The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced $19.6 million in grants to help capital improvements at 28 US small shipyards as a part of its Small Shipyard Grant program. Provided through MARAD’s Small Shipyards Grant program, the funding supports employee training and related improvements that adopt increased efficiency and economic growth.
Iran could target US commercial ships, including oil tankers, sailing through key Middle East waterways, as one of the threats to US interests posed by Tehran, the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) said in an advisory posted on Thursday.
Looking for regulations to invest in cybersecurity requires a fresh start, keeping in mind that the digital world is developing everyday, while guidelines and rules can not keep up and adapt to a changing environment. The best way to achieve future cybersecurity is scrapping the web of today and start over by baking protections into the new version, according to the top security official at the Maritime Administration, Cameron Naron.
The US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) reported $6,790,000 in grants to three Marine Highway projects. The funding will go towards improving the already existent services in Louisiana and Virginia and also will boost the development of a new New York project.
Sentinel Midstream, a Texas-based midstream solution provider, is the latest company to present its designs for the development of a new deepwater terminal, located near Freeport, Texas. The proposed Texas Gulflink will be capable of fully loading Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) vessels.
US Maritime Administration (MARAD) noted that in 2018 there were 18 reports concerning boardings, attempted boardings, attacks, hijackings, and kidnappings in the Sulu and Celebes Seas. The recent kidnappings in the area, were linked to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), an, allegedly, violent Islamic separatist group operating in the southern Philippines.
According to the US Maritime Administration, GPS interference has been reported near Jeddah Port, Saudi Arabia, near the position 21-29N, 039-09E on October 15th and 18th, 2018. These incidents have not been confirmed, but according to MARAD, this interference is resulting in either inaccurate positions or no position.
The US Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced $4,872,000 in grants to six Marine Highway projects. The funding aims to enhance existing marine highways serving ports in Louisiana, Virginia, New York, and Connecticut, and support the development of new container-on-barge services in Kentucky and Rhode Island.
Regional conflict and piracy threats continue to pose potential risks to commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Indian Ocean, warned the US MARAD. US flagged commercial vessels are advised to avoid entering or loitering near Yemen’s Red Sea ports.
The US Center for Disease Control issued a Travel Health Alert Notice regarding Measles outbreaks in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Pacific, noting that measles remains a common disease in these regions. CDC warned that anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of getting infected when they travel internationally.
