Lawsuits Over Baltimore Bridge Collapse Likely
The owner, operator and charterer of the container ship that struck Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday are likely to face lawsuits over its collapse and the people killed or injured, but legal experts say U.S. maritime law could limit the companies’ liability.U.S. laws pertaining to open-water navigation and shipping, which are created through court decisions and by acts of Congress, could restrict the kinds of lawsuits filed against the registered owner of the Singapore-flagged ship…
GAC EnvironHull Unveils Fuel Savings Calculator
Ship owners and operators can now compare fuel cost savings reaped by hull cleaning with GAC EnvironHull’s online fuel savings calculator. A foul-free hull offers the benefits of significantly enhanced fuel efficiency and lower operating costs by reducing resistance in the water. A clean ship sails smoother through the water, gives a greener and more sustainable solution and offers energy savings of up to 10% of fuel. GAC EnvironHull’s online calculator was developed over the past year in response to market calls for a quick, easy-to-use method of comparing savings achieved through different hull-cleaning techniques at a time when owners and operators are under intense pressure to cut costs.
DHS Unveils Official Portrait of Former Secretary Tom Ridge
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…
Ship Operator Pleads Guilty and Sentenced
IMC Shipping Co. Pte. Ltd. (IMC), pleaded guilty in federal court in Alaska to a three-count information alleging two violations of the Refuse Act for the illegal discharge of oil and soy beans and one violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for killing of thousands of migratory birds that resulted from the grounding of the M/V Selendang Ayu on Dec. 8, 2004 in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. IMC was subsequently sentenced to pay a criminal penalty of $10m. The grounding of the M/V Selendang Ayu spilled approximately 340,000 gallons of bunker fuel, as well as several thousands of tons of soy beans, into the Bering Sea in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge in the Aleutian Islands resulting in the deaths of several thousand migratory birds.
