Issues Statement News

The head of the United Nations' maritime agency issued a statement Friday following the grounding of containership Ever Given and the resulting closure of the Suez Canal.International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim offered encouragement for local authorities and the teams working to dislodge the 400-meter-long vessel from the banks of one of the world's most important shipping chokepoints. He also requested patience from the global supply chain as the…

The International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) has issued a statement on Wednesday's boarding of the commercial tanker Wila by Iranian forces in the Gulf of Oman, calling the incident a "blatant violation of international law"."Iran's use of its military forces to conduct an armed boarding of a commercial vessel in international waters constitutes a blatant violation of international law that undermines freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce," said IMSC, a partnership…

The following information was released by the Port of Los Angeles:Because our facilitation of a safe and secure supply chain is top priority at the Port of Los Angeles, the incident involving an export-bound shipping container that exploded inside a marine terminal storage area here on October 30 is of paramount concern to the Los Angeles Harbor Department and Los Angeles Port Police. Preliminary analysis by the Los Angeles Port Police Hazardous Materials Unit, Los Angeles Police…

Harvey Gulf International Marine issues statement on status of Chapter 11 Reorganization. Today, the United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas - Houston Division, confirmed the final Plan of Reorganization submitted by Harvey Gulf International Marine. The approval comes just 77 days following Harvey Gulf’s prepackaged filing, considerably faster than all previous Chapter 11 proceedings for vessel operators over the last five years. Following the hearing, Harvey Gulf CEO, Shane Guidry, commented, “We really appreciate the diligent and collaborative efforts of all involved in this process – both within the company and from the legal and financial support teams.” Mr.

AdvanFort: the firm is delighted that an Indian appeals court has acquitted and released the 35 crew members and security personnel who were aboard the MV Seaman Guard Ohio when it was illegally detained on October 12, 2013. The Indian Government’s unlawful seizure of the Seaman Guard Ohio and four-year imprisonment of these men on unfounded charges was a gross violation of international law and basic human rights. AdvanFort has expended significant resources and effort to seek the release of these wrongfully detained men and is pleased that justice finally has prevailed. The men of the Seaman Guard Ohio have demonstrated incredible strength and resilience during their prolonged captivity under horrific conditions.

U.S. Maritime Adminstrator Mark Buzby issues statement on ‘full accreditation’ from third party auditors. The U.S. Maritime Administrator last week issued a statement announcing full accreditation of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The news brings (at least part of) the drama being experienced by the nation’s only federal maritime academy to an end. The school had been found to be delinquent in at least 5 of 14 necessary benchmarks last year. In a prepared statement, Buzby announced, “I learned today that my alma mater – Kings Point - has once again received full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

U.S. Maritime Administrator Paul Jaenichen has issued a statement following the U.S. Coast Guard’s announcement that it will suspend the search for survivors from the missing cargo ship El Faro. “All of us at the Department of Transportation and the Maritime Administration mourn for the loss of all those on board the U.S. container ship, El Faro. We express our deepest condolences to their family, friends and co-workers in the maritime industry. U.S. Merchant Mariners answer a call that often takes them away from home for months…

On Thursday evening, October 1, 2016, the ship EL FARO went missing. The ship was en route from Jacksonville, Florida to San Juan, Puerto Rico. On Monday, four days after the ship vanished, the Coast Guard concluded it sank near the Bahamas in about 15,000 feet of water. One unidentified body in a survival suit was spotted, and the search continued until today for the other 32 crew members. Commissioner Doyle, a 1992 Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduate, sailed as an engineer aboard the SS MAYAGUEZ on the Philadelphia – Jacksonville - San Juan trade route in 2001. Mr. “I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the employees…

ACP reaffirms it's commitment to the 'Expansion Program' in a prepared statement, addressing recent turmoil with construction contractor. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) reaffirms its commitment to the international maritime community and its customers to successfully complete the Expansion Program, thereby fulfilling its objective in offering a new era of opportunities to world maritime commerce. To date, the Expansion Program has an overall completion rate of 72% and the new locks project, which is one component of the Expansion Program, is 65% complete. The project is expected to be open to commercial transits by mid-2015. In recent statements to the press, the contractor of the new locks, Grupo Unidos por el Canal, S.A.

Statement by FMCS Director George H. Cohen on East Coast Ports Labor Negotiations. The following is being released by Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service: "FMCS Director George Cohen has called a meeting of the ILA and the Maritime Alliance in advance of the December 29th expiration of the contract extension. The parties have agreed to attend. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, created in 1947, is an independent U.S. government agency whose mission is to preserve and promote labor-management peace and cooperation. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 10 district offices and 67 field offices, the agency provides mediation and conflict resolution services to industry, government agencies and communities.

Horizon Lines, Inc. today issued the following statement from interim President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen H. Horizon Lines is, and always has been, a very staunch supporter of the Jones Act and all of its requirements. The Jones Act stipulates that cargo shipped between two U.S. ports must be transported on vessels that are American-made, American-flagged, at least 75% American-owned and predominantly American crewed. We fully support these requirements and steadfastly believe they are vital to American economic…

We are deeply saddened by the reports of additional deaths following the grounding of the Costa Concordia. On behalf of the entire Carnival Corporation & plc team, I offer our heartfelt condolences to all of those families affected by this tragedy. Our immediate priority continues to be supporting rescue and recovery efforts and looking after our guests and crew members, along with securing the vessel to ensure there is no environmental impact. My senior management team and I have been in continuous contact with the Costa executive team in Italy and we have our senior level technical experts on the ground to provide additional support for this tragic and highly unusual incident.

Statement from the shipping industry’s SOS SaveOurSeafarers campaign with reference to the U.K. House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee’s Report “Piracy off the coast of Somalia”. The shipping industry’s SOS SaveOurSeafarers campaign welcomes the U.K. House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee’s Report “Piracy off the coast of Somalia”. As the FAC observes, gathering evidence against pirates  is challenging. But SOS notes FAC’s comment that not all claims made by the government about the difficulty in securing evidence were wholly convincing.

Responding to information circulating, CMA CGM Group states that it has no short term plans to either purchase or long-term charter-in any vessels. The Group has a modern fleet of 408 ships, of which 92 are owned, that enable it to meet the current needs of its customers and provide them with end-to-end service around the world. In today’s economic environment, CMA CGM’s priorities are to reduce its debt and to strengthen its financial position. Looking beyond 2013 and in line with its long-term commitment to driving continuous improvement in fleet efficiency, the Group is looking at various charter projects with a number of shipyards and financial partners.

“The Bollinger organization is very pleased that the U. S. Coast Guard has awarded four additional Fast Response Cutters (FRC) to our on-going contract. This follow-on award will result in an extension of our backlog for several years, and provide jobs for over 500 Bollinger employees. This award reflects the Coast Guard’s continued confidence in the quality products delivered by the Bollinger team, including our workforce and team of suppliers and contractors.

Hamilton, Bermuda, July 26, 2011 - There was an unusual trading in the NAT stock yesterday. NAT is not aware of any corporate news or market news that caused the irregular trading. The dividend report for the second quarter 2011 will be published August 8, 2011 before opening of the New York Stock Exchange. As previously advised the investor market, the dividend will be paid August 31, 2011 to shareholders of record August 19, 2011. The dividend policy of the company will continue.

Rick Calhoun, President of Cargo Carriers (Cargill) and Chairman of Waterways Council, Inc., released a statement today regarding the state of emergency on the Lower Mississippi River. “The inland waterways navigation system is the most important transportation asset in the United States and is vital to the economic well-being of this country,” Calhoun said.  “We urgently call on the Federal government today to take all necessary steps to provide funding for this national transportation asset and to allow the Lower Mississippi River to remain fully open for commerce.”

Mr. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6999, the Integrated Deepwater Program Reform Act of 2008. This legislation is based on similar Deepwater reform legislation, H.R. 2722, which passed the House by a vote of 426 to 0 last year, and on S. 924, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent. ·       Chairwoman Cantwell and Ranking Member Snowe of that Committee’s Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard. Each of these Members worked to craft the thoughtful and measured legislation before us – and I applaud their leadership and their dedication to ensuring effective management and oversight both of the United States Coast Guard and of taxpayers’ resources. Mr.

Celebrity Cruises has been working in cooperation with Chantiers de l'Atlantique, the builder of its newest ship, Millennium, to evaluate the ship's performance. The ship is equipped with the cruise industry's first gas turbine engines, and testing has demonstrated that Millennium has unusually low levels of noise and vibration. However, testing also has shown that under certain unusual sea conditions a vibration could be felt within certain areas of the ship. While this has not been, and is not expected to be, a problem on the ship's current European sailings, it is possible that the sea conditions in question could be more prevalent in the Caribbean. Therefore, Celebrity is working with the ship's builder to resolve the matter prior to its sailing in the Caribbean this winter.

The state prosecutor of Finland has announced that a pretrial investigation will be started into the so-called broker agreement signed by Wärtsilä in connection with marine engine sales in 1999 and 2000, and into the allegation of bribery related to this agreement. Wärtsilä will itself thoroughly investigate the matter and help the authorities in their work. The individual employed by Wärtsilä and responsible for signing the agreement has been relieved of his duties for the duration of the investigation.

Horizon Lines, Inc has confirmed federal agents served search warrants and a grand jury subpoena relating to an investigation of pricing practices of ocean carriers operating in the trade. Horizon Lines is cooperating fully with the government officials. The company has not been informed of the specific subject matter of the inquiry, being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. Horizon Lines does not expect the government inquiry to impact the service levels provided to its customers.

The IMO issued a satement expressing concern for the safe evacuation by sea of persons affected by the escalation of hostilities in the eastern Mediterranean and for the safety of commercial shipping in the area. Ships in the vicinity have been advised to raise their security level. Source: HK Law

Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. "As many of you are aware, an earthquake struck the Hawaiian Islands this morning. The undersea quake, which was centered off of the island of Hawaii (the "Big Island"), struck at 7:07 am local time and was followed by a series of smaller aftershocks. Thankfully, initial reports indicate that casualties were limited and that there were no fatalities. As always, A&B stands ready to assist and support its employees, customers and fellow Hawaii citizens in dealing with the aftermath of the quake. "Fortunately, A&B's operations and real estate properties avoided any serious interruptions or damage as a result of the earthquake, and our terminal operations and agricultural facilities continue to operate.