MarEx eNewsletter - June 18, 2009

June 18th, 2009 Vol. 7, No. 24 The Maritime Component of Health Care Reform? International Medical Islands floated as one potential consequence of the socialized health care reforms now being considered by U.S. lawmakers. Unlikely? Don't bet against it. Under the loose category of unlikely, futuristic, far fetched and pie-in-the-sky ideas, a new phase in American health care could emerge in ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag: This week's Mailbag contains just a couple of letters. One references our lead editorial from last week and the other, a tongue-in-cheek entry about classifications for submarines. Last week, our lead piece referenced the maritime agenda in Washington, the importance of that agenda, and the likelihood of ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Podcast Returns Newly introduced concept and news vehicle for the MarEx e-newsletter is back with another podcast. Our fourth podcast recounts our June 11th lead editorial referencing legislative issues facing the maritime industry. Tune in and listen now. All eyes are on two major stories inside the beltway this ... Read More>>>Back to Top Horizon Lines Reaches Puerto Rico Class Action Settlement Agreement CHARLOTTE, NC (JUNE 12, 2009): Horizon Lines, Inc. (NYSE:HRZ) today reported that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs in the Puerto Rico class action antitrust litigation, and also entered into a credit agreement amendment with its lender group. Puerto Rico Class Action Settlement ... Read More>>>Back to Top IMO Says No Weapons for Mariners The Maritime Safety Committee of IMO said flag states should not allow mariners to use weapons for personal protection or to protect the vessel. Revised guidance on combating piracy agreed by IMO Maritime Safety Committee: Revised guidance on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships was agreed ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Supreme Court Rules NO TAX on Tankers in Valdez Conoco Philips challenged City of Valdez on property taxation of its tankers calling the Port of Valdez. In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court struck down the tax on oil tankers assessed by the city of Valdez, saying it was unconstitutional. The port town at the end ... Read More>>>Back to Top The Rally for Rose One of ours' needs help—Rose Connell of Seabulk Tankers, Inc needs a kidney- please help in some way. The Rally for Rose web site (http://www.rallyforrose.com) has informative information about the causes of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), symptoms for its early detection and the important functions of the ... Read More>>>Back to Top Discovery Channel to Air Dramatization of the "Maersk Alabama" Attempted Hijacking Show to feature interviews with ship's officers from MM&P The Discovery Channel will be airing a dramatization of the "Maersk Alabama" attempted hijacking. The program will be shown on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 10:00 PM. Beyond this, the Maritime Institute of technology & Graduate Studies MITAGS) ... Read More>>>Back to Top EMSA releases Maritime Accident Review 2008 Lisbon-based European Maritime Safety Agency says 670 accidents occurred and 82 seafarers were lost in and around EU waters during 2008 Today, coinciding with the official opening of its headquarters in Lisbon, the Lisbon-based European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) releases its second annual Maritime Accident Review. This ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx May/June PRINT Edition is in Distribution! The latest MarEx print edition, featuring another decidedly international theme on the cover, provides unique focus on the global shipbuilding markets, the Classification Societies that impact these businesses, innovative and green construction products - and so much more. As always, you get our now familiar regular features, too. Read More>>>Back to Top Liability Lessons from the Maersk Alabama Darren Friedman and Lauren Smith of Maltzman Foreman, P.A. weigh in on legal implications of a lawsuit in the wake of the recent piracy incident in the Gulf of Aden. On April 8, 2009, the U.S. flagged container ship, Maersk Alabama, was attacked by pirates in the ... Read More>>>Back to Top McQuilling Weighs in on Tankers: Weekly Note # 13 (June 17 2009) Suezmax Tankers: The Real Winner? The recent strength in the Suezmax freight markets as compared to other tanker sectors encourages one to ask: "What tanker project represents the best investment?" Of course, if we had the answer to that question, it's likely we wouldn't be writing these ... Read More>>>Back to Top Captain Jerry A. Aspland to be Honored at Fund Raiser The 2009 Maritime Industry Salute dinner and ninth annual "Great Tug Boat Race" fund-raising event benefiting the International Seafarers Center (ISC) of Long Beach-Los Angeles is being held aboard the RMS Queen Mary, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, and will honor Aspland. The ISC is the last open ... Read More>>>Back to Top Global Maritime Information Sharing Symposium (GMISS) Held in Washington on June 17th Maritime agencies collaborated on policies to streamline government. When it comes to streamlining government, policy lags behind technology - far behind. In this week's series of workshops, several of the agencies that manage America's maritime affairs collaborated on recommending interagency policies that enable government agencies to share ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Appeals Court Orders Exxon to Pay Interest on Exxon Valdez Oil Spill U.S. Appeals Court sets damages and interest on 1989 oil spill. The appeal court ordered Exxon to pay $507.5 million in damages and approximately $480 million in interest for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince Williams Sound. The court reaffirmed the amount of interest set ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Coast Guard Issues Marine Safety Alert Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship warns maritime community with Alert entitled, "Avoiding propulsion loss from fuel switching: American Petroleum Institute Technical Considerations." Washington, DC (June 16, 2009): Ships switch fuel oil from residual fuels to distillate fuels in order to reduce emissions. The ... Read More>>>Back to Top GAO: Audit Reaffirms Coast Guard's Position that ALJ Program is Fair Statistics in Government Accountability Office report show merchant mariner rights protected in administrative law hearings The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report last Friday detailing its findings following a review of the Coast Guard's Administrative Law Judge Program that was requested by Congress and welcomed by ... Read More>>>Back to Top FMC Moves to Dismiss its Court Challenge of LA/LB Clean Trucks Agreement FMC: injunctive remedy under section 6(g) of the Shipping Act has become moot due to intervening events in the ATA litigation and Port of Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners took action that substantially eliminated the differences between the two Ports' exemptions from its Clean Truck Fees and incentives to ... Read More>>>Back to Top Celebrating 118 Years of MMA by Honoring Alumni After presenting a brief history of MMA, its growth from ships and sail to modern day technologies, Admiral Rick Gurnon addressed what the Massachusetts Maritime Academy does best: cultivate students to excel and produce graduates who become industry leaders. Last week, MMA Department Heads recognized graduates who ... Read More>>>Back to Top Schat-Harding Sets New Standards With New Freefall Boat Lifeboat and davit manufacturer Schat-Harding has completed the first freefall drop with its new design of lifeboat for the offshore sector, the FF1200 which, according to the manufacturer, sets new standards for freefall boats. Schat-Harding CEO Ove Roessland says, "We were acutely aware that, in order to ... Read More>>>Back to Top Appeals Court Ruling Clarifies Prestige Decision Reinstates ABS counterclaims based on Spain's negligence, indicates grounds for dismissal New York(12 June 2009): The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has issued a Summary Order remanding the suit, brought against ABS by the Kingdom of Spain relating to the loss of the ... Read More>>>Back to Top EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE Copyright © 2009 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316