MarEx eNewsletter - June 4, 2009

June 4th, 2009 Vol. 7, No. 22 Apples to Oranges: A poor analogy Richard K. Bank insists in his Washington Post OPED that GM's current woes only mirror the fate of the U.S. Merchant Marine. He couldn't be more off-base. In his May 31st editorial, Richard K. Bank tells his readers that "GM Is Sunk. Just Ask the Merchant Marine." ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag: This week's Mailbag references two articles from our May 28 e-newsletter edition. Last week, we ran a NOAA press release which trumpets, among other things, "Years of study and effort by NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard will pay off this summer when two changes to shipping ... Read More>>>Back to Top Featured MarEx Print Article So You Think CSI Works: Gummy Bears or Cocaine? In-bound containers destined for the United States are recognized as a vulnerability to our seaports. Yet, in reality, and contrary to popular perceptions, little is being done to diminish that vulnerability. There are three problems in dealing with ... Read More>>>Back to Top Assault on the High Seas: How Cautious Crew Selection can Prevent Employer Liability By Darren Friedman and Lauren Smith & Maltzman Foreman, P.A. From Popeye the Sailor to Captain Hook, the life of a seaman has been fantasized in countless movies and television shows, and no production is complete ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx May/June PRINT Edition is in Production! 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 Galveston County Board of Commissioners of Pilots Announces Rate Change Hearing NOTICE OF HEARING advises that no less than six industry "Objectors" are officially against granting the pilots a raise in rates. Text of NOTICE OF HEARING Announcement The Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Ports of Galveston County ("Board") hereby gives notice that on ... Read More>>>Back to Top Cummings Introduces Maritime Education Bill Legislation would provide education loans, help prevent workforce shortage Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, has introduced H.R. 2651, the Maritime Workforce Development Act, which his office says would create a recruitment, training, and student loan program ... Read More>>>Back to Top St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation Reports Lower, but Improving Traffic Volumes Seaway traffic results for the period through May 31st now available; both tonnage and total transit numbers up from dismal April figures. Echoing dismal April reports, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation is once again reporting lower cargo volumes and ship transits from the same period last ... Read More>>>Back to Top Bankruptcy for Hawaii Superferry Operator to pursue bankruptcy protection just two months after being forced to leave islands by court decision. The innovative but troubled Hawaii Superferry is filing for bankruptcy in the choppy wake of a Hawaii state Supreme Court ruling that prevented it from continuing to operate there. The ... Read More>>>Back to Top Former Hostage Captain Phillips Enlists with Institute to Protect Mariners On Thursday, June 11, 2009, the Seamen's Church Institute (SCI), North America's largest maritime service organization, will honor outstanding achievements made in the maritime workplace, including the heroism of Captain Richard Phillips. Phillips made world headlines recently when his ship was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia, and ... Read More>>>Back to Top 2009 International Maritime eLearning Symposium Two new Presenters added to the 2009 International Maritime eLearning Conference Join the leaders in Maritime eLearning Training from around the world for this year's Conference. The Calhoon MEBA Engineering School will be hosting the 2009 International Maritime eLearning Symposium from July 21st through July 23rd this ... Read More>>>Back to Top EU LRIT Data Centre is in Production By the entry into operation of the EU LRIT DC, the participating Contracting Governments meet the international deadline for providing LRIT information as of 30 June 2009. As from 1 June 2009, the European Union Long Range Identification and Tracking of ships Data Centre (EU LRIT DC) ... Read More>>>Back to Top London Club Strengthens Financial Position THE London P&I Club says that, while investment performance was adversely affected in the year to February 20, 2009, its financial position has been considerably strengthened as a result of the determined action taken by its committee in setting additional calls in October 2008. The club's annual ... Read More>>>Back to Top Puget Sound Naval Shipyard takes action to reduce copper discharges and comply with Clean Water Act Navy's own discharge reports, from May 2003 to July 2008 said PSNS frequently violated its federal wastewater permit by discharging copper in excess of allowable levels. Bremerton, WA (May 28, 2009): Under an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) ... Read More>>>Back to Top Canada Signs International Ship Recycling Convention Ship recycling Convention applies to ships over 500 gross tonnage that are delivered for recycling. OTTAWA — Canada's Transport Minister, John Baird, today announced that the Government of Canada has signed the International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009. Canada and 58 ... Read More>>>Back to Top Passenger Vessel Association Asserts that TWIC Readers Are Not Needed on Most Passenger Vessels PVA supports the concept suggested by the Coast Guard that security for a domestic passenger vessel can be ensured without placing a TWIC reader on board. PVA urged that a large percentage of U.S. passenger vessels will fit within this category. Security on the majority of domestic ... Read More>>>Back to Top Carriers Ponder Dutch Supreme Court Ruling in CMR dispute Supreme Court's upholding of the decision in Philips v Vos Electronics confirms that carriers will have to demonstrate a greater level of care and diligence in order to bring themselves within the protection of Article 17 (2) of CMR. NETHERLANDS law firm AKD Prinsen Van Wijmen says ... Read More>>>Back to Top Economou Backs $300m Green Recycling Initiative Green Recycling Initiative (GRI) is building a fund to buy around 120 obsolete ships during 2009/10. Investors will be drawn from both the shipping and steelmaking industries. George Economou and broking house Banchero and Costa Spa have both invested in the Green Recycling Initiative launched two weeks ... Read More>>>Back to Top Kistefos Reaches out to Trico Marine Stockholders Largest stockholder affirms its proposals create no risks under Jones Act in latest letter to Trico shareholders Kistefos AS this week announced that it had sent a letter to Trico Marine Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRMA) stockholders to provide what it characterized as "the real facts about Trico's ... Read More>>>Back to Top EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE Copyright © 2009 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316