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Man Gets Prison Term For Fake Distress Calls To Coast Guard

He was sentenced to one year in prison A federal judge has sentenced a California man to one year in prison for making false distress calls to the Coast Guard.Sean Berry was sentenced Tuesday in San Diego after pleading guilty to two counts of communicating a false distress message to the Coast Guard.Prosecutors say Berry admitted he called for help on the maritime distress frequency in November 2010, claiming there were three people on board his sinking vessel, including a child, who were jumping in the water. The Coast Guard sent a search team that looked for the boat for more than an hour. Berry admitted he made the false transmissions from his home near National City.He also has admitted that in January 2011, he transmitted a similar false call from his home.Source: AP

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EU Naval Force French Frigate Welcomes Djiboutian Coast Guard

During port visit, crew shared experiences in the fight against piracy EU Naval Force Warship FS Nivôse welcomed ten Djiboutian coast guards on 16 May for training and discussion on skiff interception, vessel protection teams and online communication.During a port visit in Djibouti, the crew ofNivôse and members of the Djiboutian coast guard shared their experiences in the fight against piracy, and more broadly on the coast guards' role in the protection of Djiboutian waters.The sailors of FS Nivôse presented their skiff interception procedures, the implementation of a vessel protection team on board a merchant vessel, as well as the handling of suspected pirates once arrested. Training was both theoretical and practical.Part of the day was also devoted to the use of the secure website Mercury. This site designed and maintained by the MSCHOA (Maritime Security Centre-Horn of Africa) allows all military and civilian stakeholders involved in the fight against piracy, or being potential victims, to share information or report ongoing attacks.This day is part of a broader program of cooperation overseen by the Force Headquarters on board FS MARNE. The benefit of this type of encounter is mutual. It helps Navies and Coast Guards in the region to further ...

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Ship’s Captain Convicted of Obstructing a Coast Guard Inspection

Captain discharged hundreds of plastic pipes into the ocean The former captain of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that discharged hundreds of plastic pipes into the ocean, was convicted yesterday by a jury in Mobile, Ala., for obstructing a U.S. Coast Guard inspection of the vessel in the port of Mobile on Sept. 21, 2011. Prastana Taohim, 38, the captain of the M/V Gaurav Prem, was found guilty of two counts of obstruction of justice, announced Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division and Kenyen R. Brown, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama.At trial, witnesses testified that Captain Taohim ordered the ship's chief officer to throw hundreds of plastic pipes into the ocean and not record the discharge in the ship's garbage record book as required. The garbage record book is a required log regularly inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard. Taohim then knowingly made the garbage record book available during a Coast Guard inspection of the vessel in the Port of Mobile, Ala., on Sept. 21, 2011. The plastic pipes had previously contained insecticide and were used to fumigate a grain shipment. The discharge of plastic into the sea is ...

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122 ships affected by suspected North Korean GPS jamming

Malfunctions found in their navigation system More than 120 ships, including Coast Guard vessels and a passenger boat, have reported malfunctions in their navigation systems since the apparent jamming of satellite signals by North Korea last week, maritime police said Friday.According to the Coast Guard in Incheon, west of Seoul, a total of 122 ships were affected by the disruption to Global Positioning System (GPS) signals last Saturday. Among the vessels were eight patrol boats belonging to the Coast Guard, a passenger liner carrying 387 people and a petrol products carrier.Fishing boats operating near the tense western maritime border with North Korea also reported errors in their navigation systems, although none of them led to accidents, Coast Guard officials said."Last Saturday, I was sailing toward Incheon when the GPS stopped working, and I almost sailed north," said a fisherman from the western border island of Yeonpyeong, who gave only his surname Kim.Koreans are not free to travel between the sides as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce and left them in a technical state of war.On Wednesday, the transport ministry said about 250 commercial flights in and out of international airports at Incheon and Gimpo, also west of ...

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Coast Guard tests oil spill response plans

Lessons learnt from Deepwater Horizon The Coast Guard is practicing its response to a future oil spill off the Florida Keys.Coast Guard officials say Thursday's exercise will test updates to their regional plan for responding to oil spills off Florida's island chain.In the exercise, oil from a fictitious drilling platform in the Florida Straits threatens to reach the Keys.Coast Guard officials say federal, state and local authorities used lessons learned during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico to update their oil spill response plans. The updates also address potential risks from exploratory drilling underway in Cuban waters and similar development planned in the Bahamas.Wildlife agencies, law enforcement, researchers and fishermen's associations are joining the Coast Guard in the exercise.Source: Miami Herald

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Coast Guard: Tanker spills fuel oil on Mississippi River

Overseas Shipping Group Tanker discharged fuel oil near New Orleans, pipe plugged A tanker discharged fuel oil into the Mississippi River a few miles from New Orleans, the Coast Guard said Tuesday, but authorities reported no signs of the shoreline, wildlife or a nearby drinking water system being affected.The Coast Guard listed Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. as the responsible party for the discharge. The company issued a statement saying the initial estimate was that only about 50 gallons had been discharged. The Coast Guard could not confirm the amount.Petty Officer Steve Lehman said Tuesday afternoon that a light, spotty sheen stretched 29 miles downriver from the initial cleanup site, which was about 10 miles downriver from New Orleans.The discharge from a ballast pipe on the 800-foot tanker Overseas Beryl was discovered around 10 p.m. Monday and plugged by about 4 a.m. Tuesday, the Coast Guard said in a news release.Both the Coast Guard and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said there were no signs of oil affecting the shoreline or wildlife.The Coast Guard said Overseas Shipholding Group contracted with Marine Spill Response Corp. and O'Brien's Response Management to handle the cleanup.The cleanup included the use of skimming vessels and ...

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Coast Guard has area maritime security plans in place

Says GAO All 43 U.S. port areas requiring a Coast Guard area maritime security plan have one, the Government Accountability Office says.In a report dated April 6, the GAO says it examined in detail AMS plans in seven high risk port areas, and that the Coast Guard provided documentation that the other 36 port areas also covered by a plan requirement have indeed put together one that includes elements for recovery and salvage response after an incident.American ports, waterways and vessels handle more than $700 billion in goods annually, according to DHS; any disruption to the marine transportation system could have widespread impact on the global economy, the GAO notes. (A port area can include multiple ports; the Delaware Bay port area, for example, includes Philadelphia, Pa., Trenton, N.J., Wilmington, Del., and other local ports.)The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency in charge of facilitating recovery should a natural or made-made disaster affect the system. The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 requires the Coast Guard to develop AMS plans and updated them every 5 years. The SAFE Port Act of 2006 ) stipulates that the plans should also include protocols for resumption of trade following an incident, and ...

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New anti-terror equipment to boost maritime security

Philippine Coast Guard sees a stronger maritime security With two new utility boats and now, new anti-terror equipment, the Philippine Coast Guard sees a stronger maritime security.Philippine Coast Guard chief Vice Admiral Edmund C. Tan said the new anti-terror equipment composed of bullet proof vests, vest carrier, plates, ballistic helmets and visors will be used by the PCG's Special Operations Group-Anti Terrorist Unit."The new protective gears will add safety measures to the protocols set by the PCG in performing life-threatening tasks like vessel boarding, security inspections, and explosive ordnance disposal," said Tan.He added that the new gears are expected to help significantly improve PCG's Anti-Terrorist Unit counter terrorism capability.The new equipment from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was personally turned over by Retired Vice Admiral Toshitaka Ishima to the PCG during a ceremony held recently at the Coast Guard Headquarters in Manila.Meanwhile, Tan said aside from the donated equipment, JICA is also working with PCG in sponsoring skills trainings and seminars for our coast guard personnel, adding that this development will immensely enhance PCG's capability in the performance of its mandated task in support of the priority program of the government in maritime security."A better trained and equipped PCG ...

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Coast Guard BWT Rule ‘Improperly Submitted’

Office of Management and Budget states The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) hasstatedthat it has returned to the US Coast Guard the draft interim final rule for Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast water Discharged in U.S. Waters. The move closely follows last week's OMB announcement thattheir consideration of said rule would be delayed. OMB only said that the rule was "improperly submitted." The annouincement only further serves to provide uncertainty to shipowners who would like to get Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) equipment installed and dismay for BWT manufacturers who would like to gear up for the almost 40,000 hulls that will need systems in the near future. An IMO standard is already in play, with many nations as signatories. Most stakeholders hope (and expect) that the Coast Guard's interim rule will, when it comes into play, will mirror the IMO standard.Separately, theNew York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) last week issued a press release stating that it will pursue a uniform national ballast water standard by leaving in place the EPA's current standards in New York for the remainder of EPA's current Vessel General Permit through December 2013.New York's decision to (at least temporarily) release its hold ...

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The Indian Coast Guard Focused on Maritime Safety and Security

Maintaining round the clock vigil in the Maritime Zones of India The Indian Coast Guard is celebrating its 35th anniversary tomorrow. Since its inception, the service has grown into a multi-faceted and vibrant force, maintaining 'round the clock' vigil in the Maritime Zones of India, by deploying its multi-role ships and aircraft.Beginning with a modest inventory of two ex-naval frigates, the service today boasts of a force-level of 68 ships and 52 aircraft. During the past year, one ship, four interceptor boats, four Dornier aircraft and two Chetak helicopters have been commissioned into service, in addition to the establishment of six CG Stations and two Air Enclaves.The Indian Coast Guard today, is on a path of rapid expansion, as a large number of state-of-art ships, boats and aircraft are under-construction at various shipyards/PSUs. The service is expected to attain a force-level of 77 surface platforms and 56 aircraft by end 2012. The Coast Guard will also have 42 CG Stations, four Air Stations and 11 Air Enclaves functioning all along the coast, by the end of 2012.On the manpower front, the service has initiated several measures to augment its manpower viz. introduction of short service appointment for women officers and ...

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