|  Readers respond to Tuesday's OpEd 'Violating the Jones Act?' by Tony Munoz, Editor-in-chief, Maritime Executive Magazine and MarEx eNewsletter: Tony, I just read your article in Maritime Executive and found it very interesting. My name is Robb Erickson and I am Vice President, Heavy Marine Transport Worldwide, for Dockwise, the largest heavy-lift ship operator in the world. We are Dutch company and our ships are not U.S. flag. We were invited to bid on transportation of the Spartan 151 by Danny Davis of Escopeta and did so with a very clear subject: That he have a valid Jones Act Waiver in hand at the time of departure. We were never contacted again by Mr. Davis, and our understanding at this time is that the rig left Freeport, Texas in March without a valid waiver. I am not happy about this as you can imagine as we operate within the laws of all the countries... Read More>>> Back to Top |  A 22-year-old St. Thomas man has been convicted of murdering a Carnival cruise ship passenger. Steve Tyson was found guilty on two counts of murder after killing a 14-year old girl and an 18-yar old man in St. Thomas last summer. The young girl was Liz Marie Perez Chaparro of Puerto Rico. A bullet struck her as she and her family were leaving Coki Point beach in an open-air taxi. Local news reported she was the innocent victim of a gang related shooting. The other victim, Shaheel Joseph, died in the street after a bullet struck him in the back of the head. Tyson was also convicted of felony murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and three counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm. Read More>>> Back to Top |  The Indian Coast Guard is currently interrogating the crew from a ‘suspicious’ Danish owned and flagged ship they intercepted on Sunday after receiving a tip from the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The MV Danica Sunrise was thoroughly searched on Sunday following an alert from IB that the ship might be carrying arms and ammunition to be offloaded in Mumbai. Crew onboard has reportedly told the coast guard that they dumped two AK-47’s overboard as security agencies closed in on them. They claim the guns were meant for protection against pirates, known to operate in the area. Officials became suspicious of the ships intent when no cargo was found onboard. The decision to hold the ship was made after two different explanations were given for the lack of cargo. One was that two of the British nationals onboard were just disembarking in Mumbai because they’re tenure was up... Read More>>> Back to Top |  The island nation of Seychelles announced Wednesday that the country’s coast guard had rescued four local fishermen whose boat had been hijacked by Somali pirates. A spokesperson for the country said that one fisherman and two pirates were injured during the mission and a third pirate was killed. Seven pirates were arrested as a result of the mission that took place, late Tuesday, 150 miles north east of Mahe. The rescue mission was reportedly ordered by President James Michel after a distress call was received from the FV Gloria early Tuesday. Read More>>> Back to Top |  Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) announced today a U.S. Navy contract to its Continental Maritime (CMSD) division to provide pump and motor overhaul services aboard Navy ships within a 50-mile radius of San Diego. The firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract, awarded with two other companies, has an estimated value of $120 million for all three prime contractors. The contract will have an ordering period of five years, and each order will be competed among the three awardees. "It has been over 13 years since Continental Maritime was a prime contractor, and this award is important in that respect," said Dan Flood, vice president and general manager, CMSD. "This award provides us opportunities moving forward that we did not have in the past. Additionally, this contract gives CMSD the opportunity to showcase our superior mechanical and electrical... Read More>>> Back to Top |  In the context of the recently-released Indian ship M/V Asphalt Venture, IMO reiterates its condemnation of all acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships and expresses its concern over the treatment of seafarers being held hostage by pirates operating in waters off the coast of Somalia. In particular, it condemns their use as “human shields” on board recently hijacked ships used as “motherships”, or ashore. The M/V Asphalt Venture was hijacked by Somali pirates on 29 September 2010 and was released on 15 April 2011. However, six officers and one rating had been removed from the ship and, at the time of release, were being held at an undisclosed location ashore, where they remain. IMO is concerned for the welfare of all innocent seafarers being held in captivity, and is working towards their timely release.
Using seafarers as human shields to continue to... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Universal Marine Medical (UMM) and Medline Industries, today, announce a strategic integration between two industry leaders. For over 35 years, Universal Marine Medical has provided unsurpassed service, competitive pricing and quality medical and pharmaceutical products to tens of thousands of sea-going vessels worldwide. They have grown to be acknowledged as the "pre-eminent medical logistics" leader of the maritime community. Today, UMM is excited to integrate their specialized maritime expertise with Medline Industries of Mundelein, Illinois . Medline is America's largest privately held national manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies. Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving over 450 major hospitals and healthcare systems. With over 4 billion dollars in annual revenue, Medline... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) has approved a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) submitted for the Cape Wind Energy Project, which is required before construction may begin on the generation facility planned in Nantucket Sound. The timeframe reported in the COP submitted by Cape Wind Associates suggests that construction of the nation’s first offshore wind farm could begin as early as the fall. “The Department has taken extraordinary steps to fully evaluate Cape Wind’s potential impacts on environmental and cultural resources of Nantucket Sound,” said Secretary Salazar. “By signing the Construction and Operations Plan today, we are even closer towards ushering in our Nation’s first offshore wind energy facility while creating jobs.” “After a thorough... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Maine Maritime Academy students, officers, and crew will visit Mediterranean ports this spring as part of the college’s annual two-month training cruise to foreign and domestic ports-of-call. This year’s training cruise itinerary includes Norfolk, Va., May 6- 9; Valetta, Malta, May 25- 28; Civitavecchia, Italy, May 31- June 3; Cobh, Ireland, June 12- June 15; Portland, Maine, June 25-26. The ship will host a family day sail on the return leg from Portland to Castine. Under the command of Captain Leslie B. Eadie, III, of Brewer, Maine, interim master of the training ship, State of Maine, the ship will begin sailing operations at 6:15 a.m., and will depart Castine harbor at approximately 7 a.m., on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. The training cruise will commence in port on Friday, April 29, for pre-sailing preparation. Eadie, a 1976 graduate of the college, recently assumed command of... Read More>>> Back to Top | | The Djibouti Code of Conduct was today (18 April 2011) signed in Dubai by HE Dr. Saeed Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister for International Organisations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs. UAE has become the 18th signatory to sign the Code of Conduct, set up by IMO to develop regional capacity to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Western Indian Ocean. Signatories to the Code, which has been in effect since 29 January 2009, undertake to co-operate in a variety of activities, including: - the investigation, arrest and prosecution of persons reasonably suspected of having committed acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships, including those inciting or intentionally facilitating such acts;
- the interdiction and seizure of suspect ships and property on board such ships;
- the rescue of ships, persons and property subject to piracy and armed...
Read More>>> Back to Top |  More than 1,000 square miles opened today NOAA today reopened to commercial and recreational fishing 1,041 square miles of Gulf waters immediately surrounding the Deepwater Horizon wellhead, just east of Louisiana. This is the twelfth and final reopening in federal waters since July 22, and opens all of the areas in Federal waters formerly closed to fishing due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
This reopening was announced after consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and under a reopening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states. Tuesday, April 19, 2011: The last area in federal waters closed to fishing due to the oil spill reopens (See map above). Download Here (Credit: NOAA) “I am pleased to announce that all... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Washington, DC Area (Linthicum Heights, Maryland), USA
June 6-7, 2011
MITAGS
An interna/onal survey (Michel et al., 2005) has identified over 8,500
sunken shipwrecks in marine waters around the world, including more than 1,500 sunken tank vessels (≥ 150 gross tons) and nearly 7,000 sunken non-tank vessels (≥ 400 gross tons). These wrecks may contain as much as 20 million tons (140 million barrels) of oil and other hazardous materials. Sporadic or continuous leakages or potential sudden massive spillages from these wrecks, 75 percent of which stem from World War II, pose a con/nual risk across the globe.
The problem of potentially-polluting wrecks has long been discussed and recent incidents around the world have caused government agencies and responsible parties to look... Read More>>> Back to Top |  This special release of our E-Newsletter provides details about our Easter Plans. We hope you will join us! Seafarers' House at Port Everglades is proud to be a leader in a nearly 200 year tradition of maritime ministry active in hundreds of ports worldwide - welcoming visiting mariners to our shores and sharing the gifts of hospitality and fellowship. In 2010, the Year of the Seafarer, Seafarers' House was named one of the top five seafarers' centers in the world and was the only center in the Americas to be included in that list. The list was based on nominations from over 2000 mariners all over the world solicited by the International Committee for Seafarers' Welfare. Easter Sunrise Service on the Beach Seafarers' House is delighted that the Fort Lauderdale Business and Professional Women's Club has once again chosen to support our mission through the... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Washington leaders offer little good news for maritime interests At its Annual General Meeting in Washington, DC last week, more than 70 WISTA USA members and guests gathered to discuss issues of concern to the maritime community. Leading authorities from the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Department of Justice, regulatory and trade associations, and the U.S. Congress met with shipping professionals to discuss and debate the current status of environmental and enforcement issues and the impact of the 112th Congress on the industry, and to examine strategies for moving forward. “WISTA USA meets annually in various cities around the country”, stated WISTA USA President and Blank Rome LLP partner Jeanne Grasso. “We took advantage of the meeting in Washington to invite high-level public and private sector leaders in our industry to participate in substantive discussions with our... Read More>>> Back to Top |  EMAS Production is set to take delivery of one of Vietnam's largest Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels from Keppel Shipyard Limited (Keppel Shipyard), on behalf of owner PV Keez Pte. Ltd (PV Keez). To be managed and operated by EMAS Production, FPSO Lewek EMAS has been chartered by Premier Oil Vietnam Offshore B.V. for the development of the Chim Sáo field off southern Vietnam for six years, with a further option to extend the charter by another six years. The FPSO charter contract is one of only seven signed worldwide in 2009, and is worth approximately US$1 billion. The project to convert the 168,000 dwt Suezmax tanker into an FPSO was awarded to Keppel Shipyard in December 2009. To date, Keppel Shipyard has achieved a good safety record of over 4.1 million incident-free man-hours for its conversion. Speaking at the vessel's naming... Read More>>> Back to Top |  On Thursday, April 14, 2011, the Senate voted to confirm the President’s nominations of Rebecca F. Dye and Mario Cordero as Federal Maritime Commissioners. They will be sworn in for their terms as Commissioners in the next several weeks. Commissioner Dye, first sworn in on November 14, 2002, has served two terms as a Federal Maritime Commissioner. Most recently Commissioner Dye served as Fact Finding Officer for the Commission’s investigation into vessel capacity and equipment availability for U.S. exporters and importers. She was nominated and confirmed to a term expiring June 30, 2015. Commissioner Dye stated: "I am honored to have been re-nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate for another term at the Commission. I also deeply appreciate the support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. I look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners to... Read More>>> Back to Top | | Horizon Lines, Inc. (NYSE: HRZ), the nation's leading domestic ocean shipping company, today announced that William A. Hamlin has been named Senior Vice President of Operations for the company's Horizon Lines, LLC operating subsidiary. Mr. Hamlin reports to Brian Taylor, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, of Horizon Lines, Inc.
In his new role, Mr. Hamlin oversees Horizon Lines' ocean transportation services, inland services, the order-to-cash cycle, maintenance, safety, security, network operations, North America terminals and technology. He is based in the Dallas, Texas operations center, which he helped develop during his tenure with the company's predecessor, Sea-Land Service, Inc. (Sea-Land). "Bill Hamlin brings an extensive background in all aspects of our operating environment and unique experience working with other leaders in our industry," said Mr.... Read More>>> Back to Top |  SINANJU joins the list of SpecTec’s ever growing distinguished customers by committing to AMOS2 Enterprise Suite. The project includes interfacing to third party accounting system; database construction, training and implementation. SINANJU was incorporated in 1992 and primary business is providing barging and shipping services in Singapore’s waters.
The company commenced its business with a modest start and has since diversified into owning and operating steel bunker tankers. It currently operates a total of 9 tankers and is now largely focused on barging and shipping services as its core business. SINANJU is constantly reviewing and improving their capabilities and competencies in the shipping arena to ensure they deliver only the best to their clienteles. Coupled with SINANJU’s commitment towards safety, SINANJU have attracted and are partnering with oil... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Seattle, WA - Kvichak Marine, Industries, Inc. recently constructed and delivered a 25’ – 8” push boat to Seattle City Light for operation with the service barge at the Diablo Dam in the North Cascades. This Kvichak Marine design is constructed of marine grade aluminum alloy plate and extrusions. Two vertical push knees are located at the bow. The knees are padded by 6” D-section rubber. A 1,500 lb davit with manual winch is mounted on the stern. The push boat is powered by twin John Deere 330 hp turbo charged diesel engines with stainless steel props in enclosed nozzles, allowing for speed of 8 knots while pushing the barge. - Length overall: 25’ – 8”
- Beam, molded: 14’ – 0”
- Draft, ready for service: 3’ – 5”
- Weight, full...
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