Msst News

A containership with a visible crack in its hull is leaking fuel oil at the Global Container Terminal in Bayonne, N.J., the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.A unified command team consisting of the Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Gallagher Marine Systems is responding after the National Response Center contacted Coast Guard Sector New York watchstanders, Monday, reporting a sheen near the Liberian-flagged vessel YM Mandate.A nearby Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) New York boat crew reported a small crack in the ship’s hull which was leaking fuel oil. Coast Guard investigators confirmed the leak.The 300 meter long…

Navico announced it has signed a five-year agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to provide C-MAP cartography under the USCG’s Small Boat Product Line (SBPL). Navico was selected for a competitive award by the USCG for products that met all of their technical needs. Navico’s C-MAP will deliver cartography cards to 300 different stations across America, twice a year.The SBPL aligns all boat support resources under a single entity with authority and accountability for maintenance and logistics for all boats in the Coast Guard.

Thailand-based offshore drilling services company  Mermaid Maritime Public Company said that  its subsidiary Mermaid Subsea Services Thailand (MSST) has entered into a $65 million loan deal with the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (Exim).As per the press release from the provider of subsea and drilling services to the offshore oil and gas industries, the objective of the loan is to extend the financing of the two company’s vessels, the Mermaid Endurer and Mermaid Asiana, for a further period of five years with the same lender.“The loan shall be applied to settle the indebtedness owed to Exim under a previous credit facility agreement for the two vessels and replacing that arrangement with the latest loan instead…

A Coast Guard lieutenant commander and graduate of Hastings High School in Houston, took command of Maritime Safety and Security Team Galveston during a ceremony in Galveston Thursday. Lt. Cmdr. Steve Morris and his wife are both from Houston and he enlisted in the Coast Guard through the recruiting station here. "When it came time last year for me to make known the units that I desired, there's no doubt that MSST Galveston rose right at the top of the list," said Morris. Prior to taking command of MSST Galveston…

A change-of-command ceremony will be held Thursday morning, July 24, to see a Coast Guard lieutenant commander and graduate of Houston's Alief Hastings High School, Lt. Cmdr. Steve Morris, take command of Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) Galveston, assuming the responsibilities of commanding officer from Lt. Cmdr. Chad Holm. The MSST is comprised of a specialized team who provide security and law enforcement capabilities throughout the country. Under Holm's command, MSST…

The Coast Guard is scheduled to participate in training exercises Thursday, in the vicinity of Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Diego 91109 will partner with U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection, Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) as participants in the Center for Asymmetric Warfare exercise Coastal Trident 2014. The Pacific Strike Team (PST) and National Guard 9th Civil Support Team will practice first aid and decontamination capabilities. MSST San Diego was created under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 in direct response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and is a part of the Department of Homeland Security’s layered strategy directed at protecting seaports and waterways.

A Change of Command Ceremony was held at Reservation Point aboard Base San Pedro, Wednesday for the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Los Angeles-Long Beach (MSST LA-LB). During the ceremony Lt. Cmdr. Taylor Lam assumed the duties and responsibilities as commanding officer of MSST LA-LB from Lt. Cmdr. Tim Margita while Capt. Thomas E. Crabbs presided over the ceremony. Lam comes to MSST LA-LB from the Office of Congressional Affaris in Washington, D.C. He served at the former Tactical Law Enforcement Team North where he deployed aboard U.S. and Foreign Naval ships conducting Maritime Law Enforcement operations in the Pacific and Caribbean Oceans.

Metal Shark Boats this week delivered the first new Response Boat-Small (RB-S) II to the U.S. Coast Guard's Special Missions Training Center at Camp LeJune, North Carolina. Designed to gradually replace the Defender-class RB-S as it reaches the end of its service life, the vessel is the first of 38 boats scheduled for delivery to the Coast Guard by April 2013. RB-S II's flexibility as a multi-function platform makes it ideal for use across the Coast Guard's full mission spectrum, including search and rescue, vessel boarding-team deployment, law enforcement, drug interdiction, and environmental response operations. Future deliveries will be assigned to various units including Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST)…

During the deployment, Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) San Diego members formed the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Maritime Security Detachment and were responsible for securing the port and waterways around the base. MSST San Diego boat crews, specialized in armed boat tactics and threat interdiction, conducted more than 4,500 hours of continuous patrols during the deployment. The unit also provided shore-side security at Joint Task Force Guantanamo, which includes internal courtroom security for the expeditionary legal complex where military commissions for high value detainees are held. Prior to deploying, unit members completed two-months of training that included boat and weapon qualifications, team coordination training and CPR certification.

An anti-terrorism response drill was held in New York Harbor Tuesday. The Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91106 will conduct a scenario where they will confront and apprehend a boat of terrorist's attempting to sabotage the Statue of Liberty. perform a broad spectrum of port safety and security operations. seven days a week. hostile chemical, biological or radiological attacks. sleet, snow, reduced visibility and other inclement weather.

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a Press Release stating that it will commission a new Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) in Boston on October 30. The MSST enforces security zones and provides a limited level of shoreside protection. Source: HK Law

A new Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST 91110) was commissioned on Oct. Vice Adm. James Hull, Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander, presided as the official for the ceremony. Craig P. Coy, Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority, was the guest speaker. MSSTs are domestic mobile units that possess specialized training and capabilities to perform a broad spectrum of port safety and security operations. They are modeled after the Coast Guard's Port Security Units (PSUs) and Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs). They will be staffed with Coast Guard men and women, ready to respond or deploy, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MSST 91110 is the ninth Coast Guard anti-terrorism/force protection to be established.

By Thomas H. Collins, Admiral, U.S. By any measure, 2003 was a turning point in the 213-year history of the U.S. Coast Guard. Beginning with the introduction of a new Maritime Strategy for Homeland Security early in the new year and continuing with its realignment under the Department of Homeland Security in March as part of the largest reorganization of the federal government since the post-World War II era, the scope and scale of the Coast Guard's maritime, multi-mission, and military operations during the past year were nothing short of extraordinary. Coast Guard men and women rose to the challenge, bolstered by the largest mobilization of reservists in our history. Collectively, they fought the Global War on Terrorism at home as well as overseas.

New security regulations and specially trained port security teams are among the newest tools being employed in Operation Neptune Shield, the Coast Guard's plan for fighting the global war on terrorism here at home, as military operations continue against Taliban and Al-Qaida fighters overseas. "Since Sept. 11, the Coast Guard has implemented a multi-layered strategy for protecting our ports and waterways," said Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. Thad Allen. "Under Operation Neptune Shield, new regulations, additional resources and a closer working relationship with our intelligence and law enforcement partners have allowed us to harden our borders.

New security regulations and specially trained port security teams are among the newest tools being employed in Operation Neptune Shield, the Coast Guard's plan for fighting the global war on terrorism here at home, as military operations continue against Taliban and Al-Qaida fighters overseas. "Since Sept. 11, the Coast Guard has implemented a multi-layered strategy for protecting our ports and waterways," said Atlantic Area Commander Vice Adm. Thad Allen. "Under Operation Neptune Shield, new regulations, additional resources and a closer working relationship with our intelligence and law enforcement partners have allowed us to harden our borders.

The first U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) will be based in Seattle and commissioned on July 3, 2002, at the Integrated Support Command, located at Pier 36, Seattle, Wash. Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Thomas H. Collins; Pacific Area Commander, Vice Adm. Terry M. Cross; and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will be attending the commissioning. Sen. Murray, who was instrumental in bringing an MSST to the Puget Sound, will be the keynote speaker. MSSTs are domestic mobile units that possess specialized training and capabilities to perform a broad spectrum of port safety and security operations. They are modeled after the Coast Guard’s Port Security Units (PSUs) and Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs).

The second of four Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST) to be commissioned this summer has started specialized training in Camp Lejeune, N.C. Coast Guard MSST 91102 completed its first week of training in Yorktown, Va., last week before moving to a Coast Guard training detachment in Camp Lejeune. The domestic, mobile MSST, modeled after Coast Guard Port Security Units and Law Enforcement Detachments, will be established regionally in Hampton Roads to respond to terrorist threats or incidents in ports and waterways throughout the country. The MSST will deploy in support of national special events such as OpSail, Olympics or storm recovery operations and protect military load-outs…

by Dennis L. When the federal government began examining United States vulnerabilities in the days following the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, it quickly became apparent that significant weakness existed on the U.S. maritime borders. Many, but not all, of these weaknesses were systemic and derived from both the U.S. open society and the procedures underlying modern maritime commerce. The goal quickly became to reduce the risk of maritime terrorism while not fundamentally altering the efficiencies of the commercial system. It was quickly realized that the threat to the maritime sector consisted of two distinct types: explosives and other contraband being shipped as cargo (particularly in a container) and the ship being used as a weapon…

Coast Guard Pacific Area will commission a new Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST 91109) Tuesday at 1p.m. at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot here at 3800 Chosin Avenue. Vice Adm. Harvey Johnson, Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, will be the presiding official for the ceremony, and Congresswoman Susan Davis is scheduled to attend. MSSTs are a quick response force capable of rapid, nationwide deployment via air, ground or sea transportation in response to changing threat conditions and evolving Maritime Homeland Security mission requirements. They are modeled after the Coast Guard's Port Security Unit's and Law Enforcement Detachments. Created in direct response to the terrorist attacks Sept.

The Coast Guard's newest wave of anti-terrorism tool is being unleashed on ports nationwide. The Underwater Port Security System (UPSS) can detect, track, classify and interdict intruders, and allows for the inspection of hulls and pier structures or anything that is underwater without an invitation. It adds an additional layer of protection to our ports, and is available in the U.S. anywhere and anytime. It can hear, see and talk underwater and it's compact enough fit in a large suitcase. "Terrorists are always looking for ways to attack elements of our infrastructure critical to our economy and our freedom," said Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, Vice Adm. Harvey Johnson during a recent demonstration of the system in San Pedro, Calif.

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jessica M. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSSTs) lent its specialized training to the sixth annual Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT) exercise which concluded Aug. 21. SEACAT was an at-sea, scenario-driven, fleet training exercise involving the U.S. along with six Southeast Asian countries tracking and boarding simulated critical contacts of interest. U.S. Coast Guard Lt. David Alvarez, a planning action officer specializing in Maritime Security Operations for the Coast Guard’s Pacific Area Command, said the exercise is not only beneficial for the hands-on and live-action training experience, but also opens the door for information sharing and learning for everyone involved.

“Everyone remain calm! We are the U.S. Coast Guard and we’re here to conduct a security boarding,” a law-enforcement officer announces as his teams rush aboard an elegant, white cruise ship. The teams: Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Teams from Boston and New Orleans. The vessel: the Spirit of Boston, an upscale, commercial, dinner cruise ship nestled in the heart of metropolitan Boston. This exercise was part of quarterly, week-long training for MSST’s throughout the Coast Guard. The final day of training was held aboard the privately-owned commercial ship. The ship granted the law enforcement team’s access to an authentic environment so they could implement learned tactics in a realistic setting.

VideoRay LLC released what is believed to be the first images taken underneath a grounded cruise ship. When the United States Coast Guard’s Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) 91101, based in Seattle, Washington responded to the grounding of the 360 foot passenger overnight sternwheeler Empress of the North, a VideoRay ROV was used to investigate the conditions under the hull. Shortly after deploying the ROV, the MSST saw dramatic images as the robot swam under the vessel and revealed that a large boulder had actually punctured the hull. The team immediately worked out a new refloating plan, which was ultimately successful. The Empress of the North ran aground on March 24 on the Columbia River, near Washougal, Washington. Aground it sat at an 8 – 10 degree list.