The Decks Are Clear for Congress to Act
This is a year to get things done in Washington. After a relatively unproductive congressional session last year and a slow start to the 106th Congress due to the focus on impeachment…
Hydrogen Sulfide - the Silent Killer
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been called the "silent killer" because it has a way of sneaking up on its victims and killing them without warning. The key to protecting…
Hypothermia: A Potential Killer Anytime, Anywhere
It was March in South Louisiana and the last real cold front of the year whipped the water into an angry, foamy mass of three ft. high waves. A small workboat bounced…
Donald Bollinger, chairman and CEO, Bollinger Shipyards
Earlier this year, two major shipbuilding associations merged, the National Shipyard Association (NSA), of which Donald "Boysie" Bollinger was chairman; and the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA)…
International Ferry Lines Meet National and International Safety Regulations
Compared to Europe, North America doesn't have too many international ferry operations. The last one between the U.S. and Mexico failed in January after only a few weeks running.
Halter Launches Navy Oceanographic Survey Ship
Bruce G. Heezen, a 329-ft. U.S. Navy oceanographic survey ship, is one of the largest vessels constructed by Halter Marine Group. The name for the T-AGS 60 class…
USCG Receives Motor Lifeboat
USCG Station Shinnecock, in Hampton Bays, N.Y., received a new state-of-the-art 47 ft. motor lifeboat (MLB), which will replace the 44-ft. MLB as part of the USCG's…
F/V Pinnacle Delivered by Tri-Star Marine
Jensen Maritime Consultants, Inc. (JMC), recently completed the design for new 140 x 38 ft. F/V Pinnacle. The Seattle naval architecture firm designed the new vessel for Walt Casto of Snohomish, Wash.
Vessel's Voyage Terminated
USCG law enforcement officers terminated the voyage of a vessel near Petersburg, after the officers found discrepancies with the vessel's survival equipment. A law…
WRDA Reintroduced
The $2.1 billion Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which failed passage by the House of Representatives last year, was reintroduced in the Senate. In the House…
Secretary Slater Switches On Satellite Navigational and Positioning Systems
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater and South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson joined with Admiral James M. Loy, Commandant of the USCG, to officially switch…
Administration Proposes Jones Act Reform
The Clinton Administration, long an opponent of Jones Act reform, has proposed a one-year waiver to allow the use of foreign-built ships to transport U.S. food aid abroad, most notably to Russia.
Bill to Require Anchors, Manned Barges
The Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agirculture of the Massachussets legislature held a hearing on a bill to require tank barges carrying petroleum products…
Revisions to Oil Spill Regulations
The Maine Oil Spill Advisory Committee held a hearing to review proposed revisions to the state's regulations related to oil terminals and vessels transporting petroleum products.
USCG Amends Regulated Navigation Area
The USCG has published and made effective an interim rule authorizing Captains of the Port (COTP) to grant exemptions from the First USCG District Regulated Navigation…
AWO President Testifies on OPA 90
At a joint hearing of the USCG and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee and the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure…
Fuel Tax Repeal Introduced in House
Representative Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.), along with 22 co-sponsors, introduced the Transportation Tax Equity and Fairness Act, H.R. 1001, to repeal the 4.3 cent "deficit…
Proposed Fees Under Attack
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), chairwoman of the Senate Oceans and Fisheries Subcommittee, told USCG Commandant James Loy the Administration's proposal to impose…
USCG Levies $100,000 Civil Penalty
USCG hearing officers imposed a preliminary assessment for $100,000 in a civil penalty case against foreign tankship Kriti Amethyst for violations of U.S. marine pollution regulations.
New SMA Mediation Rules Announced
New Rules for Mediation are now available from the Society of Maritime Arbitrators (SMA) in New York. The SMA believes select commercial disputes could benefit from the Mediation Rules.