New Guidance

OSHA Issues Guidance on Abrasive Blasting in Shipyards

New guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) alerts shipyard employers and their employees about abrasive blasting hazards and the controls that can be implemented to protect employees. The new guidance also addresses the specific air contaminants that employees may be exposed to during abrasive blasting. Other abrasive blasting safety and health hazards are discussed and recommendations on how to avoid these occupational hazards, such as engineering controls, the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), exposure monitoring, medical surveillance and training on the OSHA Hazard Communication and PPE standards. OSHA also recommends that employers perform an inspection of the worksite to identify additional hazards, such as excessive noise, static electricity, confined spaces, heat exposure and fall hazards. The guidance also encourages employers to research each of the discussed hazards, as well as understand the suggested preventative measures and the abatement that has been detailed in the guidance.

IMCA’S New Guidance on Mooring Practice

Ships enter and leave ports regularly. Tying up a ship when alongside a berth or another vessel is potentially a very hazardous operation, unless simple and effective safety procedures are followed.   ‘Mooring Practice Safety Guidance for Offshore Vessels when Alongside in Ports and Harbours’ (IMCA SEL 029/M 214), the latest publication from the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) is designed to ensure safe mooring with zero incidents

New Sloshing Guidelines for LNG Cargo

Lloyd's Register, the world leader in the classification of LNG carriers, has published a new guidance document for the design of membrane-technology liquid natural gas containment systems.   The document is aimed at improving design procedures with respect to sloshing forces, and is the result of a long program of research and development, including extensive consultation with industry, and an investment of over $1,1m

NORTH P&I CLUB Publishes Guidance On Sanctions For Shipowners

The ‘A’ rated, 150 million GT North of England P&I club has published new guidance for shipowners on how to avoid being caught out by the increasingly complex ‘patchwork’ of international trade sanctions currently in force worldwide. Writing in the club’s newsletter ‘Signals’, head of loss prevention Tony Baker says, ‘Trade sanctions are at the forefront of modern diplomacy and can be imposed by individual countries or supranational bodies

New ONR Policy Equalizes Opportunities for Contractors

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) published new guidance Sept. 15, aimed at preventing conflicts of interest among companies competing for business with the science and technology organization. "This new set of guidelines levels the playing field for the contracting community when it comes to doing business with ONR," said Mark Bennington, ONR's executive director for acquisition management. "We've adopted the very best practices across all the services to properly align with

IMCA Guidance on Diving Hold-Back Vessels

New guidance has been produced by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) on the use of ‘hold-back’ vessels during diving operations. These are towing (or other) vessels that provoke additional security for DP (dynamically positioned) vessels engaged in critical operations by means of attachment by wire rope. “Our new publication (IMCA M 185 Rev 1) is intended to assist vessel operators who are considering using such a system of operation by discussing the

ACL Lowers Earnings Guidance, Approves a $200m Stock Buyback Program

American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACL) announced that it is lowering its earnings guidance for the year ending December 31, 2007 to $1.45 to $1.65 in earnings per share for 2007 versus the current street consensus of $1.84. The Company’s previous guidance for 2007 was $1.75 to $1.95. The lowered guidance is driven primarily by the further weakness in the spot grain markets over first quarter levels and lower than planned productivity levels in the manufacturing segment during the second

Guidance re waterway suitability for LNG marine traffic

The U.S. Coast Guard issued guidance on assessing the suitability of a waterway for liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine traffic. The guidance may be used by an applicant seeking a permit to build and operate a shore-side LNG terminal to ensure that full consideration is given to safety and security during the permitting process. While LNG carriers are among the most robust ships, there is concern about a release of LNG as the result of a terrorist incident

Northrop Grumman Confirms Financial Guidance

Northrop Grumman Corporation said today that it will confirm previously announced financial guidance in a meeting with investors on December 20. The financial guidance reflects the acquisition of Newport News Shipbuilding, and the issuance of common stock and equity security units of approximately $1.45 billion. The company will confirm the following guidance: -- Sales in 2001 of approximately $13 billion -- Sales in 2002 of approximately $18 billion

Offshore Drilling

BSEE Issues New Requirements and Policies Addressing Offshore Activities The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (“BSEE”) issued three significant documents addressing response, enforcement, and safety issues related to offshore operations in August 2012.  Specifically, BSEE issued (1) new guidance concerning regional Oil Spill Response Plans (“OSRPs”), (2) formalized policy addressing direct enforcement actions against contractors engaged in offshore