Tag: US

The city of Troy in New York published a video depicting several unmanned boats and vessels pass beneath the Troy-Menands Bridge on the Hudson River. The vessels broke free of their moorings on Friday, January 25, because of heavy rainfall and ice flow on the Hudson River. One of them, a river cruise boat, broke its moorings and drifted downstream, hitting a bridge and wedging itself under another in Albany.

The weekly U.S. offshore rig count increased by one active unit the previous week from 21 to 25 January, Baker Hughes, a GE company, reported on January 25. Specifically, the U.S. Offshore Rig Count is up 1 rig to 20 and up 3 rigs year-over-year.

Federal agents visited Littoral Combat Ship manufacturer Austal USA in its Mobile, Alabama, shipyard as part of an unspecified investigation involving the US Navy. Moreover, Austal was also under investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, regarding market updates on losses around the Independence-class LCS.

Due to the lack of enacted appropriation or continuing resolution, the US Coast Guard is required to execute an orderly suspension of some operations and activities. USCG will continue operations authorized by law that provide for national security, or that protect life and property. However, some administrative functions will be limited. The following guidance aims to help vessel owners, operators, and other affected parties during the lapse in appropriations.

The US Department of Homeland Security issued an Emergency Directive warning federal agencies of incidents regarding Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure tampering. Namely, attackers have redirected and intercepted web and mail traffic. DHS directs agencies to change passwords and add multifactor authentication. 

Magellan Midstream Partners LP is discussing with companies that develop crude transportation assets in Freeport, Texas, as it plans to build a US crude export terminal instead of its previously scheduled spot off Corpus Christi. Despite Corpus Christi construction, the pipeline operator considers all of its options, including an offshore terminal off Freeport, closer to its crude storage and terminal assets in Houston, according to Mark Roles, senior vice president at Magellan.

A report, commissioned by the International Chamber of Commerce, provides global policymakers with an evidence-based overview of the far-reaching economic and social consequences of trade tariffs. The report outlines 10 possible effects of a return to the destructive tariff increases of the 1930s. The consequences, illustrated by two case studies, range from an increase in poverty to worse health outcomes.

The National Maritime Centre (NMC) posted, on January 24, updated information for merchant mariners that are affected by the lapse in appropriation. The NMC acknowledges that the partial shutdown may affect industry customers and seafarers as well.

The Port of Charleston, in South Carolina, aspires to place freight that comes in on the water, back on the water with a container-on-barge service, which is expected to be online as early as 2022. The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) submitted applications to state and federal regulators on December to build and dredge for a new wharf at the Wando Welch container terminal.

US  Senate Democrats are questioning the legality of the Trump administration’s plan to continue work on its five-year offshore drilling plan during the partial federal government shutdown, according to Reuters. The Senators sent a letter to David Bernhardt, the Department of Interior’s acting secretary, and Walter Cruickshank, acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) asking why the latter updated its plan to enable 40 employees to work on the offshore leasing program.