|  The European Commission has confirmed that Commission officials conducted unannounced inspections on Tuesday, May 17, of the offices of container shipping companies. The world’s largest container carrier by volume, A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S headquartered in Denmark, confirmed their offices were raided. CMA-CGM SA of France, the world’s second largest and Hapag-Lloyd AG of Germany also said that Commission officials visited their headquarters unannounced on Tuesday requesting documents. In a statement the Commission said it “…has reason to believe that the companies concerned may have violated the antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and/or abuse of a dominant market position.” The Commission did say that such inspections are a “preliminary step” into the investigation of suspected anticompetitive... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Despite not having made a formal announcement into the naming of its new Lewis and Clark/ T-AKE class Navy cargo ship, the Navy is taking heat over their proposal to name the vessel after labor organizer, Cesar Chavez. Representative Duncan Hunter, R-California released a statement Wednesday giving his objection to the proposed name. Hunter says, “Naming a ship after Cesar Chavez goes right along with other recent decisions by the Navy that appear to be more about making a political statement than upholding the Navy’s history and tradition.” Hunter goes on to say that if the Navy’s intention is to honor the Hispanic community’s contribution to the U.S., several “other names come to mind, including Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael Peralta who wan nominated for the Medal of Honor for action in Iraq.” On Wednesday, Navy Secretary Ray... Read More>>> Back to Top |  The Philippine government reports that a Filipino sailor has been found dead onboard a ship that was attacked by pirates off the coast of Benin. The Marshall Islands flagged, MV SEA KING, was at anchor in the West African Nation when pirates attacked it on May 11. The armed pirates stole valuables from the chemical tanker, including personal effects from the 15 Filipino crewmembers onboard. The body of Christopher Cortez Ceprado was found onboard the ship four days after the attack. While pirates presumably killed Ceprado during the incident, the Philippine government is still conducting an investigation. The country’s government has also called for greater efforts to combat piracy on the high seas. Nearly 30-percent of the world’s merchant sailors are Filipino and many of them have been held hostage by pirates.
Read More>>> Back to Top |  Some of the biggest names in shipping today called on the industry to take far-reaching action to create a maritime sector which is socially and environmentally responsible and profitable. Members of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, a global coalition drawn from across the sector, launched a Case for Action analysing the global trends which will shape the future of shipping, and announced: “Our goal is to transform the global shipping industry and the wider maritime sector, establishing a new, sustainable approach as the norm.” They called on industry leaders to: create a shared vision of how the industry should develop over the next 30 years; prepare for greater scrutiny and demands from customers and society with regard to social and environmental performance; build and convert ships to the highest standards of energy efficiency in anticipation of high and volatile... Read More>>> Back to Top |  “U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Releases Work Plan for Fiscal 2011 Civil Works Appropriation” Corpus Christi, TX – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced today $58.477 million in funding for the Port’s La Quinta Channel extension project as part of its 2011 work plan for the Army Civil Works program. “This is an important achievement for the Port. The extension of the La Quinta Channel is a major step forward towards the development of the La Quinta Trade Gateway Multipurpose facility, one of the most important diversification projects of the Port,” said Mike Carrell, Port Commission Chairman. “The efforts of our U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn along with our new Congressman Blake Farenthold and Congressman Henry Cuellar to secure US Army COE funding for the Port of Corpus Christi’s... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Court documents show that 8 of 15 men charged with hijacking the yacht, S/V Quest, are scheduled to make plea agreements. Three of these men will make court appearances Friday and the other five will appear sometime next week. Fourteen of the men are Somali while the 15th is from Yemen. The men are charged with hijacking the S/V Quest yacht and killing the four Americans onboard. Owners of the Quest, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, California and friends, Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle were sailing around the world handing out bibles to impoverished communities.
Read More>>> Back to Top |  Fowler Rodriquez Valdes-Fauli is pleased to announce that former Assistant United States Attorney Peter Thomson has joined the firm as a partner and will lead the firm’s criminal defense division. Mr. Thomson brings an outstanding set of credentials and an impeccable record spanning twenty-three years of service with the U.S. Department of Justice. In this era of heightened criminal enforcement and government scrutiny, corporate leaders and businesses need a counselor of Mr. Thomson’s expertise to guide them through hazardous state and federal legal waters to avoid potential criminal investigations or to defend their company, its officers and employees should the unthinkable happen. Mr. Thomson will help navigate and defend businesses against a broad spectrum of regulatory, environmental and criminal enforcement actions related to maritime and environmental offenses, health care... Read More>>> Back to Top |  “The US Coast Guard's recent report on the Deepwater Horizon tragedy reinforces the International Transport Workers' Federation's long-held position that so-called flag-of-convenience or runaway-flag vessels often facilitate and even encourage unsafe business practices. The ITF recognizes that there are conscientious FOC operators and many have well trained crews (regardless of their nationality), but many FOC operators have no regard for the mariners, their competency and other victims who suffer as a result of the runaway-flag system. Putting swift profits ahead of safety, runaway-flag entities also risk catastrophic environmental damage like that which occurred last year when the rig exploded. “The ITF applauds the Coast Guard's focus on what happens when a flag state fails to oversee that its vessels comply with ISM and other international minimum standards. When rules and... Read More>>> Back to Top | | The UK Ship Register pleased to confirm that Debasis Mazumdar will take over as Head of UK Ship Register/Customer Service Team Manager from 1 June 2011. Debasis was previously the MCA ISM/ISO Policy Manager and will bring valuable experience and knowledge to the role. He was a Chief Engineer at sea and worked for 10 years as a Class Society Senior Surveyor for ABS prior to joining the MCA seven years ago. During his time at the MCA Debasis has worked as a Marine Surveyor, Port State Control Officer, ISM/ISO/ISPS Lead Auditor and Customer Service Manager. Debasis said: "This is an interesting and diverse role and I am looking forward to getting out and meeting our customers/new ship owners/managers/shipyard executives and stakeholders and listening to their views and suggestions. At the end of April 2011 the UK Ship Register reached... Read More>>> Back to Top |  FloScan has been the world leader in marine Fuel Flow Measurement Systems for over 25 years. Our new PC software, DataLog, was designed to satisfy customer requests for recording fuel usage data for NOx emissions reporting and to simplify fuel inventory control. DataLog also provides the captain with valuable real-time fuel flow data to pinpoint the engine speed to improve fuel economy by 20% or more. And the individual supply and return fuel flow rates and temperatures keep track of the engine’s health and performance. Changes in these parameters under normal operating conditions, such as a reduction in the supply flow rate or a marked increase in the return flow temperature, are a clear indication that something's amiss and should be investigated. This feature alone could save thousands of dollars in vessel downtime and engine repair costs. Fuel flow parameters recorded and... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Washington, DC Area (Linthicum Heights, Maryland), USA
June 6-7, 2011
MITAGS
An international 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 | | Ridge Global, an international provider of security and risk management services, today announced the appointment of Timothy Sutherland, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pace Global Energy Services, LLC (Pace Global), to the company's board of advisors. “Tim Sutherland has a keen understanding of energy and environmental markets and the diverse business and economic strategies that must guide their success," said Tom Ridge, president and CEO of Ridge Global. "As the world's public and private sectors continue to look for ways to improve energy options and sustainable business practices, Tim's insights will help us to further meet our clients' energy needs in an increasingly complex and changing market environment." Mr. Sutherland, who holds an MBA from New York University and a BA from Knox College, founded Pace Global more than 35 years ago, guiding the... Read More>>> Back to Top |  In April Cargotec confirmed a new order for 21 MacGregor variable frequency drive (VFD) electric cranes to be installed on seven 28,000 dwt multipurpose cargo ships. The ships will be built at Huanghai Shipbuilding in China for Ethiopian Shipping lines, and the MacGregor cranes are scheduled for delivery between August 2012 and September 2013. Three MacGregor GLE electric cranes will be installed on each ship: five ships will be equipped with a 60-tonne and two 80-tonne cranes, and the other two ships with a 60-tonne and two 100-tonne cranes. "We are seeing increasing interest in our electric cranes and deck machinery as more companies become aware of the economic, operational and environmental advantages they offer," says Svante Lundberg, Sales Manager for cargo cranes at Cargotec. Read More>>> Back to Top |  The American Petroleum Institute today issued the following statement regarding Senators Claire McCaskill and Charles Schumer's letter to the Federal Trade Commission review of refinery capacity and alleged concerns over market manipulation. "This is an attempt to distract attention from failed energy policy," said John Felmy, API's Chief Economist. “The Federal Trade Commission was already closely monitoring gasoline prices, and no evidence has surfaced to suggest supply and demand aren’t the primary forces driving them. "Refiners have been producing record amounts of gasoline, but world and U.S. demand for petroleum have been increasing. Crude oil prices are up, and local issues in the United States, such as the flooding along the Mississippi, are affecting gasoline markets. The high price of crude oil is the major cost component in gasoline pump prices, followed by... Read More>>> Back to Top |  In letters sent to Capitol Hill, the Maritime Trades Department, AFL-CIO lauded the U.S. Coast Guard report on last year’s Deepwater Horizon disaster. MTD President Michael Sacco (pictured) stated the 288-page report issued last month “provides all a far more accurate accounting of what took place before, during and after the Deepwater Horizon explosion than was summarized in the media weeks and months after this tragedy occurred.” Sacco wrote, “The report casts a very critical eye specifically at the lax safety and emergency response culture aboard the Deepwater Horizon. It does not stop there. The Coast Guard notes many of these problems are found within the flag-of-convenience industry.” Just days after the April 20, 2010 incident, some pundits on television and in newspapers pointed fingers at the Jones Act – America’s freight cabotage law... Read More>>> Back to Top |  The Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) family of companies, representing the most diverse and dynamic marine transportation operation in the world, today announced plans to design and construct eight new deepwater platform supply vessels. Already established as the leading deepwater offshore service vessel provider in the industry, ECO currently owns and operates a large fleet of high-capacity platform supply, fast supply, anchor handling, construction, tractor tug, well stimulation and specialty vessels deployed worldwide. Additionally, ECO now owns and operates one of the largest deepwater ROV-capable fleets in the world, in conjunction with its subsea affiliate, C-Innovation. “Since 2003, the core of our newbuild program has been a series of 42 new generation 4,750 deadweight ton (DWT) 280’ offshore supply vessels,” said ECO’s Vice President of Operations Dino Chouest. ... Read More>>> Back to Top |  Austal’s largest catamaran built to date, the 113 metre “Leonora Christina”, was recently handed over to her owners, marking completion of construction of the high speed vehicle-passenger ferry at Austal’s Henderson shipyard. “Leonora Christina” was constructed for Danish company Færgen (formerly Nordic Ferry Services) and is due to depart Austal’s Henderson shipyard for Denmark this week, where it will be operated by Bornholmer Færgen, a subsidiary of Færgen. “Leonora Christina” will join the 86 metre Austal-built catamaran, “Villum Clausen”, which has been transporting vehicles and passengers between Ronne on the Danish island of Bornholm and Ystad in south east Sweden since 2000.
Senior Captain Soren Schow, of Bornholmer Færgen, will command the 22 day voyage from Western Australia to Denmark... Read More>>> Back to Top |  At the Norshipping exhibition (24-27 May, Oslo) Imtech Marine will launch its modular and flexible concept “Multiflex". On the basis of this concept, Imtech Marine works closely with ship owners and builders and offers them a system independent expert advice and selection from a wide range of technology solutions. The customers have complete freedom of choice, selecting the most competitive, required technologies via one point of contact, Imtech Marine, and create an optimum custom made total solution. As a renowned system integrator, Imtech Marine takes full responsibility for the interfacing of the systems. The technology modules include Diesel-Electric Propulsion, Power Distribution, Vessel Automation, Dynamic Positioning, Navigation & Communication, HVAC (Heating,Ventilation & Air Conditioning), Fire Protection & Fire Fighting and Safety Systems. The worldwide service network of Imtech Marine... Read More>>> Back to Top | | |
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