Tag: Gulf of Mexico

Into effect on May 1 The US Coast Guard issued a notice announcing that, in accordance with IMO Res. MEPC.191(60), the restrictions on discharges from ships in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) special area (SA), as specified in MARPOL Annex V, Regulation 5, will come into effect on May 1, 2011.The WCR includes the Gulf of Mexico. Once the restrictions come into effect, no person may discharge, within the SA, garbage from a ship except (under limited conditions) food wastes.To view the Notice please click hereSource: USCG

A cable broke during an exercise On Feb 21, 2011, at 4 p.m. a cable broke when a small boat was to be launched on the "Viking Poseidon" during an exercise in the Gulf of Mexico, ten miles off Galveston.There were three Norwegian crew members on board the boat. Because of fog in the area it was impossible to fly the injured men to hospital in Galveston before Feb 22, so the "Viking Poseidon" proceeded, and the injured men were cared for by first aid personnel on board all the way to hospital.Relatives in Norway has been notified, and they have talked to those injured by telephone. Two of the three remained stationary under medical treatment. It was not clear how deep the boat fell before it hit the water, but it seemed to have been relatively high above the water surface.An internal investigation was launched to find out what caused the accident as well as one by marine consultants. Eidesvik Offshore ASA has notified all of its ships and other shipping companies with the same structure to check the wires to their small boats.Source: Vesseltracker

Intent to begin restoration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a notice of intent to begin restoration scoping and preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.To view the notice please click hereSource: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

6 years in prison THOMAS J. POOLE, IV, age 45, a resident of Foley, Alabama, was sentenced today in federal court by U. S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon to over six (6) years (78 months) in prison for killing fishing boat captain Michael Holman while aboard a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, announced United States Attorney Jim Letten. In addition, the defendant was ordered to serve three (3) years supervised release during which time he will be under federal supervision and risks additional imprisonment should he violate the terms of his release.According to court documents, on October 7, 2009, Michael Holman, also a resident of Alabama, was killed while captaining a fishing vessel, the M/V MISS SHARLOTT. At the time of the incident, the vessel was on a week-long fishing voyage and was located in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately eighteen miles off the coast of Louisiana. In the early morning hours of October 7, 2009, a heated argument erupted between POOLE, who was a crew member, and Holman.Source: US Department of Justice

Thick fog interrupts traffic along the channel Ships resumed moving along the Houston Ship Channel late Tuesday morning after dense fog dissipated, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The three-hour shutdown would have only a minor impact on moving ships through the 53-mile waterway between the Gulf of Mexico and the busiest U.S. petrochemical port, the Coast Guard said.Houston ship pilots called a halt at 8:20 a.m. CST (1420 GMT) to ship movements along the channel when sea fog became so thick it made navigation of the waterway unsafe.Sea fog frequently interrupts traffic along the ship channel during winter months.Source: Reuters