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HELCOM focus on Baltic Sea and ships' sewage

During the HELCOM Annual Meeting on 3-4 March 2015, the Contracting Parties continued to address the issue of limiting passenger ships' sewage ending up in the Baltic Sea. The negotiations concerned various options to be able to be in a position that a joint notification by HELCOM countries could be sent to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The deadline for documents for the next meeting of the IMO decision making body (MEPC 68 in May 2015) is Friday 6 March. The notification document has the function to notify that the relevant Baltic regional ports have adequate capacity to receive passenger sewage, as this is a prerequisite for the existing IMO Special Area status on sewage for the Baltic Sea to take effect. The HELCOM Heads of Delegations considered the issue, in addition to the plenary, during two working sessions on 3 March. At that time an agreement could not be reached regarding a notification covering all the Baltic Sea countries. As the HELCOM Chair stated in the meeting, HELCOM will follow developments at IMO and also continue the technical cooperation within the Port Reception Facilities (PRF) Cooperation Platform on sewage delivery between the administrations, industry stakeholders and the civil society. ...

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Operators accused of dumping raw sewage into Kodiak, Alaska

United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Kimberly Christina Reidel-Byler, 46, and Darren K. Byler, 54, both residing near Kodiak, Alaska, charging them with offenses relating to the improper disposal of human waste into waters in and around Kodiak, Alaska. According to the Indictment filed in this case, the Bylers owned and operated the Wild Alaskan, a converted 94-foot Bering Sea crabber anchored in St. Herman Harbor, Kodiak, Alaska.  Between June 25, 2014, and November 30, 2014, the Wild Alaskan was a floating bar and strip club.  Customers were ferried to the vessel from shore by the Gulf Coast Responder, a 35-foot landing craft. During its operation, Kimberly Byler told the U.S. Coast Guard that human waste from the Wild Alaskan was being stored in a 5,000 gallon tank on the vessel, and then disposed of shore side by a commercial waste disposal firm.  Darren Byler told the U.S. Coast Guard that waste from the Wild Alaskan was being disposed of at Pier 2, St. Herman Harbor, or that he would transport the human waste in the Gulf Coast Responder to a point three nautical miles offshore, where he would ...

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Cruise ship sewage in Baltic Sea ports thoroughly mapped

HELCOM issued a report providing information on port reception facilities for sewage ( PRFs) and their use by international cruise ships in the Baltic Sea area during 2014. Cruise ships operating in the Baltic Sea, their length of sea voyages as well as frequency and duration of port visits are described in detail. Also the ports visited by cruise ships and the sewage facilities are covered in terms of facilities and traffic trends. The report is based on information from obligatory AIS (Automatic Identification System) position reports received from a comprehensive list of cruise ships operating in the region. It provides thus a nearly complete coverage of cruise ship movements during 2014. Based on the analyses of ship movements, passenger capacity and port facilities, the new report helps also to clarify what the real needs of cruise traffic might be in terms of sewage management in the Baltic Sea cruise ports. Main findings Around 77 different cruise ships owned by 37 operators sailed in the Baltic Sea during the cruising season 2014. Half of these were smaller vessels with a maximum capacity of 1,500 persons or less, including staff and passengers. Eight vessels, or 10 %, were large vessels with a maximum ...

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Ties closing between HELCOM and Baltic Sea regional strategy

The cooperation between HELCOM and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) is expected to smoothen.   For the first time, a dedicated session with the representatives from relevant EUSBSR Priority Areas and Horizontal Actions was successfully organized as a part of the meeting of HELCOM Heads of Delegation representing all the Baltic coastal countries as well as the EU. Concrete proposals on why and how to improve the synergies between HELCOM and EUSBSR have been listed in the meeting outcome. The shared goal would be to better communicate the policy directions and needs by HELCOM, which then can be met with and supported by the EUSBSR work and projects. The meeting recommended practical ways for better use of the expertise of HELCOM groups. Using the existing forums, co-chairing, back-to-back meetings, opportunity for involving Russian experts, and helping HELCOM countries in tapping into EU funding were also mentioned as practical solutions for more effective regional cooperation. The timing for the joint HELCOM-EUSBSR meeting was particularly adept, as the HELCOM streamlining process has been completed few months ago while the Action Plan of the EUSBSR is currently under revision, expecting launch at the Strategy's Annual Forum in mid-June 2015. ...

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More than a billion gallons of sewage flushed into oceans by cruise ships

Cruise ships dumped more than a billion gallons of sewage in the ocean this year, much of it raw or poorly treated, according to federal data analyzed by Friends of the Earth, which continues the call for stronger rules to protect oceans, coasts, sea life and people. Friends of the Earth's 2014 Cruise Ship Report Card reveals that some of the 16 cruise lines graded are slowly getting greener; but more than 40 percent of the 167 ships still rely on 35-year-old waste treatment technology. Such antiquated treatment systems leave harmful levels of fecal matter, bacteria, heavy metals and other contaminants in the water. By law, wastewater dumped within three nautical miles of shore must be treated, but beyond that ships are allowed to dump raw sewage directly into the ocean. For this reason, the issue of accountability is paramount for the 2014 report card. In a complete reversal from prior years of cooperation and transparency, all 16 major cruise lines refused -- through their industry association, Cruise Lines International Association -- to respond to Friends of the Earth’s requests for information on their pollution-reduction technologies. Therefore, the 2014 Cruise Ship Report card contains a new category: “Transparency” in which ...

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HELCOM focuses on ship’s sewage and other maritime issues

The current status of reception facilities for sewage, as well as their use, are among the region's hot shipping topics considered at HELCOM meetings this fall. Key occasions include the annual HELCOM Maritime Meeting and the HELCOM Heads of Delegation meeting, to take place 9-10 December 2014. The national contacts and industry and civil society observers in the maritime field have commented an update of the HELCOM report on current availability and use of sewage reception facilities in the Baltic Sea area. The revised version of the report is currently developed further based on recent information from the cruise industry, ports and national administrations. The 2014 version of the report will be released during spring 2015. The last week's Maritime meeting in Riga, Latvia discussed the current status of the notification submission to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on the sewage port reception facilities. Such a notification is needed in order to enforce the status of the Baltic Sea as a special area in terms of sewage from passenger ships, as agreed at IMO in 2011. Final agreement is yet to be reached when a submission to the IMO meeting is to take place, as three countries still wish to clarify ...

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BSEE conducts oil spill response equipment review in California

BSEE's Oil Spill Response Division (OSRD) conducted an onsite review of oil spill response equipment listed in DCOR, LLC's Oil Spill Response Plan for platforms offshore Long Beach, California. The visit included verification of equipment and response vessels maintained by Marine Spill Response Corporation. OSRD verifies the equipment listed in each operator's plan on a rotating basis in addition to reviewing maintenance and training records. BSEE oversees oil spill planning and preparedness for U.S. facilities located in both state and federal waters seaward of the coastline that handle, store or transport oil. This authority is granted through the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and Executive Order 12777. OSRD is responsible for carrying out BSEE authorities related to oil spill research, planning, preparedness, and response. Source and Image Credit: BSEE In the origin, I was forthright with you propecia before and after has changed my existence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is incredible to sit.

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Dorian probes green energy logistics

Dorian LPG announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU"), with HNA Logistics Group Co. (HNA Logistics) to explore opportunities in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) logistics market. John Hadjipateras, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "We are very pleased to form a strategic relationship with HNA Logistics. Their unique presence in the Chinese market creates opportunities to develop energy related transportation, finance, infrastructure and distribution. We will focus our efforts in this important market to forge relationships with Chinese LPG ship charterers and LPG end users." "The MOU with Dorian LPG presents a significant opportunity for our company to collaborate with a leader in the LPG industry." Director and Vice President of HNA Logistics, Mr. Ximen "Steve" Chen, commented, "We will jointly engage in the development of green energy logistics which includes LPG vessel investment, gas supply chain solutions and infrastructure in the Chinese market, with the ultimate goal of together building an LPG distribution business in China to take advantage of the significant opportunities for growth in the global LPG industry." Separately, Dorian LPG announced that it has taken delivery of the eco VLGC "Comet" from Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd in Ulsan, South ...

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Methods for spotting alien species in Baltic ports

HELCOM has released a report on alien species transported via ships' ballast water that threaten the sensitive Baltic ecosystem and may also have negative impacts to the economy and human health. The report is the final outcome of HELCOM ALIENS 3 project (2012-2013) which further tested and proposed improvements to the joint HELCOM-OSPAR sampling protocol, specifying methods and means for spotting marine alien species in ports. The project has also updated the related online port survey database and risk assessment tool, shared with the North-East Atlantic marine environment protection commission OSPAR, which went live last week. The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM convention) specifies a number of measures in order to prevent, minimize and ultimately eliminate the transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens through the control and management of ships‘ Ballast Water and Sediments. However, under certain low risk conditions, the BWM convention Regulation A-4 enables a party to grant exemptions to any requirements to apply ballast water management for ships (regulation B-3) or additional measures (regulation C-1). Whether or not a specific case can be defined as falling under such low risk conditions requires a risk assessment. The overall ...

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LR supports safe LNG bunkering in Portsmouth

LR has commenced a project to identify the technical specifications and develop operating procedures for safe LNG bunkering in Portsmouth International Port. The project will position Portsmouth to develop its ambitions to become an LNG bunkering facility and hub - the first in the United Kingdom. Leonidas Karistios, Global Gas Technology Manager, Lloyd's Register said: "Obviously with growing demand for LNG, ports are looking to understand how they can develop the capability to deliver LNG bunkering services safely. It has to be safety first and Portsmouth is looking to ensure that they have the right, safe, approach to support operational and commercial ambitions. With a city adjacent to the port, significant ferry traffic and a large naval presence, there are substantial and varied stakeholder aspects to be addressed." Brittany Ferries latest newbuild, scheduled for delivery in 2016, will be gas fuelled and will call at Portsmouth where LNG bunkering will take place. Kalvin Baugh, Deputy Ferry Port Manager, said: "With changes in the regulations governing emissions, it is clear that in the future more shipping will be fuelled by LNG. To help safeguard the port and meet the needs of our customers, Portsmouth International Port needs to be able to offer ...

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