MarEx eNewsletter - January 7, 2010

January 7th, 2010 Vol. 8, No. 1 Still Swimming Upstream: Invasive Species Battle Anything But Over As Michigan again moves to act unilaterally, the waters become even muddier as the United States tries to put an end to the decade-long nightmare defined by invasive species introduced by ship's ballast water. Is the end really in sight? Even as the U.S. Coast Guard moves ... Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Mailbag: This week's mailbag (again) contains something just a little bit different. Our lone letter this week addresses another unsolicited letter which we published on line in our Mailbag last week. In any event, that letter elicited another, this time with another interesting point of view. Read last week's Mailbag entry ... Read More>>>Back to Top A Report Card on DHS Security Policies, Standards and Programs Part 4 of 5: a look at CBP's In-bond standard; and the Science and Technology Directorate CSD standard. By Dr. Jim Giermanski, Chairman of Powers Global Holdings, Inc. and President of Powers International, LLC, an international transportation security company. "…there is currently no proven technology which can ... Read More>>>Back to Top DOJ: Former Customs Officer Guilty of Public Corruption Beaumont CBP officer accepted illegal gratuity from merchant vessel; faces up to 2 years in federal prison. BEAUMONT, TX – U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced today that a 39-year-old former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, assigned to Port Arthur, Texas has pleaded guilty to ... Read More>>>Back to Top White House Release of Interim Framework for Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Joan M. Bondareff, Of Counsel, Blank Rome LLP, weighs in and explains the recent release of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)'s "Interim Framework for Effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning". In 1983, President Reagan declared that the United States had exclusive rights to the resources of ... Read More>>>Back to Top Suisun Bay Clean-Up Continues with Recycling of Three More Ships Contracts awarded for the recycling of three World War II-era ships. WASHINGTON – The Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) has signed contracts to clean and recycle three World War II-era ships from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, including the last two Victory ships moored in the ... Read More>>>Back to Top RADM Thomas E. Burke (1918 – 2009) Rear Admiral Thomas E. Burke passed away on December 30th. Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduate (1939) was 91. He led a remarkable and distinguished life; at sea and ashore. Thomas Edward Burke of Cohasset, Massachusetts passed away on December 30 at South Shore Hospital from complications of pneumonia. ... Read More>>>Back to Top MITAGS to Offer Deck & Engine Coast Guard Preparation Courses Offerings reflect industry demand and will be given at the MITAGS Campus. • Engine Department In response to requests, MITAGS has scheduled two, unlicensed engine department Coast Guard Exam Preparation Courses in 2010. An unlimited 3rd Assistant Prep Course can be schedule for six ... Read More>>>Back to Top New Shipping Industry Blog Group Aims at Higher Safety & Environmental Standards At a press conference in London on 1 December 2009, Clay Maitland, a noted maritime executive and commentator, warned that ship quality standards are at risk due to financial cost-cutting during the present recession. A new "ginger group" of well-known maritime figures has announced a blog advocating ... Read More>>>Back to Top Credential Processing Time Improving Dramatically Says U.S. Coast Guard's NMC NMC Commanding Officer David Stalfort's December report shows a "62 percent reduction in Coast Guard (net) processing time for mariner credentials." According to an E-mail announcement sent to industry on Wednesday, the National Maritime Center's (NMC) Monthly Performance Report for December has been published on their WEB ... Read More>>>Back to Top Rep. Gene Green (D – TX) Goes to Bat for TWIC Card Users Congressman Gene Greene has requested the Acting Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration to review the policy of charging for replacement of malfunctioning TWIC cards. Click HERE to view Greene's correspondence. Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Coast Guard Seeks to Provide Transparency on Jones Act Rebuild / Build Issues National Vessel Documentation Center posts Determination Letters on WEB Site. • Background The National Vessel Documentation Center now posts U.S. build determination letters and preliminary and final rebuild determination letters online. These letters are in response to requests from vessel owners seeking confirmation that ... Read More>>>Back to Top Coast Guard Sector Portland to Participate in Northwest Oil Spill Awareness Class PORTLAND, OR: The Coast Guard is scheduled to participate in the Northwest Oil Spill Awareness Course hosted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) this past Tuesday. The Coast Guard presented information on the Northwest Oil Spill Response Community and Area Contingency Plan. 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 Michigan Again Moves to Act Unilaterally on Invasive Species Matters Cox asks U.S. Supreme Court for immediate action to stop Asian carp from entering Great Lakes. December 21, 2009 (DETROIT): Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox today announced he has asked the United States Supreme Court to immediately order federal, state, and local officials responsible for Chicago-area locks ... Read More>>>Back to Top Marad Updates Maritime Industry on Ship Disposal Program DOT's maritime arm seeks to provide resources and information on ship disposal procedures for the three NDRF sites. Ship Disposal Authorities The Maritime Administration maintains the National Defense Reserve Fleet as a reserve of ships for defense and national emergencies. There are three fleet ... Read More>>>Back to Top Alert! Issue No.22: Focus on the Regulators Nautical Institute project, sponsored by Lloyd's Register Educational Trust. Those who make all the rules and regulations that govern the design and operation of ships need to be sensitive to human element implications in all that they do. This is according to the International Human Element Bulletin ... Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Coast Guard: Senior Marine Inspector Needed The Coast Guard is seeking a highly qualified candidate to serve as a Senior Marine Inspector and lead instructor at the new Towing Vessel National Center of Expertise located in Paducah, Kentucky. Duties include providing technical guidance, advice, and recommendations to field units on matters related to ... Read More>>>Back to Top Hornbeck Offshore Announces Delivery, Triple Certification of World's Largest Supply Vessel HOS Centerline is the only vessel in the world to have received certifications by the United States Coast Guard allowing operations as a supply vessel, industrial/construction vessel and as a petroleum and chemical tanker. January 6, 2009 — Covington, ... Read More>>>Back to Top Seamen's Church Institute : Christmas Reunion It was a Christmas at Seamen's Church Institute that all involved will remember forever. As always, this 166-year old vital-to-commerce ecumenical ministry practiced the Golden Rule with seafarers from around the world, even bringing a father together with his long-lost daughter. It has deep roots in the ... Read More>>>Back to Top Maritime Casualties--January 7, 2010 Two More Ships Hijacked Off Somalia and Crew Abandons North Korean Cargo Ship • Chemical Tanker and Cargo Ship Latest Hijack Victims A British cargo ship and Singaporean chemical tanker have been seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Over the past seven ... Read More>>>Back to Top Cummins Hotips: #578 Dredge Booster Pump from IHC People who spend any time around the world's ports and river estuaries are familiar with the sight of a cutter suction dredge working to maintain adequate depths in the navigation channels. Typically these suction dredges will be attached to the shore by ... Read More>>>Back to Top Harvey Gulf Awards Eastern Shipbuilding Contract for Six - 292' "Tiger Shark" Series DP2 Offshore Support Vessels Harvey Gulf International Marine, Inc. of New Orleans, LA announced the award of a contract to Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc for the construction and delivery of six 292' x 64' x 24'6" Offshore Support Vessels. The signing ceremony was held Monday January 4, 2010 at Harvey Gulf's new office at ... Read More>>>Back to Top Coast Guard, Navy Rescue Man from Sunken Sailboat off East Coast PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The Coast Guard and Navy worked together Sunday morning to return a rescued man to shore after his sailboat sank about 250 nautical miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C. Coast Guard Fifth District watchstanders received a satellite distress signal at 5:07 p.m. Saturday from ... Read More>>>Back to Top BRUDE MES for Special Purpose Ships EVACUATION | A Marine Evacuation System (MES), consisting of a slide or chute where passengers can evacuate straight into waiting life rafts, can often be found on modern high speed crafts and passenger ships, where weight, space and evacuation times must be kept to a minimum. For the first time, ... Read More>>>Back to Top IMMA: The Voice of Maritime Health Worldwide A new trade association armed with a broad mandate to represent and promote the health and medical interests of the world's seafarers, port workers and cruise passengers as well as improve shipboard hygiene is launched in London today (Jan 4th). The International Maritime Medical Association (IMMA), as ... Read More>>>Back to Top Lloyd's Register Starts 250th Anniversary Celebrations Lloyd's Register starts 250th anniversary celebrations as Hyundai Heavy Industries delivers first Lloyd's Register-classed vessel of the year in Ulsan, Korea Tanker operator Flota Pertrolera Ecuatoriana (FLOPEC) upgrades Ecuador's international shipping fleet Lloyd's Register, the world's first classification society, today celebrated an unrivalled 250 ... Read More>>>Back to Top EMAIL UNSUBSCRIBE Copyright © 2010 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316