MarEx Newsletter - September 25, 2008

September 25, 2008 | Vol. 6, No. 39 In this issue: Wakeup Call: The Road to STCW Compliance Starts to Get Bumpy… America's Deep Blue Highway: IGMS Publishes Comprehensive Study Wilhelmsen Ships Equipment test installs innovative ballast water system on BW Gas carrier Combined Task Force 150 Thwarts Criminal Activities Firefighters Battled Blaze on Cargo Ship in Miami MITAGS to Offer Three-Day VCF or One-Day Refresher Course to Satisfy STCW VSO Requirements International Team of Rescuers Cited for Heroism following Daring Rescue at Sea Appeal Denied on Delay of Port of Long Beach Clean Trucks Program Environmental Protection Agency Operated Vessel Spills 1,400 Gallons of Diesel at NOAA Operating Base PlanetData Adds Security News Maps Marine Money's 9th Annual Marine Finance Forum set for October 16 in NY Accident Investigation Report on Sinking of Tug "VALOUR" Released by U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Coast Guard Issues Two More Safety Alerts ExxonMobil Donates $250,000 to Disaster Relief at Grand Isle U.S. Warships to Patrol Gulf of Aden as Attacks Increase Wakeup Call: The Road to STCW Compliance Starts to Get Bumpy… Managing Editor Joe Keefe takes stock after the NMS TWIC Advisory hits the mail and the latest NAVIC (04-08) on medical standards hits the WEB. Read More>>>Back to Top America's Deep Blue Highway: IGMS Publishes Comprehensive Study How Coastal Shipping Could Reduce Traffic Congestion, Lower Pollution, and Bolster National Security Published by the Institute for Global Maritime Studies Read More>>>Back to Top Wilhelmsen Ships Equipment test installs innovative ballast water system on BW Gas carrier Wilhelmsen Ships Equipment (WSE) has announced the test installation of the Unitor Ballast Water Treatment (UBWT) system on leading clean energy carrier BW Gas' Berge Danuta. The deal marks the first ballast water system installation on a BW Gas vessel. WSE, a Wilhelmsen Maritime Services (WMS) subsidiary, will also provide project engineering and installation supervision for the system, which has been specifically designed to fit the carrier's 800 m3/h ballast pump capacity. Read More>>>Back to Top Combined Task Force 150 Thwarts Criminal Activities Since the inception of the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA), Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 has helped deter more than a dozen attacks in the Gulf of Aden. However, criminals have still successfully targeted several vessels in the region. Read More>>>Back to Top Firefighters Battled Blaze on Cargo Ship in Miami Captain of the Port put restrictions on vessel traffic Tuesday as firefighters responded to fire aboard a ship. Read More>>>Back to Top MITAGS to Offer Three-Day VCF or One-Day Refresher Course to Satisfy STCW VSO Requirements Vessel Security Officer Endorsement added TO STCW-95 Certificate (Revised 9-18-08); MITAGS announces expanded new schedule for both courses. Read More>>>Back to Top International Team of Rescuers Cited for Heroism following Daring Rescue at Sea Three members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and one member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary will be presented with the Silver Medal Award from the Association for Rescue at Sea "for demonstrating outstanding skill and decision-making in a heroic rescue" of 13 people from a sinking boat last spring. Read More>>>Back to Top Appeal Denied on Delay of Port of Long Beach Clean Trucks Program Federal Maritime Commission to hold hearings on Program Read More>>>Back to Top Environmental Protection Agency Operated Vessel Spills 1,400 Gallons of Diesel at NOAA Operating Base Fractured stern tube running through center fuel tank is the culprit, says Coast Guard PAO Read More>>>Back to Top PlanetData Adds Security News Maps PlanetData – The Security News Network™ announces it has added individual News Maps for all eight sections of its website. With these maps, PlanetData plots security-related news and information on a daily basis to give readers a visual representation of where world-shaping events are taking place within specific areas of interest. Read More>>>Back to Top Marine Money's 9th Annual Marine Finance Forum set for October 16 in NY Among some of the most turbulent financial times in decades Marine Money will host its annual fall New York conference, 9th Annual Marine Finance Forum "Capital, Energy and Bold Ideas: A New Shipping Landscape" on Thursday, October 16 at The Harvard Club of New York City, bringing together firms and institutions most active in today's ship finance industry. Read More>>>Back to Top Accident Investigation Report on Sinking of Tug "VALOUR" Released by U.S. Coast Guard Report details investigation into the circumstances surrounding the sinking of the tug "Valour" 40 miles off the coast of Wilmington, NC on January 18 2006 with multiple loss of life. Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Coast Guard Issues Two More Safety Alerts Coast Guard learns that counterfeit emergency escape devices (EEBD's) are being sold to ship operators and additionally strongly encourages that operators of vessels establish clear written guidelines and procedures for working aloft and require the use of safety harnesses, among other things. Read More>>>Back to Top ExxonMobil Donates $250,000 to Disaster Relief at Grand Isle Mayor's Fund Receives Support Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Warships to Patrol Gulf of Aden as Attacks Increase A Japanese oil tanker narrowly escaped, but a Greek bulker with a crew of 25 was hijacked off Somalia's coast. Two weeks ago, elite French commandos freed two ex-pats in a bloody siege that left one pirate dead and six captured. 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 - September 18, 2008

September 18, 2008 | Vol. 6, No. 38 In this issue: Minding the Helm in Choppy Waters MarEx Mailbag: Reader Response to Editorials and Online Articles… Rio Oil and Gas Conference – Hitting the Pavement AMO Expands PIC DL Observer Options Through New Agreement with TORM Coast Guard Releases Video, Imagery of 7 ton, $187 million Cocaine Bust MITAGS to Offer Three-Day VCF or One-Day Refresher Course to Satisfy STCW VSO Requirements U.S. Coast Guard Issues Safety Alert and Technical Advisory IBIA Re-Emphasises Commitment to Best Practice Ukranian Seafarer Guilty of Covering Up Discharges of Oil Contaminated Waste DOT & MARAD: Environmental Initiatives and Partnerships Cummings: 'Coast Guard Must Act with a Sense of Urgency' Broadpoint Keeps Customers Productive Throughout Hurricane Ike GAO on TWIC: Update and Recommendations St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation Weighs in on Strike Vote Marine Money's 9th Annual Marine Finance Forum set for October 16 in NY Minding the Helm in Choppy Waters Staying on course in a tough cycle isn't easy, but it is necessary. Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag: Reader Response to Editorials and Online Articles… MarEx readers weigh in on two previous online editorials; one about the GOP's Vice Presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska and a previous piece about nostalgia and ship scrapping. Read More>>>Back to Top Rio Oil and Gas Conference – Hitting the Pavement The Rio Oil and Gas Conference (Rio de Janeiro) is smashing records in attendance, exhibitors, and interest as the Brazilian oil and gas industry rises to global prominence. Read More>>>Back to Top AMO Expands PIC DL Observer Options Through New Agreement with TORM American Maritime Officers expanded options for AMO members seeking to earn the dangerous liquids person-in-charge rating through an exclusive agreement signed Sept. 5 with A/S Dampskibsselskabet TORM. Read More>>>Back to Top Coast Guard Releases Video, Imagery of 7 ton, $187 million Cocaine Bust The U.S. Coast Guard released new imagery and video Monday of the seizure of seven tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $187 million, from a self-propelled, semi-submersible craft in the waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean Saturday. Read More>>>Back to Top MITAGS to Offer Three-Day VCF or One-Day Refresher Course to Satisfy STCW VSO Requirements Vessel Security Officer Endorsement added TO STCW-95 Certificate (Revised 9-18-08); MITAGS announces expanded new schedule for both courses. Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Coast Guard Issues Safety Alert and Technical Advisory United States Coast Guard Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship Washington, DC issues Technical Advisory on Oil Content Monitors and a Safety Alert on fires caused by high temperature components associated with turbochargers and engine exhaust systems. Read More>>>Back to Top IBIA Re-Emphasises Commitment to Best Practice THE International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) has re-emphasised its commitment to best practice in bunkering operations throughout the world. Read More>>>Back to Top Ukranian Seafarer Guilty of Covering Up Discharges of Oil Contaminated Waste Ukranian seafarer pled guilty in federal court to charges of failing to maintain an accurate ship record concerning the disposal of oil contaminated waste by the M/T "Nautilus." Read More>>>Back to Top DOT & MARAD: Environmental Initiatives and Partnerships U.S. Maritime Administration awards $350,000 contract to the Northwest-Midwest Institute's Great Ships Initiative to develop appropriate protocols for ballast water discharge sampling and additionally puts up $150,000 for a collaborative partnership with the Port of New Bedford to see if having ships use shore-generated electricity while in port cuts down on air pollution. Read More>>>Back to Top Cummings: 'Coast Guard Must Act with a Sense of Urgency' Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, weighs in on circumstances surrounding the collision of a tanker and a barge that resulted in the release of nearly 300,000 gallons of oil into the Mississippi River over the summer. Read More>>>Back to Top Broadpoint Keeps Customers Productive Throughout Hurricane Ike The high winds and heavy rainfall produced by a hurricane can have a potentially disastrous effect on the maritime industry, and that devastation is compounded if communication methods are down. Without this critical function, productivity is lost and safety is compromised, resulting in a huge financial burden on many offshore businesses. Read More>>>Back to Top GAO on TWIC: Update and Recommendations Testimony now available through GAO release – Transportation Security: Transportation Worker Identification Credential: A Status Update. GAO-08-1151T, September 17 Read More>>>Back to Top St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation Weighs in on Strike Vote Statement Issued by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation on the results of a strike vote by CAW Read More>>>Back to Top Marine Money's 9th Annual Marine Finance Forum set for October 16 in NY Among some of the most turbulent financial times in decades Marine Money will host its annual fall New York conference, 9th Annual Marine Finance Forum "Capital, Energy and Bold Ideas: A New Shipping Landscape" on Thursday, October 16 at The Harvard Club of New York City, bringing together firms and institutions most active in today's ship finance industry. Read More>>>Back to Top Copyright © 2007 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 To Unsubscribe, click here.