Law Changes News

Wasteful, Unwarranted and does not address the ‘Marijuana Challenge.’On December 28, 2018, the United States Coast Guard published a notice in the Federal Register alerting the maritime industry of its determination to increase the minimum annual rate of random drug testing for 2019 from twenty-five percent (25%) to fifty percent (50%). American Maritime Safety, Inc. (AMS), a non-profit industry consortium that facilitates the industry’s compliance with these regulations, regrets the Coast Guard’s decision.AMS counts as members over 400 maritime employers including cruise liners…

Dockworkers in the Portuguese ports of Lisbon, Setubal and Figueira da Foz will go on a 10-day strike starting Nov. 14 to protest at a potential end of collective bargaining agreements, the stevedores union said in a statement. The ports to be affected by the strike are the third, fourth and fifth biggest in Portugal, in terms of container shipments. The strike will not affect the country's largest port in Sines, nor the second-largest in Leixoes, near Porto, which together account for three quarters of all container shipments. A wider stevedores strike in 2012 against labour law changes disrupted Portugal's exports as the country struggled with an economic and debt crisis.

PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) reported record first quarter 2014 net sales from continuing operations of $3.6 billion, up $528 million, or 17 percent, versus the prior year. First quarter 2014 reported net income from continuing operations was $277 million, or $1.97 per diluted share. operations was $279 million, or $1.98 per diluted share, which excludes $2 million, or 1 cent per diluted share,for acquisition-related costs. First quarter 2013 reported net income and earnings per diluted share from continuing operations were $191 million and $1.29 respectively, and adjusted net income from continuing operations was $207 million, or $1.39 per diluted share, respectively.

Liberty Maritime Corporation President and CEO Philip J. Shapiro testified May 20 on lessons learned from the international piracy crisis and the immediate need to protect American merchant mariners on U.S.-flag vessels. In his testimony before the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, Shapiro advocated for more effective means of protecting U.S.-flag vessels transiting the pirate danger zone. “We strongly urge the government to consider embarking a small number of U.S. government security personnel on the very few U.S.-flag vessels that transit high-risk transit areas at any one time,” Shapiro said. As piracy continues to escalate, with more than 80 attacks so far this year, the U.S. Coast Guard announced earlier this month updated anti-piracy guidelines for U.S.