The US Coast Guard announced that it is responding to a report of a 32-foot sailing vessel grounded off Magic Island, on June 13. Pollution responders are also on scene assessing the area, as there is a maximum potential fuel load of 27 gallons of diesel aboard. A slight sheen was reported but is expected to dissipate naturally.
The US Coast Guard released Findings of Concern on ‘High Speed Craft Operations Manuals,’ regarding an incident where a high speed catamaran passenger ferry allided with a rock jetty at over 30 knots, injuring 15 passengers.
The USCG Office of Port and Facility Compliance has compiled frequently asked questions (FAQs) to assist with the compliance of Seafarers’ Access to Maritime Facilities regulation (33 CFR §105.237), effective from 1st May 2019.
On May 1, 2019, the US Coast Guard concluded a year-long concentrated inspection campaign (CIC), focused on open lifeboats throughout the US commercial fleet as directed in the Commandant’s Final Action Memo on the 2015 sinking of the S.S. El Faro. US Coast Guard Marine Inspectors identified 68 deficiencies on 35 open lifeboats.
The USCG issued guidance on the use of fixed fire pumps in lieu of portable fire pumps on Subchapter C and Subchapter M towing vessels, 65 feet or less. The guidance comes with the Policy Letter 01-19: ‘Equivalency Determination – Fire Pumps for Subchapter C and Subchapter M Towing Vessels’.
The US Coast Guard issued its reporting requirements for the upcoming hurricane season at the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf, requesting that operators of all manned facilities and MODUs report only when personnel were stranded onboard AND not able to evacuate due to extreme circumstances.
In a new official statement, the US Coast Guard reiterated that hiring an unlicensed charter is illegal and dangerous, because the charter may not have the proper emergency safety gear, navigation and communication gear, and may not have undergone the proper license exams to ensure safety.
The US Coast Guard a final rule and policy letter, announcing revisions to its merchant mariner credentialing regulations on radar observer requirements. This aims to reduce unnecessary burden on mariners required to hold a radar observer endorsement.
On June 6 in port Everglades, Florida, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton offloaded about 26,000 pounds of seized cocaine and 1,500 pounds of seized marijuana. The cocaine is worth approximately $348 million, whereas the marijuana $1.6 million.
The US Coast Guard has initiated a research for a missing vessel on the afternoon hours of Sunday, east of Port Canaveral, Florida. USCG Jacksonville Command Center watchstanders received a distress call at 4 p.m. from a vessel, stating they were caught in a storm and were in need of assistance.
