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Asa Member News

13 Jul 2020

Malen-Habib Named President of the American Salvage Association

Lindsay Malen-Habib (Photo: ASA)

Resolve’s Lindsay Malen-Habib takes the helm to become the American Salvage Association's first woman presidentLindsay Malen–Habib has been named president of the American Salvage Association (ASA) effective immediately, the trade group's executive committee announced Monday. She becomes the first woman to assume the role.Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Malen-Habib is currently Resolve Marine Group’s manager of client services, and she has been an active ASA member for more than 10 years…

26 Apr 2018

ASA hosts Response Training for Houston Authorities

More than 40 U.S. Coast Guard, State of Texas, maritime industry and local emergency responders attended the American Salvage Association’s (ASA) Marine Salvage and Emergency Response training course last month in the Houston-Galveston area presented by the ASA Training Committee. Designed to train students on how to coordinate proactive marine casualty response operations, this two-day program exposed students to a wide variety of course modules led by ASA members and industry experts in salvage law, naval architecture, commercial diving, environmental policy, and emergency response operations. “Since 2003, the ASA has presented a number of Marine Salvage courses every year to Federal…

25 Jul 2017

Op/Ed: The Real Story Behind the Attack on SMFF Regulations

Todd Schauer (Photo: ASA)

ASA Sets the Record Straight. The U.S. salvage industry came under attack at a recent Congressional hearing on May 3 by a special commercial interest that is promoting its own agenda. The American Salvage Association (ASA) intends to set the record straight. At the hearing, the attacking group made false allegations that the Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) resource providers are not willing or contractually obligated to respond and lack the resources to meet regulated response requirements. At the same hearing, this group also criticized the U.S.

01 Jun 2017

Monopoly Seekers Increase Burden on Shipping -ASA

Todd Schauer (Photo: ASA)

In a recent statement at a U.S. Congressional hearing, American Salvage Association (ASA) President, Todd Schauer, defended the response capabilities of the industry, and, by extension, the implementation of regulations themselves by the U.S. Coast Guard. “It has come to the attention of the American Salvage Association leadership that the resource and response capabilities of the four national salvage and marine firefighting (SMFF) resource providers have been questioned recently,” he said.

29 Aug 2012

U.S. Coast Guard Praises ASA Member Response

Salvage Response To Damaged Ship Called "Phenomonenal" by Coast Guard . The American Salvage Association (ASA) is proud to report that a salvage operation performed by one of its members was recognized by the Coast Guard for its professionalism and effectiveness. The response effort mounted by the ASA member off the coast of Puerto Rico to the 900-foot damaged container ship MSC Idil has been called “phenomenal” by the U.S. Coast Guard. In a press release on the incident, Sector San Juan Incident Management Division Chief Lt. Kristen Preble was quoted saying that the key to the success of the 11-day response effort was the combined effort from the U.S. Coast Guard, MSC, and the salvor and its subcontractors. Commenting on the professionalism of the salvage responders, Lt.

13 Feb 2012

ASA Member Completes WA Recovery Operation

Salvage of a 485-ton, 140-foot long stainless steel reactor vessel that rolled off a barge.

American Salvage Association member salvages Hydrogen Reactor outside of Seattle. A member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) responded to a call on December 9 to salvage a 485-ton, 140-foot long stainless steel reactor vessel that rolled off a barge, landing into approximately 60 feet of water near Cherry Point, WA. The reactor is an integral piece in the manufacture of low sulfur diesel fuel. The reactor was filled with nitrogen to prevent corrosion during transportation from Korea where it was fabricated.

10 Feb 2012

ASA to Bid on Removal of Costa Concordia

Seven members of the American Salvage Association (ASA) have been invited to submit competitive bids to remove the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia, which ran aground off the Italian island of Giglio in late January. One member already involved with response. According to Lloyds List, "The company (vessel owner), owned by Miami-based Carnival, said in a statement that it would select a salvage firm based on tenders" by the end of March. One ASA member has already been contracted and is onsite in Italy to remove fuel oil and marine gasoline from the vessel.

28 Jun 2011

ASA Member Refloats Tanker on Mississippi

On June 13, a member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) responded to grounded vessel in the Mississippi River just above Cubit’s Gap, about 10 miles below Venice, Louisiana. Traffic on the Mississippi was not impeded by the grounded vessel. The ASA member was placed on standby pending the results of aninitial effort to refloat the vessel with tugs. Within a few hours of the vessel owner’s activation of its Vessel Response Plan (VRP) on June 14 in accordance with the new US Coast Guard Salvage and Marine Firefighting Regulations, the ASA member began efforts to conduct an on board survey, prepare a damaged stability assessment, and develop a salvage plan to refloat the vessel.

09 May 2011

ASA Member Recovers Air France Flight 447 Black Boxes

Arlington, VA – The expertise of an American Salvage Association (ASA) member culminated in locating and recovering the “black boxes” of Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 2009, killing all 216 passengers and 12 aircrew on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. The black box recoveries took place in 3,900 meters of water (msw) and were made possible using the ASA member company-designed and operated Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The recoveries were completed in a very short period of time given the technical complexities of operating in extreme water depths. The ROV located the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) within 12 hours on its first dive on April 27. Unfortunately, the critical Memory Unit had separated from the chassis of the FDR.

01 Mar 2011

American Salvage Assoc. Member Salvages Cabo de Hornos

Photo courtesy the American Salvage Association

On January 29, 2011 an ASA member company successfully refloated the research vessel Cabo de Hornos safely and redelivered her back to her owners in Talcahuano, Chile. The vessel was being built in a shipyard located in Talcahuano Naval Base when, on February 27th 2010, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded hit the central region of Chile. The movement of the earthquake caused an accidental premature launch and the vessel slid into the sea. The Cabo de Hornos was planned to be launched on February 27th in a formal ceremony in presence of the Chilean President.

18 Feb 2010

Implosion on Ship, Gravesend Bay N.Y.

A concerted response by a member of the American Salvage Association (ASA), technical experts from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and New York City Fire Department (FDNY) averted the risk of a toxic material release from a chemical carrier anchored in Gravesend Bay near Brooklyn, N.Y. during the week of Feb. During operations with a barge alongside to transfer ethanol cargo, the 443-ft chemical carrier Sichem Defiance sustained an implosion on board. The main deck over a cargo tank collapsed and adjacent bulkheads were breeched. The ship’s cargo consisted of benzene LAB and ethanol, a dangerously volatile liquid. Following the violent event, the ship’s captain immediately notified Federal and port authorities.

27 Jan 2010

ASA Member Responds in Gwadar, Pakistan

Photo courtesy ASA

On January 20, a member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) successfully refloated a bulk carrier that ran aground near Gwadar Port in Pakistan. Led by their Salvage Master, ASA’s member mobilized a salvage team that included a naval architect and dive team, along with a high-horsepower tug, to refloat the grounded vessel carrying 50,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer. The crew safely refloated the 623 ft bulk carrier during high tide without having to lighter bunkers or cargo. The vessel and cargo were delivered to its owners with no damage to the environment.

24 Nov 2009

ASA Member Responds to Grounded Bulk Carrier

A member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) responded to a grounded bulk carrier, CSL Assiniboine, which occurred on November 16 in the St. Lawrence Seaway near Cardinal, Ontario, Canada. It has been reported that engine troubles caused the vessel to drift off course, but an investigation is underway. The Assiniboine was ballasted down until the ASA member’s four tugboats were ready to free the grounded vessel from the shoal. Additionally, approximately 10% of the carrier’s cargo of soybeans was lightered into a barge and later delivered to a local grain elevator. The CSL Assiniboine was successfully refloated on November 21st and has been moved to a berth where the remaining cargo will stay on board until a decision is made about where to offload it.

11 Sep 2008

Insights: John Witte Jr., American Salvage Association

What are your thoughts on the recent collision that occurred on the that resulted in hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel oil to spill and the requisite closure? JW:      The is a very busy waterway. While the US Coast Guard and local authorities make every effort to manage the waterway in a safe and efficient manner, there are times that accidents do in fact occur. The inland towing industry has one of the very best safety and environmental records, so this was one of these situations.

17 Apr 2008

Grounded Barge gets a Lift

A member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) recently responded to the grounding of the Thor III, a 250’ x 72’ x 16.5’ deck barge carrying 4,000 tons of gravel and sand in a national sanctuary in the Turks and Caicos Island, BWI.  The ASA member lightered approximately 3,500 tons of cargo and then proceeded to patch, pump, and blow down the necessary compartments to float the barge from its grounded position, avoiding substantial damage to the sanctuary using the 2,000 HP tug El Morro.   “Professional salvors are available to respond to a variety of events and to help protect sensitive marine environments such as was done in this incident,” said ASA President John A. Witte, Jr.   “We are proud of this ASA member to be there with the right approach when called upon,” he continued.

08 Jan 2008

ASA Respond to Suken Tugboat

Two members of the American Salvage Association (ASA) salvaged a sunken tugboat in Port Arthur, Texas on December 31, 2007. The 600-ton capacity derrick barge, owned by one ASA member, and another 700-ton capacity derrick barge, owned by another ASA member were used to make a tandem lift of the 105-foot sunken tugboat. The two companies initially responded to the sunken vessel with a salvage support barge used for diving survey and rigging operations. Once the diving survey and salvage rigging phases were complete, one derrick barge was connected to the bow rigging and the second derrick barge, which was mobilized from New Orleans, Louisiana for this Salvage effort, was connected to the stern rigging.

12 Mar 2004

ASA Urges USCG for Salvage Regs

The American Salvage Association (ASA) has been urging the United States Coast Guard to move forward and promulgate critically important regulations for marine salvage and firefighting, which have been suspended three times and stalled for more than 13 years. The regulations are more important now than ever before as the nation faces the threat of terrorist incidents in the marine transport sector, be they in ports, terminals or aboard ships. While government has been working to prevent terrorist incidents from occurring, an efficient, professional, specialized response capability for marine disasters is required. Professional marine salvors often serve as first responders at the time of marine incidents, working quickly to minimize damage and expedite recovery.

05 Apr 2004

Salvage: Time is of the Essence

By Richard B. A riddle: How many years, and how many Administrations does it take for an esteemed U.S. government agency to publish regulations that have likely already been written? The answer is 13 years and five Admirals. Thirteen surely is an unlucky number for the professional marine salvage industry in the United States, for it has, indeed, taken this many years for the United States Coast Guard to publish its proposed salvage regulations (to amend 33 CFR Part 155, Salvage & Marine Firefighting Requirements), which, after all this time, have once again been postponed for three more years. The future of these proposed regulations is as difficult to predict as the weather. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was the legislative response to a major shipping casualty within our borders.

04 May 2004

ASA Presents “Rapid Response” Award

The American Salvage Association (ASA) awarded its first Rapid Response Award on April 29 to the United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Office (MSO) New Orleans for its role in the salvage of the M/V Lee III, a supply boat that collided with a container ship and sank near the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River on February 21. Five crewmembers were lost in the incident. ASA member Bisso Marine commenced operations to remove the vessel. MSO New Orleans immediately established an open dialogue with the salvor, clearly stated all expectations and offered its full support. As the salvage operation progressed, the need to restore commerce was balanced with operational safety, recovery of the vessel’s crew-members and the protection of the environment.

16 Aug 2007

ASA Members Recovers Crashed Cessna Aircraft

On June 7, 2007, a member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) was contracted to respond to the crash of a Cessna jet aircraft, which crashed into Lake Michigan on June 4. The N550BP Cessna Citation jet aircraft was carrying two pilots and a four-member medical transplant team from the University Michigan Medical Systems Department when it crashed into Lake Michigan off Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The United States Coast Guard and civil authorities immediately mobilized their search and rescue teams. After an extensive search, it was determined that the plane had impacted the water at high speed and there were no survivors. Parts of the plane were scattered over 30 acres at depths exceeding 60 feet.

10 Aug 2007

ASA Member Responds to Tanker

On July 12, 2007, a member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) responded to White Sea, a 243-meter motor tanker, which ran aground near Ambrose Light, off Coney Island, New York. The tanker was outbound fully loaded with 548,000 barrels of Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (LSFO) when she reportedly had a steering malfunction and ran aground. Immediately upon notification, the ASA member mobilized a team of salvage experts, which arrived on site within hours of the casualty. The ASA member company’s salvage engineers, along with the SERT team from U.S. Coast Guard, worked through the day to develop a Salvage and Lightering plan and once approval was obtained from the Coast Guard, the salvage team worked through the night to remove 120,000 barrels of product from the grounded tanker.

31 Jul 2007

ASA Responds to Damaged Railroad Bridge

On July 10, a member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) was contracted, following an emergency call, to lift the Bayou Boeuf Railroad Bridge in Amelia, Louisiana, which had been struck by a tug and barge resulting in significant damage to the bridge span. Upon arrival at the site, the ASA member lifted the damaged 200-ton bridge span and placed it onto a deck barge. The bridge span was then transferred to a local repair facility where the member company again lifted the bridge span and placed it into the repair yard. Upon completion of the repairs, the bridge span was placed back onto the deck barge and transferred to the rail line where it was put on its supports, allowing rail traffic to resume.

05 Aug 2003

Salvors Forge Their Way into the Future

Maritime Reporter solicited the opinions of two of the leading marine salvage companies to discover trends and challenges facing marine operators in the near future. The 2003 National Maritime Salvage Conference, sponsored by American Salvage Association (ASA), will take place September 9-11, 2003 at the Marriott Crystal City in Crystal City, VA. For more information visit www.americansalvage.org. George E. Senior Vice President Weeks Marine, Inc. MR: How has the industry/your company changed since 9-11? Wittich: The salvage industry has a critical role to play in assisting the various government entities manage their maritime security mission.

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