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Commandant News

04 Mar 2024

Chief of Naval Operations Tours Austal USA

Source: Austal USA

Austal USA welcomed Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps General Christopher Mahoney to the company’s Mobile, Ala. shipyard on March 4. They were joined by Senator Roger Wicker, Congressman Jerry Carl, and Rear Admiral Tom Anderson, Program Executive Officer Ships.The visitors witnessed Austal USA’s focus on innovation, adherence to proven processes, and continued investment in the company’s people and facilities to meet the emerging needs of the Navy and Marine Corps.

26 Feb 2024

Many Different Vessels but One Goal – Passenger Safety

© Olivier / Adobe Stock

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

13 Feb 2024

Coast Guard R&D Center Receives Auxiliary Integration Award

The photo shows 10-year Auxiliary member Steve Morowsky and 30-year member Aux Joe Romanowsky underway supporting an RDC research project focused on Private Aids to Navigation verification. Photo courtesy Auxiliarists David Thiede

The Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), under the command of Capt. Michael Chien, has won the Commodore Viggo C. Bertelsen Jr. and Vice Admiral John P. Currier Auxiliary Integration Award in the category of Applied Innovation. The award was presented by Commander Steven Koch, who leads the Auxiliary (AUX) in New England, at a command all hands. The Auxiliary is the 25,000-member volunteer organization supporting the Coast Guard across 11 missions.Regional Auxiliary Commodore Michael West noted…

28 Dec 2023

USCG's New Cutters Can’t Arrive Soon Enough

(Photo: Brandon Giles / U.S. Coast Guard)

The much-needed replacement for the U.S. Coast Guard’s long-serving medium endurance cutters (WMEC) took a giant step closer to joining the fleet as the first Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) was launched and christened at Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) in Panama City, Fla. on October 27, 2023.The future USCGC Argus (WMSM 915) was christened by the ship’s sponsor, Captain (Ret.) Beverly Kelley, the first woman to command a U.S. military vessel, the 95-foot patrol boat, USCGC Cape Newagen (WPB 95318).

07 Dec 2023

Structural Safeguards in Coast Guard Suspension and Revocation Proceedings

Chief Judge Brudzinski has been an Administrative Law Judge with the U.S. Coast Guard since 2003 and its Chief Administrative Law Judge since 2013.  He has lectured extensively and has authored many articles on Coast Guard suspension and revocation proceedings for MarineLink publications, among others. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Coast Guard

This article examines 10 structural safeguards in Coast Guard Suspension and Revocation (S&R) Proceedings that ensure Coast Guard Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) decisional independence. These safeguards separate potential agency influences from the ALJ decision making process and are critical to mariner due process and fundamental fairness. We will start with an overview of Coast Guard S&R proceedings, followed by brief discussions of the Administrative Procedure Act, Administrative Law Judges, and U.S. Office of Personnel Management oversight.

04 Dec 2023

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Christens Amphibious Assault Ship Bougainville (LHA 8)

Pictured from left: Under Secretary of the Navy Erik Raven; Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson; Prospective Commanding Officer, Bougainville (LHA 8) Capt. Harry Marsh, USN; and Ship’s Sponsor Ellyn S. Dunford. (Photo: HII)

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Saturday christened the U.S. Navy’s third America-class amphibious assault ship Bougainville (LHA 8).“Today is not only a day to celebrate our namesake, representatives of the successful outcome of a World War II campaign, but also the team work and collaboration of our United States Navy and Marine Corps that enabled it,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “To fulfil our mission here in the shipyard, our sailors and Marines…

30 Nov 2023

FINLAND: ‘A Birthplace for Icebreakers’

Captain Pasi Järvelin on the bridge of Arctia icebreaker Polaris. Järvelin has more than 40 years’ experience in the maritime industry, including 36 years on icebreakers, and was part of the concept team that developed the vessel. (Photo: Eric Haun)

Finnish companies have designed about 80 percent of the world’s icebreakers, and about 60 percent of them have been built by Finnish shipyards.Finland is home to a strong and vibrant maritime cluster, with a mix of large, medium and small shipyards, as well as a deep pool of marine engineering expertise and a broad network of vessel equipment suppliers.As one of the world’s northernmost countries, Finland is also home to a fleet of icebreakers that keep imports and exports flowing through its harbors, even during the coldest winter months.

28 Nov 2023

First Triple LEO Network Established for Polar Cruise Ship

The installation is the first at the North Pole to combine Marlink’s Sealink GEO VSAT, with Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Iridium LEO services. Picture © PONANT – Julien Fabro.

Digital network provider Marlink has completed the integration of internet services on Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot to provide three LEO solutions for the ship’s polar itineraries.The installation is the first in the maritime sector to combine Marlink’s Sealink GEO VSAT, with Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Iridium LEO services. The agreement with Ponant reflects Marlink’s ability to provide guaranteed throughput VSAT services with emerging high speed, low latency LEO services.The…

17 Nov 2023

New Council Aims to Improve US Government Shipbuilding and Repair

U.S. Coast Guard shipyard in Baltimore (Photo: Kristen Soper / U.S. Coast Guard)

A new council aiming to improve the way U.S. government does business in ship acquisition and ship maintenance convened at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore on Thursday.In kicking off the inaugural meeting of the Government Shipbuilders Council (GSC), Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro underscored the council’s mission to address common and singular challenges among those that contract in shipbuilding; identify opportunities to leverage each organization’s resources to maximize government savings in costs…

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.

07 Nov 2023

Ponant Enhances Connectivity on Luxury Icebreaker

Copyright: ©Studio PONANT/Ophelie Bleunven
- photo taken during ice navigation flight.

Digital solutions company Marlink has partnered with LEO internet operator Eutelsat OneWeb to provide digital connectivity solutions to cruise company Ponant.Ponant will deploy the Eutelsat OneWeb service on its polar exploration icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot, providing guests and crew with high throughput and low latency internet access across the vessel’s itinerary.Leveraging Marlink’s expertise in smart hybrid networks, the bandwidth delivered by Eutelsat OneWeb will enable Ponant’s seamless collaboration between the ship’s bridge, engineering crew and shore teams.

30 Oct 2023

World Maritime University Graduates Class of '23

Photo credit: World Maritime University

On 28 October, the maritime leaders of tomorrow - World Maritime University (WMU) class of 2023 - graduated. The WMU 2023 graduating class includes 283 graduates from 71 countries, including a record of 99 women graduates.WMU President, Professor Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr., delivered welcome remarks. As a WMU graduate himself, President Mejia reflected on the power of the WMU experience and how it affects the way one thinks, works, plans, and interacts. “You have acquired information that you did not possess before you enrolled here," he said.

27 Oct 2023

Eastern Launches First Offshore Patrol Cutter USCGC Argus

(Photo: Vard Marine, Inc.)

The lead ship in the U.S. Coast Guard's Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program, USCGC Argus (WMSM-915), was launched and christened during a ceremony at Eastern Shipbuilding Group's Nelson St. Shipyard in Panama City, Fla.Attended by more than 3,000 guests, the event featured a keynote address delivered by Admiral Linda Fagan, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.“The Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) is one of the service’s highest acquisition priorities and is absolutely…

22 Sep 2023

Two New Members Join SAFE Boats Board of Directors

William “Dean” Lee (Photo: SAFE Boats International)

Bremerton, Wash. based boatbuilder SAFE Boats International announced that retired Vice Admiral William “Dean” Lee and Tom Norton have joined its board of directors.Vice Admiral Lee served in the U. S. Coast Guard for more than 36-years, most recently serving as the Commander, Atlantic Area (LANTAREA), responsible for all Coast Guard operations from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf. During his service to the Nation, he served in numerous command and staff positions specializing in search and rescue and small boat operations.

21 Sep 2023

USS Fallujah Keel 'Truly and Fairly Laid'"

Ingalls welder Seveta Gray welds the initials of Donna Berger onto the keel plaque that will be permanently part of Fallajuh (LHA 9). Left to right, HII President & Chief Executive Officer Chris Kastner, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. David Bligh, Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson, Under Secretary of the Navy Erik Raven, and Ship Sponsor Donna Berger  - Credit: HII

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel on Wednesday for the America-class amphibious ship Fallujah (LHA 9).The ship’s sponsor, Donna Berger, former first lady of the Marine Corps and spouse of Gen. David H. Berger, 38th commandant of the Marine Corps, was in attendance to declare the keel “truly and fairly laid.”During the authentication ceremony, Ingalls welder Seveta Gray welded the initials of the sponsor onto a ceremonial keel plate that will remain with…

31 Aug 2023

NTSB Renews Call for US Coast Guard to Strengthen Passenger Vessel Safety

The fire-stricken Conception shortly before it sank off Santa Cruz Island in September 2019. All 33 passengers and one of six crewmembers died of smoke inhalation after they were trapped in the berthing area while a fire raged on the deck above. (Photo: Ventura County Fire Department)

Four years after the fire aboard the Conception dive boat claimed 34 lives, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) renewed its call for the U.S. Coast Guard to require safety management systems (SMS) for passenger vessels. The recommendation, which the NTSB reissued following its investigation of the September 2, 2019, fire aboard the Conception, remains open.NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy sent a letter to the Coast Guard Commandant today emphasizing the need to issue the…

22 Aug 2023

Philippine and Indian Coast Guards to Enhance Cooperation

Source: ICG

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance maritime cooperation at the ICG Headquarters in New Delhi, India, on August 22.PCG Commandant, CG Admiral Artemio M Abu, and ICG Director General, DG Rakesh Pal, presided over the signing ceremony. The aim of the MoU is to strengthen the professional bond between the two organizations by sharing best practices, conducting joint exercises, and enhancing training collaborations.

24 Jul 2023

Biden Nominates Admiral Lisa Franchetti to be First Woman to Lead US Navy

Admiral Lisa Franchetti (Photo: U.S. Navy)

President Joe Biden on Friday nominated Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, an historic step that would break a gender barrier in the U.S. military by making her the first woman to command the service and to become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.The decision by Biden is a surprise. Pentagon officials had widely expected the nomination to go to Admiral Samuel Paparo, who leads the Navy in the Pacific and who has experience grappling with the growing challenge from China.Still…

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.

22 Jun 2023

USCG Commandant Visits Austal USA

(Photo: Austal USA)

Admiral Linda Fagan, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, visited Austal USA Thursday to tour the Mobile, Ala. shipyard's manufacturing facilities and discuss the company’s contract for the service’s Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC).Austal USA said in a press release its leadership briefed the Commandant on the company’s steel shipbuilding production line. The 117,000 square foot steel panel line, where OPC construction will begin in mid-2024, houses state-of-the-art computerized and robotic steel processing equipment to handle the current and future demands of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S.

20 Jun 2023

Change of Command at USCG R&D Center

Image courtesy USCG RDC

The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) held a Change of Command on June 16, 2023, at 10 a.m. at Fort Trumbull in New London. Current RDC Commanding Officer, Capt. Dan Keane, was relieved by Capt. Michael Chien. Capt. Keane held command since May 1, 2020. He retires with 24 years of service.During Capt. Keane’s tenure, the command operated seamlessly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research continued and the approved portfolio was executed. Highlights included the command celebrating its 50th anniversary…

05 Jun 2023

US Coast Guard Warns on Open Flames and Hidden Hatches

Source: US Coast Guard

The US Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis Commandant has released US Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 07-23, Critical Insight from Ongoing Investigations into Small Passenger Vessel Fires.The Safety Alert was prepared in response to multiple ongoing investigations being conducted by the U S Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into fires onboard two certificated small passenger vessels. Both vessels sustained millions of dollars in structural damages.The alert highlights the risk of the open flames that can be used during dinner cruises.

25 May 2023

US Coast Guard Ready to Move New Anti-SASH Policy

(Credit: Deven Leigh Ellis / U.S. Navy)

In May, the U.S. Coast Guard will start a strengthened and pointedly direct anti-SASH campaign that will extend across the maritime industry. SASH is an acronym for sexual assault/sexual harassment, and this new effort adds muscle to Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB Number: 1-23) "Reporting Sexual Misconduct on U.S. Vessels" released in February. The new bulletin supersedes a previous one from late 2021.USCG personnel will be very deliberate in making sure that all maritime operators are aware of MSIB 1-23. The core message: report all sexual misconduct and harassment.

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