The following is the text of a press release issued by the International Shipping Federation: The International Shipping Federation (ISF), which represents maritime employers globally, is calling on port states to facilitate the right of seafarers to shore leave, in line with governments’ international treaty obligations, by proposing a new pragmatic approach to visa requirements. (The ISF) has made this proposal in a submission to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Facilitation Committee, which next meets in April to consider its current review of the IMO Convention on the Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL). The FAL Convention includes a blanket prohibition on port states requiring seafarers to obtain visas in order to enjoy shore leave. The long established principle that, due to the special nature of their employment,…
Engineering society warns of failure to renew waterway infrastructure Jerry A. Bridges, executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, warned Sept. 13 that if the current level of investment in the highways and waterway infrastructure serving ports persists, “The losses to our economy will affect not only our nation’s output, but our ability to create and sustain new jobs.” “The impacts will result in about 738,000 fewer jobs by 2020 and almost 1.4 million fewer jobs by 2040,” Bridges said. The port official was among speakers at the unveiling of a new report released by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Washington, D.C. The report detailed trade impacts of failing to invest in America’s seaports and inland waterways. “If you take away only two things from my remarks…
(CHURCHILL, Manitoba) -- The record ice melt in the Arctic this year has Canadians thinking about potential growth of shipping in the Northwest Passage, including the grain port in Manitoba, CBC News reported. Ship traffic has increased at Churchill in recent years, and increased use of the Northwest Passage could boost the number of ships serving Pacific routes as well as Atlantic. The Churchill port, owned by U.S.-based OmniTrax, has diversified its cargo in recent years and now serves industries other than just grain. Click here to view the network's story.
The following is the text of a press release issued by the Maritime Academy of Toledo Foundation: (TOLEDO, Ohio) -- Renee Marazon, CEO, The Maritime Academy of Toledo Foundation, said today that applications for people interested in the Cruise Ship Professional Development and STCW Basic Safety Training Programs have been sent out, and that a launch date of January 16, 2012 for the new programs has been set. In November, The Maritime Foundation received a $25,000 grant from First Energy’s Economic Development Fund through City of Toledo Mayor Michael P. Bell’s administration. “Over the past six weeks we received over 100 requests for information about the two new programs,†said Ms. Marazon. “We completed our development of the qualification and application process. We have met with The Source of…
In response to the 9/11 tragedy, Congress passed the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA 2002). It mandated that our government develop a biometric identification card for all U.S. merchant mariners, as well as other maritime workers needing unescorted access to secure areas of marine terminals and commercial vessels. With great fanfare, the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card program was born. Despite problems, setbacks, and mistakes, about 1.7 million cards have been issued. Since its inception, the TWIC program has been a burden for U.S. merchant mariners. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires applicants to appear in person at one of the TWIC enrollment centers across the country not once — but twice — to get the card. The process requires an initial visit for the applicant to…
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General will audit the Maritime Administration's management of the expansion project at the Port of Anchorage, the Anchorage Daily News newspaper reported. The project has been beset by cost overruns, faulty construction materials, a fatal accident and other problems. MarAd's role in similar project in Guam and Hawaii will also be examined. Click here to view the newspaper's story.
(MEXICO CITY) -- Seven of the 10 crew who had abandoned the disabled liftboat Trinity II have been found alive, while two are dead and one remains missing, CNN reported. Pemex said the crew was found off the coast of the state of Campeche about three days after their liftboat began taking on water in a storm. The 10 people fled to a lifeboat but couldn't be rescued immediately because of the bad weather. Click here to view the CNN story.
At 7:10 this morning, the Secretary of Homeland Security blogged that DHS had taken "another major step forward" in "strengthening our country's defenses by getting all stakeholders — including the public — the information and resources they need in order to play their part in helping to secure the country." This step is the replacement of the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) that has been used since shortly after 9/11, with the new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS). The Secretary further stated: "Under the new system, DHS will coordinate with other federal entities to issue formal, detailed alerts when the federal government receives information about a specific or credible terrorist threat. These alerts will include a clear statement that there is an imminent threat or elevated threat, a summary…
This is the second post covering the most recent meeting of the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee. The first post dealt with briefings and discussions on Seafarer Access to Shore, CDC Security, and the TWIC Program. The Future of the Maritime Critical Infrastructure Committee After those issues, the Committee held a discussion on the Maritime Critical Infrastructure Committee (MCIC), which is a subset of the Transportation Critical Infrastructure group, one of a series of national and sector councils sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. These groups are exempt from the Federal Advisory Board Act and the Freedom of Information Act and provide venues for nonpublic meetings to transfer information between the federal government and the private sector to aid in the protection of critical infrastructure. The members are selected…
The U.S. Coast Guard has determined that a fire that damaged a Hudson River commuter ferry was caused by an engine overheating after ice blocked the exhaust intake strainers. No one was seriously injured in the Jan. 26 fire on board New York Waterway's Moira Smith, but there was extensive damage to the engine room, the Coast Guard and company said. The 65-foot craft, with 25 passengers, was five minutes out from the Edgewater, N.J., terminal on its way to Manhattan when the captain began receiving a series of engine exhaust system alarms at about 0925. The ferry carried a two-person crew. Coast Guard Lt. Joseph Johnson, the investigating officer for Group New York, said ice in the river that had partially clogged the engine intakes and caused the exhaust…
