PERFECT UNION

NOAA Unveils Collection of Civil War Maps and Nautical Charts

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in 2011, NOAA has assembled a special historical collection of maps, charts, and documents prepared by the U.S. Coast Survey during the war years. The collection, “Charting a More Perfect Union,” contains over nearly 400 documents, available free from NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey website. “People are planning now for their visits to Civil War sites next year, and we want to give them an opportunity to visualize the terrain, ports, and coasts as they were from 1861 to 1865,” said Meredith Westington, NOAA’s chief geographer. “Most people wouldn’t think of turning to NOAA for historical Civil War documents, but the agency has an amazing legacy.” Coast Survey’s collection includes 394 Civil War-era maps, including nautical charts used for naval campaigns, and maps of troop movements and battlefields. Rarely seen publications include Notes on the Coast, prepared by Coast Survey to help Union forces plan naval blockades against the Confederacy, and the annual report summaries by Superintendent Bache as he detailed the trials and tribulations of producing the maps and charts needed to meet growing military demands. In the nation's early years, the United States lost more ships to accidents than to war

Carnival Legend Earns Perfect Scores

The new 88,500-ton Carnival Legend scored perfect 100s from both the U.S. Department of Public Health and Canadian Public Health Service during inspections in Baltimore and Halifax, Nova Scotia, earlier this month. The new 2,124-passenger vessel, which entered service in August 2002 and embarked on a six-day Bermuda cruise from Baltimore yesterday, Oct. 30, received perfect marks on all 42 items that comprise the U.S. Public Health Service's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP)

MOL Installs Marine Broadband on LNG Carriers

Enhancing Safe Operation by Always-on Connection.     Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) announced that its subsidiary MOL LNG Transport Co., completed installing a high-speed, monthly fixed-charge (flat rate) Internet service “OceanBB” for vessels using VSAT*1 provided by SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation (SKY Perfect JSAT; President: Shinji Takada), on the MOL LNG-managed Wakaba Maru and four other LNG carriers in October 2011. 

Maritime Global News App Launch at SMM

New Maritime Global News App launch at the Maritime Reporter and Engineering News at SMM in Hall B7, Stand 603. Maritime Reporter is changing the way our industry gets its news with the all new Maritime Global News App. This free mobile app is perfect for the busy maritime professional on the move. Updated regularly, the Maritime Global News app delivers all the news you need and want directly to your mobile devices from the world’s leading source for maritime business news and

Labor Union Summit Focuses on Automation Issue

The ILWU and ILA recently met in Washington, D.C.: first item on agenda was report on progress of East Coast USA contract negotiations. The meeting was attended also by ITF President and Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) National Secretary Paddy Crumlin and ITF Maritime Coordinator Steve Cotton.
 The first item of business was a report from ILA President Harold Daggett on the progress of the New East Coast contract

Wegener Appointed as Regional Manager at Kvichak

Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc. announces the opening of its East Coast Support Office with the appointment of Carl F. Wegener as Regional Manager. Wegener was formally the Sales & Marketing Manager at Austal USA in Mobile, AL. Keith Whittemore of Kvichak comments, “With the success of Kvichak’s business over the last few years in the Gulf, Great Lakes and Eastern Seaboard, it only makes sense to have a support office in the East to represent and support our projects and Carl Wegener was

JSAT Mobile Venture for Japanese Market

Stratos Global Corporation (Stratos) announced that Furono Electric Co., Ltd. (Furuno) and Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (JRC) and have become shareholders in JSAT Mobil Communications Inc. (JSAT Mobile). Furuno and JRC, both marine electronics manufacturers, will each assume a 10 percent share in JSAT Mobile. Stratos formed the joint venture company JSAT Mobile in August with Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation (Sky Perfect JSAT) to serve the Mobile satellite communications needs of Japanese businesses

Australian Tugboat Crewing Dispute Escalates

A dispute between Australian towage operators and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) over tugboat manning numbers escalated as MUA officials said a crew-reduction plan by Adsteam Marine was an act of discrimination. MUA representatives took exception with Adsteam's plan to cut tugboat crews to three people from four, saying that their union was singled out for the cuts. Three unions had been involved in enterprise negotiations, they said

Avondale Workers Unionize

An arbitrator certified union representation for 4,100 workers at Litton Industries Inc.'s Avondale shipyard in New Orleans. labor sources said. Avondale workers had been locked in a bitter fight with management over union representation since 1993, but when Litton bought the shipyard in August, the company agreed to remain neutral and let workers sign cards indicating they favored a union. The Metal Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, a federation of U.S

Klingspor Introduces High Tech Surface Preparation

KLINGSPOR’s new Fusion Foam Pads are the latest in high technology abrasives for surface preparation.   Fusion Foam is the perfect choice for final finishing of solid surface materials, marble and granite surfaces, sanding filler, primer, orange peel, fiberglass, clear coats, and fine finish restoration. Also excellent for scuff sanding lacquer sealers, conversion varnish sealers, vinyl sealers, or any surface that requires preparation of a top coat