Ashland News

Arcosa Marine Products, a manufacturer of barges used to transport cargo on U.S. inland waterways, is the newest participant in Green Marine – the largest voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry.Part of Dallas based Arcosa, Inc., Arcosa Marine Products manufactures dry cargo barges, including flat-deck and hopper barges for the transport of a range of products that include grain, coal, and aggregates. The company also manufactures tank barges that carry petroleum, fertilizer, ethanol, chemicals, and other liquid cargos.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) President and CEO Michael J. Toohey has revealed plans to retire, the group announced to its Board of Directors and members at its meeting in Washington, DC on Wednesday.“Having turned 71 this month, I believe it is time to focus on my faith, family, my golf handicap and my other interests,” Toohey said. “I remain committed to WCI’s continued achievement now and in the future once a successor is named.”WCI’s Executive Committee will select an executive search firm to begin the process to seek a successor.

Marine Travelift has announced it is expanding its operation with the addition of Marine Travelift Mid-Atlantic. Marine Travelift Mid-Atlantic is located in Ashland, Virginia, and now offers boat handling equipment support from New Jersey to South Carolina.“The goal of this expansion is to provide our customers in the Mid-Atlantic area with the best possible access to Marine Travelift equipment locally. This includes genuine OEM parts and high-quality service with factory support,” said Erich Pfeifer, Marine Travelift President & CEO.Craig Lewis, Sales Manager at Marine Travelift Mid-Atlantic, has 16 years’ experience with Marine Travelift machines and will lead the company’s sales team.Kim Edds…

The Sasebo-based amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) rendered assistance to two distressed mariners, Oct. 25, whose sailboat had strayed well off its original course. The mariners, Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiaba, both from Honolulu, and their two dogs had set sail from Hawaii to Tahiti this spring. They had an engine casualty May 30 during bad weather but continued on, believing they could make it to land by sail. Two months into their journey and long past when they originally estimated they would reach Tahiti, they began to issue distress calls. The two continued the calls daily, but they were not close enough to other vessels or shore stations to receive them. On Oct. 24, they were discovered 900 miles southeast of Japan by a Taiwanese fishing vessel.

The U.S. Navy has a balanced fleet, but it wants to grow bigger and better. Will the budget allow both? Maritime Reporter's March 2017 cover story on the U.S. Navy was all about the numbers. There exists several plans to grow the fleet beyond the current number of 308 ships, the Mitre recommendation of 414 ships, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment 340-ship proposal, and the Navy’s decision to grow the fleet to 355 ships, and the Trump administration’s 350. With so many numbers being bandied about, there are even more suggestions on how to get there.

A 31-year-old Somali man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for engaging in piracy and other offenses in connection with an attack on a U.S. Navy ship seven years ago, the U.S. Justice Department said. Mohamed Farah, 31, of Somalia was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the attack, the Justice Department said in a statement. Another five Somalis have already been tried and convicted for their roles in the attack and are serving prison terms, the Justice Department said.

1860 - While off the Isle of Pines (now named Isla de la Juventud) near the south coast of Cuba, the screw gunboat Wyandotte captures the slaver William, which carries 570 Africans. 1926 - Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd and Chief Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett report reaching the North Pole in their heavier-than-air-flight aircraft. Both receive the Medal of Honor for this event. 1942 - USS Wasp (CV 7) launches 47 RAF Spitfires, British carrier Eagle accompanies Wasp and launches 17 additional Spitfires.

The John C. Stennis Strike Group (JCSSG) is conducting routine operations in the South China Sea. The ships transited the Luzon Strait March 1 and have maintained a location in the eastern half of these international waters for four days. USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93), USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) all conducted a replenishment-at-sea today receiving advanced biofuel, aviation fuel and supplies from USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7). Flight operations have occurred daily with Carrier Airwing (CVW) 9 conducting 266 sorties. Numerous People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA(N)) vessels have remained in JCSSG's vicinity during this time period. "We have Chinese ships around us that we normally didn't see in my past experience," said Capt.

The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) arrived in Saipan on Aug. 8 and is providing disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Soudelor. When the ship was tasked to go to Saipan earlier in the week, Ashland's Sailors and Marines quickly reconfigured the ship's well deck and flight deck to support equipment and supplies that needed to be transported. Master Sgt. Hugh Weise, the MEU's motor transport operations chief, said no task is too tough for the MEU's vehicles. "We can move anything, if it's palletized, if it's containerized, if it's just loose bulk type cargo, we can dress trucks to make sure it happens," Weise said.

Through the coordination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48) will depart Guam and arrive in Saipan Aug. 8 to provide relief in the aftermath of Typhoon Soudelor, which devastated the island Aug. 2-3. Agencies including the Government of Guam, American Red Cross, Ayuda Foundation and other non-profit/non-governmental organizations have provided drinking water, bed sheets, food, generators, power lines and other electrical restoration supplies to aid in the effort. Upon arriving in Saipan, the supplies will be sent to distribution sites, shelters and schools around the island to provide the much needed supplies to local residents and government agencies.

A Pacific storm pounded Southern California with heavy rain and high winds on Friday, triggering a small tornado, flash floods and mudslides that prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes, damaged dozens of others and disrupted passenger rail services along the coast. One person was found dead on Friday in a rain-swollen flood-control channel in the Orange County town of Garden Grove, which could mark the third storm-related fatality on the West Coast since Thursday. Separately, rescue teams saved two people after they were swept away in the fast-moving Los Angeles River near a homeless encampment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in Twitter messages.

Dock landing ships 'USS Ashland' (LSD-48) and 'USS Germantown' (LSD-42) have replaced aircraft carrier 'USS George Washington', in the concerted efforts to extend relief efforts to typhoon victims in the Visayas region of the Philippines. Ashland and Germantown have aboard a combined total of approximately 900 Marines, elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Okinawa, Japan. "Having amphibious ships here, along with the 31st MEU, brings more logistical capability and capacity to augment our ongoing relief operations in Visayas…

The Coast Guard has conducted an emergency medical evacuation of a sick crewmember from the 1,000-foot laker 'Edwin H. Gott' operating approximately 40 miles northwest of Bayfield, Wis. in Lake Superior. The laker reported that a crewmember aboard was experiencing symptoms of a stroke and the captain later  reported that the 60-year-old man's medical condition had been deteriorating rapidly throughout the early morning. SAR coordinators at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste Marie, Mich., immediately directed the launch of a boatcrew from Station Bayfield, Wis., aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium.

More Charges for Alleged Somali Pirates Indicted for Attack of the USS Ashland. A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia has returned a second superseding indictment, charging five men from Somalia with engaging in piracy and related offenses pertaining to the attack on the Navy ship, the USS Ashland. Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement. As in the prior indictments, the second superseding indictment charges five men…

Jack Caravello has joined Rainmaker LLC as Vice President of Business Development, bringing with him more than 37 years of experience in Maritime and Offshore Industries. After graduating from MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY in 1971, Mr. Caravello sailed briefly in the American Merchant Marine Industry, shifting next to the Offshore Service and Supply Industry. Mr. Caravello came ashore in 1972, and has made Houston, TX his home. After coming ashore he moved into Marine and Offshore sales; Mr. Caravello represented Ashland Chemical for 18 years, covering the US Gulf Coast. Mr.

Today, Waterways Council, Inc.’s (WCI) Board of Directors unanimously elected Mike Toohey as the organization’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Toohey will assume his duties effective August 14. With more than 30 years of federal government expertise, Toohey most recently served as Consultant with The Livingston Group’s Transportation, Shipbuilding, Shipping and Ports practice area. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Government Affairs for Ashland Inc., a chemical, energy and construction company.

Washington, DC – It was announced today that Mike Toohey has been selected to become President and CEO of Waterways Council, Inc. by the organization’s Search and Executive Committees. A special meeting of the WCI Board of Directors has been called for August 2, 2011 to formally consider his election to the organization’s presidency. With more than 30 years of federal government expertise, Mr. Toohey most recently served as Consultant with The Livingston Group’s Transportation, Shipbuilding, Shipping and Ports practice area. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Government Affairs for Ashland Inc., a global chemical, energy and construction company. During his 19 years with the Ashland, Mr.

Drew Marine, a worldwide supplier of water treatment, fuel management, safety, maintenance and cleaning products to the maritime industry, celebrated its first year under J.F. Lehman’s private equity ownership on September 13 and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its new corporate headquarters. Whippany Mayor, John Sheridan, Chairman and Founding Partner of J.F. Lehman & Company and former Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, and J.F. Lehman & Company Partner and Chairman of Drew Marine’s Board of Directors…

According to a July 29 report from the Associated Press, a judge is considering a defense bid to toss piracy charges against six Somali nationals accused in an attack on the USS Ashland on April 10. All the Ashland defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. (Source: Associated Press)

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted a defense motion and dismissed the charge of piracy that had been filed against six young Somali men for an April 10 attack on the USS Ashland (LSD- 48). United States v. Said, No. 2:10cr57 (E.D. Va., August 17, 2010). As noted in the US Department of Justice news release of April 23, the six (along with five others charged in a March 31 attack on the USS Nicholas) were indicted by a federal grand jury for engaging in piracy…

INTERTANKO applauds the result of a plea bargaining agreement in the U.S. whereby a Somali national, who a few weeks ago escaped trial when a U.S. federal judge threw out a case accusing him and five colleagues of piracy, has pleaded guilty to piracy-related acts and will receive a significant prison sentence. Jama Idle Ibrahim, who took part 10 April in an attack on a U.S. Navy vessel, USS Ashland, in the Gulf of Aden after mistaking it for a merchant ship, has pleaded guilty to piracy-related acts including attacking to plunder a vessel, engaging in an act of violence against people on a vessel, and the use a firearm during a crime of violence.

Jama Idle Ibrahim, a/k/a Jaamac Ciidle, pled guilty on September 8 to conspiracy to commit piracy under the law of nations and conspiracy to use a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and Shawn Henry, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, announced. The charges stem from a violent act of piracy in the Gulf of Aden against a merchant vessel, the MV/CEC Future, that began in November 2008. Ibrahim, 38, of Somalia, entered the guilty plea this morning before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the piracy conspiracy count and 20 years for the firearm conspiracy count.

At approximately 5:00 a.m. local time April 10, USS Ashland (LSD 48), was fired upon by a skiff manned by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 330 nautical miles off the coast of Djibouti. During the attack, Ashland received small arms fire on the port side from the six man crew of suspected pirates aboard the skiff. Ashland, in accordance with her rules of engagement, returned fire. USS Ashland fired two rounds at the skiff from her MK-38 Mod 2, 25mm gun. The skiff caught fire and the suspected pirates abandoned the skiff.