MarEx eNewsletter - September 8, 2009

September 8th, 2009 Vol. 7, No. 36 WOW: What Are We Waiting For? Wrecks of the World: Hidden Risks of the Deep (WOW) Conference in Linthicum, MD highlights a ticking time bomb. Industry, politics and the regulatory arms converge at MITAGS to contemplate the mitigation and removal of as much as 4.3 billion gallons of oil lurking below the surface on some 8,500 ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag This week's Mailbag contains two letters. Both writers felt that last week's lead editorial was inaccurate in some way and one characterized the editorial as "wide of the mark". Last weeks our lead piece referenced the U.S. Coast Guard's long awaited (proposed ballast water treatment (BWT) standard. ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Podcast: Our now regular feature is a popular staple for MarEx readers on the go. Our seventh podcast recounts our August 27th lead editorial referencing changes in the regulatory environment affecting the maritime industry. The article drew more than its share of mail and "click-through" traffic. Tune in and listen now. ... 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 Maritime Industry Job Camp! WGMA announces maritime-related Job Camp scheduled at West Gulf Maritime. All job seekers or those companies with positions available are encouraged to attend. As we all know, our world economy and our maritime industry in particular are in a recession. For many, these are difficult times with ... Read More>>>Back to Top GAO Update: Maritime Security & Coast Guard Issues GAO provides advice and reports on no less than six recently issued reports and says that another seven ongoing GAO Reviews still in pipeline. With summer officially over, the GAO's Steven Caldwell has provided an update on GAO's work related to maritime security and Coast Guard issues. ... Read More>>>Back to Top Maritime Administration Warns of Likely Increase in Piracy Latest Advisory Highlights Risks and Measures to Protect Crews. WASHINGTON – The Maritime Administration today issued an advisory to mariners and ship operators that piracy is likely to increase off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean now that monsoon season has ended. ... Read More>>>Back to Top St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation Reports Sharply Lower Traffic Volumes Seaway traffic results for the period through August 31st now available; total numbers rebounding from April's report. Just a few months after recording its 50th Anniversary, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation is also reporting sharply lower cargo volumes and ship transits for the first eight months ... Read More>>>Back to Top USDOJ: Liberian Ocean Shipping Company Admits Falsifying Oil Discharge Record Books Company to Pay $1 Million Fine and $350,000 Community Service Payment. WASHINGTON—A Liberian-incorporated shipping company pleaded guilty today in federal court in Trenton, N.J., to failing to keep accurate oily water discharge records and using falsified records to conceal the discharge at sea of untreated bilge from ... Read More>>>Back to Top EU NAVFOR Warship BRANDENBURG Stops Suspected Pirates The EU NAVFOR German warship Brandenburg investigated a suspected pirate skiff with a crew of five in the Gulf of Aden just south of Al Mukalla. The EU NAVFOR warship launched a helicopter that observed, and filmed, the skiff's crew throwing ladders and weapons overboard. The skiff ... Read More>>>Back to Top Maritime Incidents--September 10, 2009 Maritime incidents from around the world • Ferry Sinks off Zamboanga, Philippines Nine dead in Super Ferry 9 sinking Super Ferry 9 sank in Siocon Bay near Zamboanga Peninsula early Sunday morning, leaving at lease nine passengers dead and more than ... Read More>>>Back to Top Phrixos B Papachristidis Appointed Chairman of Executive Board of Hellespont Papachristidis previously worked for Poten & Partners in New York. In 2007, he joined the family business, serving in various functions in the Group. His most recent position was Managing Director of Hellespont Tankers GmbH & Co KG, manager of the newly formed Seatramp Intermediate Tanker Pool. Read More>>>Back to Top IMCA Reports on 2007 DP Station Keeping Incidents IMCA has maintained the database of DP incident reports from dynamically positioned vessels for over 20 years. Each year, the reports are collated and an anonymised analysis of the incidents is issued. Since 1991 dynamic positioning (DP) station keeping incidents have been reported on annually by the ... Read More>>>Back to Top WRSystems: New Emissions Monitoring System Could Change Face of Pollution at Sea CEMS Passes Land Test as New Regulations Loom on Horizon. A new emissions monitoring system being developed by a Norfolk, VA, systems engineering firm will allow vessels worldwide to continuously monitor pollutants and readily report findings to regulatory agencies and inspectors. The patent-pending Continuous ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. DOT Releases New Tool to Promote Efficient Freight Movement The Electronic Freight Management software, along with a blueprint, or architecture, for operation, is free and easy to operate. As part of its mission to advance the use of technology to solve transportation problems, the Research and Innovative Technology Administration's Intelligent Transportation System's Joint Program Office, in ... Read More>>>Back to Top UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch Issues Report on Riverdance Casualty Full report, outlining MAIB Report on the investigation into the grounding and subsequent loss of the ro-ro cargo vessels Riverdance, on Shell Flats - Cleveleys Beach, Lancashire on 31 January 2008 (Report No. 18/2009), has been published and is now available at the MAIB's website. On 31 ... Read More>>>Back to Top Ecology Certifies Spill Readiness Plans for 13 Western Washington Oil Handling and Shipping Operations OLYMPIA (27 August) : The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) today approved 13 oil spill readiness plans for refining, oil handling and vessel shipping companies operating in Western Washington. All but one is located in Puget Sound. "Puget Sound already faces a myriad of challenges but a ... Read More>>>Back to Top September 2009 Anti-Piracy Assessment Issued Evolutionary Security Management, Inc., a provides specialized services in the Critical Infrastructure Assurance and Protection domains, with a specific view towards Transportation Systems distributes 11-page assessment of current situation. This brief paper is intended to provide an overview of some of the emerging situations and issues. ... Read More>>>Back to Top NTSB Alert NTSB Opens Public Docket on Sinking of Alaska Ranger As part of the Safety Board's investigation into the sinking of the F/V "Alaska Ranger" in the Bering Sea, the NTSB has officially opened the public accident docket on Friday, September 4, 2009. On March ... Read More>>>Back to Top Coal Carrier Collides with Young Australian Yachter Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old yachtswoman, was on a preliminary trip for her upcoming effort to be the youngest woman to sail solo around the world, was struck by the M/V SILVER YANG, a Hong Kong registered coal carrier. The young woman's 34-foot yacht, the Pink Lady, was ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Coast Guard NMC to Host MERPAC Meeting: National Maritime Center will play host to next all-important Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee meeting on September 22-23, 2009. TSAC Meeting follows immediately at same location on September 24-25. This meeting will be important in that it addresses many of the recommendations that the Coast Guard may ... Read More>>>Back to Top October Issue of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE Closes in Less Than 2 Weeks! Click and download the attached PDF to see details on this exciting issue and get advertising information. Maritime business leaders choose The Maritime Executive for its high-quality, in-depth editorial content and distribution aimed squarely at decision-makers throughout the maritime world. This is your chance to advertise in ... Read More>>>Back to Top Fort Lauderdale Mariners Club Annual Golf Tournament Join the Maritime Executive and many others involved in the commercial marine & yachting industries for a round of golf in October One of the premier events of the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show season is once again being ... Read More>>>Back to Top EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE Copyright © 2009 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316