Response Network News

In response to the escalating attacks on ships in the Red Sea, charity group Sailors' Society has initiated an urgent crisis appeal, shedding light on the severe human cost faced by seafarers caught in the conflict.Attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia on ships in the region since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe, leading to widely reported supply chain disruptions and financial implications of rerouting ships.Sailors' Society said its appeal aims to draws attention to the danger posed to sailors by explosive drones and missiles.

A crew, shipwrecked by a cyclone in the Indian Ocean, has thanked Sailors’ Society's Crisis Response Network for helping them through their trauma.The vessel, which appeared to have engine failure just as Cyclone Batsirai hit, was shipwrecked - dashed onto the rocky coast of Réunion Island.Speaking of their immense fear, one of the crew said, “It was so bad and so dark, we really thought we were going to die.”The captain, who along with his crew has been receiving counselling from the Society’s Crisis Response Network team…

Highlighted in Marine Technology Reporter's MTR100 is the work and technology ongoing in the halls of academia. The most recent report released by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasized our warming planet, an expected announcement for many in the scientific community. Faced with the confirmation that human activities have caused an increase in global temperatures, research has turned to seeking answers in the planet’s natural systems. How does each part of the global carbon cycle work and how may it be impacted by the changing climate?

The international Christian charity working in ports across the world Sailors’ Society has welcomed a new Greek Ambassador to its fold ahead of the maritime charity’s plans to further expand its existing work in Greece.Costis Frangoulis, CEO, President and Founder of Franman, which provides ship building, consultancy and security services, is the latest industry figure to lend his support to the 201-year-old welfare organisation.Costis said: “I am extremely proud to have been appointed as an Ambassador of Sailors' Society in Greece. I am a passionate advocate for the interests of seafarers, who are the backbone of our industry. My aim is to strongly support this important organisation and the rights and interests of those serving at sea.”Prasanta Roy…

Samson recently completed a sea exercise to validate performance of the recently developed EVATS system, an emergency towing exercise was led by the Norwegian Coastal Administration in a fjord southwest of Sortland, Norway.Samson, the Alaska Maritime Prevention & Response Network (Alaska Network) and Kystvakte (Norwegian Coast Guard) crew members participated in a system briefing and orientation on March 7, and then commenced the sea trial on the March 8, 2019. Two Kystvakte vessels…

Global maritime services firm, Ardent, and Ardentia Marine Group, a Spanish salvage, engineering and commercial diving company, have formally partnered for future operations following the signing of a cooperation agreement in June 2016. Ardentia has been the emergency response and underwater services provider for the Spanish Coast Guard since 2009, and has intervened in nearly 100 operations with marine casualty control, fuel and bunker removal, refloating and wreck removal. The company maintains a strong presence in Spain and Portugal.

Foss Maritime Company recently announced it will open a consolidated customer service center in Oregon in April 2016. The company's existing Portland office will be renovated and modernized to incorporate the best available customer service technologies, including a state-of-the-art telephony system, heightened cyber security, and enhanced dispatching and vessel tracking capabilities. "Consolidating customer service in our Columbia Snake River location will allow us to enhance both our service and our responsiveness," said Chris Wolf, Director of Customer Service at Foss. Today, Foss serves regional, national and international customers in ports along the Pacific seaboard, Hawaii and Alaska, as well as across the globe, with a service center in Washington and Oregon, and two in California.

North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) is set to present “Safety in the Arctic”, a seminar addressing topics of preparedness, prevention and protection specific to the Arctic waters. The event will take place at the Hotel Captain Cook on August 13, 2015 in Anchorage, Alaska. "On the eve of offshore drilling in the Arctic, NAMEPA is gathering the experts in the field to outline the safety measures being deployed in this effort to protect the marine environment," stated Clay Maitland, founding chairman of NAMEPA. In addition to Maitland, other scheduled speakers include U.S. Senator (Alaska) Lisa Murkowski; Rear Adm. Dan Abel, Commander D17-U.S. Coast Guard; Mead Treadwell, Pt Capital; Kara Moriarty, AOGA; C.

T&T Salvage, LLC announced the signing of a consent agreement with the Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD). This agreement permits T&T to include the LBFD's extensive marine firefighting resources in its emergency response network. T&T's network, established to meet United States Coast Guard, Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) requirements, is available to owners and operators of vessels subject to the salvage and marine firefighting regulations contained in OPA 90. The consent agreement, which is the first of its kind to be signed in California, will ensure a coordinated response and minimize the impact of a major marine fire event in the Los Angeles/Long Beach Port Complex.

The Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) and Alaska Maritime Prevention and Response Network (Network) have formed a "Strategic Alliance" to support Non-Tank Vessels (NTVs) in meeting new Federal regulations and enhance oil spill response in Western Alaska and Prince William Sound. The announcement was made at the recent Alaska Regional Response Team meeting in Anchorage. As a part of this Alliance, the Network will join the Marine Preservation Association (MPA), the funding organization for MSRC.

Long awaited, much hyped, the new rules require compliance in January. Will industry and more importantly, the response community, be ready? In September, the U.S. Coast Guard published the long awaited Non-tank Vessel Response Plan (NTVRP) and Other Response Plan regulations. The U.S. Coast Guard cites “Improved preparedness and reaction to an incident, including a worst case discharge, and improved effectiveness of shore-side and onboard response activities” as the primary benefits of the new rule. For all affected vessels, a mandatory compliance date of January 30, 2014 looms large the porthole. The regulations impact self-propelled non-tank vessels of 400 gross tons or greater that operate in navigable waters of the United States and carry any kind of oil as fuel for main propulsion.

Washington State – Alaska – Non tank final rule & Washington State – Contingency Plan requirements. We refer to our circular no. B.613. As stated in that circular, every tank vessel and every other vessel over 300 GT is required under State law to file a contingency plan prior to entry into the waters of Washington State but that instead of filing his own plan an owner can subscribe to an umbrella oil spill contingency plan. Since publishing the abovementioned circular, Washington State Maritime Co-operative (WSMC) has changed its enrolment agreement and the version with footer “WSMC Enrolment Agreement – December 2013” conforms with the International Group’s guidelines on vessel response plans.

The Coast Guard has issued monetary penalties to three vessel operators in violation of federal regulations related to tank vessel response plan requirements. The vessels Pacific Galaxy, operated by Synergy Maritime PET, Tamar, operated by MTM Ship Management, and Yayoi Express, operated by MOL Tankship Management, have been issued a monetary violation for noncompliance with Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 155 Subpart D in Alaska. Vessel operators can face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, per day. Tank vessels bound to or from a U.S. port and transiting through the Western Alaska Captain of the Port zone must have…

The vessels Pacific Galaxy, operated by Synergy Maritime PET; Tamar, operated by MTM Ship Management, and Yayoi Express, operated by MOL Tankship Management, have been issued a monetary violation for non-compliance with Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 155 Subpart D in Alaska. Vessel operators can face penalties of up to $11,000 per violation, per day. Tank vessels bound to or from a U.S. port and transiting through the Western Alaska Captain of the Port zone, remind the US Coast Guard, must have an approved geographic specific appendix in their vessel response plan for Western Alaska prior to transiting or operating within the COTP zone if carrying oil in bulk as cargo or oil cargo residue.

National Response Corporation (NRC) and Resolve Marine Group announce the expansion of their 1Call response coverage for all vessels trading in U.S. waters. The service offers tanker and nontank vessel owners and operators full, single-source coverage in compliance with latest U.S. Coast Guard regulations for Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF), and Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO). This announcement reflects the U.S. Coast Guard’s final rule in the Nontank Vessel Response Plans and Other Response Plan Requirements published in the Federal Register. The rule requires owners or operators of vessels trading in U.S. waters to submit response plans naming OSRO and SMFF providers by January 30, 2014.

Resolve Salvage & Fire (Europe), Ltd., the European emergency response subsidiary of U.S.- based Resolve Marine Group, Inc., has added a new office at 23, Austin Friars, London, expanding the company’s U.K. operations base. The 34-year-old marine salvage, emergency response and wreck removal company has been steadily expanding, both geographically and in its service offerings for the international maritime industry. Joining the new London office is Daniel Dettor, a Commercial Manager formerly based at Resolve’s corporate headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Two technical experts from Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) have flown to the U.S. at the invitation of one of the oil spill response companies assisting with the clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico spill. An oil spill equipment technician and a response planning officer from MNZ’s Marine Pollution Response Service (MPRS) have been seconded to support the Deepwater Horizon spill response. They will be working for Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSR), a company contracted to assist the US Government in its management of the spill. OSR, a United Kingdom-based organization, is part of the wider oil spill response network Global Alliance. MPRS Group Manager Nick Quinn said the pair would be tasked with supporting the spill response effort…

Oscar Lopez joins T&T Bisso as an Assistant Project Manager and On-Site Coordinator, bringing more than 10 years of experience in Salvage Logistics support and Project Management. After serving on active duty in the U.S. Army,  Lopez  began his maritime career as a Salvage Diver for Titan Salvage in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., quickly moving to take over the management of Titan's ocean going Jack-Up barge fleet as well as acting as On-Site Project Coordinator on international salvage operations.

Eastern Canada Response Corporation (ECRC) selected BRP's Evinrude E-TEC engines to repower its 79-boat fleet. The CA$1.5 million contract was awarded to BRP based on Evinrude outboards' low cost of ownership and high environmental standards. ECRC operates six centres in eastern Canada and provides marine oil spill response services in all navigable waters east of the Rocky Mountains. Boats powered by the 30 hp to 225 hp Evinrude E-TEC engines will be at the forefront of chemical and oil spill cleanup throughout Canada and the United States.

Marine Firefighting Veteran Jeff Johnson Joins Resolve as Manager, Training and Response, and Pacific Region Responder. RESOLVE Marine Group has announced that Jeff Johnson has joined the company as Manager, Training and Response with responsibilities in both RESOLVE’s  Salvage & Fire (Americas) emergency response/OPA-90 subsidiary and at RESOLVE Maritime Academy, the training subsidiary. Jeff  focuses on continuous development of RESOLVE’s  U.S. and territorial waters Firefighting Response Network  and serves  as the company’s  Pacific Region Responder for marine incidents…

American P&I Club advises the US Coast Guard (USCG) will require compliance with new Alternative Planning Criteria (APC) for certain vessels operating in Western Alaska. Last year the Alaska Marine Exchange published proposals for new Alternative Planning Criteri which have now been finalized. Historically, it has not been possible for tank owners operating in Western Alaska carrying oil to comply fully with the vessel response planning requirements of the Oil Pollution Act 1990. In consequence, the USCG allowed waivers in respect of these requirements. That has now changed: with effect from May 14, 2012, oil tank vessel owners and owners…

The T&T Bisso Response Network is expanding its global reach by announcing the opening of its office in Singapore. T&T Bisso Salvage Asia Pte. Ltd. is located at 12A Jalan Samulun in Jurong, an industrial area of Singapore on the western edge of the island. Headed by General Manager Richard van der Werf and Operations Manager Capt. Piet Sinke, the new office features 3,600 square feet of office space and 8,000 square feet of warehouse space on the waterfront with quayside dockage.

The T&T Bisso Response Network announced the addition of DeeAnn McMillen to its Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) management team. McMillen has 19 years of experience assisting clients with regulatory compliance. She has spent the previous nine years focusing on vessel emergency response services, OPA 90 and state regulatory compliance. (www.ttbisso.com)