Tag: US

Amid a growing tension between the US and Iran in the light of the two tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman last week, Iranian forces now have reportedly shut down a US military surveillance drone while flying over the Strait of Hormuz. 

After President Trump's decision on banning US cruises to Cuba, many were the cruise lines affected; Carnival Corporation published its yearly net income, according to which the cruise company faced a decrease following cruise bans to Cuba.

According to local sources, four more crewmembers of the container ship MSC Gayane have been charged in connection with the discovery of 15.5 tonnes of cocaine on board. The sources couldn't reveal more information on the crew members due to the fact that the investigation continues.

As EIA informs, the Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil chokepoint due to the large volumes of oil that flow through the strait. In fact, in 2018, its daily oil flow averaged 21 million barrels per day (b/d), or the equivalent of about 21% of global petroleum liquids consumption.

At the end of May, California Senate passed the 'California Circular Economy and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act' according to which the producer manufacturers and retailers in California should reduce the waste generated by single-use packaging and products by 75%  by 2030 through producing less plastic, recycling more of it, making reusable packaging, or using compostable materials.

US federal authorities seized 16.5 tons of cocaine, with a worth of more than $1 billion from a ship in Philadelphia. This is considered as one of the largest drug seizures in the US history, according to the US Justice Department. What is more, federal authorities arrested and charged two of the ship's crew members.

On June 16, a product tanker collided with the Sunshine Bridge, a highway crossing over the Mississippi about halfway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. As the US Coast Guard reported, no injuries or pollution took place. The fender system sustained damages, with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development stating that there are no structural issues with the bridge itself.

As AP reports, Japan surpassed China and is becoming the second-biggest user of the Panama Canal, in light of a trade war between Beijing and Washington. The US remains the leader in using the canal. China's third place is due to the fact that there's a decrease in shipments of natural and liquid petroleum gas as the Asian giant is buying less of them from the United States. 

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.

The US Department of Justice informed that Capital Ship Management Corporation, a Greek ship operator and two cargo ship engineers face federal charges in water pollution case, involving dumping of oily waste. The defendants had failed to record illegal dumping of oily waste into international waters and obstruction of justice, by ordering the ship's crew to lie about this action.