MarEx Newsletter - July 31, 2008

July 31, 2008 | Vol. 6, No. 31 In this issue: Canada: Clean, Green and Simply Cranking Out the Energy Japanese Cargo Ship with 20 Filipinos Hijacked off Somalia Coast MarEx Mailbag: Reader Response to MarEx Editorial Maritime Administrator Leads Delegation of U.S. Maritime Officials in Meetings in Tokyo North of England Warns Shipowners to Keep a Close Watch on Draught Surveys Last World War II-Era Liberty Ship Leaving James River Reserve Fleet Multimodal Hazmat Transportation Training Seminar MISSISSIPPI RIVER OIL SPILL RESPONSE UPDATE EPA Weighs in on Maritime Pollution Protection Act of 2008 Bishop, Cummings to Introduce Bill to Create National Strategy for Natural Gas Supply Bureau Veritas in Russian Registry agreement U.S. Department of the Interior Says 90 Billion Barrels of Oil & 1,670 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas in Arctic Egyptian Court Acquits Owner of Sunk Ferry that Killed 1,000 JULY/AUGUST Edition of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE is on the Street! Cummings to Deliver Keynote Speech at Commissioning of Coast Guard NSC Canada: Clean, Green and Simply Cranking Out the Energy America can learn a lesson from its friendly neighbor to the north – but will we see the light? Read More>>>Back to Top Japanese Cargo Ship with 20 Filipinos Hijacked off Somalia Coast Pirates seized a Japanese-owned vessel transporting lead and zinc off the Somali coast last week, a Kenyan maritime official said. Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag: Reader Response to MarEx Editorial MarEx readers weigh in on last week's piece, entitled "A Time for Restraint: Maritime Disasters Usually Not What They Seem…" Read More>>>Back to Top Maritime Administrator Leads Delegation of U.S. Maritime Officials in Meetings in Tokyo On July 24 and 25, Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton led a delegation of U.S. maritime officials in meetings in Tokyo with Japanese counterparts to discuss issues of mutual interest and challenges facing the maritime industry, both around the world and in the bilateral trade. Read More>>>Back to Top North of England Warns Shipowners to Keep a Close Watch on Draught Surveys The 'A' rated, 90 million GT North of England P&I club has warned its members to keep a closer watch on draught surveys to avoid costly shortage claims. Read More>>>Back to Top Last World War II-Era Liberty Ship Leaving James River Reserve Fleet Arthur M. Huddell is bound for Greece. Read More>>>Back to Top Multimodal Hazmat Transportation Training Seminar All Mariners are welcome to attend free 2-day hazmat transportation safety training seminar. US DOT PHMSA's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety will sponsor a Multimodal Hazardous Materials Transportation Training Seminar at the Sheraton Braintree Hotel on August 12-13, 2008. Read More>>>Back to Top MISSISSIPPI RIVER OIL SPILL RESPONSE UPDATE Efforts to clean up and contain up to 420,000 gallons of oil spilled in the Mississippi River continue Read More>>>Back to Top EPA Weighs in on Maritime Pollution Protection Act of 2008 New Law Bolsters U.S. Efforts to Make Ocean-Going Ships Cleaner, says U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Read More>>>Back to Top Bishop, Cummings to Introduce Bill to Create National Strategy for Natural Gas Supply Natural Gas Strategy Act intended to develop a national commission that will examine the adequacy of current federal policies governing the siting of natural gas infrastructure. The commission would study how effectively the current regulatory structures meet the nation's overall energy needs and priorities. Current policy requires that new projects be reviewed and approved or denied as they are submitted rather than as the result of a comprehensive, national strategy. Read More>>>Back to Top Bureau Veritas in Russian Registry agreement International classification society Bureau Veritas has entered an agreement with the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation delegating BV the authority to conduct statutory certification services and to issue certificates for vessels registered in the Russian International Registry of Ships. Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Department of the Interior Says 90 Billion Barrels of Oil & 1,670 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas in Arctic The U.S. Geological Survey assessment is the first publicly available petroleum resource estimate of the entire area north of the Arctic Circle. Read More>>>Back to Top Egyptian Court Acquits Owner of Sunk Ferry that Killed 1,000 The owner of the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 acquitted of manslaughter. Read More>>>Back to Top JULY/AUGUST Edition of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE is on the Street! Maritime Education & Leading Edge Training Techniques headline the offerings – with much, much more… Read More>>>Back to Top Cummings to Deliver Keynote Speech at Commissioning of Coast Guard NSC On Monday, August 4th, at 10:30 am, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, will deliver the keynote address at the commissioning of the new Coast Guard national security cutter, USCGC BERTHOLF. Read More>>>Back to Top Copyright © 2007 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 To Unsubscribe, click here.

MarEx Newsletter - July 24, 2008

July 24, 2008 | Vol. 6, No. 30 In this issue: A Time for Restraint: Maritime Disasters Usually Not What They Seem… MarEx Mailbag: Reader Response to MarEx Articles… Company that Managed Cosco Busan Indicted on New Charges First Workboat Academy Cadets Graduate from Two-Year Program Hurricane Dolly Slams Ashore in South Texas Featured MarEx Print Article: Two Kinds of Green Third Generation of Guidry Family to Acquire Harvey Gulf International Marine NTSB: Master's Poor Decision Led to Grounding of EMPRESS OF THE NORTH JULY-AUGUST Edition of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE is in Production! Coast Guard Responds to Spill in Mississippi River News Update from Vanuatu Maritime Services LTD. Strong Protests from Shipping World at Unfair Detention of Seafarers in Korea RINA Expands its Coatings Expertise AAPA Port Industry Statistics: Handy Reference Material A message from Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton A Time for Restraint: Maritime Disasters Usually Not What They Seem… Cosco Busan case and a new crisis on the Mississippi River attracting speculation and needless drama – and sometimes, grandstanding. Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag: Reader Response to MarEx Articles… MarEx reader weighs in on last week's piece, entitled "NOAA Takes First Broad Look at Soot from Ships." Read More>>>Back to Top Company that Managed Cosco Busan Indicted on New Charges Fleet Management Ltd. charged with pollution and cover-up in San Francisco Bay oil discharge case. Read More>>>Back to Top First Workboat Academy Cadets Graduate from Two-Year Program Pacific Maritime Institute and the Workboat Academy, announced the graduation of its first class from the Workboat Mate Program. The MITAGS-PMI Workboat Mate Program takes two years to complete, with 25 weeks of shore-based instruction and 52 weeks of onboard training. Read More>>>Back to Top Hurricane Dolly Slams Ashore in South Texas Cleanup begins; oil industry infrastructure largely spared. Read More>>>Back to Top Featured MarEx Print Article: Two Kinds of Green Knight & Carver is definitely into both. This week's feature archive article comes from our most recent edition, the June 2008 MarEx featuring NASSCO's Fred Harris on the cover. Read More>>>Back to Top Third Generation of Guidry Family to Acquire Harvey Gulf International Marine Harvey Gulf International Marine Inc. enters into purchase agreement pursuant to which two of its current owners, Shane and Shawn Guidry, along with The Jordan Company, L.P., a New York based private equity firm with over $5 billion of equity capital under management, will acquire the company in a transaction valued at approximately $500 million. Read More>>>Back to Top NTSB: Master's Poor Decision Led to Grounding of EMPRESS OF THE NORTH Inexperienced, newly licensed junior third mate, assigned to the bridge midwatch, was not familiar with the route, the vessel's handling characteristics, or the equipment on the vessel's bridge, NTSB report claims. Read More>>>Back to Top JULY-AUGUST Edition of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE is in Production! Maritime Education & Leading Edge Training Techniques headline the offerings – with much, much more… Read More>>>Back to Top Coast Guard Responds to Spill in Mississippi River The Coast Guard has extended the closure of the Mississippi River from mile marker 97, one mile north of the Harvey Canal, Gretna, La., to the Gulf of Mexico, which expands an area of nearly 100 miles. Nearly 420,000 gallons of number 6 fuel oil spilled when an American Commercial Lines barge, which was being pushed by the tug boat Mel Oliver, and the chemical tank ship, Tintomara, collided at approximately 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Read More>>>Back to Top News Update from Vanuatu Maritime Services LTD. Third Quarter 2008 edition aimed at keeping our friends informed about what is new at VMSL, in Vanuatu, and elsewhere. Read More>>>Back to Top Strong Protests from Shipping World at Unfair Detention of Seafarers in Korea A strong statement in support of the Hebei Spirit officers being held in Korea has been made today by the Round Table of international shipping associations, the ITF, the International Group of P&I Clubs and the HK Shipowners' Association. It has been sent to the press and media as well as to the Korean Ambassador in London, the Indian Ambassador in Seoul, and Korea's Permanent Representative at the IMO. Read More>>>Back to Top RINA Expands its Coatings Expertise ITALY-based classification society RINA is recruiting more qualified coatings inspectors as it expands its involvement in the marine coatings field following its decision to become a corporate member of NACE International, the internationally recognised premier authority on corrosion control solutions. Read More>>>Back to Top AAPA Port Industry Statistics: Handy Reference Material Brought to you by the American Association of Port Authorities, this collection includes data in PDF or xls format, concerning a myriad of sources and important information for maritime executives. Read More>>>Back to Top A message from Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton Letter outlines commitment by Suez Energy to MARAD to register newly constructed LNG regasification vessel to be used in the operation of proposed deepwater port, under the U.S.-flag and employing American officers and crews. Read More>>>Back to Top Copyright © 2007 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 To Unsubscribe, click here.

MarEx Newsletter - July 17, 2008

July 17, 2008 | Vol. 6, No. 29 In this issue: Politicizing Marine Safety – Never a Good Idea Cruise Ship Detained After More Than 60 Discrepancies Found Two Ships from Beaumont Reserve Fleet Sell for $1.6 Million NTSB to Meet in Washington to Discuss EMPRESS OF THE NORTH Grounding Report Winston & Strawn Wins Case for the Puerto Rico Ports Authority MAC Tackles The Rusty Assassin - The Viking Islay Tragedy Qualifying More Officers for LNG trades is Key to Meeting Industry Demand MarEx Maritime Employment Browser Middle East Logistics Command Changes Leadership Officer Shortfalls Estimated at 34,000 and Rising Longshore Union Expands Job Actions in Southern California Tugboat Rams Dock in Los Angeles Coast Guard Issues Note on Hydrostatic Testing of Transfer Systems on Vessels NOAA Takes First Broad Look at Soot from Ships Collision on Elbe River in Germany Causes Spill Politicizing Marine Safety – Never a Good Idea As the Massachusetts Legislature tightens its death grip around the port of Boston, the key, 'niche' intermodal hub in the northeast teeters on the brink of obsolescence. Read More>>>Back to Top Cruise Ship Detained After More Than 60 Discrepancies Found The Coast Guard has cleared a 637-foot cruise ship for departure after it was detained for numerous discrepancies found during a recent routine inspection. Read More>>>Back to Top Two Ships from Beaumont Reserve Fleet Sell for $1.6 Million New Orleans Firm to Recycle the American Explorer and the Courier. High worldwide prices for scrap steel have recently made such ships more valuable to recyclers, who sell the steel and other materials recovered from the ships. Read More>>>Back to Top NTSB to Meet in Washington to Discuss EMPRESS OF THE NORTH Grounding Report On July 22, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to consider the Marine Accident Report relating to the grounding of the passenger vessel EMPRESS OF THE NORTH 20 miles southwest of Juneau on May 14, 2007. Read More>>>Back to Top Winston & Strawn Wins Case for the Puerto Rico Ports Authority Ruling, which involves more than $100 million in damages, establishes the Ports Authority as an Arm of the State. Read More>>>Back to Top MAC Tackles The Rusty Assassin - The Viking Islay Tragedy The fourth in the 'assassin' series of confined/enclosed space incident podcasts. In the Viking Islay incident, two men died attempting to rescue a third from the anchor chain locker. The Case Of The Rusty Assassin explores what happened to them and why. Read More>>>Back to Top Qualifying More Officers for LNG trades is Key to Meeting Industry Demand AMO's Tom Laird weighs in on training issues as the American Maritime Officers sign a memorandum of understanding with Shell Ship Management Ltd., through which Shell will employ U.S. Coast Guard licensed officers represented by AMO to work in its fleet of managed LNG carriers. In 2007, AMO officers also began work with Teekay Shipping Corp. in the company's fleet of LNG carriers and are now sailing in senior positions. Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Maritime Employment Browser GMATS employment opportunity this week. Read More>>>Back to Top Middle East Logistics Command Changes Leadership The command responsible for providing air and sea logistics to the U.S. Navy in the Middle East changed leadership has changed in Manama, Bahrain. Navy Capt. Stephen H. Kelley accepted command of Sealift Logistics Command Central from Navy Capt. Anthony H. Dropp, who has held the position since July 2007. Read More>>>Back to Top Officer Shortfalls Estimated at 34,000 and Rising Dewey's Annual Report Manning 2008 produced in conjunction with Precious Associates Limited provides an industry-wide appraisal of the crisis hitting the maritime industry. New report includes assessment of Personnel Supply/Demand gap analysis 2008-2012 and in depth appraisal of leading crew supply regions. Read More>>>Back to Top Longshore Union Expands Job Actions in Southern California Productivity Falls 20-30 Percent at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. PMA says actions jeopardize an already fragile U.S. economy. Read More>>>Back to Top Tugboat Rams Dock in Los Angeles A Harley Marine tug rams Berth in Los Angeles. Read More>>>Back to Top Coast Guard Issues Note on Hydrostatic Testing of Transfer Systems on Vessels COTP New Orleans reminds industry that it is the responsibility of the master and/or operator of the vessel to ensure that the vessel is in compliance with 33 CFR part 155 and part 156 prior to the vessel engaging in the transfer of oil or hazardous material on the navigable waters or contiguous zone of the United States. Read More>>>Back to Top NOAA Takes First Broad Look at Soot from Ships Tugboats puff out more soot for the amount of fuel used than other commercial vessels, and large cargo ships emit more than twice as much soot as previously estimated, according to the first extensive study of commercial vessel soot emissions. Scientists from NOAA and the University of Colorado conducted the study and present their findings in the July 11 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Read More>>>Back to Top Collision on Elbe River in Germany Causes Spill Two vessels collide on Elbe River in northern Germany causing a fuel spill. Initial reports said approximately 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel has leaked into river, causing a huge slick. River traffic has been halted. Read More>>>Back to Top Copyright © 2007 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 To Unsubscribe, click here.