BEACH MASTER
Vice President Thanks ESG 1 Sailors and Marines
Vice President Dick Cheney spoke to approximately 3,200 Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1 Sailors, Marines and family members on May 23. While aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), where the event was hosted, Cheney thanked the ESG 1 service members for their hard work in supporting the war on terror and providing humanitarian aid to Pakistan after an October 2005 earthquake there killed more than 70,000 people. "This operation would not have been possible without the effort of ESG 1," said Cheney. "Thank you for your exemplary work in this great time of need." Rear Adm. Michael LeFever, commander, ESG 1, said that helping out those in need in Pakistan was different because it was a non-combatant role, but it was a wonderful experience for him and the ESG 1 crew. "It was really a great opportunity to help out. We met a lot of great people, and it felt good to be able to help the people of Pakistan," LeFever said. During the relief effort, ESG 1 ships USS Cleveland (LPD 7) and USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) offloaded several hundred tons of relief supplies and equipment in the port of Karachi, Pakistan, to assist Pakistani citizens with medical and rebuilding needs. Cheney also spoke about the importance of ESG 1's role in the war on terror and stressed that the military will "...stay in the fight until the fight is done. "The terrorist will fail because the American military stands in their way," Cheney added.
Moffatt & Nichol New Terminal Plan
Moffatt & Nichol announced that it has been selected by the Montreal Port Authority to prepare the detailed development plan, complete preliminary engineering and develop contracting strategies for the construction of the new Hochelaga-Viau container terminal, and re-development of the Laurier-Tarte break-bulk terminal. This mandate is related to Phase two of the Port of Montreal’s Vision 2020 strategic plan.
LCS Mine Warfare Sailors Complete RMS Operational Assessment
The Remote Minehunting System (RMS) successfully completed the test phase of a formal Operational Assessment designed to validate the system's mine hunting capabilities and operational availability on Aug. 21 at Lockheed Martin’s Riveria Beach, Fla., Test Facility. This Operational Assessment concludes a nine month effort to incorporate and verify RMS reliability and suitability improvements The RMS is one of several next-generation Naval mine countermeasure systems being
USCG Releases Investigation Report on 2009 Parasailing Accident
The Coast Guard Thursday released the final report on the investigation of the parasailing accident involving the small passenger vessel Tied High off the coast of Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., in 2009. Several factors contributed to the deaths of two people killed August 28, 2009, while parasailing with the vessel, the report said. The investigation found the initiating event for this casualty was the failure of the winch to retrieve the passengers in flight during the storm and high winds
Report on UK Riverdance Casualty
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) released the report of its investigation into the grounding and subsequent loss of the ro-ro cargo vessel Riverdance on Shell Flats – Cleveleys Beach, Lancashire on 31 January 2008. The root cause seems to have been complacency. The true weights and dispositions of the cargo were not calculated, nor was the ship’s stability. Despite the heavy weather conditions, some openings on the weather deck were not closed off
Panama Canal Partnership with Long Beach
Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta and Port of Long Beach (POLB) Executive Director Richard D. Steinke signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Panama aimed at generating new business and economic growth and promoting international trade between Long Beach and the East Coast of Latin America via the Panama Canal. Both parties asserted their commitment to mutual cooperation at the official ceremony
MSC Napoli Beached and Leaking
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) issued a notice stating that the MSC Napoli was being towed to sheltered waters in Lyme Bay, Devon. A second notice reported that, due to continuing bad weather, the container ship will be beached to prevent it from sinking. A third notice said that approximately 50 containers have been lost overboard as severe gales rock the beached ship. There are indications that bunker oil is also leaking from the ship.
ASA Members Respond to Grounded Barge
On Nov. 18, two members of the American Salvage Association (ASA) successfully pulled a grounded barge, La Princesa, off Sandbridge beach in Virginia Beach, Va. The barge had broken free from the tug Sentry and grounded on the beach near Little Island Pier in Virginia Beach, Va. Crews used two tugboats pulling together on the bow and stern of the barge at high tide to free it. The U.S. Coast Guard was also on-scene and working together
Northwind Supplies Fire/Rescue Boat Virginia Beach
Another of Northwind Marine's 30-ft. Argus class fire, search, and rescue boats has headed east from Seattle, Wash. The boat was built for Virginia Beach, Va., where fire, rescue, and police departments watch over the waterways, marinas, and other facilities in the Hampton Roads area of Chesapeake Bay. The aluminum boat with decades of design and construction experience behind it joined a department with active fire and rescue operations
Fast Ferry Study Enters New Phase
Kitsap Transit will pile sand and gravel on a few beaches in early fall to see how much a passenger-only ferry boat will take away. It’s part of the agency’s attempt to bring back the half-hour commuter run between Bremerton and Seattle. The study, which could begin in late September, is designed to measure the impact of ferry wakes left by a newly designed ferry. It also would determine whether renourishing an affected area is a viable way to repair ongoing beach damage from vessel wakes
POLB Commissioners Elect Thomas Fields President
Fields, a Long Beach advertising executive & former city planning commissioner, will lead the commission for a 1-year term from 1, July 2013. Thomas Fields will succeed Commissioner Susan E. Anderson Wise, who has served two years as President.
Ulstein Group Awarded Academic's Union Gold
Norway's Tekna (Technical and Scientific Association) awards its gold medal to Ulstein Group for creating opportunities in technology. Gunvor Ulstein, CEO of Ulstein Group, received Tekna’s Gold Medal at a recent ceremony. The medal is given as an honour and encouragement to Norwegian
Long Beach Container Volume Up in May
Container cargo rose by more than 17 percent in May 2013 at the Port of Long Beach, with some of the highest volumes in nearly 3 years. A total of 583,588 TEUs (or twenty-foot equivalent container units) were moved in May, up 17.2 percent from the same month last year. Imports increased 22
HELM Course Launched with MCA Approval
The U.K. Enav Center has partnered with Total HLM Solutions to provide Human Element Leadership and Management (HELM) course at Management Level which is in line with the Manila Amendments 2010 at their training center in Hampshire, U.K. The course will be available to the maritime industry from
POLB Appoint Al Moro Interim Executive Director
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners appoint chief harbor engineer Al Moro as the Port of Long Beach’s interim executive director. Moro, who joined the Port in 1997 as a civil engineer, currently oversees all administrative and technical activities for the Port’s engineering
Concordia Baby to See Mother(ship) for the First Time
Concordia Baby, the latest vessel to be completed by specialist workboat builder Alnmaritec, is heading to the Falkland Islands to be installed onto the mother ship M/V Concordia Bay. Operated by Workboat Services Ltd., MV Concordia Bay provides service as a passenger and cargo ferry
Ballast Water Violation Double-Talk
A recent incident report by MARS underlines the importance of marking ballast lines & valves clearly (and of being truthful). A vessel arrived in port to discharge her cargo of chemicals. The same day, the Master was summoned to the Harbourmaster’s office for an alleged violation of
Somali Pirates Foiled in Dhow Hi-jack Attempt
14 Indian seafarers are now safe, after pirates, who took control of their cargo vessel were hounded away by a EUNACFOR warship. The incident ocurred in the Gulf of Aden and involved the EU Naval Force warship HSwMS Carlskrona, together with NATO counter piracy Dutch warship HNLMS Van Speijk,
Deep Ocean Trash Dump Located
Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) find that trash is not only cluttering beaches, but is accumulating deep sea, notably in the Monterey Canyon. Surprisingly large amounts of discarded trash end up in the ocean
New Additions to EBDG's Gulf Coast Office
Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) added two employees to its Gulf Coast Office: Ron Dunning and Joseph Hudson. Ron Dunning joins EBDG from Virginia Beach, Va. with more than 35 years' experience in structural design. His broad-ranging design experience encompasses everything from military vessels
Today in U.S. Naval History: June 6
Today in U.S. Naval History – June 6 1944 - D-Day, in Operation Overlord, Allied invasion fleet (more than 2,700 ships and craft) land troops on Normandy beaches, the largest amphibious landing in history For more information about naval history
General Dynamics Appoints Kirchmaier AIS President
General Dynamics announced that Thomas W. Kirchmaier has been elected a vice president of the corporation and appointed as president of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, reporting to David K. Heebner, executive vice president of the company's Information Systems and Technology group
Indian Sailors Safe After EU Navfor Warship
Fourteen Indian sailors are now safe, after pirates, who took control of their cargo vessel yesterday morning, June 5, in the Gulf of Aden, abandoned the attack hours later after EU Naval Force warship HSwMS Carlskrona, together with NATO counter piracy Dutch warship HNLMS Van Speijk, closed in
Shipwreck Salvors, Seafarer, Get New Work Permit
New permit is an important step in the excavation process by Seafarer Exploration Corp. of an historic shipwreck site located off Lantana Beach Florida. The permit was issued pursuant to Part IV of Chapter 373, Florida Statutes and Title 62
New Trader with Dan-Bunkering, Middelfart
A/S Dan-Bunkering Ltd. announced that as from April 2, 2013 Søren Emil Dam, has been employed as Bunker Trader with Dan-Bunkering in the company’s head office in Middelfart, Denmark. Søren holds a Master in Interpersonal Organizational Communication from the University of