Port Security Unit News

Fishing Vessel Owner and Operator Plead Guilty and Fined $1 Million for Discharging Oily Waste into the Coastal Waters of the United States Sea Harvest Inc., operator of the fishing vessels Enterprise and Pacific Capes, along with Fishing Vessel Enterprises Inc., the vessels’ owner, pleaded guilty today to violating the Clean Water Act for both knowing and negligent discharges of oily bilge water from the vessels’ engine rooms. The companies were sentenced to pay a $1 million criminal fine and serve a five-year term of probation.

Maritime Reporter & Engineering News was offered the opportunity to interview Admiral Karl Schultz, the 26th Commandant in the history of the United States Coast Guard, in his office in Washington, DC. Just five months into his tenure, his plate is predictably full with a number of challenges, including: Attracting and retaining future U.S. Coast Guard personnel; addressing a number of assymetric threats, including cyber attacks; and ensuring captial and operating budgets are adequate to safely and efficiently carry out a global mission envelope, to name but a few.

Rep. Coble  started off in 1949 in North Carolina, 250 miles inland, where he knew “virtually nothing” about the Coast Guard prior to enlisting. He was attending Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. where his college classmates had gone to the recruiting office and talked him into going with them. Why the sudden interest? “I wrecked my dad’s car, for one thing,” chuckled Coble. “Ran it right off the road. I had a college deferment. Coble was soon a recruit at Training Center Cape May. After boot camp, Coble’s first duty station was a port security unit just outside of Portsmouth, Va. After five and a half years of active duty service, Coble transitioned into his role as an officer in the Coast Guard Reserve and continued to serve for 22 years.

Cmdr. Geoffrey S. Deas assumed command of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 309 from Cmdr. Gerald A. “Jerry” Nauert during a change-of-command ceremony at the PSU 309 Facility, Lake Erie Business Park in Port Clinton, Saturday. Deas became the ninth commanding officer of PSU 309 during the formal ceremony officiated by Capt. Thomas E. Crabbs of the Alameda, Calif., based Coast Guard Pacific Area command. The ceremony constituted the continuity of the commanding officer’s authority and represented a total transfer of accountability from one individual to another.

The San Pedro, Calif., based Coast Guard Port Security Unit (PSU) 311 returned home Aug. 15, from a nine-month deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. During the deployment, PSU 311 successfully maintained a continuous maritime anti-terrorism/force protection presence in the Naval Defensive Sea Area of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba directly supporting the Commander of Joint Task Force (JTF) Guantanamo (GTMO). “I couldn’t be prouder of the men and women of PSU 311 during this highly successful deployment,” said Coast Guard Cmdr.

Through chilling winds and choppy seas, five-man crews aboard small, gray security boats worked tirelessly for 10 days patrolling the waters around a massive 348-foot petroleum vessel near the coast of Pohang, South Korea. Boat crews from Port Security Unit (PSU) 313 worked night and day to enforce a safety zone around U.S. Naval Ship Vice Adm. K.R. Wheeler and an eight-mile submerged pipeline that extended from the ship to the shores of Dogu Beach. During Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore Exercise (CJLOTS)…

1897-The sloop yacht, Cuyahoga broke adrift from moorings and drifted out 4 1/2 miles NE of the Plum Island, MA station. Surfmen sailed out and brought her back, turning her over to her owner. 1943-Coast Guardsmen participated in the invasion of Finschafen, New Guinea.  An Allied invasion fleet, including Coast Guard-manned landing ships, landed Australian troops.  Coast Guard-manned ships in the invasion fleet included USSs LST-18, LST-67, LST-168, and LST-204.  There were no casualties among the Coast Guard LSTs. 1990- PSU 301 became the second reserve Coast Guard port security unit deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield.  PSU 301 was staffed by reservists from Buffalo, New York.  They were stationed in Al-Jubayl, Saudi Arabia. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)

1716-The Boston Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor, the first lighthouse established in America, was first lit. 1944-The Great Atlantic Hurricane, a Category 3 hurricane, made landfall at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, Long Island, New York, and Point Judith, Rhode Island. Cape Henry, Virginia, reported sustained winds at 134 MPH with gusts to 150 MPH. There were 46 civilian deaths and $100 million in damage from Cape Hatteras northward through the Maine coast. Cutters Jackson and Bedloe, and Lightship No. 73 on Vineyard Sound Station, foundered. All 12 of the lightship's crew perished. Only 30 of the 78 crewmen aboard the two cutters were saved. Two Navy vessels also foundered. A total of 344 perished at sea.

1897-The sloop yacht, Cuyahoga broke adrift from moorings and drifted out 4 1/2 miles NE of the Plum Island, MA station. Surfmen sailed out and brought her back, turning her over to her owner. 1943-Coast Guardsmen participated in the invasion of Finschafen, New Guinea.  An Allied invasion fleet, including Coast Guard-manned landing ships, landed Australian troops.  Coast Guard-manned ships in the invasion fleet included USSs LST-18, LST-67, LST-168, and LST-204.  There were no casualties among the Coast Guard LSTs. 1990- PSU 301 became the second reserve Coast Guard port security unit deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield.  PSU 301 was staffed by reservists from Buffalo, New York.  They were stationed in Al-Jubayl, Saudi Arabia. (Source: USCG Historian’s Office)

1716-The Boston Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor, the first lighthouse established in America, was first lit. 1944-The Great Atlantic Hurricane, a Category 3 hurricane, made landfall at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, Long Island, New York, and Point Judith, Rhode Island. Cape Henry, Virginia, reported sustained winds at 134 MPH with gusts to 150 MPH. There were 46 civilian deaths and $100 million in damage from Cape Hatteras northward through the Maine coast. Cutters Jackson and Bedloe, and Lightship No. 73 on Vineyard Sound Station, foundered. All 12 of the lightship's crew perished. Only 30 of the 78 crewmen aboard the two cutters were saved. Two Navy vessels also foundered. A total of 344 perished at sea.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Adam Upham, pictured left and Petty Officer 3rd Class Todd Robinson patrol the waters near U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba April 13. Upham and Robinson are both members of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 313, based in Tacoma, Wash. PSU 313 is responsible for anti-terrorism force protection at the base and has been deployed since December, 2007. Official photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeff Pollinger.

The Coast Guard remains at its highest state of alert and readiness since World War II, following the president?s authorized military action against the terrorist regime in Afghanistan. "Coast Guard air and sea patrols are keeping a watchful eye on all vessel movements around the clock in many of the more than 300 ports and 88,000 miles of U.S. coast and shoreline," said Lt. Cmdr. Brendan McPherson, a spokesman for the Coast Guard Atlantic Area command in Portsmouth. Ports from Boston to Texas are under tighter security than they have been in more than fifty years. The Coast Guard has stepped up both the frequency and vigilance of its armed patrols, which were significantly increased just hours after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks Sept. 11.

conducted an oversight hearing regarding transportation security. task. Mr. Jeffrey Shane, Under Secretary of Transportation Policy, discussed the role of the Department of Transportation regarding security and its coordination with the Department of Homeland Security. Admiral Thomas Collins, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, discussed the agency's strategy to reduce maritime security risks through: (1) increasing maritime domain awareness, (2) implementing preventative measures, (3) securing borders and protecting infrastructure, and (4) preparing to respond quickly if necessary.

Twenty-one members of Port Security Unit 309, out of Port Clinton, Ohio, are arriving at Cleveland Hopkins Airport Saturday. PSU 309 was deployed to the Persian Gulf in February in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Port security units are self-sustainable units capable of deploying within 96 hours of notification and are able to establish operations within 24 hours of arrival in theater. The mission of a port security unit is to provide waterborne and limited land-based protection for shipping and critical port facilities.

The members of U.S. Coast Guard Port Security Unit 308 (PSU 308), based in Gulfport, Miss., are scheduled to return home on Thursday to Gulfport’s Army National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center. The men and women of PSU 308 have completed a seven-month deployment, protecting the Port of Ash Shuaiba, Kuwait. At the request of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and Commander U.S. Central Command, PSU 308 deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Aug. 14. Their mission was to ensure the safe flow of equipment and supplies through the Port of Ash Shuaiba to coalition forces participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

By Journalist Seaman Apprentice S.C. USS Duluth (LPD 6) was presented with the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation during an awards ceremony on the ship's flight deck February 27. The award, comparable to the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, is granted to a unit of the Coast Guard for valorous or meritorious achievement, or for service by another branch of the military in support of Coast Guard operations. Duluth and her crew were awarded the honor for supporting Coast Guard Port Security Units (PSU) during Operation Iraqi Freedom from March to May 2003.

U.S. Coast Guard Damage Controlman Third Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal, 24, from Smithtown, N.Y., died from injuries sustained when a small boat exploded as he and six other coalition sailors attempted to board it near the Iraqi Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal Saturday. Injured was Boatswains Mate Third Class Joseph T. Ruggiero, 23, from Revere, Mass., who is recovering in a hospital in Kuwait. The two men were assigned to Law Enforcement Detachment 403 from Tactical Law Enforcement Team South in Miami, Fla., and were deployed to Coast Guard Patrol Forces Southwest Asia at the time of the incident. Two Coast Guardsmen and five Navy sailors aboard a rigid hull inflatable boat were preparing to board a dhow that had approached the terminal when the explosion occurred. Two U.S.

The second of four Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST) to be commissioned this summer has started specialized training in Camp Lejeune, N.C. Coast Guard MSST 91102 completed its first week of training in Yorktown, Va., last week before moving to a Coast Guard training detachment in Camp Lejeune. The domestic, mobile MSST, modeled after Coast Guard Port Security Units and Law Enforcement Detachments, will be established regionally in Hampton Roads to respond to terrorist threats or incidents in ports and waterways throughout the country. The MSST will deploy in support of national special events such as OpSail, Olympics or storm recovery operations and protect military load-outs…

The Coast Guard commandant, the commandant of the Marine Corps and a North Carolina congressman will be honored guests at a building dedication Friday at the Coast Guard Port Security Unit Training Detachment (PSU TRADET) located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. Adm. Thomas H. Collins, Gen. James Jones and Congressman Howard Coble will be on hand to formally dedicate a new building the Marine Corps has leased to PSU TRADET. The building will provide more office space for PSU TRADET personnel along with more classrooms to be used for instruction in the several courses offered at PSU TRADET. PSU TRADET was established in October 1997 to train and standardize Coast Guard port security units for overseas deployment. Recently, PSU TRADET has taken on numerous other responsibilities.

Coast Guard Pacific Area will commission a new Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST 91109) Tuesday at 1p.m. at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot here at 3800 Chosin Avenue. Vice Adm. Harvey Johnson, Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, will be the presiding official for the ceremony, and Congresswoman Susan Davis is scheduled to attend. MSSTs are a quick response force capable of rapid, nationwide deployment via air, ground or sea transportation in response to changing threat conditions and evolving Maritime Homeland Security mission requirements. They are modeled after the Coast Guard's Port Security Unit's and Law Enforcement Detachments. Created in direct response to the terrorist attacks Sept.

Coast Guard Port Security Unit 308, which supported Operation Enduring Freedom in the Middle Eastern country of Bahrain, will returned to the United States. The PSU, which is stationed in Gulfport, Miss., will arrive between Concourse A and B in Louis Armstrong International Airport. They will immediately depart to the Courtyard by Marriott at 300 Julia Street for a reception. The PSU, commissioned into the Coast Guard in 1991, deployed to the Middle East in March under the command of Capt. Ronald L. Davis, commanding officer, and Lt. Cmdr. Robert Grassino, executive officer. Approximately 50 members protected American and allied shipping, provided harbor defense and port security to the vessels of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and trained Navy personnel in port security operations.

Coast Guard Pacific Area is set to commission a new port security unit (PSU 312). Vice Adm. Harvey Johnson, commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area, will be the presiding official for the ceremony in which Cdr. Donald G. Huenefeld will assume responsibility for PSU 312. PSUs provide a force of six active duty and 140 reserve members who possess specialized skills, capabilities and expertise to perform a broad range of port security and harbor defense missions. They are the model on which Coast Guard law enforcement detachments and maritime safety and security teams are based. PSUs are capable of augmenting Coast Guard or Department of Defense forces during major marine events or law enforcement operations focused primarily in ports, harbors, internal waterways and coastal regions.

Coast Guard personnel from South Carolina, Georgia and Florida are providing waterborne and shoreside safety and security of military equipment loading operations in Savannah, Ga., with the support of more than 60 Coast Guard reservists from throughout the Seventh Coast Guard District. The United States is repositioning some of its military forces where required to support the President’s global war on terrorism and to prepare for future contingencies. One of the Coast Guard’s responsibilities as the lead agency for maritime homeland security and a branch of the Armed Forces is to ensure the safety and security of U.S. ports during the loading of military equipment.