MarEx eNewsletter - February 26, 2009

February 26th, 2009 Vol. 7, No. 8, Cold, Hard Facts: New Arctic Policy is a Paper Polar Bear The Coast Guard struggles to implement the New Presidential Arctic Region Policy without the equipment to even operate in that region; Obama's "change" promises little more. Almost exactly one year ago, and in the immediate wake of ADM Thad Allen's 2008 State-of-the-Coast-Guard address, I conducted a focused ... Read More>>>Back to Top Cheaper, Better Connectivity Puts Wind in Global Marine's Sails Switch to VSAT Cuts Connectivity Costs, Gladdens Crew It's one thing to modernize your own communications while dramatically cutting your costs. Now imagine the competitive advantage to be gained if you could do that for clients as well! At Global Marine Systems, all it took to turn ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag: Readers Weigh in on Stimulus The MarEx Mailbag was heavy again. Last week's lead editorial, entitled "Obama's New Deal: Good Deal, No Deal or the Real Deal?" brought attention to the new stimulus package recently passed by Congress and the implications for a broad range of maritime interests in that bill. Not ... Read More>>>Back to Top Pirates Grab Greek Ship, but Two Navies Stop Other Pirate Attacks Greek Authorities Acknowledge Cargo Ship Captured The M/V SALDANHA, a Maltese-flagged bulk cargo ship with a crew of 22 was seized off of Somalia on February 21, 2009. The ship was transporting coal to Slovenia. During January, a Greek captain was killed by pirates ... Read More>>>Back to Top MARAD Briefs $100 Million for small shipyard grants; California Sealift Terminals wins contract; Calypso LNG drops license application •Maritime Administration Administering $100 Million in Small Shipyard Grants Under the terms of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Maritime Administration has received $100 million for the ... Read More>>>Back to Top New Study: Clean Alternative Fuels Gaining at Top Ports Study found that natural gas is currently the leading alternative fuel for goods movement at U.S. container ports, while hybrid electric vehicles are gaining popularity in Asia. BOULDER, CO: U.S. and international container shipping ports are among the world's biggest sources of air pollution and greenhouse gas ... Read More>>>Back to Top UK's MAIB Issues Report on Grounding of General Cargo Ship Incident occurred near Larne, Northern Ireland on 29 June 2008 when officer in charge of the navigation watch fell asleep. According to the UK Marine Accident Branch (MAIB), "The sole objective of the investigation of an accident under the Merchant Shipping (Accident Reporting and Investigation) Regulations 2005 ... Read More>>>Back to Top ASA Members Respond to Grounding of USS PORT ROYAL in Hawaii 9,600-ton, 567-foot guided missile cruiser ran aground a half-mile off Honolulu International Airport's Reef Runway after leaving port for sea trials. Washington, DC - During the morning hours of February 7, 2009 three members of the American Salvage Association (ASA) provided salvage support to the U.S. Navy's ... Read More>>>Back to Top MMA Says Connaughton to be Keynote Speaker for Maritime Education Summit BUZZARDS BAY, MA – Massachusetts Maritime Academy is pleased announce Sean T. Connaughton as the keynote speaker for the Maritime Education Summit to be held April 15 -17, 2009. Focused on Trends and Pedagogy for the Future, this innovative conference will attract participants from all segments of the maritime industry. ... Read More>>>Back to Top Russian Warship Fuel Spill No Longer Threatening Irish Coast Coast Guard says there is no immediate threat from oil spill. The fuel spill that occurred about 10 days off the coast of Ireland is no longer a threat to the coastline. Currently, it is moving at about five nautical miles a day and is being kept ... Read More>>>Back to Top Mitropoulos Urges Nigerian Government to Act on Piracy IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos stresses that urgent action was needed to assure the international maritime community of Nigeria's commitment to address the problem on a priority basis. IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos has urged the Government of Nigeria to intervene to help reduce the incidence of ... Read More>>>Back to Top Former Port Director Gearin Pleads Guilty to Clean Water Act Violation Port of Astoria Agrees to Civil Resolution Portland, OR (19 February 2009): U.S. Attorney Karin J. Immergut announced today the Office of the U. S. Attorney, District of Oregon, has filed an information charging Peter Gearin with one count of violating the Clean Water Act. Gearin, the ... Read More>>>Back to Top NMHA to Honor Admiral Thad Allen and Marine Artist John M. Barber Admiral Thad W. Allen, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, will receive the National Maritime Historical Society's NMHS Bravo Zulu Award, given in recognition of heroic and inspirational performance in the fine tradition of the sea services. In presenting this award, the Society salutes Admiral Allen's ... Read More>>>Back to Top MASSPORT Receives $400,000 EPA Grant Money will extend shore power at Boston Fish Pier and cut vessel emissions. BOSTON – The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced today that it has received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to install additional power stations on the Fish Pier so fishing boats ... Read More>>>Back to Top Cummings Grills Coast Guard Commandant on Civil Rights Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, in response to the release of an independent review of the Coast Guard's Office of Civil Rights and the Service's civil rights programs. MarEx readers can click HERE to read ... Read More>>>Back to Top NSRP Debuts Ship Production Panel on Electrical Technologies National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) has created the Electrical Technologies Panel in response to industry and Navy needs. In response to current industry and Navy interest in attacking cost drivers in the electrical aspects of shipbuilding, the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) has created the Electrical Technologies ... Read More>>>Back to Top PVA Develops Guidance Manual on EPA General Permit for Discharges Incidental to Normal Vessel Operations Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) develops Manual to help its members comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-issued General Permit for wastewater discharges incidental to normal vessel operations. The PVA Manual for Compliance with the EPA Vessel General Permit (VGP) for Discharges Incidental to the Normal Operation ... Read More>>>Back to Top EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE Copyright © 2009 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

MarEx eNewsletter - February 19, 2009

February 19th, 2009 Vol. 7, No. 7, Hot New Job Postings from Faststream! Obama's New Deal: Good Deal, No Deal or the Real Deal? Transportation, Coast Guard, Shipbuilding and MARAD Projects all hit pay dirt, but what's the bottom line? When President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus bill into law on Tuesday, it set my mind to thinking. The modern day version of the New Deal is clearly well ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag: Reader Response to Last Week's MarEx E-newsletter Reader's weigh in on last week's lead editorial Last week's lead editorial, entitled "Reality Check: Still doing More With Less," brought attention to the U.S. Coast Guard in a roundabout way. A somewhat "exciting" event in Managing Editor Joseph Keefe's hometown that almost involved the Coast Guard ... Read More>>>Back to Top International Intrigue Surrounds Sinking of Cargo Ship Russians Attack and Sink Cargo Ship. Eight Crewmembers Missing. China demands investigation over attack on unarmed ship. China is demanding an investigation over the sinking of the M/V NEW STAR, a cargo ship, which sank near the port of Vladivostok. A Chinese newspaper claims that the Russian ... Read More>>>Back to Top Art Sulzer Weighs in on SOCP Maritime Education… Maritime for Primary and Secondary Education Coalition Formed In April 2008, the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) sponsored a conference titled "Maritime and Intermodal Education for Primary and Secondary Schools in America - Onboard to a Future Career." The event was well attended and well received. Proceedings ... Read More>>>Back to Top Featured MarEx Print Article: Cornel Martin, Waterways Council President Weighs In Inland Waterways Investment Is Critical to Economic Recovery and Future Growth According to Cornel Martin, the New Year brings much uncertainty about the economy, the future of certain industries and businesses, the housing market, and a new Administration's plans. But one thing that is certain is the ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx February PRINT Edition is on the Street! The latest MarEx print edition, featuring Tom Crowley on the cover, provides a unique, three-pronged focus on the environment – and a host of other critical issues. As always, you get our now familiar regular features, too! The latest edition of THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE is in distribution. ... Read More>>>Back to Top Russian Warship Blamed for Oil Spill Approximately 1000-tons of oil spill heading towards the Irish coast. The Irish Marine Department has requested assistance from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The Irish said the spill appears to be covering 22 square miles and could have as much as 1000-tons of oil in the ... Read More>>>Back to Top Maritime Accident Casebook by Bob Couttie Cosco Busan/Van Gogh: Size Doesn't Matter. Comparing pilotage incidents like the Cosco Busan allision with the San Francisco-Oakland bridge and the grounding of the passenger ship Van Gogh in Devonport, Australia shows that size doesn't matter and that such incidents may be more common than realised suggests ... Read More>>>Back to Top Ian Adams Appointed Chief Executive of IBIA IAN Adams has been appointed the first ever Chief Executive of the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) following the decision to change from a 25-member Council of Management to an executive structure headed by a Board of Directors. Adams was formerly Secretary-General of IBIA which, since its ... Read More>>>Back to Top NTSB: Cosco Busan Allision Result of Multiple Factors Washington, DC February 18, 2009 - The National Transportation Safety Board determined today that a medically unfit pilot, an ineffective master, and poor communications between the two were the cause of an accident in which the Cosco Busan container ship spilled thousands of gallons of fuel oil into the San ... Read More>>>Back to Top Hawaii Superferry Completes Maintenance and Inspection Voyages between Maui and Oahu resume February 18 Tuesday, February 17, 2009 (HONOLULU): Hawaii Superferry announced today that the Alakai is resuming service between Oahu and Maui beginning February 18, 2009, as scheduled, after completing the annual maintenance inspection and U.S. Coast Guard re-certification process. ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Issues Statement on Stimulus Package Lahood weighs in on President Obama's signing of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act "Today President Obama kept faith with the American people. Less than one month after taking the oath of office, he signed the landmark American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "I thank and ... Read More>>>Back to Top APL Ltd. to Pay U.S. $26.3 Million to Resolve Fraud Allegations The government alleges that APL, a wholly-owned American subsidiary of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines Limited, knowingly overcharged and double-billed the Department of Defense to transport thousands of containers from ports to inland delivery destinations in Iraq and Afghanistan. WASHINGTON – APL Limited has agreed to pay the ... Read More>>>Back to Top Great Lakes Region Welcomes SecurePort 2009 Conference to be Hosted by Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority (DETROIT, MI)-The cooperation and relationships among those in the commercial, cruise and government transportation community in the ongoing processes of security planning and crucial multi-level execution again will be the key focus as hundreds of delegates gather for ... Read More>>>Back to Top Russian Ship Finally Released by North Koreans A cargo ship entering territorial waters during a storm held by North Koreans. The MV OMSKY-122 strayed into North Korean waters during a storm after leaving the South Korean port of Pusan. The Russian government went into high gear to have the ship released. Read More>>>Back to Top SEAWAY NOTICE NO. 1 – 2009 Opening of the 2009 Navigation Season and Maximum Allowable Drafts announced February 17, 2009: The opening of the 2009 navigation season is scheduled to take place on the following dates and times: • Montreal / Lake Ontario March 31, 2009 - 0800 hours (D.S.T.) ... Read More>>>Back to Top Maritime Leadership in "Corporate Ocean Responsibility" Paul Holthus, Executive Director, World Ocean Council explains that Ocean sustainability issues are increasingly affecting the future of shipping and the ocean and that maritime industry leadership is essential to navigating this critical juncture. Shipping industry leadership is not only important to the future of the ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Vivien Crea to Headline WISTA Luncheon WISTA USA's Fourth Annual Luncheon to take place at the CMA Shipping 2009 Conference on March 23rd. Stamford, February 9 -- Women's International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) USA announced today that United States Coast Guard's Vice Admiral Vivien Crea will be the keynote speaker at its ... Read More>>>Back to Top NOAA Ship John N. Cobb Named to National Register of Historic Places NOAA Ship John N. Cobb, a former fisheries research vessel based in Seattle, has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, the federal government's official list of the nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Cobb will join more than 80,000 places deemed significant in American ... Read More>>>Back to Top Maritime Administration Awards MSP Operating Agreement to Ocean Shipholdings, Inc. The Maritime Administration has approved the award of a new Maritime Security Program operating agreement to Ocean Shipholdings, Inc., a U.S. citizen-owned company. Feb. 12, 2009: The new agreement, MA/MSP-108, provides for the operation of the product tanker Baltic Mariner in the MSP. Under the agreement, the ... Read More>>>Back to Top CORRECTION: Container Ship Collides with Tanker Last week, in a story published in the MarEx Newsletter, it was reported that the M/V KASHMIR was an LNG tanker. In fact, the subject vessel is a product tanker. We stand corrected and we thank our readers for their prompt advice on the matter. ... Read More>>>Back to Top EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE Copyright © 2009 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316