Tag: USCG

Examination of USCG polar program The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued the report of its examination of the US Coast Guard polar icebreaker maintenance, upgrade, and acquisition program.The report concludes that the Coast Guard does not have the necessary budgetary control over its icebreakers, nor does it have a sufficient number of icebreakers to accomplish its missions in the polar regions.To view the report please click hereSource: Department of Homeland Security

Comes into effect on August The US Coast Guard issued a final rule increasing the rates for pilotage service on the Great Lakes to generate sufficient revenue to cover allowable expenses, target pilot compensation, and return on investment.The rule comes into effect on August 1.For more information concerning the new rule please click hereSource: USCG

Arrests for illegal entry using dive scooters Border Patrol agents arrested two male Mexican nationals last night in Imperial Beach,Calif., after the two used self-propelled underwater devices to illegally enter the United States by sea.At about 8:45 p.m., the crew of a Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine aircraft spotted two suspicious subjects in wetsuits who were carrying dive scooters. The males were walking north on the beach, south of Seacoast Drive. Border Patrol agents responded to the scene and encountered two individuals attempting to conceal themselves by lying in the sand.Agents questioned the males, a 38-year-old and a 16-year-old, and arrested them after determining they were Mexican nationals who had used the dive scooters to illegally enter the United States. Agents transported the two to a local Border Patrol station for processing.CBP is a member agency of the Maritime Unified Command comprised of the U.S. Coast Guard, CBP Office of Air & Marine, Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as state and local law enforcement partners operating in the San Diego and Orange County maritime domain. The Maritime Unified Command utilizes the fusion of intelligence, planning and operations to target the threat of transnational crime along ...

Passenger ferry and coast guard cutter The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued the report of its investigation into the collision between a US passenger ferry and a US Coast Guard cutter in Block Island Sound on July 2, 2008.To view the full report please click hereSource: NTSB

Marijuana worth almost $1 million The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant offloaded more than 1,100 pounds of marijuana at Coast Guard Sector Key West, Fla., Wednesday, that was interdicted at sea Jan. 18.While on a routine patrol, the crew of the Vigilant located a 30-foot go-fast vessel with multiple fuel drums on deck and five persons aboardin the western Caribbean SeaJan. 18. The Vigilant crew launched their smallboat to pursue the go-fast vessel. During the westbound pursuit, crewmembers witnessed personnel aboard the go-fast jettison multiple bales into the water.Two Costa Rican smallboat crews launched to assist. However, the go-fast crew was able to beach the vesselin Costa Rica, and flee on foot evading capture.The crew of the Vigilant was able to recover 40 bales and 15 bricks of marijuana worth almost $1 million.The contraband was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)in Key West Wednesday. Special agents assigned to ICE HSI marine smuggling investigative group continue the investigation.The Vigilant is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Port Canaveral, Fla.Source: USCG

The port has re-opened The Captain of the Port for Jacksonville has re-opened the port of Jacksonville to all inbound and outbound commercial vessel traffic effective immediately following the return of a North Atlantic Right Whale into the Atlantic Ocean.The whale was observed swimming north out of the St. Johns River entrance channel into the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 6:15 p.m. Monday.Source: USCG

Bulkers freed from ice The escort of Canadian Progress and Canadian Enterprise ended Saturday night with the convoy stopping in the lower St. Clair River near Russell Island.Efforts began again Sunday morning about 6 a.m., with the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Samuel Risley breaking a track into the lower river then returning to escort the freighters. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Morro Bay joined the close escort and the icebreakers slugged it out with the ice. It was slow going and the convoy reached Lake St. Clair about 11:30 a.m. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay departed Detroit and joined the efforts on Lake St. Clair, later turning and heading upbound.Canadian Enterprise made her dock at Ojibay salt in Windsor, where she loaded for another trip to South Chicago. Progress followed Morro Bay and Risley downbound to Western Lake Erie, where the waiting Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon would escort her into lay-up dock at Port Colborne, Ont.Later in the day, the Risley met up with the tug Invincible and barge McKee Sons, heading upbound from Ashtabula with coal for Trenton, Mich. They met off Colchester about 9:45 p.m.Source: Boatnerd

Thick fog interrupts traffic along the channel Ships resumed moving along the Houston Ship Channel late Tuesday morning after dense fog dissipated, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The three-hour shutdown would have only a minor impact on moving ships through the 53-mile waterway between the Gulf of Mexico and the busiest U.S. petrochemical port, the Coast Guard said.Houston ship pilots called a halt at 8:20 a.m. CST (1420 GMT) to ship movements along the channel when sea fog became so thick it made navigation of the waterway unsafe.Sea fog frequently interrupts traffic along the ship channel during winter months.Source: Reuters

USCG name-based terrorism check for security personnel The US Coast Guard issued a revised Port Security Advisory regarding procedures for obtaining a name-based terrorism check for security personnel operating in high-risk waters (HRW) in accordance with PSA 05-09 (Rev 1). The only revision relates to an updated point of contact within the Coast Guard for submittal of security personnel information.You may view the revised Port Security Advisory.Source: US Coast Guard

USCG requests feedback on fees related to the MARPOL Reception Facility Program Inspectors from U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Houston Facility met with officials from Intercontinental Terminals responsible for implementing their 33 CFR 158 Certificate of Adequacy (COA) (MARPOL Reception Facility Program).Discussions covered the process by which the facility implements their COA program. Intercontinental Terminals has a COA for Oil (Annex I), NLS (Annex II), and Garbage (Annex V) that expires on 7 November 2013 and the facility uses third parties to remove each of these wastes - solely using trucks.The USCG discussed the fees charged by the facility, and found that none were unreasonable or would cause a disincentive for ships requesting to depose of oil, NLS, or garbage waste. However the USCG is requesting feedback to validate this information.Source: US Coast Guard