U.S. Grants Jones Act Waiver to Company to Ease Fuel Supply Shortages after Cyber-attack on Pipeline
The U.S. government relaxed a long-standing maritime law protecting domestic shipping commerce to allow an undisclosed company to transport gasoline and diesel to ports in the East Coast after a cyberattack crippled the nation's largest fuel pipeline network.The Jones Act, implemented in 1920, requires goods moved between U.S. ports to be carried by ships built domestically and staffed by U.S. crews. The waiver will allow foreign vessels to ship petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel to the country from the Gulf Coast to U.S.
Case Against Film Team Accused of Disturbing Wreck of Ferry Estonia Dismissed
The case against two film makers charged with disturbing the wreck of the ferry Estonia, which sank in 1994 with the loss of 852 lives, was dismissed on Monday by a Swedish court as their vessel was not covered by the law protecting the grave site.The men were part of a Discovery Network documentary team which sent a remote-operated vehicle to film the wreck in the Baltic Sea in 2019, discovering previously unknown damage to the hull and reviving speculation about the cause of…
CG Foundation Honors USCG Eighth District
The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced that its Guardian of the Heartland Annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard’s Eighth District will take place on Friday, April 3, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Eighth Coast Guard District spans 26 states throughout the Gulf Coast and the heartland of America from its headquarters in New Orleans. Honoring each sector throughout the District, the gala’s Co-Chairs are local business leaders in the community, Donald T. “Boysie” Bollinger, of Bollinger Shipyards, and Otto Candies, owner of Otto Candies, LLC. Vice Admiral Vivien Crea, vice-commandant of the Coast Guard, and Anne B.
CG Foundation Honors 14th District
The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today its Annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard’s Fourteenth District will take place on Thursday, March 12, 2009 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Honoring local Coast Guard members who protect coastline shores from the Hawaiian Islands to Guam, the gala’s Chairman is Mr. Lee Webber, publisher and president of the Honolulu Advertiser; the Master of Ceremonies will be Mr. Michael Perry, a recognized name in Hawaiian broadcast history; and the Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker will be former Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta.
U.S. Navy Asserts State Secrets in Sonar Case
The U.S. Navy on Tuesday said it had asserted the "state secrets" privilege in a lawsuit by environmental groups, a move to keep the military from being forced to disclose classified information about the use of sonar believed to injure whales and other animals. The state secrets privilege, if upheld, renders information unavailable for litigation. It can be challenged, although the federal government often succeeds in asserting the protection. The Navy action is the latest in a string of Pentagon moves to derail the group's lawsuit. The Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups say sonar used in routine training and testing violates environmental laws. They also argue the Navy's sonar injures and kills marine mammals, including whales and dolphins.
