Napolitano News

In a return to the age of the clipper, a French company is using a sailing boat to ply the trade routes that pre-dated steam power—and delivering wine and chocolate to environmentally conscious customers on either side of the Atlantic.Sleek and light like its larger predecessors, the aluminum-hulled “Grain de Sail” was custom built in a French shipyard and combines the technology used in modern yachts with a hold that can accommodate up to 50 tonnes of cargo.It docked at Saint-Nazaire, in France’s northwestern Brittany region, on Monday with 33 tonnes of cacao - the raw ingredient for chocolat

The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure voted the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020) favorably out of Committee, Wednesday. The legislation, which provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and studies, as well as policy direction to the Corps for implementation of its Civil Works missions, now heads to the House Floor for a vote.Maritime trade groups Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) and the American Waterways Operators (AWO) applauded the House T&I bill (H.R.

BPER Banca SpA has completed a naval financing for ME Marittima Emiliana SpA to a second-hand tanker built by the Chinese shipyard in Guangzhou in 2012.The tanker, originally flying under a Bahamian flag, has been renamed “Lady Rina” and is currently flying under an Italian flag. M.E. Marittima Emiliana, part of the Amoretti Armatori Group, provides transportation service of petroleum and chemical products.Watson Farley & Williams and the Mordiglia law firm of Genoa represented BPER Banca and the company respectively in the transaction.The new unit will join Amoretti’s fleet currently comprising 11 tankers all flying under an Italian flag…

This evening the U.S. House of Representatives passed by a recorded vote the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF), H.R. 2440. The vote was 296 in favor and 109 opposed. The voting required a two-thirds super majority of the House in order to pass under “suspension of the rules.”There were  seventeen (17) bills presented in the House of Representatives today with fifteen (15) bills passing by voice vote. The Full Utilization of the HMTF was one of two bills…

An NGO which runs the Mediterranean rescue ship Ocean Viking, with 104 migrants onboard, called on European authorities on Monday to designate a safe disembarkation spot.French association SOS Mediterranean, along with Doctors without Borders (MSF), said among those aboard the ship are two pregnant women and 41 children younger than 18."Their anxiety is growing", said Jay Berger, MSF’s project coordinator aboard the Ocean Viking. "They're unsure of what's going to happen to them next."On Oct. 18, the Ocean Viking picked up 104 people aboard an inflatable boat in distress 50 nautical miles off the Libyan coast. Libyan authorities say they assigned the port of Tripoli as a safe disembarkation site for the refugees…

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to consider H.R. 2440, Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund bill on Monday October 28, 2019. The bill may be presented in the House under “suspension of the rules.”“We strongly support the Full Utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for intended purpose,” said William P. Doyle, CEO and Executive Director of the Dredging Contractors of America (DCA). “This bipartisan bill makes it easier for Congress to appropriate any funds collected in the Trust Fund for authorized harbor maintenance needs…

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) today commended the work of Congress to pass the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, of which the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA 2016) is included, by a vote of 78 to 21 during the lame duck session. WIIN/WRDA authorizes Army Corps of Engineers' work on locks and dams, dredging and other water resources projects. WCI applauded the efforts of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, led by Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR), along with House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-OH) and Ranking Member Grace Napolitano (D-CA).

Austal celebrated the christening of the Expeditionary Fast Transport ship USNS Yuma (EPF 8) with a ceremony at its state-of-the-art shipyard here, this morning. The ship’s sponsor, former Secretary of Homeland Security and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, headlined the group of Austal officials, naval guests, civic leaders, community members and Austal employees who attended the ceremony beneath the hull of the ship in Austal’s final assembly bay. “As a former governor of Arizona, I am especially pleased to sponsor a ship that bears the name of a city whose history is synonymous with the arc of American history,” said Napolitano, who currently serves as the president of the University of California.

The Navy will christen its newest Expeditionary Fast Transport, USNS Yuma (EPF 8), Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony, in Mobile, Alabama. Yuma, designated EPF 8, honors the city of Yuma, Ariz., and its historically strong ties to the military. Rear Adm. Craig Faller, chief of legislative affairs for the secretary of the Navy, will serve as principal speaker. The Honorable Janet Napolitano, former governor of Arizona, will serve as the ship’s sponsor. In a time-honored Navy tradition, she will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. "The christening of USNS Yuma is not only a celebration…

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) lauded H.R. 2028, the U.S. House of Representatives’ fiscal 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations bill that passed today, together with two bipartisan amendments included in the bill. Of particular interest to AAPA is the portion of the bill that funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ navigation program, which manages improvements and maintenance of federal navigation channels at U.S. ports. The first amendment, offered by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) and Rep.

On November 8, speaking at the Port of New Orleans, President Obama said “… corn and wheat is coming down from my home state of Illinois down the river, ending up here and then going all around the world. This was a victory for the inland waterways industry because while the President has recognized ports, dams, levees, trains, trucks and other transportation infrastructure, he has not, heretofore, underscored the value of the inland waterways. The President’s recognition of the…

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Dan Tangherlini has officially opened the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Consolidated Headquarters campus with a ceremonial ribbon cutting at the newly built U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters building. The opening of the new facility marks the completion of the first phase of the consolidation project on St. Elizabeths west campus. “Today, we take a major step forward in making our ‘One DHS’ vision a reality,” said Secretary Napolitano. “We are proud to provide the U.S. Coast Guard with a facility that will support the important work they do for the American people,” said GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini.

Two recent reports have raised alarms about the security of our ports and the cargo that enters them by containers every day. The top North American container ports handle more than 35 million containers per year bringing vital goods to U.S. homes and companies every day. Without this freight, our economy would be at a standstill. But one nuclear device placed into a shipping container could wreak havoc not just at the port it enters, but also with the surrounding population of our busiest ports such as New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Long Beach.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano hosted the first U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Portrait Unveiling Ceremony in honor of Governor Tom Ridge—our nation’s first Secretary of Homeland Security. “Governor Ridge has devoted his career to serving his country and the American people, and created the foundation for the Department of Homeland Security just ten years ago,” said Secretary Napolitano. Ten years ago, under the leadership of Governor Ridge, DHS began operations…

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.3 percent in March over the same month last year despite federal spending cuts that could slow down cargo processing, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. “Retailers are aware of the impact of the cuts on Customs operations at the ports and are working to plan accordingly so the impact on merchandise headed for the store shelves is minimized,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano…

Maritime Professional Training V-P of Regulatory Compliance, Amy Beavers, appointed to serve on Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC). Maritime Professional Training announced that Amy Beavers has received a federal appointment from Secretary Napolitano to serve in the Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC). The committee advises the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), via the Commandant and U.S. Coast Guard, on matters relating to the training, qualification, licensing, certification and fitness of seamen in the merchant marine.

U.S. Maritime Industry not opposing Jones Act waivers to ship petroleum to the Northeast US in fuel crisis. Thee American Maritime Partnership writes to President Obama to confirm that the U.S. Maritime Industry will not oppose waivers that are necessary to facilitate the delivery of petroleum products into the regions affected by Hurricane Sandy. Dear Mr. The domestic maritime industry stands by ready to help in any way as our nation responds to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Nothing is more important right now than the safety and security of our fellow Americans. Today our industry is working around the clock responding to this emergency. There is nothing new about that.

The United States Congress cannot legislate technology ... but it keeps trying. A case in point is the requirement for scanning in a foreign port of all containerized cargo bound for the United States (the so-called 100% scanning requirement). It was supposed to come into effect on 1 July 2012. That date has been pushed back to at least 1 July 2014, if ever. The major reason for the delay is that no equipment capable of scanning maritime shipping containers in a practicable manner has been invented. The law, though, remains in place.

Forget 2012; work on the funds already awarded. Port terminals risk losing their one last shot at millions in FEMA/DHS Port Security Grant Funds if they don’t act decisively before Sept. 2012. As of Jan. All of the $1 billion that is still sitting in the federal treasury has been dedicated to thousands of  security projects and equipment approved at the highest levels as essential to protect ports against terrorist attacks from 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Port Security Grants (PSG). DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has ordered that by Sept.

Washington, D.C. – With concerns that refinery closures in the Northeast may cause gas prices to increase further, the American Maritime Partnership (AMP) notified the Administration that American vessels have ample capacity to transport petroleum to the region from the Gulf of Mexico. AMP’s letter comes after a federal analysis omitted key data about the domestic shipping industry’s overall capacity. “Today, there is more than adequate American tank vessel capacity to address any additional refinery closures,” the AMP Board of Directors wrote in a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The Northeastern United States faces possible changes in its petroleum markets because of potential refinery closures.

The Obama administration’s failure to budget $1.6 billion for two of the Coast Guard’s flagship vessels is drawing criticism from U.S. lawmakers, who contend that the service’s missions will be threatened. The Department of Homeland Security’s proposal for the fiscal year, beginning October1, requests $683 million to fund only the sixth of eight planned National Security Cutters, made by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. The agency, which oversees the Coast Guard, didn’t seek funding for the remaining two cutters for fiscal years 2014 to 2017. The 418-foot-long cutters are needed to replace an aging fleet of vessels, many of which are more than 40 years old and expensive to maintain, according to the service.

The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, hails the enactment of provisions in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-281) that bring the industry one step closer to a historic towing vessel inspection regulation to improve safety in the towing industry. Section 701 of the Act requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding inspection requirements for towing vessels” no more than 90 days from the date of enactment, a provision strongly advocated by AWO. The law requires that a final rule be issued no more than one year after the enactment date.

The Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus, Co-Chaired by Representatives Gene Taylor (D-MS) and Rob Wittman (R-VA), hosted a meeting with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Robert J. Papp, to discuss the Coast Guard’s ship force structure needs, its missions, future threats, and the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Members of the Caucus in attendance were Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA). Admiral Papp conveyed the difficulty the Coast Guard has in keeping its major programs funded sufficiently. The Admiral discussed specific programs such as the National Security Cutter (NSC), the Fast Response Cutter (FRC), and the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC).