MarEx Newsletter - January 17, 2008

January 17, 2008 | Vol. 6, No. 3 In this issue: MM&P Continues Dialogue With U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Total Responds to Erika Verdict NTSB: Crew Mistakes Caused Heeling of Crown Princess Cruise Ship First Great Western Strike Suspended MarEx Readers Weigh In on Last Week's OPED Piece on Jones Act Issues Cyprus and Syria Sign Cooperation Agreement on Maritime Pollution This Week's MarEx Feature Print Article: Focus on Ship Design Rough Weather Sinks Cargo Vessel Commandant's Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) Team Issues COSCO BUSAN Report A Tribute to Morris Feder PMI's Workboat Mate Program Featured in Tow Bitts Ballast Water Management Standards Enhanced Once Again Peru Institutes Proceedings Against Chile Ship's Chief Engineer Sentenced in Vessel Pollution Case London Club Warns on Heavy Weather Personal Injuries MM&P Continues Dialogue With U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Letter affirming union's desire to work with agency follows December 10th meeting with ADM Thad Allen in Washington, D.C. Read More>>>Back to Top Total Responds to Erika Verdict The French oil giant is "disappointed" that the Paris Criminal Court imposed a fine for the maritime pollution that occurred as result of the 1999 sinking of the tanker Erika. Read More>>>Back to Top NTSB: Crew Mistakes Caused Heeling of Crown Princess Cruise Ship Second officer's incorrect wheel commands, executed first to counter an unanticipated high rate of turn and then to counter the vessel's heeling. Read More>>>Back to Top First Great Western Strike Suspended The 48-hour strike originally planned for January 20 and 21 by the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) has been suspended after FGW ". . . agreed not to use managers to drive or work trains as guards." Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Readers Weigh In on Last Week's OPED Piece on Jones Act Issues Article entitled "Federal Lawsuit Challenging Legality of Rebuilt Matson Ship Stirs Up Jones Act Arguments Anew" draws comments from MarEx readers. Read More>>>Back to Top Cyprus and Syria Sign Cooperation Agreement on Maritime Pollution The agreement entails ". . . combating marine pollution, training and rehabilitation, research and the possibility of holding twining among the Syrian and Cypriot ports." Read More>>>Back to Top This Week's MarEx Feature Print Article: Focus on Ship Design Turnkey Synergy: Ship Design Turns the Corner with Improved Production Engineering and Product Data Management (from June 2007 MarEx Print Issue). Read More>>>Back to Top Rough Weather Sinks Cargo Vessel The Ice Prince ran into trouble after its cargo shifted on board due to rough seas and winds; the poor weather also caused problems for two other vessels in the area. Read More>>>Back to Top Commandant's Incident Specific Preparedness Review (ISPR) Team Issues COSCO BUSAN Report Team sends first report on Cosco Busan Incident; public release of report expected in approximately two weeks. Read More>>>Back to Top A Tribute to Morris Feder A Mentor and Legend in the maritime industry. Read More>>>Back to Top PMI's Workboat Mate Program Featured in Tow Bitts A mate-training program in Seattle, supported by Foss and other towing companies, is becoming a much-needed source for deck officers while providing career opportunities for capable cadets. Read More>>>Back to Top Ballast Water Management Standards Enhanced Once Again St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) announced today a further strengthening of ballast water management practices for the 2008 season. Read More>>>Back to Top Peru Institutes Proceedings Against Chile Peru began proceedings in the International Court of Justice with regard to a dispute concerning maritime delimitation between the two states. Read More>>>Back to Top Ship's Chief Engineer Sentenced in Vessel Pollution Case Defendant ignored pollution controls and made false statements to the Coast Guard. Read More>>>Back to Top London Club Warns on Heavy Weather Personal Injuries The London P&I Club reports that recent personal injury cases which it has handled have included accidents in which the ship’s motion in heavy weather has been a causative factor. Read More>>>Back to Top Copyright © 2007 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 To Unsubscribe, click here.

MarEx Newsletter - January 10, 2008

January 10, 2007 | Vol. 6, No. 2 In this issue: Federal Lawsuit Challenging Legality of Rebuilt Matson Ship Stirs Up Jones Act Arguments Anew Top Ten MarEx E-News Articles in 2007: A Recap of the Past Twelve Months South Korea to Ban Single-Hulled Tankers MarEx Newsletter Introduces New Feature for 2008: Archived Print Articles Iranian Boats "Maneuver Aggressively" Close to U.S. Navy Vessels World's Largest Container Carrier to Slice Workforce U.S. Air Force Rescues Stranded British Fishing Vessel American Maritime Safety (AMS) Files Amicus Curiae ("Friend of the Court") Brief in the United States Supreme Court QE2 Begins Final World Trip NTSB Meeting Today on Cruise Ship Accident Mr. John Fredriksen Named Connecticut Maritime Association 2008 Commodore Seeking Marine Pilot Trainee Candidates Retail Container Traffic Ends Four-Month Slump Maritime Dinner Program Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) Federal Lawsuit Challenging Legality of Rebuilt Matson Ship Stirs Up Jones Act Arguments Anew When it comes to the cabotage laws, there's rarely any middle ground that both sides can agree on, but the latest case initiated by SCA and Pasha may well be the defining moment for U.S. shipyards and the Jones Act itself. Read More>>>Back to Top Top Ten MarEx E-News Articles in 2007: A Recap of the Past Twelve Months MarEx readers can revisit the top ten articles and stories, as chosen by our readers in 2007. Read More>>>Back to Top South Korea to Ban Single-Hulled Tankers As "massive clean-up efforts" of last month's "worst-ever oil spill" continue, the government has decided to ban single-hulled tankers starting in 2011, five years earlier than previously planned. Read More>>>Back to Top MarEx Newsletter Introduces New Feature for 2008: Archived Print Articles This and future MarEx e-newsletters to include links to previous, archived articles from our past print editions; this issue features an article from our September 2007 edition, entitled "Off the Clock But Still Plugged In." Read More>>>Back to Top Iranian Boats "Maneuver Aggressively" Close to U.S. Navy Vessels Five Iranian boats, suspected to be from the Islamic Republic of Iran Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGCN), ". . . demonstrated irresponsible confrontational behavior" near three U.S. Navy ships, according to a U.S. Navy statement. Read More>>>Back to Top World's Largest Container Carrier to Slice Workforce Maersk Line to pare as many as 3,000 jobs from its global workforce of 25,000; effort aimed at driving turnaround of business and returning to what Maersk characterizes as "sustainable profitability." Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Air Force Rescues Stranded British Fishing Vessel In an 11-hour mission, a C-17 Globemaster III airdropped critical engine parts to the Argos Georgia, which had been frozen in the ice flow off the Ross Ice Shelf since Christmas Eve. Read More>>>Back to Top American Maritime Safety (AMS) Files Amicus Curiae ("Friend of the Court") Brief in the United States Supreme Court AMS brief in support of Exxon Mobil's argument before the Supreme Court that the $2.5 billion it was ordered to pay in punitive damages in the Exxon Valdez case - one of the largest awards ever against an American company - was in conflict with more than 200 years of maritime law. Read More>>>Back to Top QE2 Begins Final World Trip Cunard's famous cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), began its last world voyage on January 7; she will be delivered to Dubai World to be refurbished as a five-star hotel in November. Read More>>>Back to Top NTSB Meeting Today on Cruise Ship Accident The National Transportation Safety Board is holding a public Board meeting Today, January 10, at 9:30 a.m., in its Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. Read More>>>Back to Top Mr. John Fredriksen Named Connecticut Maritime Association 2008 Commodore Award to be presented March 19, 2008 at the conclusion of the CMA's Shipping 2008 Annual Conference and Exposition. Read More>>>Back to Top Seeking Marine Pilot Trainee Candidates The Southeast Alaska Pilots' Association, Ketchikan, Alaska, is seeking qualified candidates for prospective Southeast Alaska Marine Pilot Trainee positions. Read More>>>Back to Top Retail Container Traffic Ends Four-Month Slump Traffic at the nation's major retail container ports ended a four-month slump in December, rising above the previous year's level for the first time since mid-summer, according to the monthly Port Tracker report. Read More>>>Back to Top Maritime Dinner Program The Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Foundation has joined with the Northeast Coast Branch of the Nautical Institute for a special Maritime Dinner Program. Read More>>>Back to Top Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) Sponsored Conference in support of Maritime and Intermodal Education for Primary and Secondary Schools in America on April 1-3, 2008, hosted by MITAGS (www.mitags.org) in Linthicum, Maryland. Read More>>>Back to Top Copyright © 2007 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 To Unsubscribe, click here.

MarEx Newsletter - January 4, 2008

January 4, 2008 | Vol. 6, No. 1 In this issue: Alaska's AGIA Gamble: Looking Smarter Every Day More Opportunities for U.S. Mariners Announced by MARAD and APL 554-Foot Thai-Flagged Bulker Loses Power and Effects Repairs in Bering Sea Pilot Rate Updates: Houston, Boston, Long Island Sound Container Vessel Refloated in Dover Strait Workboat Academy Quarterly Q3&4 Second Antarctic Cruise Accident in Less Than Two Months U.S. Energy Information Administration Details World Oil Transit Chokepoints Bulgarian Cargo Ship Sinks in Sea of Azov Cunard Line Queens to Meet for Royal Rendezvous in New York Harbor on January 13 Executive Director for the Marine Exchange of Southern California to Retire Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) C-TPAT -- Do Importers Really Have A Choice? Scientific Study to Assist MARPOL Amendment Process Completed U.S. Coast Guard Issues Advisory on Proper Procedures for Advance Notice of Arrival Alaska's AGIA Gamble: Looking Smarter Every Day As foreign opportunities for energy producers are getting tougher to obtain, the reasons for not participating in Alaska's AGIA process are also drying up. Read More>>>Back to Top More Opportunities for U.S. Mariners Announced by MARAD and APL Agreement puts American Maritime Academy cadets on APL's foreign-flag vessels for Global Fleet for the first time; APL first is the liner company to agree to support maritime academy training. Read More>>>Back to Top 554-Foot Thai-Flagged Bulker Loses Power and Effects Repairs in Bering Sea Coast Guard responded to vessel after receiving calls for assistance; ship had previously called on a U.S. port and is now on its way to Japan. Read More>>>Back to Top Pilot Rate Updates: Houston, Boston, Long Island Sound Houston Pilots big winners as others await approval of their rate increase requests. Read More>>>Back to Top Container Vessel Refloated in Dover Strait The LT Cortesia, which ran aground on Wednesday morning, was successfully refloated that same evening. Read More>>>Back to Top Workboat Academy Quarterly Q3&4 The latest edition of the Workboat Academy Quarterly. Read More>>>Back to Top Second Antarctic Cruise Accident in Less Than Two Months The Hurtigruten-owned MS Fram lost power and drifted into a glacier at Brown Bluff last Friday evening. Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Energy Information Administration Details World Oil Transit Chokepoints Chokepoints a critical part of global energy security due to the high volume of oil traded through their narrow straights. Read More>>>Back to Top Bulgarian Cargo Ship Sinks in Sea of Azov The MV Vanessa sank in the Sea of Azov on the border between Russia and the Ukraine on Thursday; at least 2 of the 11-person crew are confirmed dead. Read More>>>Back to Top Cunard Line Queens to Meet for Royal Rendezvous in New York Harbor on January 13 Witness the making of maritime history as fireworks and fanfare mark the first and only meeting of Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth 2 and the new Queen Victoria. Read More>>>Back to Top Executive Director for the Marine Exchange of Southern California to Retire Maritime industry's most vocal advocate and reliable "honest broker" of information set to step down on 31 March. Read More>>>Back to Top Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) Sponsored Conference in support of Maritime and Intermodal Education for Primary and Secondary Schools in America on April 1-3, 2008, hosted by MITAGS (www.mitags.org) in Linthicum, Maryland. Read More>>>Back to Top C-TPAT -- Do Importers Really Have A Choice? Second and third tier importers are feeling the pressure to join. Read More>>>Back to Top Scientific Study to Assist MARPOL Amendment Process Completed A comprehensive study commissioned by IMO to assist in the planned revision of regulations governing air pollution from ships has been successfully completed. Read More>>>Back to Top U.S. Coast Guard Issues Advisory on Proper Procedures for Advance Notice of Arrival Purpose of first NVMC newsletter is to provide the maritime industry with a method to submit electronically a Notice of Arrival (NOA) and a Notice of Departure (NOD), which, when completed, fulfills the United States Coast Guard's (USCG) and the Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) arrival and departure requirements, three different submission methods have been developed. Read More>>>Back to Top Copyright © 2007 The Maritime Executive. 3200 S. Andrews Avenue, Suite 100 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 To Unsubscribe, click here.