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Federal Law News

19 Mar 2024

Bollinger Delivers Fast Response Cutter David Duren

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Bollinger Shipyards recently delivered the USCGC David Duren to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 182nd vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 56th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.“We’re incredibly proud to deliver the USCGC David Duren, the first of three Fast Response Cutters to be homeported in Astoria, Oregon,” said Bollinger President & CEO Ben Bordelon. “We’re confident that pound for pound…

20 Dec 2023

US Gulf of Mexico oil Auction is Largest Since 2015

© arsenypopel / Adobe Stock

A Biden administration auction of Gulf of Mexico drilling rights raised $382 million on Wednesday as oil companies claimed offshore acreage for what is set to be the last time until 2025.The auction total was the highest of any federal offshore oil and gas lease sale since 2015, according to a Reuters tally.Shell, Hess, Anadarko, BP, Chevron, Repsol and Equinor were among the 26 companies that participated in the sale.Anadarko had the auction's highest bid of more than $25 million for a block in the deepwater Mississippi Canyon area, according to an online broadcast of the sale by the U.S.

16 Nov 2023

Bollinger Delivers USCGC Melvin Bell to the US Coast Guard

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Bollinger Shipyards on Thursday announced it has delivered the USCGC Melvin Bell to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 181st vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 55th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.“We’re incredibly proud to deliver the USCGC Melvin Bell, the final of six Fast Response Cutters to be homeported in Boston, the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Bollinger president and CEO, Ben Bordelon.

02 Oct 2023

Biden Angers All Sides with Scaled Back Offshore Oil Drilling Plan

Credit: Lukasz Z/AdobeStock

The Biden administration's plan to slash offshore oil and gas leasing drew fire from both the fossil fuel industry and environmentalists on Friday, with energy companies saying it will raise fuel prices and greens saying it undermines efforts to stop global warming. The criticism from both sides reflects the difficulty Biden's White House has had in dealing with U.S. oil extraction policies, as it seeks to balance national energy security with the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change.

21 Sep 2023

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Cuts Steel for Crowley-ESVAGT Jones Act SOV

(Photo: Fincantieri Marine Group)

Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipyard Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding on Wednesday began construction on a 289-foot service operation vessel (SOV) for a Crowley-ESVAGT joint venture that will house and transport technicians to maintain U.S. offshore wind farms.This Jones Act compliant vessel, for the joint venture CREST Wind, will operate under a long-term charter with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. The vessel is scheduled to enter service in 2026, when it will support the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project.“We are excited to get started on this important vessel…

20 Jul 2023

Bollinger Delivers USCGC William Sparling

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the USCGC William Sparling to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla. This is the 180th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 54th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.The USCGC William Sparling will be the fifth of six FRCs to be homeported in Sector Boston, which is known as "The Birthplace of the Coast Guard." The sector is responsible for coastal safety, security, and environmental protection from the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border southward to Plymouth…

20 Jul 2023

Maersk Ordered to Pay Seaman it Fired for Reporting Safety Issues

Maersk Line Limited has been ordered to pay more than $700,000 and reinstate a seafarer it fired for reporting safety concerns about a company vessel to the U.S. Coast Guard.A federal whistleblower investigation determined that the company—a U.S. subsidiary of Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller - Maersk—illegally suspended and terminated a seafarer who reported safety concerns about the U.S.-flagged containership Safmarine Mafadi to the Coast Guard in December 2020.Among the safety concerns, the seaman reported a gear used to release lifeboats did not work properly; rusted, corroded and broken deck sockets; and two leaks in the starboard tunnel and the bilge system caused flooding in cargo holds.

29 Jun 2023

EPA Settles Ballast Water Violation Claims

© kulkann / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has settled with two shipping companies over claims of violations of EPA’s Vessel General Permit issued under the Clean Water Act.Under the terms of the settlements, Swire Shipping Pte. Ltd. will pay $137,000 in penalties and MMS Co. Ltd. will pay $200,000 in penalties for claims of ballast water discharge, inspection, monitoring, and reporting violations.The violations relate to Singapore-based Swire Shipping’s vessels, the Papuan Chief and the New Guinea Chief…

13 Jun 2023

White House Says West Coast Port Negotiations Show Some Progress

© Matt Gush / Adobe Stock

West Coast port employers and the union representing 22,000 workers have "overcome some sticking points" in tense labor talks that have entered their 13th month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday.Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su is in San Francisco, where negotiations have been taking place, "meeting with all parties encouraging them to reach a resolution," Jean-Pierre said, adding that Su "has invaluable expertise working closely with these parties."Business groups are pressuring U.S.

02 Mar 2023

Bollinger Delivers USCGC Maurice Jester

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Bollinger Shipyards announced it has delivered the USCGC Maurice Jester to the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla.. This is the 178th vessel Bollinger has delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard over a 35-year period and the 52nd Fast Response Cutter (FRC) delivered under the current program.Measuring in at 154-feet, FRCs have a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art C4ISR suite (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), and stern launch and recovery ramp for a 26-foot…

18 Jan 2023

Crowley, ESVAGT to Build Service Operation Vessel for U.S. Offshore Wind Ops

©Crowley

U.S. maritime services company Crowley and Danish offshore service company ESVAGT will jointly build and operate a service operations vessel (SOV) under a long-term charter with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. The vessel will serve in the U.S. offshore wind market.Under the new contract, Crowley will manage and crew the SOV to support Siemens Gamesa’s service operations on the Dominion Energy Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project. ESVAGT, based in Denmark, will support Crowley with design…

11 Jan 2023

Jones Act Uncertainties Persist in US Offshore Wind

© pauws99 / Adobe Stock

The Jones Act is a single sentence long, and yet somehow that reservation of U.S. domestic maritime commerce to qualified U.S.-flag vessels has spawned numerous complications with respect to offshore wind energy projects. Although not supported by prior experience, maybe 2023 will bring some clarity.U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the primary source of guidance for how the Jones Act applies. CBP issued its first two offshore wind rulings in May 2010 and February 2011 in the heady early days of U.S. offshore wind.

13 Nov 2022

Responder Immunity

Copyright Björn Wylezich/AdobeStock

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA – also known as the Clean Water Act), as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90), contains a responder immunity provision. That provision states, in pertinent part:(A)A person is not liable for removal costs or damages which result from actions taken or omitted to be taken in the course of rendering care, assistance, or advice consistent with the National Contingency Plan or as otherwise directed by the President relating…

04 Aug 2022

Bollinger Delivers 50th Fast Response Cutter to the USCG

(Photo: Bollinger Shipyards)

Louisiana shipbuilding group Bollinger Shipyards has been humming along building Fast Response Cutters for the U.S. Coat Guard, and this week marked a milestone with its 50th FRC delivery, the USCGC William Chadwick, officially handed over on Thursday in Key West, Fla.“It’s incredibly meaningful that we could deliver the 50th FRC, the USCGC William Chadwick, on the Coast Guard’s 232nd birthday and that she’ll be homeported in Sector Boston, the Birthplace of the Coast Guard,” said Bollinger president and CEO. Ben Bordelon.

15 Jul 2022

New Crewing Mandate Could Be a 'Gut Punch' to U.S. Offshore Wind Projects

©eyeimagery/AdobeStock

The U.S. House has this week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), in which it attached a provision that would change rules for manning offshore vessels in U.S. waters, with the goal of fostering American jobs in the U.S. offshore wind sector, however, the move could be counterproductive.According to American Clean Power (ACP), which has slammed the move, the U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Act contains a provision that requires, within 120 days, that the nationality…

05 May 2022

DEME Offshore, Barge Master Develop Feeder Solution for U.S. Offshore Wind Farms

Credit: Deme Offshore

Belgian offshore installation firm Deme Offshore and Dutch company Barge Master, which specializes in offshore motion compensation systems, have partnered up to further develop a U.S. Jones Act-compliant feeder solution for the upcoming offshore wind projects in the U.S.Last year, DEME Offshore was selected by wind farm developer Vineyard Vind to provide the offshore transport and installation of 62 GE Haliade offshore wind turbines for the Vineyard Wind 1 project, the first large-scale offshore wind installation in the United States.

14 Mar 2022

Port NOLA Names Montroll Harbor Police Chief

Melanie Montroll (Photo: Port NOLA)

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has named Assistant Chief Melanie Montroll as Chief of its Harbor Police Department (HPD), following a rigorous national search that included a number of highly qualified candidates. She is a 21-year veteran of the force and will serve as the department’s first woman Chief of Police. Montroll succeeds Chief Robert Hecker, who will retire after having led HPD for more than 26 years.“The Port, our tenants and the region rely on our strong, ethical, and professional Harbor Police Department,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port NOLA President and CEO.

21 Jan 2021

Biden's Transportation Secretary Pick Buttigieg Supports the Jones Act

Pete Buttigieg (Photo: U.S. Senate)

Pete Buttigieg, President Joe Biden's nominee to head the U.S. Department of Transportation, has voiced his support for the Jones Act, a federal law that regulates maritime commerce in the United States.Buttigieg's comments came in response to questioning by Sen. Maria Cantwell (Dem.-Wash.) during a nearly three-hour confirmation hearing held by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Thursday."I am a big Jones Act supporter, and the state of Washington and the trade that we have related to the Jones Act to make sure that we have U.S.-flagged vessels," Cantwell said.

06 Jan 2022

Coast Guard, NTSB Investigating Towboat Bridge Strike

On December 23, 2021, at approximately 3:26 a.m., a towing vessel pushing six barges was traveling southeast along the Avoca Island Cutoff waterway when one of the lead barges in the tow struck the Bayou Ramos Bridge. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard District 8, Courtesy of Cajun Drone Photography, Jim Pierce JR FAA 107 Certified Pilot)

The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) marine casualty investigators are investigating a barge allision with the Bayou Ramos Bridge near Morgan City and Amelia, Louisiana, on Highway 182. On December 23, 2021, at approximately 3:26 a.m., a towing vessel pushing six barges was traveling southeast along the Avoca Island Cutoff waterway when one of the lead barges in the tow struck the Bayou Ramos Bridge. Coast Guard personnel at Marine Safety Unit Morgan City received notification about damage to the bridge several hours later and identified the responsible party.

16 Apr 2021

US Interior Dept Revokes Trump Energy Policies, Focuses on Climate

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The U.S. Interior Department on Friday sought to erase the Trump administration's pro-fossil fuels legacy from the nation's public lands by revoking a suite of policies that boosted drilling and mining and ordering that climate change be put at the forefront in future agency decisions.The moves come as the Democratic Biden administration moves rapidly to implement policies aimed at decarbonizing the U.S. economy by 2050.Republican former President Donald Trump, a vocal climate change skeptic…

02 Feb 2021

Buttigieg Confirmed as US Transport Secretary

Pete Buttigieg (Photo: U.S. Senate)

Pete Buttigieg was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday by a 86-13 vote to head the U.S. Transportation Department.Buttigieg, a U.S. Navy veteran and the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., will oversee maritime, aviation, highways, vehicles, pipelines and transit, as well as efforts to ensure safe transportation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Buttigieg recently drew praise from members of the American maritime industry after voicing his support for the Jones Act, a federal law requiring goods transported between U.S.

06 May 2021

Impact of Dredging on Maritime Law

© Bill Chizek / Adobe Stock

In 1875, the General Moultrie was the first suction dredge built in the United States and was used in the Charleston River — until it sank within a year. During the same era, the city of Houston and other port towns formed companies like the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company to build special-purpose vessels to clear and connect waterways for commercial vessel traffic. Toward the end of the 19th century, the cutter suction dredge made its appearance and effectively dug and maintained water channels.

10 Mar 2021

You’re Going to Need a Bigger Fleet

(Photo: Dominion Energy)

The U.S. is going to need a fleet of Jones Act-compliant vessels to support its budding offshore wind industry. The good news is that several of these vessels are currently operating or on order. Even better, there are plenty more in the pipeline.In 2016, Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) put into service the U.S.’ first-ever vessel purpose-built for offshore wind services. The 21-meter crew transfer vessel (CTV) Atlantic Pioneer was constructed by Blount Boats to serve America’s first commercial offshore wind project…