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Enforcement Division News

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.

18 Nov 2022

All American Marine to Build Patrol Boat for Calif. Fish and Wildlife

(Image: All American Marine)

Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM) announced it has been awarded a contract to build an new 74’ patrol vessel for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).CDFW manages California's diverse fish, wildlife and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, and its Law Enforcement Division protects California natural resources and provides public safety. The agency will use the new aluminum catamaran for patrolling state and international waters along the California Coast.The 74’ x 27.5’ (OAL) twin engine…

05 Jan 2021

RIBs: Turn Up the Power

MetalCraft Marine recently delivered to Department of Natural Resources Police (Photo: Metal Craft Marine)

However readers might define “normal”, 2020 was anything but. But the business of rigid inflatable boats (RIB) has been going at full throttle.Matthew Velluto, Director of Business Development and Marketing at RIBCRAFT USA, based in Marblehead, Mass., described a business moving steadily ahead, though it’s had to weave and bob at times during 2020. “We’ve been able to stay open throughout 2020, with no disruptions on our side,” though he acknowledged hiccups further down in the company’s supply chain. He explains that the business was deemed to be “essential”.

08 Apr 2021

Marine News' Top Boats of 2020

General MacArthur (Photo: Callan Marine)

This year, despite innumerable challenges and setbacks, a great number of new U.S.-flagged vessels made their way into service. In addition to Maid of the Mist's new electric tour boats James V. Glynn and Nikola Tesla featured Wednesday, the newbuilds highlighted below are some of the most noteworthy to come out of U.S. shipyards in 2020.DredgerU.S. dredging contractors have been adding tonnage in a big way. This Spring, Callan Marine added a significant piece to the U.S. fleet with its new Jones Act cutterhead suction dredge (CSD) General MacArthur.

21 Feb 2020

AAM Builds Patrol Boat for Texas Parks and Wildlife

Captain Murchison (Photo: All American Marine)

Shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM) said it has launched an aluminum catamaran built to patrol Texas state and federal waters for the law enforcement division of Texas Parks and Wildlife. The 80’ x 27’ (OAL) Captain Murchison features twin CAT C18 ACERT D Engines, with Hamilton Jet HM 521 waterjets and is built to USCG Subchapter T standards. It is also the first vessel in North America to feature Hamilton Jet’s innovative Advanced Vessel Control (AVX) system. The new AVX features include both a station keeping and a JETanchor positioning system.

07 Oct 2019

North Korean Fishing Boat's Crew Rescued After Collision

Japan rescued about 60 North Korean crew members from a fishing boat that sank after it collided with a Japanese patrol boat that was chasing it out of Japanese waters, the Japan Coast Guard said on Monday.All the crew members that abandoned the fishing boat were rescued and handed over to another North Korean ship, the Coast Guard said.The collision between the North Korean vessel and a patrol ship from Japan's Fisheries Agency took place 350 km (220 miles) northwest of Noto peninsula in central Japan.Following the collision shortly after 9:00 a.m. (0000 GMT), the Fisheries Agency and Coast Guard mobilised seven ships and aircraft to search for North Korean crew members.The Coast Guard did not give details about how the two vessels crashed in the Sea of Japan…

28 Jan 2019

AAM Wins New Catamaran Contract

Photo courtesy of AAM

All American Marine (AAM), together with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TWPD), has announced the signing of a contract for the construction of an 80’x 27’ aluminum catamaran for operation in Texas State waters as well as offshore capabilities in the Gulf of Mexico. This vessel will be constructed at All American Marine’s new state-of-the-art 57,000 square foot facility on Bellingham Bay. TPWD selected industry leaders AAM and Teknicraft Design, widely acknowledged for designing and building high quality and fuel-efficient aluminum vessel designs at a great value.

07 Dec 2018

California: MSC Pays $630K for Air Quality Violations

Swiss container shipping company Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) paid $630,625 in penalties to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for violating the Ocean-Going Vessel At-Berth Regulation.According to CARB, the violations were discovered during a routine audit of the company’s 2014 visits to the Port of Oakland and the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.The investigation by CARB revealed more than 2500 violations for both the Oakland and LA/LB fleets for failing to reduce auxiliary engine power generation by at least 50 percent and for exceeding limits for auxiliary engine run time as required by the At-Berth regulation, it said.“Ocean-going vessels are significant contributors to air pollution,” said CARB Enforcement Division Chief Todd Sax.

20 Nov 2017

Warren Named OBMP Executive Director

Marc Warren (Photo: OBMP)

The Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots (OBMP) has appointed Marc Warren as its new Executive Director. Warren will work in partnership with the OBMP board members, state-licensed maritime pilots, shipping industry representatives and contractors, as well as with environmental, state and federal regulatory agencies and Oregon residents in an effort to implement the objectives and goals of OBMP. Warren previously served as a regulatory specialist for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and possesses 25 years of maritime leadership experience with the U.S.

16 Sep 2016

United Nations East River Security Zones Scheduled

Photo: USCG

U.S. Coast Guard crewmembers are scheduled to enforce security zones on the East River near the United Nations Headquarters beginning Friday. The security zones scheduled to begin Sept. 16, and continue until Sept. 25, 2016, include all waters of the East River between East 35th Street and the Queensboro/59th Street Bridge. Zone (1): This zone is always in effect. No Vessels within 175 yards of Manhattan between East 35th Street and the Queensboro/59th Street Bridge in the West Channel of the East River.

17 May 2016

Saab Develops Underwater Anti-IED Robot

Sea Wasp (Image: Saab)

Designed to combat below-the-surface terrorism, Sea Wasp is the latest generation remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from defense and security company Saab. Presented at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition in National Harbor, Md., Sea Wasp has been engineered to relocate, identify and neutralize underwater improvised explosive devices (IEDs). While most underwater IED threats are disposed of manually by trained explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) divers, Sea Wasp is operated remotely by two-person teams from the surface, allowing operators to keep a safe distance from the explosives.

07 Mar 2016

California Fines Shipper for Clean Air Violations

The California Air Resources Board has fined the China Navigation Co. Pte. Ltd. $129,500 for failure to switch its engines over from heavy diesel bunker fuel to cleaner, low-sulfur fuel when close to the California coast, as required by state law. CARB’s Ocean-Going Vessel Fuel regulation is a critical part of California’s plan to attain air quality standards in Southern California and across the state. On December 28, 2012, an ARB inspector found that the vessel Chenan, managed by the China Navigation Co. Pte. Ltd., operated within Regulated California Waters (i.e. 24 miles or less from the coast) on noncompliant heavy fuel oil on 12 separate days (four voyages) between August 5 and December 28, 2012, while en route to and departing from the Port of Los Angeles.

14 Jan 2015

USCG Escorts Supercarrier through Puget Sound

Coast Guard Cutter Swordfish escorts USS Nimitz (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Amanda Norcross)

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) escorted U.S. Navy supercarrier USS Nimitz during the carrier crew’s homeport shift from Naval Base Everett, Wash., to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Wash., Jan. 13, 2015, the USCG reported. The crews of the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutters Osprey and Swordfish, as well as two Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Seattle small boats, were involved in the escort. Both the Coast Guard and Navy crews had to keep a stern lookout as they navigated the foggy Puget Sound waterways, the USCG said.

09 May 2014

First Great Lakes Shiprider Patrol of 2014

Members of Coast Guard Station Belle Isle in Detroit, and a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police pose for a photo on a 45-foot patrol boat after conducting a joint patrol in Lake Erie, May 8, 2014. (USCG Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Sector Detroit)

A U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Mounted Police law enforcement boat crew conducted the first Shiprider patrol of the 2014 Great Lakes boating season, Thursday, in Lake Erie. The Shiprider Program allows U.S. and Canadian maritime law enforcement officers to embark together on joint patrols to integrate operations on and near shared maritime borders. Law enforcement officers from Coast Guard Station Belle Isle, Michigan and a RCMP officer from Windsor, Ontario, embarked on a Coast Guard 45-foot response boat for the patrol in Lake Erie.

17 Apr 2014

Ex-BP Employee Settles Insider-trading Oil Spill Case

A former 20-year veteran of BP plc who oversaw the company's cleanup efforts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will pay more than $224,000 to settle civil charges alleging he used non-public information about the disaster to commit insider-trading, U.S. regulators said on Thursday. The Securities and Exchange Commission said that Keith A. Seilhan, 47, will settle the case without admitting or denying the charges. Mary McNamara, an attorney for Seilhan, said four years had passed since the spill, and her client wanted to "avoid further distraction and protracted litigation" by settling the matter. "Mr. Seilhan is widely respected for his work helping to lead the cleanup and containment efforts in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010," McNamara added.

20 Dec 2013

New Orleans Coast Guard's In-House College

Boatcrew students test: Image USCG

Coast Guard Station New Orleans has received a new wave of fresh recruits from Cape May, N.J. In preparation to train them, Station New Orleans planned and organized a “boat crew college” in the station's pilot house. Petty Officer 3rd Class Jacob Mullins, a boatswain’s mate and primary instructor for the boat crew college at Station New Orleans, explains, “Five new members have reported to Station New Orleans in the last month, all of whom are required to become boat crew qualified within four months.

23 Sep 2013

East River Closes for United Nations General Assembly

The Coast Guard will enforce security zones on the East River during the United Nations General Assembly, periodically restricting vessel traffic in the upper harbor near the United Nations Headquarters, New York, starting at 7 a.m. Monday. The Coast Guard will be enforcing security zones, from Sept. 21-29, on the East River between East 35th Street and the Queensboro/59th Street Bridge. Zone 1: This zone is always in effect. No Vessels within 175 yards of Manhattan between East 35th Street and the Queensboro/59th Street Bridge in the West Channel of the East River.

29 Aug 2013

Police and Dive Teams Rely on Underwater Search Equipment

Fairhaven's harbormaster and shellfish warden with ROV, Inset - Downe Twp with side scan sonar

Many government agencies and public safety dive teams are adding underwater search equipment to help make their operations easier, safer, and faster. Maricopa Sheriffs Department in Arizona, Downe Township Fire Rescue in New Jersey, the Fairhaven Massachusetts Harbor Master and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are a few of the diverse group of agencies using metal detectors, video cameras and sonars in their underwater search operations. Deputy Jeff Hanson, leader of the Maricopa County Sheriffs Department dive team…

10 Nov 2011

BSEE Director Bromwich Addresses IADC Conference

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Michael R. Bromwich delivered remarks today during the International Association of Drilling Contractors’ Drilling and Production Keynote Breakfast here. Director Bromwich discussed ongoing regulatory reform efforts and highlighted plans to strengthen the bureau’s enforcement tools and processes. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you today to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern. It is great to be back in Austin and to be back at the Barton Creek Resort. History has an odd way of repeating itself, and our lives present us with strange coincidences  The first time I came to Barton Creek was almost exactly ten years ago.

13 Sep 2010

DRD Towing, Owner Plead Guilty, 2008 Spill in Mississippi River

DRD Towing Company, LLC., a marine company located in Harvey, La., pled guilty in federal court on Sept. 8 before U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle to a felony violation of Ports and Waterways Safety Act and a misdemeanor violation of the Clean Water Act, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten. In addition, Randall Dantin, age 46, a resident of Marrero, La. and co-owner of DRD Towing also pled guilty to a separate charge of obstruction of justice. According to the court documents, DRD Towing Company, LLC. pled guilty to creating hazardous conditions by (1) assigning employees without proper Coast Guard licenses to operate certain vessels…

26 Oct 2009

DHS to Fund S.C. State & Local Port Security

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham announced an agreement between DHS and the state of S.C. to use $800,000 in fiscal year 2009 homeland security grant funds to support state and local law enforcement personnel stationed at SeaHawk, a U.S. Coast Guard-led security initiative operating at the Port of Charleston. "SeaHawk represents a critical partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement partners to share information and coordinate response." said Secretary Napolitano. "Today's announcement will enhance our capabilities to deter terrorists and other criminals. "Today's announcement was very good news for the people of Charleston and South Carolina as a whole," said Senator Graham.

26 Jan 2004

Hollings Secures $29.5 Million for Port

U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings announced today that he has secured a total of $29.5 million for port security efforts at the Port of Charleston as part of the fiscal year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The funding is directed to Charleston's Project Seahawk, the nation's first port security command and control center and a project Hollings helped create. The Omnibus spending measure, approved by the Senate Thursday, encompasses the 7 appropriations bills that have yet to be approved individually. The bill will now be sent to the president for his signature. "This Congress and this Administration have failed to provide the funding necessary to secure our ports, and I will not let their lack of foresight threaten security at our Port of Charleston," said Sen.

17 Jan 2007

Man Sentenced in Vessel Scuttling Case

of Gloucester and sinking it in a commercial fishing area. United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Michael E. Agent in Charge of the Northeast Region of the U.S. Investigative Service, announced that THOMAS W. 47, of 121 Wheeler Street, Gloucester, was sentenced by U.S. violating the Refuse Act. the coast of Gloucester in approximately one hundred feet of water. pumped water into it using a bilge pump until it sank stern first. the expense. fishermen, thereby creating a navigational hazard. recommendation in the plea agreement filed in the case. serving one year of probation, LUKEGORD will pay a fine of $2,000. sinking. which equals the cost to the Coast Guard in responding to the sinking. newspapers of the two largest fishing ports in the region.