Office Of Information News

Berlin is reviewing its decision to allow China's Cosco to take a stake in one of logistics firm HHLA's three terminals at the Hamburg port, a spokesperson for the German economy ministry said on Wednesday.Responding to a question about the reported classification of Tollerort as critical infrastructure, the spokesperson said it was being determined whether and under what conditions Cosco would be allowed to take a stake in the terminal named Tollerort.The German cabinet gave Cosco the go-ahead to take a 24.9% stake in the port in October last year.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave the green

Regulatory reform is one of President Trump’s priority agenda items. Upon taking office, the President issued a number of Executive Orders focusing attention and demanding action on the myriad of regulations impacting American businesses.Last May, the reform spotlight fell on maritime regulations when the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), published a Request for Information (RFI) on how the government should “prudently manage regulatory costs imposed on the maritime sector.” OMB…

The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) completed the first successful carrier launch of the MK 234 Nulka countermeasure fired from the MK 53 Decoy Launching System (DLS), Dec. 16. Nulka, an Australian Aboriginal word meaning to "be quick," is a rapid-response active expendable decoy (AED) capable of providing highly effective defense for ships against modern anti-ship missiles (ASM). The decoy was developed through a joint effort by Australia and the United States. Australia developed the hovering rocket while the U.S. developed the electronic payload. When launched, the Nulka decoy radiates a large, ship-like radar cross section that attempts to lure ASMs away from their intended targets.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus hosted a ship-naming ceremony to announce that SSN 793, a Virginia-class attack submarine, will bear the name USS Oregon. During a ceremony held at the Battleship Oregon Memorial in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Mabus announced the submarine will be named to honor the long-standing history its namesake state has had with the Navy. Mabus also recognized USS Portland (LPD 27) which he named last year in honor of Oregon’s largest city. “Sailors and Marines, like the citizens of Oregon throughout history, are pioneers. They are explorers who are looking willingly toward the unknown, wanting to know what is out over the horizon,” said Mabus. Mabus told the crowd SSN 793 will be the third naval ship to bear the name Oregon.

In a letter responding to a Federal Register notice about the renewal of Coast Guard Form 2692, Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) President Jay Spence insisted that the Coast Guard issue new instructions clarifying the circumstances in which a Form 2692 should or should not be submitted by passenger vessel operators. The Coast Guard solicited comments on its proposed application to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) renewing approval of Coast Guard Form 2692. OIRA is part of OMB and was created as a result of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980.

Noreq AS continues to expand. The increasing demand for our products has resulted in a new company etablishment, NOREQ FZE, a subsidiary with an office in Dubai - the most important business and financial center in the Arab world. Noreq has been represented in UAE for several years by Mr. Chacko John. He is now permanently employed in Noreq, and he looks forward to serve ship owners, yards, consultants and the offshore industry with deck equipment from Noreq. “It is a great pleasure to introduce our new office in a market with such great activity. Due to the increased activity in the offshore and shipping industry in the Middle East,  we find it highly necessary to be represented locally as a Norwegian supplier of high quality, marine equipment.

Kelvin Hughes Ltd, navigation solutions provider, has opened a Kelvin Hughes USA LLC Washington office, in Alexandria, Virginia. The primary role of the new office is to expand on the existing Kelvin Hughes business and presence in the US, providing a greater level of local sales and support for US-based customers. The company already has a service centre in New Orleans. Kelvin Hughes has three offices in the UK, where it has its headquarters, as well as regional offices in The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Singapore and China. In addition to the SharpEye radar, Kelvin Hughes produces a range of navigation equipment, data services and paper navigation products for the commercial, military and leisure sectors.

By Lt. The U.S. Navy commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Great White Fleet in Oct. 7 at Grand Central Terminal with the opening of an exhibit that will run through the 2008 Columbus Celebration ending Oct. 17. The exhibit - which includes eight-foot models of battleships, artifacts, memorabilia from Sailors aboard the ships and photo displays that tell the story of an American naval mission - highlights aid provided by ships of the Great White Fleet to in 1908 following a devastating earthquake.

By Lt. The Navy's latest "Conversation with the Country" brought its discussion of the new national maritime strategy to an appropriate venue – Los Angeles - the home of the fifth-busiest seaport complex in the world on April 17. Just a half-hour away from the bustling ports of and , officials from the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard presented the new maritime strategy, "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower," at a symposium April 17 at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in downtown . During the event – the fifth in a series of similar outreach discussions throughout the – business and industrial leaders got their chance to examine the national maritime strategy, which hadn't been updated since 1986.

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brandan W. The National Marine Fisheries Services issued a final rule Aug. 16 that allows the Navy to continue operating Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS LFA) sonar in the western Pacific Ocean for the next five years, subject to a yearly authorization renewal. SURTASS LFA consists of two separate components. The LFA portion of the system is suspended vertically below the ship and transmits low-frequency sound energy into the water. SURTASS, the passive portion of the system, is towed behind the ship and is made up of a series of underwater microphones that detect natural and man-made sound energy in the water. This allows underwater objects, such as submarines, to be detected.

The crew of USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) with USS The Sullivans Foundation and the people of Staten Island celebrated the 10th anniversary of the ship’s commissioning June 16 at the pier where the ship was commissioned. The USS The Sullivans Foundation, a non-profit organization established to support the crew and ship, hosted the ceremony and following reception as a way to strengthen the tie between the people of Staten Island and the crew and ship. “Ten years ago there were 7,000 people here on this pier to celebrate this great ship,” said Nancy Pouch, a member of USS The Sullivans Foundation. Pouch described the support the foundation has given the ship since its commissioning including donations to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Fund and a scholarship fund for family members.

The Navy will christen the USNS Richard E. Byrd on May 15. The launching ceremony for the newest ship in the Lewis and Clark class of underway replenishment ships will be held at General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego. The ship honors Rear Adm. Richard E. Byrd (1888-1957), an explorer famous for his Antarctic expeditions and for leading the first expedition to fly over the North Pole. Like the legendary explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, for whom the first ship of the class was named, Byrd bravely volunteered to explore one of the most remote and harshest places on earth. Due to his unquenchable thirst for exploration, he provided substantial contributions to the world's understanding of the Antarctic. Following his graduation from the U.S.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued three key documents June 27 that support the critical international naval exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) while carefully protecting marine life. These documents enable naval forces from eight nations gathering this week in Pearl Harbor to begin RIMPAC 2006. The exercise, including 21 days of anti-submarine warfare training, is critical to national security and preservation of unobstructed sea lanes. The NOAA documents also establish specific steps that will be taken to avoid and minimize any potential effects to marine life. Director, U.S. Navy Environmental Programs Rear Adm. James A. A “Finding of No Significant Impact” under the National Environmental Policy Act.

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) is making available the Proposed Notice of Sale for Western Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Sale 174. The sale is scheduled for August 25, 1999, in New Orleans. Sale 174 encompasses 3,642 unleased blocks, about 19.81 million acres, in the Western GOM Outer Continental Shelf Planning Area offshore Texas and in deeper waters offshore Louisiana. The blocks are located from nine to 200 miles offshore in water depths ranging from 26 ft. to more than 9,840 ft. There are 2,120 blocks in water depths of 656 ft. or more. This is the fourth sale in the Western Gulf of Mexico, and the seventh sale overall, in which blocks receiving bids in water depths of 656 ft.