|  SAN DIEGO – Coast Guard crews from San Diego and Sacramento are searching for a woman who was reported missing from a cruise ship that docked in San Diego Tuesday morning. The 65-year-old woman was last seen aboard the cruise ship Celebrity Millennium Monday night, which was transiting from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to San Diego. The Coast Guard received the report of the missing woman at 1:15 p.m., and launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Sector San Diego and a C-130 Hercules plane from Air Station Sacramento to search for the missing person. The FBI also responded to the missing person report at the cruise ship terminal. If anyone has information that could aid the search, they are asked to contact the Joint Harbor Operation Center at 619-278-7031. ____ USCG Read More>>> Back to Top |  Four people are dead after shells rained down on the port of Misrata Wednesday. The British-funded aid ship, RED START ONE, and the refugees trying to flee onboard her were the intended target’s of Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. More than 1,000 foreign workers braved the fire while waiting for a chance to flee the camp they’ve been staying in for the last few days. The aid ship they were waiting on, had already spent the last five days anchored out at sea after pro-Gaddafi forces used shells and mines to prevent the ship entering the port. Today, after finally reaching the dock, the ship was forced to pull up its ramp and leave after just an hour. The vessel left with an estimated 700 foreign workers, 50 journalists and 20 wounded civilians onboard- leaving hundreds behind. The International Organisation for Migration said they took as many people... Read More>>> Back to Top |  ReconRobotics, Inc. announced today that it has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) to jointly develop a Recon Scout® Throwbot® reconnaissance robot with magnetized wheels that will, among other things, enable the robot to climb up and over the hull of a ship. ReconRobotics believes that this concept could evolve into a new micro-robot platform that would have immediate applications in maritime piracy interdiction and in protecting the lives of shipboard military personnel. SSC Pacific and ReconRobotics recently unveiled the initial concept of this one-pound micro-robot and its novel marsupial-robot delivery system at the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference in Orlando, FL. “We believe that this micro-robot platform could help mitigate maritime piracy threats and... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Rule reflects advances in industry practices and technology WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a final rule to protect the safety and health of shipyard workers, which is published in today's edition of the Federal Register. The rule updates existing requirements to reflect advances in industry practices and technology, and provides new protections from hazards that previously were not addressed, including the control of hazardous energy. It is expected to prevent about 350 serious injuries each year. "This final rule is the result of collaboration between OSHA and the maritime industry," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "Shipyard work is dangerous, and we believe we have crafted a rule that protects workers while balancing employer concerns regarding... Read More>>> Back to Top |  A bill that would put a stop to requiring port workers, including truck drivers, to have state security clearance finally passed through the Senate on Monday, after its House counterpart already passed that would help ease the flow of Florida transportation. Currently, the legislation waits to be approved by Governor Rick Scott, though it is thought to be signed by Scott without a hitch, as he had previously stated he will sign the bill. If Scott approves as planned, logistics companies have projected that it will save around $200 per employee by joining the rest of the country in only requiring federal security clearance to the port workers and truck drivers. The legislation would require Florida to create a Florida Department of Transportation Secretary with economic development. Also, it would require port projects to be approved in less than 60 days, as opposed to the... Read More>>> Back to Top |  EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN – The Coast Guard Cutter Sherman interdicted a self-propelled semi-submersible vessel (SPSS) and took four people into custody 300 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, April 3, 2011. The SPSS and its crew were carrying an estimated 5.8 metric tons of cocaine.
At approximately 10 a.m., the Sherman spotted the suspect SPSS about half a mile from the cutter. A Sherman crewmember noticed a man atop the SPSS who appeared to be acting as a lookout. Within two minutes, three more men wearing life vests appeared on the small deck of the SPSS. Shortly thereafter, the SPSS slipped underwater with all four men seen floating in its wake.
As the Coast Guard observed these developments, the Sherman’s law enforcement boarding teams prepared to intercept the vessel. The boarding teams approached the men and brought them safely aboard the cutter. The boarding team also noticed... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, TX - GL Noble Denton has published a new Guideline for the certification of blow-out preventers (BOPs). The Guideline clearly defines the process to be undertaken by independent third party certification bodies in certifying the integrity of the asset, which monitors and controls the flow of oil and gas wells. The publication of the Guideline follows the first anniversary of the Macondo oil field incident in the Gulf of Mexico, during which the failure of the BOP from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig contributed to lost lives and environmental damage. The event has highlighted the crucial need for operators to thoroughly inspect the reliability of this critical piece of safety equipment on a regular basis. Since the Macondo incident, the oil and gas sector has placed increased emphasis on the inspection and testing of BOPs to ensure compliance with industry... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Houston, Texas- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich delivered remarks today at the 2011 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas. OTC is an international event, bringing together experts from around the world focusing on the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection. Director Bromwich discussed the path forward for United States (U.S.) regulation of offshore oil and gas development, outlining the new offshore organizational and regulatory framework. Director Bromwich's remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below: Good afternoon. I want to thank the conference organizers for putting together such an impressive event and for inviting me to speak about the future of offshore oil and gas development in... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Leading class society and gobal IT company will develop new cloud- based infrastructure to help industry meet new requirements Leading classification society, ClassNK and IBM Japan (NYSE:IBM, President:Takayuki Hashimoto) announced a new joint project to develop the world’s first archive centre to meet new requirements included in the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) new Goal Based Standards (GBS). The new centre, which will take advantage of cloud-based infrastructure developed by IBM Japan, will be designed to safely store the Ship Construction Files (SCF) that will be required by the GBS, as well as meet the rigorous requirements for both data security and accessibility laid out by the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee. As part of the new GBS, which will enter into force in 2016, all newly built vessels will be required to maintain copies of a Ship Construction File... Read More>>> Back to Top |  HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC) announced today that it has opened its headquarters in Houston. The offices house the day-to-day business operations as well as a dedicated emergency response center in the event MWCC is called to respond to a deepwater well control incident in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. “MWCC’s emergency response center would play an important role in supporting the Unified Command in the event of an incident.” “Being strategically headquartered in Houston means that MWCC can immediately respond to a well control incident in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico,” said MWCC Chief Executive Officer Marty Massey. “MWCC’s emergency response center would play an important role in supporting the Unified Command in the event of an incident.” MWCC maintains its interim containment system in a continuous... Read More>>> Back to Top |  The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) has announced at its first meeting of the new board of directors, that Nigel Draffin of LQM Petroleum Services was elected to the post of Vice Chairman until March 31st 2012, upon which he will succeed Robert Lintott, ISO Bunkers LLC, as Chairman of IBIA. Nigel Draffin commented: “I am very honoured by the confidence shown in me by the board in my election to Vice Chairman of the Association. I will do everything I can to support Bob Lintott in his year as Chairman and to further the aims of the Association. We have an excellent secretariat, a competent and committed board and a clear strategy for the future. I hope I will be able to live up to the high standards set by my predecessors when I take over as Chairman in April 2012.” Other appointments included, Simon Neo Tiau Gee of Integra Fuels, who was elected... Read More>>> Back to Top |  “While the shape of the shipping industry in North America is fairly stable, we are expecting more expansion in cruise regions and the offshore market with the ever growing demand for energy,” comments Philip Bannerman (pictured), Sales Director for Wilhelmsen Ships Service in the Americas. Bannerman , who is based at the company’s Houston, Texas office, also believes that Mexico has more potential for development, particularly in the logistics sector.
Commenting on the overall health of the ships agency business in North America, he says, “The shipping market is more ‘mature’ than in other parts of the world, but we can see that energy traders are going to get busier. In addition the supply of agency and logistics to the cruise sector is likely to increase as the industry expands geographically. “Our main investment focus is in... Read More>>> Back to Top |  WASHINGTON – BP Exploration Alaska, Inc. (BP Alaska) will pay a $25 million civil penalty and carry out a system-wide pipeline integrity management program as part of a settlement for spilling more than 5,000 barrels of crude oil from the company’s pipelines on the North Slope of Alaska in 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced today. The penalty is the largest per-barrel penalty to date for an oil spill.
“This penalty should serve as a wake-up call to all pipeline operators that they will be held accountable for the safety of their operations and their compliance with the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the pipeline safety laws,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment... Read More>>> Back to Top |  The maritime administration of Antigua and Barbuda has been certified according to ISO 9001 by GL Systems Certification. On behalf of Germanischer Lloyd, Vice President GL North and Central America Stephen Gumpel handed over the certificate to the Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS), in the presence of the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and three members of Cabinet in addition to members of the ADOMS team. Mr. Dwight C.R. Gardiner, Director and Registrar General of ADOMS with its principal office in St. John's, Antigua and two branch offices in Germany (Oldenburg and Bremerhaven), said: "We had a very comprehensive audit in all our offices, checking not only our processes but insight knowledge of existing maritime rules and regulations. In... Read More>>> Back to Top |  by Brittany Damora
SEOUL -- On the day a South Korean ship was attacked by pirates, the “Security Threats to Korean Business Operating Overseas” conference, run by Assist Card Korea, heard evidence in support of intelligence-led protection and unarmed solutions to piracy from UK-based risk consultancy AKE Group.
During the gathering of the biggest names in onshore business and shipping in Korea on 21 April 2011 the 75,000-ton Hanjin-owned Tianjin signalled an SOS to its owners in Seoul and the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs: it was under attack by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
The incident reflects an increase in piracy against South Korean vessels and highlights growing public support for armed solutions--as well as demonstrating the practical non-lethal methods that actually defused this attack.
AKE Group’s Andrew... Read More>>> Back to Top |  HOUSTON – Cummins Inc. announces the Cummins Oil and Gas Center of Excellence, a business launched to serve the needs of its growing oil and gas customer base. The Houston land-based center is located in a primary hub of engineering and technology for the oil and gas industry, and represents a significant investment by Cummins Inc. The Cummins Offshore Oil and Gas Center of Excellence is located in Singapore, geographically positioned in a global center of oil platform and shipbuilding and the home of related suppliers. Both facilities deliver a wide range of customized and integrated power packages specifically designed to the needs of each individual oil and gas customer. "The Cummins Oil and Gas Center of Excellence allows Cummins to expand our current product offering beyond the broad range of diesel and natural gas engines currently available to customers," said Tom Linebarger,... Read More>>> Back to Top | | Are container freight derivatives the solution to the continuing problem of excessive freight rates volatility or are they a casino, ‘as reliable as rolling a dice’? Shippers' Voice is encouraging shippers, freight forwarders, carriers and others to enter the debate and has published on its website a white paper ‘Container Freight Derivatives – Helping Shippers Manage Risk’. “One of the greatest problems for shippers is determining an accurate budget forecast for the cost of ocean freight transport,” says Andrew Traill, Managing Partner, Shippers’ Voice. “Promised rates are valid for only a month or two, a plethora of surcharges are added seemingly at will, and, even if rates are adhered to, shipping lines will simply leave that cargo on the dock and select the highest-paying cargo to carry.” He does not dispute... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and former governor of Pennsylvania, released the following statement on the death of Osama bin Laden: “The news that Osama bin Laden is no more demonstrates the resolve of the intelligence and military community and the American community writ large. We did not forget, nor will we ever. May this news give some measure of comfort to those we lost on 9/11 and those we have lost since that day, who fought so bravely to answer brutality with justice. “As we mark this victory, we know that as one chapter closes, more chapters will be written. A flawed ideology did not die with one man. But just as surely as the fight will continue, so will our determination. We remain, just as we were nearly ten years ago, joined together and joined to the task.” __ Source: Office of The Honorable Tom... Read More>>> Back to Top |  VSTEP’s NAUTIS Maritime Simulators will be featuring at selected client booths during the OTC2011 in Houston, Texas. These clients have chosen NAUTIS because of its realism, visual quality, affordability and user friendliness. The OTC 2011 is hosted from 2-5th May 2011 at Reliant Park in Houston and is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection. The OTC 2011 will be a venue for more than 2000 exhibitors from over 110 countries and attracts more than 65.000 visitors. The NAUTIS range of maritime training simulators allows captains to experience and train the handling of OSVs with different types of propulsion systems during offshore operations. The simulated OSVs are available with a conventional propulsion system or with 360-degree azimuth thrusters. Trainees can... Read More>>> Back to Top |  FLAGSHIP, the pan-European maritime transport project part funded by the EU, has improved Integrated Bridge Systems with advanced functions for further integration of nautical information. Called FLAGSHIP-Bridge Support these functions provide the officer of the watch with improved navigation information. They integrate NAVTEX messages, radar and AIS targets into a single coherent display, speeding up hazard analysis, improving tracking accuracy and reducing the load on the Duty Officer. Currently most ships receive navigational and meteorological warnings and forecasts, as well as urgent marine safety information via NAVTEX accessed from a standalone unit. Another separate or only basically integrated unit, the Automatic Identification System (AIS), is used for identifying and locating vessels, by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and VTS stations. This means that the Duty... Read More>>> Back to Top |  November 2010 was the tenth anniversary of AEGIR-Marine. In these ten short years AEGIR-Marine, developed into a mid-size organization with global facilities in The Netherlands, Shanghai and Singapore. AEGIR started as a service company for stern tube seals, a business which still is the heart of the organization. We recognized the need for high quality products and started producing the PRIME SEAL, an independently tested and class approved, stern tube seal supplied for many years now. With ten years of experience, it goes without saying that PRIME SEAL offers excellent European quality and availability. Every single seal and spare part is checked, rechecked and checked again by hand. Our PRIME SEAL products are available ex- stock, meaning we can guarantee availability of seals, spares and our engineers at very short notice. Our... Read More>>> Back to Top | | |
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