MarEx eNewsletter - September 24, 2009

September 24th, 2009 Vol. 7, No. 38 NMC: Even Keel, On Course and No Excuses This week's gathering of MERPAC, industry and the general public at the National Maritime Center was an eye-opener for more than one reason. Martinsburg, WV: This week's quarterly Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC) meeting at the U.S. Coast Guard's National Maritime Center (NMC) might be described ... Read More>>>Back to Top James Giermanski Says Bungled Container Security Initiatives Call the S&T Directorate Into Question Compelling article originally published on CSOonline.com. Giermanski has written for MarEx in the past on the issue of the Container Security Initiative. According to Dr. James Giermanski at Power International, "There always seems to be something that DHS does that either doesn't make much sense, is a ... Read More>>>Back to Top CBP Backpeddles on Jones Act Interpretation Both OMSA and IMCA expect the matter to be revisited soon. In a four page document dated 15 September 2009, the DHS arm of U.S. Customs and Border Protection has withdrawn its proposed modification and revocation of ruling letter relating the Customs position on the application of ... Read More>>>Back to Top 2009 Retail Import Volume to Be Lowest Since 2003 U.S. ports surveyed handled 1.1 million TEU in July, the most recent month for which actual numbers are available. That was up 8 percent from June but down 17 percent from July 2008, marking the 25th month in a row to see a year-over-year decline. WASHINGTON, ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx LinkedIn Discussion Group Reaches 4,818 Maritime Professionals - and Counting The Maritime Executive Group on LinkedIn has evolved into a powerful social networking group of maritime professionals. With about 4,800 members (and growing), THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Group on the LinkedIn network is taking up where our popular news coverage, editorial opinions and reader input leaves off. In ... Read More>>>Back to Top Secretary Napolitano Announces More Than $380 Million in Preparedness Grants Funded by the Recovery Act Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced more than $380 million in grants—funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)—to pay for fire station construction and port and transit security initiatives nationwide while creating jobs and stimulating local economies. "Infusing these Recovery Act ... Read More>>>Back to Top WISTA Annual Conference Held in UK US Delegation -- The largest visiting delegation attending 2009 international WISTA Annual Conference. Reflecting its dramatic growth and participation as an organization, the United States fielded the largest visiting national delegation attending last week's Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) Annual Conference. The US delegation was ... Read More>>>Back to Top PLANETDATA / MARITIME SECURITY NEWS PlanetData - The Security News Network is a free news and information resource focused on maritime, global, corporate, cyber, homeland and aviation security, law enforcement and intelligence. PlanetData hosts timely and comprehensive content gathered from over 1,000 online sources, as well as from our editors, contributors and members. This newsletter ... Read More>>>Back to Top Job Opportunity: MARITIME INDUSTRIES ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL Full-Time Position Available: INSTRUCTOR of MARITIME STUDIES. THE POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL FILLED GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Maritime Industries Academy is an urban public school in Baltimore, Maryland that serves approximately 600 students in grades 9-12. The Academy is initiating a maritime instructional program that ... Read More>>>Back to Top Maine Maritime Academy Narrows Presidential Search CASTINE, Maine, U.S.A. - The Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) presidential search committee has announced that it has selected two top contenders for the executive post at the Castine college. William J. Brennan and Jeffrey W. Monroe have been invited to visit the campus to explore their potential new role by ... Read More>>>Back to Top RINA GREEN PLUS Certification Awarded to New MegaYachts GENOA-based classification society RINA has granted its new environmental notation GREEN PLUS to three new mega-yachts. A fourth GREEN PLUS mega yacht newbuilding in China was announced during the 19th Monaco Yacht Show in Monte Carlo. The 62 m yachts, MY Candyscape II and MY RoMa, built ... Read More>>>Back to Top United States Coast Guard Safety Alert (07-09) DRUG TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR CHARTER VESSELS / 46 CFR Parts 4 and 16, 49 CFR Part 40, 33 CFR 95. The Coast Guard is strongly reminding the Charter Vessel Industry of their duties and obligations to meet federal drug testing regulations. Requirements for marine employers to have ... Read More>>>Back to Top Key Issues for Shipowners Discussed at KR International Conference in Seoul INTERTANKO's Managing Director Dr Peter Swift joined other leaders of international shipping associations at the Second Seoul International Maritime & Shipbuilding Conference (SIMS2) last week in Korea. The Conference is organised by the Korean Register of Shipping (KR) and this year was attended by more than 150 representatives of the ... Read More>>>Back to Top FRSQ 700 HYBRID – Fast Rescue Boat Due to the worldwide demand in the marine industry for more environmentally friendly equipment onboard vessels and offshore units, Fast RSQ has taken the initiative to design the first aluminium fast rescue craft with HYBRID propulsion mode. The FRSQ 700 HYBRID has been designed for those end users who ... Read More>>>Back to Top ICC-IMB Hosting Piracy Course The ICC - International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is holding a one day intensive course on piracy, aimed at not only sharing its knowledge but also providing a meaningful and practical response to dealing with this crime on both an operational as well as management level. The course ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Kicks Off Program to Get More Women Working in Transportation U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today at Spelman College announced the Pilot Entrepreneurial Training and Technical Assistance Women and Girls Program, created to encourage girls to pursue careers in science, engineering, and technology and help women in the field to achieve their goals. The new program, managed ... Read More>>>Back to Top EU NAVFOR Teamwork Again: Suspected pirates stopped in Gulf of Aden. Late afternoon of Sunday 20th of September, a bulk carrier reported an approach of a skiff while in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden. On board of the Bulk Carrier a unit of the Yemeni Navy ... Read More>>>Back to Top WISTA Hosts Luncheon for USCG ADM Mary Landry Houston WISTA Chapter Welcomes and Honors Commander of Eighth Coast Guard District. The members of the Houston Chapter of The Women's International Shipping and Trading Association have invited the public to attend a luncheon for Rear Admiral Mary Landry Commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District on ... Read More>>>Back to Top PFI Marine Electric Starts Year-Round Service in Dutch Harbor, Alaska Pacific Fishermen Shipyard and Electric, LLC (PFI Marine Electric) announced today that it will now be providing year round marine electrical services in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, as well as the Puget Sound area, maintaining marine electricians on site 24/7. Seattle's PFI Marine Electric shares facilities with Dutch ... Read More>>>Back to Top EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE Copyright © 2009 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316