Hobson News

Cereal and oilseed imports to China, the world's biggest buyer of farm goods, will remain near record highs this year despite a recent spate of cancellations as lower global prices and a domestic output shortfall prompt purchases.China's wheat imports from Australia in January and February this year have nearly quadrupled from the same time last year, the latest customs data show. That trend should continue even after Beijing cancelled or postponed 1 million metric tons of Australian wheat last week.The cancellations, along with those for about 500,000 tons of U.S.

Around 14,500 livestock sailed from Australia to Israel on Sunday for the second time, two months after their first voyage was curtailed by the threat of attack by Houthi militants in the Red Sea.The animals left Fremantle port in Perth on Jan. 5 but halfway to the Middle East, their ship abandoned its route and was ordered home by the Australian government.The turn-back was part of the havoc wrought by the Houthi strikes in support of Hamas militants in Palestine that have forced…

Thousands of sheep and cattle stuck on a ship that was forced to abandon a passage through the Red Sea last month have begun disembarking at the same Australian port they left nearly six weeks ago, Australia's agriculture ministry said late on Monday.The MV Bahijah sailed from Fremantle, Western Australia on Jan. 5 for Israel with about 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle on board, but diverted from its route due to the threat of attack by Yemen's Houthi militia before being ordered…

The Australian government said on Monday it had refused a request by a livestock exporter to send a ship carrying around 14,000 sheep and 1,500 cattle on a month-long voyage around Africa to Israel.The animals have been on board the vessel for a month, prompting outcry from animal rights advocates who have likened their treatment to torture.The MV Bahijah sailed from Australia for Israel on Jan. 5 but abandoned a passage through the Red Sea due to threat of attack by Yemen's Houthi…

A ship carrying 16,000 sheep and cows that turned back from the Red Sea due to the risk of attack off Yemen was stranded at an Australian port in a heatwave on Friday as the exporter sought to offload at least some of the animals into quarantine.Meanwhile, another vessel carrying an even larger cargo - tens of thousands of animals - from Australia sailed for a Red Sea port in Jordan, with a contingency plan to unload them in the Gulf if it fails to obtain permission to enter the…

A ship carrying around 14,000 sheep and 2,000 cattle is marooned off the coast of Australia in sweltering heat after it was forced to abandon a trip through the Red Sea, causing outcry from people concerned about the animals' welfare.The vessel left Australia on Jan. 5 for Israel, where it was to unload, but diverted from its course in mid-January due to the threat of attack by Yemen's Houthi militia before being ordered home by the Australian government.The animals are now in limbo and could be discharged in Australia…

With the announcements that New York Waterway, a ferry operator running 32 boats around New York and New Jersey waters, had been largely shut down by the U.S. Coast Guard just prior to Thanksgiving, 2019, the reactions ranged from surprise to outright shock. There was also a great deal of grumbling, as commuters, the major customer group, endured delays on New York Waterway’s extensive network across the Hudson River, bringing New Jersey commuters into New York’s business districts.So, what happened?

The twists and turns of any marine casualty investigation can be unpredictable, but what is predictable is the potentially crushing cost to defend your license, livelihood and professional reputation.It was early afternoon on a late summer day in a busy commercial and fishing port in coastal New England. The captain of an offshore supply vessel was returning to his company’s dock and was lining up to transit past the harbor’s fixed storm mitigation gate when he decided to ‘bail out’ on his approach because the tide was ebbing and the outbound current of approximately two knots was offsetting his vessel to the east. No stranger to these waters…

On September 5, 2018, Weeks Marine, Inc. (WMI) was presented with the first issued Certificates of Inspection (COIs) for achieving full compliance with new USCG “Subchapter M” regulations on the 2,000 HP Tug Elizabeth and the 3,000 HP Tug Katherine. Commander Jacob Hobson from Coast Guard Sector New York Waterways Branch presented the COIs to Ronnie Clifford, WMI Towing Compliance Officer, and Shaun O’Brian, WMI Towing Sr. Port Engineer.The new Subchapter M mandates, part of the US Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act…

1860 - The screw steamship Mohawk captures the slaver Wildfire with 530 slaves on board in the Bahama Channel, taking them to a camp in Key West guarded by Mohawks Marines until returned home. 1869 - As a post-Civil War push for re-enlistments, the Good Conduct Medal, then called Good Conduct Badge, is authorized by Secretary of the Navy Adolphus E. Borie. 1918 - USS Stewart (DD 13) collides with an unidentified steamer near Brest, France. Just days earlier, Stewart crew members attacked a German submarine and saved the SS Florence H crew when she exploded internally.

The U.S. Coast Guard has contained all spilled diesel fuel from the Tuesday discharge that occurred while Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw was taking on fuel in the vicinity of the Ambassador Bridge in the Detroit River. The deployed sorbent boom recovered all but a residual amount of diesel before the boom became frozen in the ice. Coast Guard Sector Detroit and Marine Pollution Control contracted personnel are continuing to monitor the situation and plan to recover the boom, along with the residual fuel that remains in the ice, as soon as weather permits and it is safe to do so.

DSC and its customer, the Port of New Orleans, were recently recognized in the 2011 Hot-Dip Galvanizing Excellence Awards for use of galvanized steel throughout the dredge design. The Dredge Edward S. “Ned” Reed was awarded in the water and marine category of the annual competition, representing the finest achievements in the use of hot-dip galvanizing. For each award, all parties involved in the project are recognized winners, as the nature of galvanizing is collaborative, and the final project reflects the work of many.

DSC and its customer, the Port of New Orleans, were recently recognized in the 2011 Hot-Dip Galvanizing Excellence Awards for use of galvanized steel throughout the dredge design. The Dredge Edward S. “Ned” Reed was awarded in the water and marine category of the annual competition, representing the finest achievements in the use of hot-dip galvanizing. For each award, all parties involved in the project are recognized winners, as the nature of galvanizing is collaborative, and the final project reflects the work of many.

1869 - The Good Conduct Medal was authorized    1921 - U.S. Naval Detachment left Yugoslavia after administering area around Spalato for 2 years to guarantee transfer of area from Austria to new country   1952 - USS Hobson sinks after colliding with USS Wasp; 176 lives lost   (Source: Navy News Service)

1869 - The Good Conduct Medal was authorized 1921 - U.S. Naval Detachment left Yugoslavia after administering area around Spalato for 2 years to guarantee transfer of area from Austria to new country 1952 - USS Hobson sinks after colliding with USS Wasp; 176 lives lost (Source: Navy News Service)

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) will receive the Ninth Annual Waterways Council, Inc. Leadership Service Award on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at 6 p.m. at the W Hotel, Washington, DC. As one of the principal leaders in the effort to get the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) authorized in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007, Senator Grassley will be honored for his strong support for the improvement of the Nation’s ports and commercial inland waterways system…

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) will receive the Eighth Annual Waterways Council, Inc. Leadership Service Award on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, at 6 p.m. at the Willard Hotel, Washington, DC. Senator Harkin will be honored for his steadfast commitment to the improvement of the Nation’s ports and commercial inland waterways system over his many years in Congress. Harkin worked to broaden the support for locks and dam improvements crafting a measure with Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) that made improvements to environmental programs on the Upper Mississippi River. That resulted in a broadening of the coalition in support of moving forward with both improved locks and environmental mitigation. The measure was passed as a part of the 2007 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) will receive the Seventh Annual Waterways Council, Inc. Leadership Service Award on February 27, 2008, at 6 p.m. at the Willard Hotel, Washington, DC. Representative Oberstar will be honored for his steadfast commitment to the improvement of the Nation’s ports and commercial inland waterways system over his many years in Congress. Past recipients of the award include Senator Robert C. Byrd (2007); Representative David Hobson (2006); Representative Jerry Costello and Representative John Duncan, Jr. (2005); Senator Kit Bond (2004); Senator John Breaux (2003), and Representative Sonny Callahan (2002). Congressman Oberstar is Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee…

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) announced that it is very pleased by the action of the House Appropriations Committee, which overwhelmingly approved spending $365.3 million in fiscal year 2006 to complete critical Inland Waterway Trust Fund financed lock and dam projects on the Nation’s inland waterways system. The Committee action further underscores and improves upon President Bush’s highest ever FY 2006 budget request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program. In their actions, both the Administration and the Committee have demonstrated an increasing understanding of the many benefits of the Nation’s inland waterways system and the goal of keeping the Nation economically strong and competitive.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) announced that it is very pleased by the action of the House Appropriations Committee, which overwhelmingly approved spending $365.3 million in fiscal year 2006 to complete critical Inland Waterway Trust Fund financed lock and dam projects on the Nation's inland waterways system. The Committee action further underscores and improves upon President Bush's highest ever FY 2006 budget request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program. In their actions, both the Administration and the Committee have demonstrated an increasing understanding of the many benefits of the Nation's inland waterways system and the goal of keeping the Nation economically strong and competitive.

Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) will receive the Sixth Annual Waterways Council, Inc. Leadership Service Award on February 28 at the Willard Hotel, Washington, DC. Senator Byrd will be honored for his steadfast commitment to the improvement of the Nation’s ports and commercial inland waterways system over his many years in Congress. Past recipients of the award include Representative David Hobson (2006); Representative Jerry Costello and Representative John Duncan, Jr. (2005); Senator Kit Bond (2004); Senator John Breaux (2003), and Representative Sonny Callahan (2002). Senator Byrd is Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, appointed to the Committee by then-Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson in 1959, the year Senator Byrd began his Senate service.

As the inland waterways industry looks back on 2006 and forward to 2007, Waterways Council, Inc. • President Bush’s FY 2007 proposed budget requested a record level of federal funding for 11 Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF)-financed projects. The budget request proposed FY ’07 spending of $394 million for Inland Waterways Trust Fund financed projects, of which $197 million would come from the dedicated Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The remainder would come from general treasury funds, as required under current law. The President’s FY ‘07 budget request is the highest funding recommendation for IWTF funded projects since cost-sharing legislation was enacted into law in 1986.

Coast Guard Lt. Ronald Fogan and Petty Officer 2nd Class Josh Hobson review the voyage data recorder of the cruise ship Ecstasy, while some of the ship’s officers look on. The Coast Guard received a report that the Ecstasy, currently housing New Orleans Police Department officers, had broken free from its moorings at the Poland Street Wharf and was drifting down the Mississippi River near downtown New Orleans. Fogan, a foreign vessel inspector, and Hobson, a marine investigator, were dispatched from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans to investigate. There were no reported injuries or marine accidents in association with the incident. The incident remains under investigation by Coast Guard Sector New Orleans. U.S. The Coast Guard responded to the report of an 855-ft.