Eighth Coast News

The U.S. Coast Guard held a commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller, the service's 38th Sentinel-class fast response cutter, at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, Wednesday.Rear Adm. John Nadeau, Eighth Coast Guard District commander, presided over the commissioning ceremony, along with Lt. Michael Salerno, Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller’s commanding officer.Like her sister ships USCGC Harold Miller (WPC-1138) was built by Bollinger Shipyards, in Lockport, La.

The U.S. Coast Guard held a commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson, the service's 37th fast response cutter, at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, Friday.The new 154-foot Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) was built by Bollinger Shipyards and delivered in February.Built to replace the service's 110-foot patrol boats, FRCs have a flank speed of 28 knots, state of the art command, control, communications and computer technology, and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two mariners from their disabled sailing vessel, Rhapsody, approximately 288 miles east southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, Thursday afternoon.Watchstanders at the Eighth Coast Guard District command center received an emergency position indicating radio beacon alert at 2:13 a.m. Watchstanders directed the launch of a Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew and diverted the LPG tanker Sahara Gas to investigate the location.Once on scene…

Rear Adm. John Nadeau, who recently took command of the Eighth Coast Guard District in New Orleans, convened a formal investigation last week for the incident that occurred onboard the offshore production facility Auger, June 30, 2019.Crewmembers aboard the Auger were testing the facility’s lifeboat recovery system when a malfunction occurred resulting in the loss of two lives. The Auger is located 210 miles southwest of New Orleans and is responsible for the production of oil.“The Coast Guard is committed to finding the facts that led to this tragedy,” said Nadeau.

Energy.It seems that energy touches every aspect of our lives from heating our homes to ensuring that fresh produce is available at grocery stores. It powers our cars and allows industry to move products around the world. The connection between energy and risk to the maritime environment has been a growing area of discussion, research and analysis. The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, within its Joint Doctrine Publication (JDOP 0-10) 5th edition UK Maritime Power, captured this issue superbly: “Fossil fuels and minerals are an important resource in the maritime environment. New deposits of oil and gas, as well as mineral wealth, are discovered under the seabed each year, and improvements in technology will facilitate future exploitation.

Representatives from the Coast Guard, offshore oil and gas industries, recognized organizations and numerous industry associations attended the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee semi-annual public meeting in Houston, Texas Sept 11, 2018.Rear Adm. John Nadeau, assistant commandant for prevention policy, attended the meeting and discussed with the Committee the new Coast Guard commandant’s strategic vision for the service as well as the reorganization within the Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance to put an increased emphasis on Third Party Organization oversight.During the meeting, the Committee heard presentations and discussions on the progress of a variety of issues, including reports and recommendations stemming from the Subcommittees’ deliberations.

The U.S Coast Guard has called off the search for missing pilot Bill Kinsinger, 55, and his Cirrus aircraft that vanished over the Gulf of Mexico. Last week, Kinsinger had plans to land in Georgiatown, Texas from Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City. When the plane failed to land, air traffic controllers attempted to reach Kinsinger, but received no response. Investigators said the plane continued on course past its destination, and was last observed on radar over the Gulf of Mexico, about 219 miles northwest of Cancun.

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for an unresponsive aircraft that went missing in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 118 nautical miles north of the Yucatan Peninsula, Thursday. The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at the Eighth District command center in New Orleans received a report from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Wednesday evening that one person aboard a privately owned Cirrus plane was unresponsive likely due to hypoxia. The pilot flew from Oklahoma City and was reportedly headed to Georgetown, Texas.

Two shipping companies based in Egypt and Singapore will pay $1.9 million in penalties after pleading guilty in federal court to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and obstruction of justice for covering up the illegal dumping of oil-contaminated bilge water and garbage into the sea. Defendants Egyptian Tanker Company and Thome Ship Management are the owner and operator of the offending vessel, the 57,920 gross ton, 809-foot long, oceangoing, oil tank ship called the M/T ETC Mena. The plea agreement was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood for the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston for the Eastern District of Texas.

The Coast Guard and good Samaritans are responding to the report of a vessel on fire approximately 150 miles south of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, Monday. Watchstanders at the Eighth Coast Guard District command center received a report at 3:28 a.m. from the National Command Center of an electrical fire in the engine room of the motor vessel Alliance St Louis. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile launched an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew who conducted an over flight of the vessel and confirmed that the fire had been extinguished by the crewmembers. No injuries or pollution has been reported. The Alliance St. Louis is currently on emergency power and drifting approximately 135 miles southwest of Southwest Pass with 20 crewmembers aboard and safely accounted for.

The Coast Guard medevaced a 28-year-old male aboard the fishing vessel Captain David 40 nautical miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, Saturday. The Eighth Coast Guard District watchstanders received a report at 3:16 p.m. that Andrew Carl had been suffering from seasickness and had become unresponsive. Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans were notified and launched a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin aircrew at 4:26 p.m. The MH-65 aircrew arrived on scene at 5:22 p.m. and transported Carl to Louisiana State University Hospital in New Orleans at 7:46 p.m. He was reported in stable condition but still unresponsive.

The Norwegian shipping company DSD Shipping (DSD) was sentenced to pay a total corporate penalty of $2.5 million as a result of its convictions in Mobile, Alabama, for obstructing justice, violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), tampering with witnesses and conspiring to commit these offenses. The company was ordered to pay $500,000 of the penalty to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation to fund marine research and enhance coastal habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay. In addition, DSD was placed on a three year term of probation and was ordered to implement an environmental compliance plan to ensure the company’s vessels obeyed domestic and international environmental regulations in the future. The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General John C.

A ship management company has pleaded guilty and was sentenced October 27, 2015 for deliberately concealing pollution discharges from the ship directly into the sea and for falsifying its oil record book, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson along with Rear Admiral David R. Callahan, Eighth District Coast Guard Commander. Chandris (Hellas) Inc. is headquartered in Greece and operated the M/V Sestrea - an 81,502 ton cargo ship that made calls in multiple ports in Texas. Chandris pleaded guilty to a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for failing to properly maintain an oil record book as required by federal and international law, as well as a violation of making a false statement for making a false entry in the ship’s oil record book. Shortly following the plea, U.S.

U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Charles Michel formally assumed the role of vice commandant of the Coast Guard during a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters Monday. As vice commandant, Michel will oversee the Coast Guard’s operations, strategic development, organizational governance and management of the service’s more than 58,000 employees and 30,000 volunteers. "I am humbled and honored to be given this important opportunity to further serve the American people and the men and women of the United States Coast Guard,” said Michel. Michel became the 30th vice commandant of the Coast Guard after serving as the service's deputy commandant for operations…

Coast Guard Cmdr. Craig J. Wieschhorster took command of the medium-endurance Cutter Mohawk during a ceremony Thursday at Coast Guard Sector Key West. Coast Guard Atlantic Area chief of staff, Capt. Doug Fears presided over the change of command ceremony as Wieschhorster relieved Cmdr. Adam B. Morrison of the duties and responsibilities as 14th commanding officer of the Cutter Mohawk. “Although I leave the Cutter Mohawk with a heavy heart,” said Morrison, “I have trust in Cmdr. Morrison was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal recognizing his service and performance of duty. During Morrison’s successful two-year command, Cutter Mohawk’s crew achieved a number of operational successes.

Within the U.S. Coast Guard Eighth District alone, marine casualty data indicates that over the past 12 years, 44 recreational vessels have struck (allided) moored barges within barge fleets, resulting in 26 fatalities and 44 injuries. These serious incidents involving barges highlight the critical need for barge operators to properly display navigation lights in accordance with the Inland Navigation Rules. As with all marine casualty investigations, the Coast Guard seeks to identify the specific causal factors involved in each incident, including whether the involved barge fleets are sufficiently lit. The Coast Guard would like to take this opportunity to remind barge operators of their obligation to meet current barge lighting regulations.

At its Annual General Meeting in New Orleans last week, members of WISTA USA (Women’s International Shipping &Trading Association) were urged to support investment in infrastructure projects in order to maintain and grow the transportation of waterborne commerce in the United States. From U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) to Spencer Murphy of Canal Barge Company, Rick Calhoun of Cargill, Gary LaGrange of the Port of New Orleans, Joel Dupre of Southern Recycling and Colonel Richard Hansen of the U.S.

German Shipping Companies Convicted in Texas and Alaska for Environmental Crimes; Companies to Pay $1.2 Million for Covering up Marine Oil Pollution and Obstruction of Justice. WASHINGTON – Two German shipping companies pleaded guilty today in federal court in Houston to criminal charges that they concealed the illegal dumping of oil at sea from U.S. Coast Guard inspectors. Nimmrich & Prahm Bereederung and Nimmrich & Prahm Reedrei, the operator and owner of the commercial cargo vessel M/V Susan K…

United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr., announced that, yesterday, CLEOPATRA SHIPPING AGENCY, LTD., a Greek vessel management company, pled guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and was sentenced to pay a $300,000 fine and serve a three-year term of probation requiring implementation of an environmental compliance program. U.S. District Judge James J. Brady ordered that $150,000 of the fine be awarded to the CLEOPATRA employee who reported the violation to the United States Coast Guard. In pleading guilty, CLEOPATRA agreed to the following facts.

Singapore Ship Operator and Engineers Plead Guilty to Crimes Related to Pollution from Cargo Ship Traveling to Mobile, Alabama; Company Sentenced to Pay $1.2 Million Criminal Penalty. A ship management company headquartered in Singapore pleaded guilty and was sentenced today in federal court in Mobile for deliberately falsifying records to conceal pollution discharges from the ship directly into the sea. Target Ship Management Pte. Ltd., the operator of the M/V Gaurav Prem, pleaded…

Rear Admiral Mary E. Landry, USCG retired, has been named the Director, Incident Management and Preparedness Policy, U.S. Coast Guard. In this capacity, Ms. Landry will establish, develop, and implement policies, strategies and goals to improve all hazards incident management with our interagency partners. Ms. retiring in 2011 at the rank of Rear Admiral. She has over 30 years of experience in incident management and preparedness serving, most notably, as the Commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District and as the Director of Governmental and Public Affairs. Ms. Landry received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Buffalo, Master of Arts in Management from Webster University, and a second Master of Arts in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island.

WISTA USA President Jeanne M. Grasso said that Rear Admiral (RADM) Mary Landry (United States Coast Guard (USCG) Retired), the Federal On-Scene Coordinator during the first days of the Deepwater Horizon incident, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s WISTA luncheon held on March 19th at the beginning of the Connecticut Maritime Association’s Shipping 2012 conference. This is the 7th year that WISTA has held this luncheon, which kicks off the annually successful CMA event.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization, announced that its Annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Eighth District, The Guardian of the Heartland Dinner, will take place on Friday, April 15, 2011. The event will honor several aircrews from Air Station New Orleans, and Aviation Training Center Mobile for their actions during the explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010. Coast Guard efforts included evacuating the most critically injured rig workers from the Damon Bankston…