Passenger Vessel Safety Record Defies NTSB Hit List
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently released its annual “Top 10 Most Wanted List” of Transportation Improvements for 2014. New this year was the issue of passenger vessel safety. Between 2000 and 2010, several accidents involving passenger vessels occurred. The domestic passenger vessel industry is highly regulated. Safety regulations for small passenger vessels took effect starting in 1996 for new construction, with phased implementation for existing vessels to be completed no later than March 2006.
Insights: Dennis L. Bryant, Bryant’s Maritime Consulting
Dennis L. Bryant retired from the U.S. Coast Guard with the rank of Captain after 27 years active duty. His billets included serving on the icebreaker NORTHWIND for several years including in 1969 when it escorted the tanker MANHATTAN through the Northwest Passage (this was back in the old days, when there was real ice in the Arctic). He also spent various tours as a law specialist, including an assignment as the Coast Guard’s Law of the Sea officer. He also served a tour in the…
Active Regulatory Projects
The September hearing held by the House subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation centered on maritime transportation regulations and their ultimate impact on safety, security, jobs and the environment. As various industry advocates used the public venue as a vehicle to vent and for elected officials to call attention to various ‘rice bowl’ agendas, the scope and breadth of the regulatory labyrinth being endured by the domestic maritime industry became fully evident. A primary focus of the meeting involved ongoing delays at DHS and the U.S.
Arntzen Joins World Maritime Day Risk Management Panel
Clay Maitland, Chairman of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association, announced that Morten Arntzen will moderate the Risk Management panel at this year’s North American World Maritime Day Observance being held on October 30th aboard the Hornblower Infinity in New York. This annual event explores this year’s World Maritime Day theme of Sustainability and will include a risk management roundtable featuring industry leaders such as Peter Evensen of Teekay, Phillip Shapiro of Liberty Maritime…
Date for Diary: N. American World Maritime Day Observance Conference
'Sustainable Maritime Development' will be the thrust of the 2013 World Maritime Day Conference in New York in October. Clay Maitland, Founding Chairman of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), has announced the program for the 2013 North American World Maritime Day Observance being presented by NAMEPA and the United States Coast Guard. The conference is designed to bring forward updates on environmental stewardship, promoting a safety culture, new technologies and innovation, maritime education and training.
USCG, BSEE Sign Agreement for Regulating Mobile Offshore Drilling Units
U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director James Watson signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for regulating mobile offshore drilling units (MODU) on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). “The Coast Guard and BSEE share the goal of keeping our oceans clean and offshore workers safe,” said Servidio. Under the current regulatory system, both the U.S. Coast Guard and BSEE have shared responsibilities for the regulation of safety management systems on the OCS.
Upcoming NAMEPA National Maritime Day Seminar
'Safety at Sea' focus of NAMEPA's National Maritime Day seminar at the Washington DC National Press Club. The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) will be offering a seminar “Environmental Intelligence in Maritime: Safety at Sea", featuring shipboard safety, piracy, and an update on issues for seafarers. The seminar will take place on May 21st at the National Press Club in Washington DC commencing at 2:00pm. The seminar is intended to commemorate National Maritime Day, which is held on May 22nd to honor merchant mariners.
Coast Guard, BSEE to Share Offshore Safety Duties
U.S. Coast Guard ond Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement sign agreement to improve offshore oversight. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Joseph Servidio, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director James Watson and announced today at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will strengthen the working relationship between the two agencies on the management of safety and environmental protection responsibilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
