Tag: USCG

US Coast Guard issue notice re STCW Amendments The Coast Guard will publish in an upcoming Federal Register a notice announcing steps for implementation of the 2010 amendments to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended, (STCW) concerning hours of rest and security related training requirements.Because the final rule implementing the 2010 amendments to the STCW will not be published before they enter into force on January 1, 2012, there is a need to provide guidance on the implementation of the amendments related to these requirements, which will impact US vessels and. The Notice applies to all vessels subject to STCW under current regulations.Source: USCG

Changes eliminate the TWIC requirement for mariners The Coast Guard has announced the publication of a policy letter that exempts a number of mariners from the requirement to obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential when renewing or obtaining a Coast Guard-issued merchant mariner credential.The policy letter provides immediate relief for mariners who otherwise would need to obtain a TWIC to get or renew their Merchant Mariner Credential. The policy letter also provides the Coast Guard with a means to comply with a portion of the requirements set forth in Section 809 of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010."These changes eliminate the TWIC requirement for mariners who operate vessels not required to have a vessel security plan or who are not actively sailing on their merchant mariner credential" said Captain Eric Christensen, Chief of the Office of Vessel Activities in Washington, DC. "This policy letter solution uses Coast Guard resources and capabilities to lessen the impact on an estimated 60,000 mariners while we work on a regulatory solution to address the full scope of Section 809."Prior to the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 becoming law, all mariners holding a Coast Guard-issued merchant mariner credential were also required to obtain ...

Davy Crockett, the sleeping giant On January 27th, 2011, authorities responded to an oil sheen extending 14 miles on the Columbia River, quickly tracing it to an illegal scrap metal salvage near Camas, Wash. So much steel had been removed from the aging ship's hull that its back had broken and inner compartments were exposed to the river's currents. Davy Crockett Unified Response consisted of the Coast Guard, Wash. Dept. of Ecology (DOE) and Ore. Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ), a rehearsed and practiced Pacific Northwest partnership.The 431-foot flat-deck barge Davy Crockett, a repurposed 1940s Navy liberty ship, was found leaking a cocktail of bunker fuel and other harmful substances into the environment, from compartments not readily accessible prior to the salvage operation. It was a sleeping giant of environmental blights, a WWII time capsule reminding us that our past maritime industrial practices are not gone and forgotten.The 433-foot flat-deck barge Davy Crockett continues disassembly on the Columbia River, Wash., Ore., border on May 31, 2011. Metal is cut away from the floating stern section, transferred to a decontamination barge and then to a scrap barge to be hauled away. Meanwhile salvage divers prepare submerged areas for disassembly. U.S. Coast ...

The leak was isolated, stopped and remedial action has been approved by BSEE The U.S. Coast Guard was investigating a 13,000-gallon spill from an oil rig leased to Shell, operating about 26 miles southeast of last year's BP Plc Macondo oil well disaster, a Coast Guard spokesman said on Monday.The spill of either drilling fluid or oil mixed with drilling fluid was reported Sunday by Transocean Ltd's Deepwater Nautilus rig, which was drilling a well at Shell's Appomattox discovery."Shell can confirm it has a loss of 319 barrels of drilling fluid," Shell spokeswoman Kelly op de Weegh said by email.The leak was from a booster line, which provides additional drilling fluid and is separate from the well, she said."The leak was isolated, stopped and remedial action has been approved by BSEE (the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement), which includes temporarily abandoning the well, and making appropriate repairs," op de Weegh said.The Coast Guard was attempting to determine what material was spilled, Coast Guard spokesman Steve Lehmann said."An overflight from New Orleans spotted a very light sheen in the vicinity," Lehmann said.He did not estimate the sheen's size.The initial report filed with the U.S. National Response Center described the ...

2011 mission concludes joint seafloor survey operations A recent mission marked the completion of a five-year collaboration between the United States and Canada to survey the Arctic Ocean. The bilateral project collected scientific data to delineate the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline, also known as the extended continental shelf (ECS).The U.S. has an inherent interest in knowing, and declaring to others, the exact extent of its sovereign rights in the ocean as set forth in the Convention on the Law of the Sea. For the ECS, this includes sovereign rights over natural resources on and under the seabed including energy resources such as: oil and natural gas and gas hydrates; "sedentary" creatures such as clams, crabs, and corals; and mineral resources such as manganese nodules, ferromanganese crusts, and polymetallic sulfides.The 2011 joint Arctic mission spanned nearly six weeks in August and September and was the fourth year to employ flagship icebreakers from both countries, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent. "This two-ship approach was both productive and necessary in the Arctic's difficult and varying ice conditions," said Larry Mayer, Ph.D., U.S. chief scientist on the Arctic mission ...

U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert This alert reminds all maritime personnel of the dangers associated with working around or near moving machinery.A recent marine casualty resulted in a death onboard a Great Lakes ore carrier. Two crewmembers had been working on clearing the vessel's sump pump bilge piping within a cargo conveyor belt tunnel. The piping ran vertically along the bulkhead adjacent to the conveyor belt. Because the clearance between the belt and piping was small, the crew had to step on a large pulley that was part of the system. Simultaneously, a shore-side contractor was working on the conveyor system in another part of the vessel and well removed from the crew working on the bilge piping.Prior to undertaking the work, the person in charge and all involved working on or near the conveyor had taken some precautions to establish a sequence of audio alarms to use as an alert. It consisted of an initial alarm sounding the need to clear the belt, followed by another alarm notification five minutes later and just prior to starting of the conveyor. While the crewmembers were working on the piping the initial alarm sounded and they removed their tools and got ...

anford Ltd. could be fined up to $500,000 per count A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has returned a seven-count indictment charging Sanford Ltd. with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), conspiracy and obstruction of justice, announced Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno and United States Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.Sanford Ltd. is a New Zealand based company that operates the Fishing Vessel (F/V) San Nikunau, a vessel that routinely delivers tuna to a cannery in American Samoa. The indictment describes a conspiracy where the crew of the vessel routinely discharged oily bilge waste from the vessel directly into the sea during its fishing voyages since at least 2007. Sanford Ltd. was also charged with violating the APPS for failing to accurately maintain an oil record book for the vessel and with obstruction of justice for presenting false documents and deceiving the Coast Guard during an inspection.If convicted, Sanford Ltd. could be fined up to $500,000 per count or twice the gross gain or loss that resulted from the criminal conduct. The indictment also seeks criminal forfeiture from Sanford Ltd. of more than $24 million for proceeds derived by Sanford Ltd. as a result of the ...

Need for more icebreakers The Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, chaired by U.S. Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo (R-NJ), held a hearing this morning to examine the U.S. Coast Guard's role and operations in the Arctic. The Subcommittee today reviewed several recent reports and analyses of the Service's polar capabilities.The Coast Guard maintains two Polar Class heavy icebreakers, however neither is currently operational. The POLAR SEA is being decommissioned and the POLAR STAR is undergoing significant repairs to extend its service life. Questions remain about how long the POLAR STAR will last after its repairs are complete, as well as whether the Service and the Administration are prepared to make critical decisions regarding our nation's goals and objectives in the Arctic and provide Congress with a fiscally responsible plan to meet those goals and objectives."As we all know, the ice caps are shrinking in the Arctic, effectively creating new coastline and navigable waters where the Coast Guard will be required to operate," said Chairman LoBiondo. "This opening is already providing significant economic opportunities for the energy and maritime transportation sectors, but has also exposed a new set of risks and challenges to our national security and sovereignty."The Subcommittee has ...

Oil Recovery System The Coast Guard conducted pollution response training for the deployment of the Spilled Oil Recovery System, Wednesday,in Pensacola Bay.Members from the Eighth Coast Guard District Response Advisory Team, Coast Guard Gulf Strike Team and Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Ala.,deployed aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Cypress, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender homeported in Mobile, for the exercise, which is aimed at testing and improving the Coast Guard's ability to assemble and deploy the Cypress'SORS to recover surface oil from the water after a spill or release.SORS is an over-the-side, single-ship recovery system, designed to be used on a Coast Guard buoy tender for response to a maritime environmental emergency.The exercise will coincide with the Cypress' annual oil-spill response training that will test the crew's proficiency at operating the SORS equipment."This annual training and deployment exercise is required under the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program Guidelines," said Todd Peterson, Eighth Coast Guard District DRAT."PREP incorporates the exercise requirements from Oil Pollution Act of1990 and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and is ultimately designed to improve response plans and response systems."Each SORS consists of two of the following:A Desmi Floating Terminator Weir Skimmer with control stand to recover ...

During the period 1 December 2011 through 1 March 2012 The US Coast Guard will be accepting nominations for the Rear Admiral William Benkert Environmental Award for 2012 during the period 1 December 2011 through 1 March 2012.Any marine transportation related commercial organization owning, operating, or otherwise managing vessels, designated waterfront facilities, fleeting areas, oil spill removal organizations, or other entity engaged in maritime operations subject to Coast Guard regulations are eligible to become an award applicant.Awards are made in the following categories:(a) Small Business:(1) Vessel Operations;(2) Facility Operations; and(3) Special Small Business; and(b) Large Business: (1) Vessel Operations;(2) Facility Operations; and(3) Foreign Vessel Operations.Source: USCG