primarily based on some of
Liberty Maritime Corporation President and CEO, Philip J. Shapiro, asked Congress to provide the U.S. legal framework to allow for ship owners to arm crews or contract armed private security teams when necessary. In the interim, Shapiro asked for government security teams or naval escorts of all U.S.
A Diplomatic Conference to adopt an international convention on the recycling of ships was opened in Hong Kong, China, by the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, on Monday, 11 May 2009. The convention, the first ever to address ship recycling issues,
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a maritime security directive May 11 in response to the rise in piracy in the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa and in light of recent pirate attacks on U.S. flagged vessels. Maritime Security Directive 104-6 (rev. 2) issued by the Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Offshore Marine Service Association signed a formal memorandum of understanding April 30, for the establishment of an Offshore Support Vessel Industry Quality Partnership. The quality partnership was formed to promote safety and security within the offshore industry and to help protect the environment.
The U.S. Coast Guard took final acceptance of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf, the first of the Legend class National Security Cutter fleet, at the cutter's homeport of Alameda, Calif., Friday, May 8.Bertholf's final acceptance is part of the Coast Guard's deliberative acquisition process
Four Truman-Hobbs Bridges to Receive Funding from Recovery Act:On April 20, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security revealed that four bridge alteration projects will receive funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that President Obama signed into law on February 19.
Trade and transportation organizations with close ties to California’s vital maritime industry will gather in Sacramento May 12-14 for the California Maritime Leadership Symposium. The event is organized by The California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA), California Marine Affairs and Navigation Conference (CMANC),
Carmelo Oria, a Spanish citizen who was the chief engineer on the Cyprus-flagged M/T Nautilus, was sentenced on May 6th in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts for maintaining inaccurate records that concealed a discharge of oil-contaminated water from the bilges of the M/T Nautilus, the Justice Department announced.
As the 2009 state legislative session gets underway, Greater New Orleans, Inc. said it will be active in targeted areas of Energy, Trade, Creative Media, and Tax Competitiveness.The Energy policy platform is branded as REEL - Renewed Energy Economy of Louisiana. The energy package
STX Pan Ocean Co. Ltd. (STX), headquartered in Seoul, Korea, and the owner of the commercial cargo ship, M/V Ocean Jade, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy as well as falsifying and failing to properly maintain records meant to ensure compliance with maritime pollution laws, the Justice Department announced.
A Coast Guard crew from Station Boston operates a new law enforcement and search and rescue boat in Boston Harbor, April 13, 2009.The 45-foot response boat medium was delivered to Coast Guard Station Boston, March 28, 2009, and is the third initiative in the Response Boats 2010 strategic vision and transition plan,
Joseph Hellebrand, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, will serve as chief of the newly created Port Canaveral Police Department. The Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners established the department late last year as culmination of a four-year initiative to enhance public safety at the
The FBI's involvement in the maritime domain is a result of existing US Law, Executive Orders, Presidential Decision Directives (PDD) 39, 62, & 63, and Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 5 to include a few. Specifically, the FBI has a lead role for operational and investigative response to a terrorist threat or incident,
The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) and Pacific Maritime Institure (PMI) announced their upcoming “Introduction to the Maritime Environment and EPA General Permit” Course. With the introduction of the Vessel General Permit the EPA has captured an estimated 70,
Two subsidiaries of the Swedish company Trelleborg AB, one based in Virginia and the other in France, have agreed to plead guilty and pay a total of $11m in criminal fines for their participation in separate conspiracies affecting the sales of marine products sold in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced April 21.
GMATS announced the first in a series of seminars with a concentration in maritime security. A Two-Day Piracy Countermeasures Seminar will be held June 24 and 25, 2009, designed to provide knowledge to successfully understand, identify, countermeasure and defeat the threat of piracy attacks resulting
Statement on Piracy by CG Commandant, Adm. Thad Allen:Piracy has been rightfully called an insult to civilization. The recent pirate attacks on the motor vessels Maersk Alabama and Liberty Sun focused the attention of the American public on what has been an increasingly significant international issue.
In response to recent, high-profile incidents of piracy off the coast of the East African nation of Somalia, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), an ecumenical agency affiliated with the Episcopal Church, launches new efforts to increase awareness of the effects of piracy on its mariner victims post-attack.
A campaign pledge of support for the Jones Act has earned President Barack Obama the cover spot on the 2008 Annual Report of the Maritime Cabotage Task Force, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition promoting the domestic U.S.- Flag fleet.In August 2008, then candidate Obama declared “America needs a strong and vibrant U.