Response Systems News

Mark your calendars for a maritime event of global significance as the World Maritime Forum prepares to cast anchor in Copenhagen from February 27-28, 2024. With an anticipated attendance of 450 maritime professionals, including shipowners, ship managers, shipbuilders, ports, classification societies, government bodies, regulators, technology companies, and service providers, this forum promises to be a gathering of industry titans and thought leaders.One of the key focus areas of this year's forum will be sustainability…

The Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) and the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) have finalized an agreement to develop and implement a program to respond to oil spill impacted marine mammals throughout Western Alaska, the U.S. Arctic, and Prince William Sound. The Agreement includes funding from ACN for ASLC to further develop oiled marine mammal response protocols and resources. In addition, the new program will involve opportunities to train, exercise and drill with ACN responders, including ACN partners in local communities…

A log carrier that lost power and went adrift while leaving New Zealand's Port of Tauranga Monday has been towed to anchorage in deeper water while it awaits further inspection, local maritime safety authorities said.The Singapore-flagged Funing was outbound for Lanshan, China when it lost engine power and began drifting amid  30 knot winds and significant swells between Mount Manganui and Matakana Island around 12:30 a.m. local time on Monday.The 180-meter ship was pushed by the wind and tides and snagged chains holding one of the buoys marking the shipping channel…

A regional conference of countries in west, central and southern Africa has committed to continue to work at both national and regional levels to boost preparedness to deal with oil spill incidents which could be devastating both for the marine environment and financially. The conference (6-9 November) in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, was hosted by CIAPOL, the Ivoirian pollution control centre. It brought together industry and government focal points from 20 out of 22 west, central and southern African countries covered by the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI-WACAF). This project is run by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)…

The question of how to manage emergency preparedness and response in the oil and gas sector was on the agenda at a workshop in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania (17-20 October). Participants from countries across the East Africa region gathered to highlight good practices in developing national preparedness and response systems, as well as how to improve understanding of risk assessments related to oil and gas development and potential impacts on environment. The group also worked to identify areas for strengthening emergency preparedness and response at national and regional levels. International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Colleen O’Hagan helped to facilitate the workshop and provided an overview of the Organization’s International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness…

The Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC), the nation’s leading oil spill response organization, has announced that Steven T. Benz, the company’s President and CEO, will be retiring on April 30, 2017. Tim Plummer, Chair of the MSRC Board of Directors, said “We are thankful to Steve for his many years of strong leadership. During his tenure, he has solidified MSRC as the preeminent spill response organization in the nation, as demonstrated by the critical role MSRC played in the “Deepwater Horizon” response.

NOAA, NASA and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have joined together to support three demonstration projects that will lay the foundation for the first national network to monitor marine biodiversity at scales ranging from microbes to whales. The projects, to be funded at approximately $17 million over the next five years, subject to the availability of funds, will demonstrate how a national operational marine biodiversity observation network could be developed. Such a network would serve as a marine resource management tool to conserve existing biodiversity and enhance U.S. biosecurity against threats such as invasive species and infectious agents.

Elastec/American Marine manufactures and markets pollution control and oil spill response systems. The firm has ISO 9001:2008 certification and recently won an industry prize for their patented grooved disc oil skimming technology. They have also received international awards and recognition for this breakthrough technology. Instrumental in managing the controlled burn operation during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, the firm’s core competency is oil spill response systems: skimmers, fire and containment booms, boom deployment systems, portable vacuum equipment, and other related equipment.

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Noble Energy, Inc. and the Helix Well Containment Group (HWCG) participated in the exercise. A full-scale deployment of critical well control equipment was employed to assess  Noble Energy’s ability to respond to a potential subsea blowout in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. BSEE Director James Watson confirmed that the HWCG capping stack deployed for the exercise met the pressurization requirements of the drill scenario, marking successful completion of the exercise.

The NZ Government will review Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) response to the container ship 'Rena' grounding off the coast of Tauranga last autumn. The review will examine the MNZ response to the Rena incident and establish the factors that contributed to, or limited, its effectiveness. It will involve discussions with MNZ staff, and central and local government stakeholders. Although the review will not involve public submissions, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Murdoch will discuss the Rena response with all relevant central and government bodies, and with other key agencies that supported the MNZ response. Mr. Murdoch added: "“As an organisation, business units within MNZ have done a lot of thinking about the response to the Rena grounding.

DNV’s summer students present results of work to develop a realistic concept for a year-round Arctic oil spill response system. The Norwegian students' project included requirements for people, vessels and equipment. DNV’s summer project is an annual programme organised during the summer months for students in their final year of a master’s degree programme. This year, ten students with varied cultural and academic backgrounds worked intensely on their project for seven weeks. The focus has been on developing an Arctic oil spill response system.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) Director Michael R. Bromwich delivered remarks June 22 at the 5th annual World National Oil Companies Congress in London. The World National Oil Companies Congress brings together senior executives from national oil companies and government leaders from around the world to discuss global energy issues. Director Bromwich is attending this year's meeting to further the bureau’s efforts to expand bilateral and multilateral cooperation with regulatory counterparts around the globe, especially in light of the recommendations of the National Commission on the Deepwater…

Resolve Marine Group and T&T Bisso have announced their coalition for Marine Firefighting services in U.S. waters. This agreement combines both companies’ extensive firefighting infrastructure to produce overlapping coverage and higher volume firefighting capacity throughout the U.S. This coalition was crafted specifically to help tank vessel operators fully comply with the new Oil Pollution Act of 1990 regulations that will be effective on February 22, 2011. The regulations require that all tanker and tank barge owners operating in U.S.

The role of vessel classification societies continues to change dramatically. As the role and relevance of class is hotly debated, MR/EN picked the brains of the industry's major classification societies to analyze both their individual and collective future. If class is to remain relevant, it must remake itself for the modern world, says ABS president and CEO Robert D. Somerville. He recently told delegates to the World Maritime Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia that "self regulation will continue to provide an effective method for establishing and enforcing standards only if all elements of the industry recognize that substantive overhaul is needed." Somerville highlighted the remarkable…

The Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (CSA 2001) came into effect on July 1, 2007, said the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. It replaces the Canada Shipping Act (CSA) as the principal legislation governing safety in marine transportation and recreational boating, as well as protection of the marine environment. "The coming into force of CSA 2001 is a significant milestone in Canada's maritime history," said Minister Cannon. The new Act promotes the sustainable growth of the shipping industry without compromising safety. It represents an updated and streamlined version of the original CSA, making it clearer and easier to understand. · establishes a new set of voyage classifications for the safer operation of vessels.

Marine Resources Group announced that Kirstin Sandaas has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer and Kevin Orstad has joined the company in the position of Group Controller. Sandaas joined MRG in the spring of 2004, and since that time has worked closely with the financial and operating divisions at the MRG group of companies. Her contributions include assisting in two corporate acquisitions, implementing an MRG-wide 401(k) program and assessing enterprise-wide systems solutions. Prior to joining MRG she held the position of Director of Finance at Sea Coast Towing. She served as Finance Manager at Optiva, makers of the sonicare toothbrush, working as an integral part of the team that helped sell the company to Philips Electronics.

Emergency response in the United States has a different perspective since the events of September 11, 2001. There is a renewed realization that preparation and planning for unforeseen events is critical and essential to success. While there has always been a need to cure the marine casualty when it occurs, now, by a process of evaluation and preparation, there exists the opportunity to prevent the event in some instances and minimize the consequences in most. An awareness of the importance of a prompt professional salvage response is beginning to permeate the public and regulatory perception. The American Salvage Association represents…

The role of vessel classification societies continues to change dramatically. As the role and relevance of class is hotly debated, MR/EN picked the brains of the industry's major classification societies to analyze both their individual and collective future. If class is to remain relevant, it must remake itself for the modern world, says ABS president and CEO Robert D. Somerville. He recently told delegates to the World Maritime Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia that "self regulation will continue to provide an effective method for establishing and enforcing standards only if all elements of the industry recognize that substantive overhaul is needed." Somerville highlighted the remarkable…

Anteon International Corporation announced that Supervisor of Shipbuilding (SUPSHIP), Portsmouth, Va., has awarded Anteon a 5-year contract with an estimated value of $40 million. Anteon will provide rapid response systems engineering and integration support for major ship components onboard military vessels. Joseph M. Kampf, Anteon President and CEO, stated, "We have a long track record of providing responsive engineering and integration support for systems onboard U.S. Navy ships. This is a core business area for us, and we look forward to applying our extensive capabilities on this new contract in support of SUPSHIP, Portsmouth, requirements."