Maritime News – Page 6 – Professional Mariner

04 May

NMC resuming normal operations; processing delays likely

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLicensing and training, NMC, U.S. Coast Guard

(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — Funding for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard has been restored, and the National Maritime Center (NMC) and Regional Examination Centers (RECs) are resuming normal operations in a phased approach to prioritize the most critical functions and address the backlog of applications and examinations resulting from the lapse in appropriations. Application procedures and processing…

04 May

Irving launches first Arctic patrol ship for Canadian Coast Guard

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsCanadian Coast Guard, shipbuilding

(HALIFAX, Nova Scotia) — The Canadian Coast Guard’s first Arctic and offshore patrol ship (AOPS), the future CCGS Donjek, was launched Tuesday at Irving Shipbuilding's Halifax Shipyard. The launch of the first AOPS for the Canadian Coast Guard marks a significant milestone for Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and the revitalization of the Canadian Coast Guard’s fleet. The 343-foot vessel…

01 May

Wreckage of WWI Coast Guard cutter discovered off U.K.

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSalvage, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The wreckage of the Coast Guard cutter Tampa has been located and confirmed by the British technical-diving team Gasperados. The site lies approximately 50 miles off Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom, at a depth exceeding 300 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean. Tampa was lost in 1918 during World War I after being torpedoed by a German submarine in…

30 Apr

37 port projects receive MarAd grants totaling $774 million

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsMarAd, Ports

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) has announced $774 million in grants to American ports to strengthen the nation's supply chain and restore U.S. maritime dominance. The 37 projects receiving awards are at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports, and inland river ports in 16 states and U.S. territories. “U.S. ports keep our grocery store shelves stocked, our energy supply…

30 Apr

SAFE Boats delivers response demonstrator to Coast Guard

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(BREMERTON, Wash.) — SAFE Boats International has delivered a response boat-small (RB-S) demonstrator unit to the U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston, S.C. The delivery marks a key milestone in the Coast Guard’s evaluation of next-generation capabilities for one of its most critical and widely deployed operational platforms. Purpose-built to meet the evolving demands of Coast Guard missions, including search and…

29 Apr

New IMO guidelines target ships flying false flags

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIMO, Regulation, shipping

(LONDON) — The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Legal Committee has approved a new set of guidelines to improve transparency and due diligence in ship registration, as well as prevent fraudulent registrations and misuse of flags. The guidelines help to close a key regulatory gap for the maritime industry, given there is currently no binding international framework to regulate the registration…

24 Apr

AMP protests Trump move to extend Jones Act waiver

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsJones Act, Ports, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — The American Maritime Partnership (AMP) stated its opposition Thursday to the Trump administration’s move to extend its waiver of the Jones Act another 90 days. A 60-day waiver was issued on March 17 in response to energy market volatility amid the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. “This extension of an already historically long and ineffective Jones Act waiver is…

24 Apr

Labor and industry coalition formed to support SHIPS Act

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding

(WASHINGTON) — The USA Shipbuilding Coalition has been established in Washington, bringing together U.S. labor groups, shipyards and industry stakeholders to support domestic shipbuilding. The coalition is focused on advancing the bipartisan SHIPS for America Act, which proposes to expand the fleet of U.S.-built and U.S.-flagged vessels, invest in workforce training and fund shipyard infrastructure. The proposed measures include port…

22 Apr

Shipping coalition calls for unity on Net-Zero Framework

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsemissions, Environment, IMO, shipping

(STERLING, Va.) — A broad coalition of maritime industry organizations, collectively representing flag registries, classification societies, shipowner associations and shipping companies, has announced the signing of a joint statement urging member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to consider alternative proposals to the current Net-Zero Framework (NZF) and to approach the upcoming Marine Environment Protection Committee session (MEPC 84)…

21 Apr

‘Warm embrace’: Polar Star back home after Antarctic mission

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, U.S. Coast Guard

(SEATTLE) — The crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) returned home to Seattle on April 13 following a 146-day Antarctic deployment in support of Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2026. Polar Star departed Seattle on Nov. 20, traveling more than 20,000 nautical miles through ocean and ice to complete ODF 2026. ODF is the federal logistical…