Tag: Coast Guard

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 ...

Review of vessel construction, drilling equipment, and safety systems Personnel from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the U.S. Coast Guard completed a review of the mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) Scarabeo 9 on Jan. 9, 2012, off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. The review followed an invitation from the vessel's operator, Repsol. While aboard the Scarabeo 9, personnel reviewed vessel construction, drilling equipment, and safety systems - including lifesaving and firefighting equipment, emergency generators, dynamic positioning systems, machinery spaces, and the blowout preventer - in anticipation of its scheduled drilling operations in Cuba's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the coming months.The review is consistent with U.S. efforts to minimize the possibility of a major oil spill, which would hurt U.S. economic and environmental interests. The review compared the vessel with applicable international safety and security standards as well as U.S. standards for drilling units operating in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. U.S. personnel found the vessel to generally comply with existing international and U.S. standards by which Repsol has pledged to abide.BSEE and the Coast Guard exercise no legal or regulatory authority over the MODU or its intended operations in ...

Charges against the owner of vessel loaded with 6,000 metric tons of coal that ran aground The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is set to file charges against the owner of the Cambodian-flagged cargo shipping vessel loaded with 6,000 metric tons of coal that ran aground along the shoreline of Agno in Pangasinan for damages and alleged negligence on the part of the operator.Captain George Ursabia, PCG Northern Luzon district commander, said the vessel identified as M/V Chang Da-12 with 12 crew members, accidentally hit the rocky shoreline of Aren Point along Barangay Abagtanen in Agno town on December 19 while they are supposedly to deliver more than 6,000 metric tons of coal which came from Indonesia to their point of destination in China.Ursabia said that they are planning legal action against the owner of the distressed vessel since the Sino Genesis Investments Limited, a Cambodian-owned company based in Hong Kong is reportedly the owner and operator of the cargo vessel allegedly failed to make such positive action."Considering the fact that time is of essence to prevent the cargo vessel from breaking up which might cause an environmental disaster since big and strong sea waves brought by the northeast monsoon continue ...

Operation Right Speed Larger vessels sailing along the Atlantic Seaboard are being reminded to slow down for right whales.The Coast Guard has implemented "Operation Right Speed" through April 2012 to ensure the migratory mammals have a safe passage along the Atlantic seaboard.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has implemented regulations that require vessels 65 feet or greater to operate at 10 knots or less in areas where the right whales are known to migrate.The first female right whale of the season was seen this month off Georgia.Right whales are among the most threatened of all the whales worldwide. The global population is estimated in the hundreds.Source: Huffington Post

Marine propulsion systems are reducing CO2 emissions and enable greater fuel savings Italian shipyard Cantieri Navali Megaride has proven that diesel-electric systems are suitable not only for large merchant and naval vessels but also small ships.It recently commissioned Siemens Marine Solutions to equip a 65m RINA class offshore supply vessel (OSV) which was designed by Errenavi, Rome, for the Italian coast guard and features a Siemens Siship EcoProp hybrid propulsion system.Working in close cooperation with ZF Marine, its preferred gearbox supplier, Siemens ensured delivery of a total hybrid propulsion solution tailored to the needs of the customer. This included a ZF 9300 PTI 'hybrid-ready' transmission and two Siemens electric motors (180 kW at 3,000 rpm) matched to two CAT 3512 C diesels (1,765 kW at 1,800 rpm). The speed of the vessel using diesel mode is approximately 12 knots and 8 knots in electric mode.For this project the ZF 9300 PTI 'spur gear' version was used, which acts as a ratio multiplier, keeping the footprint of the transmission small and allowing a wide range of ratios for each transmission. The system has no boost function and no battery driven propulsion mode. Propulsion modes are diesel only, directly through the transmission, ...

The call for change stemmed from boating tragedies As of Dec. 1, the Coast Guard's calculated vessel capacity has changed, based on an assumed higher average weight of passengers.Since 1960, the Coast Guard has calculated vessels' capacity using an assumed average weight per person of 160 pounds. An amended federal rule that took effect this month recalibrated the average weight of a passenger at 185, a 25-pound jump.Recreational boats and cruise ships are not affected by the change."The U.S. Coast Guard feels the U.S. people have gotten fatter over time," Capt. Ed Sparrow, owner of a Miami-based charter yacht called Holiday of Magic, told The Miami Herald. Its legal capacity has shrunk from 49 to 35 passengers.The revamped weight standard applies to all passengers, regardless of gender, and was based on a 2004 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found the average man 20 to 75 years of age weighs 191 pounds, up from 166 pounds in 1960. For women, the tally went from 140 to 164.The call for change stemmed from two boating tragedies. In March 2004, a pontoon water taxi called Lady D overturned in Baltimore Harbor with 25 aboard. Five people died; four ...

Incident onboard the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Sea

Closing coastguard stations, axeing emergency rescue tugs put safety in jeopardy Closing coastguard stations, axeing emergency rescue tugs and privatising search-and-rescue helicopters, pose a potential threat to sea safety, it has been warned.Seafarers union Nautilus said the cuts would leave a "gaping hole in the safety net" around Westcountry shipping waters and could not come at a worse time. It believe risks to shipping are increasing because of the current global economic crisis.Nautilus spokesman Andrew Linington said it was "hugely concerned" by the cumulative impact of the cutbacks."There is a big worry at the moment that, because of the economies the shipping industry is suffering and with companies not even covering the cost of operations, the first thing to go is training and maintenance," he said. "That all increases the risks of things going wrong."The point is that we don't expect, we know that demand for rescue services is increasing because of the state of the industry and you can see that already in the marine insurance statistics."Under the scaled-back modernisation plans, Falmouth would become the only coastguard station covering the entire South West peninsula by 2015. Brixham, which coordinates rescues from Fowey to Exmouth, is set to close, along ...

Plans for better coordination of its operations Plans to modernise the Coastguard have been confirmed by Shipping Minister Mike Penning. The proposals, which were announced for consultation in July, will make the Coastguard better coordinated, more resilient to the challenges of the future and will increase the number of regular coastguard officers working in coastal communities, who provide leadership and support to the volunteers of the Coastguard Rescue Service.The plans - which will modernise how rescues are coordinated and do not affect the services which go out to perform rescues -will create a nationally networked system of Coastguard coordination centres comprising:one Maritime Operations Centre, to be established in Fareham, Hants, with a back-up facility at the existing Dover coordination centre, both operating on a 24 hour basis; andeight Coastguard Centres, all operated on a 24 hour basis, located at Falmouth, Milford Haven, Holyhead, Belfast, Stornoway, Shetland, Aberdeen and Humber. The station at London is also retained.Mike Penning said:"After many years of uncertainty, these reforms provide a clear plan for the future of Her Majesty's Coastguard. They will deliver a resilient and fully networked national rescue coordination service. They will make much better use of the talents and skills of our ...

Ferry encountered an engine trouble A passenger shipping vessel carrying 99 persons was rescued after it encountered an engine trouble before lunch time of Wednesday along the vicinity off Danao City and Camotes Island.Lieutenant Commander Algier Ricafrente, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Public Affairs said that M/V Super Shuttle Ferry-17, a passenger-cargo vessel with 99 persons including 82 passegers onboard encountered engine trouble in between Danao City and Camotes Island in Cebu, and presently being towed by sister ship M/V Super Shuttle Ferry-14 enroute to Danao City around 11:55 a.m. Wednesday.Source: Manila Bulletin