|  National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill & Offshore Drilling
Co-Chairman, Hon. William K. Reilly’s Opening Statement from Nov. 9 Hearing
Presentations and examinations yesterday uncovered a suite of bad decisions: failed cement tests, premature removal of muds underbalancing the well, a negative pressure test that failed but was adjudged a success, apparent inattention, distraction or misreading of a key indicator that gas was rising toward the rig.
Our investigative team did not ascribe motive to any of those decisions and reported that they found no evidence that those flawed decisions were made to save money. They didn’t rule out cost, just said they ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  Institute would advance lessons learned in wake of oil spill; coordinate research and development activities
In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today proposed the concept of establishing an “Ocean Energy Safety Institute” designed to facilitate research and development, training, and implementation in the areas of offshore drilling safety, blowout containment and oil spill response.
“The Deepwater Horizon tragedy highlighted the importance of raising the bar on offshore drilling safety, practices and technology,” Secretary Salazar said. “The Institute would serve to coordinate and institutionalize the lessons and strategies learned from the oil spill so that the United States can stay at the ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  Recent pirate attacks reported by EU NAVFOR
HNLMS AMSTERDAM Disrupts Nine Pirates - November 8, 2010
On 6 November 2010, the EU NAVFOR Dutch ship HNLMS AMSTERDAM successfully located and disrupted one Pirate Action Group (PAG) comprising of 2 skiffs with 9 suspected pirates onboard.
On 5 November, two suspicious skiffs were detected, during a patrol flight by the warship’s helicopter. A number of people were observed onboard the skiffs, along with a large quantity of fuel and several ladders.
The suspected pirates were urged to stop, first by VHF radio contact, and later, by the firing of warning shots from the helicopter. The warship ... Read More>>>Back to Top | _newsletter.JPG) Monday morning the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a fire onboard the 952-foot cruise ship, Carnival Splendor.
Three Coast Guard cutters, a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft, a vessel in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System, a Mexican Navy 140-foot patrol boat and aircraft responded.
The ship, en route from Long Beach, California to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was 150 miles south of San Diego when a fire was discovered in an aft engine room. Crews extinguished the fire but smoke remained in the area for several hours.
None of the 3,299 passengers or 1,167 crewmembers aboard were injured in the early morning fire. Read More>>>Back to Top |  A Louisiana ship-operating company was sentenced in U.S. District Court in New Orleans on charges related to the illegal discharge of oil into the oceans, the Justice Department announced today.
Offshore Vessels LLC (OSV) was sentenced to pay a criminal fine of $1,750,000 and remit a payment of $350,000 as community service to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. The community service funds are to be used to study polar water pollution and protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the Antarctic region. OSV also will serve a period of probation for three years, during which it will be required to operate under an Environmental Compliance Plan. OSV pleaded guilty on July 22, 2010, ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  SEC and Companies Agree to Civil Disgorgement and Penalties of Approximately $80 Million & More Than $156 Million in Criminal Penalties
A global freight forwarding company, as well as five oil and gas service companies and subsidiaries, have all agreed to resolve investigations of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, the Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced today. The companies have agreed to pay a total of $156,565,000 in criminal penalties. Also today, the SEC announced its settlements with these companies, which involve civil disgorgement, interest and penalties totaling approximately $80 million. The matters stem from an investigation that focused on allegations of foreign bribery in the ... Read More>>>Back to Top | ;074702_newsletter.jpg) On Tuesday a jury will be selected to hear the trial for a group of Somali nationals accused of piracy. The last time suspects accused of piracy were tried in the United States, the year was 1861.
On April 1, men in a small skiff fired assault rifles at the USS Nicholas (pictured), which was on an anti-piracy patrol off the Somali coast. The USS Nicholas returned fire and captured the five Somalis onboard. Also in April, just days later six more Somalis were captured in waters near Djibouti after allegedly shooting at the USS Ashland.
Court documents have revealed that the men mistook the warship for a merchant ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  On Monday, terminal operations in the Port of Long Beach were back to normal after a vessel’s tanks overflowed during refueling, but a fishing ban remained in effect.
Late Sunday night the U.S. Coast Guard received the report of a fuel leak in the port in the Outer Harbor, just southwest of Pier J. Fifteen oil spill response vessels responded to the scene and placed boom around the ship to contain the oil while they worked to clean it up.
The Department of Fish and Game said the spill was in excess of one barrel. To protect public health the Department of Fish and Game have banned fishing in ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  BP confirmed that it has been awarded licence interests in seven offshore exploration blocks in the UK’s 26th Seaward Licencing Round. The awards – five blocks operated by BP and two blocks operated by a partner – together represent the largest licence award BP has received in the UK for more than a decade.
“These licence awards are a significant success for BP and a further boost to the long-term future of our North Sea business,” said Trevor Garlick, Regional President for BP in the North Sea. “With six major projects currently underway in the UK and Norwegian sectors, BP is investing strongly in the North Sea to develop today’s resource base ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  First Two Suisun Bay Ships to be Dismantled Locally
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration today announced that it has awarded two contracts for a total of $3.1 million to Allied Defense Recycling of Petaluma, California, to clean and recycle two Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet ships, the SS Solon Turman and the SS President. The two ships are scheduled to be towed from Suisun Bay to the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard facility in for recycling in December.
“The Obama Administration is running full-speed ahead in its commitment to cleaning up the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These contracts will help the local ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  Scientists Observe Damage to Deep-sea Corals
Government and academic scientists on a multi-week expedition to explore deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico have observed corals and associated communities of marine life that show evidence of recent damage. Today marks the conclusion of this year’s cruise, the fourth of a multiyear collaboration sponsored by NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE). The expedition is chronicled at http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov.
Operating from the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown and using a variety of tools including the National Deep Submergence Facility’s Jason II remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), researchers were working at a ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  This 2 Day workshop (December 14 - 15th, 2010) is an overview of important Safety Management topics. This course combines in-depth knowledge with a practical approach to provide a better understanding of the safety management system process.
Successful Safety Management – A Practical Primer
Has your safety management system grown into a monster that is difficult to manage and understand? Have we lost the meaning and intent by overcomplicating with special interest and bureaucracy? Can we reduce the paper and be safer? Together, let’s explore the benefits of getting back to basics to ensure successful safety management.
This course is recommended for: all sectors of the maritime industry ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  The National Marine Representatives Association (NMRA) has passed the baton. During the recent annual general membership meeting, the national organization announced its newly-elected 2010-2011 officers and board members.
After a year of leadership, Jeff Gueterman of GSW & Associates, Apex, North Carolina, will be stepping into the role of past president. Assuming his role as NMRA president is Rick Silverlake of Silverlake West Co., Huntington Beach, California.
"Reps are an integral part of the marine industry fabric," said Silverlake. "As NMRA president, I will work hard to extend the reach of our organization and promote the cost-saving advantages reps can provide manufacturers in this economy."
Chris ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  New Houston office to service petroleum services industry
Senesco Marine has announced that that it is bringing on board Tom Johnson who will be responsible for new business development expanding the ship builder’s services to the commercial market. Located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, Senesco is a part of the Reinauer family of marine companies and is principally engaged in the design and construction of state of the art OPA-90 compliant double hull ATB ocean tank barges and the new generation of “Facet” tugs.
Tom Johnson is a 1969 graduate of the Texas Maritime Academy holding a B/S in Marine Engineering, US Coast Guard license and commission in the ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  Seaspan International Ltd., is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Hedley to Senior Vice President.
In this leadership role, Robert will oversee Seaspan’s marine operations including vessel maintenance, crewing and safety for Seaspan, as well as environmental management for all Washington Marine Group companies.
Robert joins Seaspan from RHBC Global Technologies Inc., a company he formed to provide consultancy services to marine, offshore and industrial clients. Prior to that, he spent 8 years at Teekay Shipping as Vice President – Marine and Technical Service Group. In that role, he was responsible for implementing technical standards and policies to ensure the safe and reliable operations of the world’s largest ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  In October Cargotec has secured EUR 10 million order from the Sinopacific Group in China for the supply of a further 16-shipsets of anchor-handling systems for BOURBON’s newbuildings. The shipsets will be delivered between April 2011 and February 2012.
This contract follows an order placed in June this year for four ships in the same series, the first shipset is scheduled for delivery in Q1/2011.
The systems will be installed on anchor handling and tug supply (AHTS) vessels based on an SPA80 design and built by Zhejiang Shipyard. This design was jointly developed by major offshore oil and gas services company BOURBON and its partner Shanghai Design Associates (SDA). ... Read More>>>Back to Top | _newsletter.jpg) Peter Tang-Jensen Awarded SNAME’s Prestigious David W. Taylor Medal
The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) awarded their highest honor, the David W. Taylor Medal for notable achievement in naval architecture or marine engineering, to ABS Senior Vice President of Technology Peter Tang-Jensen at the society’s Annual Banquet during the SNAME Annual Meeting and Expo in Seattle, Washington.
A well-respected member of the maritime community with more than 35 years of experience in shipbuilding design and engineering, Tang-Jensen has been providing strategic leadership for the classification society’s research and product development efforts since 2006.
The ABS technology leader and former Executive Vice President of ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is continuing to wind down as the year comes to an end but is nonetheless expected to be up 9 percent in November over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
“Retailers know shoppers still have the economy in mind, so they are being very mindful with inventory levels this year,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “The cargo numbers show that retailers are expecting a much better holiday season than they have seen over the past two years, but ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  Hempel USA Inc., a worldwide leader in Marine and protective coatings and finishes since 1915, has opened a warehouse and distributorship in Seattle, WA. Hempel is committed to providing customers with top quality products and services, and this new partnership will allow Hempel to be closer to customers and better meet their needs.
Hempel has teamed up with Rudd Company, who is also a paint and coatings manufacturer specializing in wood treatment. Rudd is located in downtown Ballard, with a 150,000 square foot warehouse, manufacturing plant and retail store, and has been servicing the Great Northwest since 1912.
Hempel’s main products, such as shop primers, fouling release solutions, antifoulings, ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  Beier Radio recently completed installation of a fully integrated vessel control and management system on the Bourbon Liberty 214. This is the latest in a series of approximately 100 Bourbon Offshore vessels that Beier Radio has outfitted with its technologically advanced, user-friendly electronics package.
The custom Beier package installed on the Bourbon Liberty 214 includes: • Beier IVCS-2000 Integrated Vessel Control System, ABS DP-2;
• Beier IVMS-2000 Integrated Vessel Management System, ABS, that covers equipment systems monitoring, systems management, power monitoring and propulsion controls;
• and Beier Custom Consoles designed to meet Bourbon Offshore’s specific needs and requirements.
Beier Radio also supplied Furuno radars and Furuno GMDSS systems, ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  One to Wilder Fire Department
(Monticello, AR) SeaArk Marine, Inc. has delivered a 26-foot Utility Series (Little Giant) all-welded aluminum fire/rescue boat to the Wilder, KY Fire Department. The boat features a heavy duty “cathedral” multi-vee hull that produces a fast, smooth, dry ride and provides a stable fire fighting platform. These characteristics were high priority items required by the Wilder Fire Department in order to meet required fast response times and capability for all-weather fire fighting and maneuvering requirements.
The boat is tasked for fire/rescue missions on the Licking River and surrounding waters. To facilitate quick response times in getting on scene, twin 175 horse power Evinrude, E-TEC ... Read More>>>Back to Top |  (Houston, TX) The ABS-classed fleet has broken through the 170m gross tons threshold. The latest statistics show the fleet as standing at 11,055 vessels aggregating 170.29m gt representing an increase of more than 9m gt to date in 2010.
The ABS fleet has sustained consistent year-on-year growth for the last sixteen years and firmly positions the society as the third largest class society in terms of aggregate gross tonnage. The society believes it continues to be the largest society in terms of the number of vessels and offshore units in its class.
Industry statistics also show ABS has maintained its position as the favored classification society for new construction, ... Read More>>>Back to Top | | |
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