United States Department Of Transportation News

Overseas Shipholding Group, the tanker company providing energy transportation services for crude oil and petroleum products in the U.S. Flag markets, has entered into agreements with BP Oil Shipping Company USA and BP AMI Leasing to purchase the crude oil carrier vessels operated by Alaska Tanker Company (ATC).OSG currently owns a 37.5% interest in ATC. As part of the above transaction, OSG will acquire the remaining 62.5% interest of ATC that it does not own.According to the publicly traded tanker company, the agreements provide for deposits equal to 20% of the purchase price to be paid upon their execution, with the balance of the consideration to be paid at closing.Closing of the purchases is subject to various conditions…

Innovative boats, unusual collaboration: Hornblower, Horizon, Incat Crowther and Metal Shark team up on one of the most significant newbuilding projects of the year. When New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier this year announced the selection of Hornblower to operate as many as 20 ferries to connect a similar number of New York City neighborhoods, the magnitude of the award immediately outweighed the details of the contract. The vessels, intended to eventually form the backbone of a modern, comfortable and efficient urban ferry fleet, will also be New York City’s first city-wide ferry system in over 100 years. Now on track to launch in 2017, the news service is predicated on the on-time delivery of high tech, newbuild hulls now being constructed on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Metal Shark was selected by HNY Ferry Fleet, LLC (a Hornblower company), operator of New York City’s Citywide Ferry Service, to build 26-m149-passenger aluminum high-speed ferries. Metal Shark will produce a series of ferries at its Franklin, Louisiana shipyard, a  25-acre waterfront facility which recently received a Small Shipyard Grant from the United States Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to expand its facilities and shipbuilding capabilities.

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark has been awarded a small shipyard grant by the United States Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). Metal Shark was one of nine shipyards selected for an award from a field of 118 applicants. Grants were awarded to U.S. shipyards with the intent to support modernization, increase productivity, and to maintain competitiveness in the global marketplace. Metal Shark’s award, in the amount of $582,410, will be used to acquire and implement portable work shelters and marine transporters at its Franklin…

America is leading the global effort to end the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. And part of the Obama Administration's whole-of-government response has included some recent heavy lifting by two ships from the Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Ready Reserve Force, the M/V Cape Rise and the M/V Cape Wrath. Today, the volunteer civilian mariners crewing the Cape Rise and Cape Wrath are home for the holidays. Last month, the two vessels – the Cape Rise at the Port of Beaumont, Texas, and the Cape Wrath at the Port of Jacksonville, Fla.

In his speech at the LNG Export & Export & Infrastructure Conference Federal Maritime Commissioner Doyle gives insights on the consequences of the adoption of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel in the United States. I am a Commissioner with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission. The Federal Maritime Commission is an independent regulatory agency responsible for regulating the nation’s international ocean transportation for the benefit of exporters, importers, and the American consumer. I should emphasize that my thoughts and comments here are mine and mine alone – they do not reflect the position of the Commission, and they should not be construed to represent the positions of any of my fellow Commissioners.

Throughout the United States, and across all transportation modes, safety initiatives are being established to address issues related to Distracted Operations. The Coast Guard recognizes the importance of this issue, understands the potential consequences caused by increased operational risk in marine operations, and is supportive of the goals and objectives of the U.S. Department of Transportation and other distracted driving safety initiatives. With respect to vessel operations, the bridge team management approach to safe navigation is an essential element of risk management and safe vessel operations. The team approach to safe navigation requires the clear, frequent and accurate exchange of information between all crewmembers relative to the safe operation of the vessel.

The Strategic Council on Security Technology announced the global rollout of Phase Two of the Smart and Secure Tradelanes (SST) initiative. In the last year, SST has become the largest cargo security program in operation, helping global shippers to automatically track the location and status of containers while creating a system to detect and report container tampering. The second phase of SST focuses on further expansion of the global network, extending operations, shipments, and integration into existing supply chain systems while incorporating new technologies such as sensor-equipped smart containers into global supply chain systems. Smart and Secure Tradelanes (SST) is an industry-funded supply chain security and efficiency initiative.

Tom Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Marcos Daniel Jiménez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, announced that three senior cruise ship engineers were indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami, Florida, for their role in concealing the overboard dumping of waste oil from the SS Norway cruise ship in false log books designed to deceive the United States Coast Guard. The defendants, Chief Engineers Knut Sorboe and Peter Solemdal, Senior First Engineer Aage Lokkebraten are Norwegian nationals who were employed by Norwegian Cruise Line Limited (NCL) at the time of the offenses.

Tom Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division and Marcos Daniel Jiménez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, announced that three senior cruise ship engineers were indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami, Fla., for their role in concealing the overboard dumping of waste oil from the SS Norway cruise ship in false log books designed to deceive the U.S. Coast Guard. The defendants, Chief Engineers Knut Sorboe and Peter Solemdal, Senior First Engineer Aage Lokkebraten are Norwegian nationals who were employed by Norwegian Cruise Line Limited (NCL) at the time of the offenses.

The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) in partnership with Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Preparedness Directorate, United States Department of Transportation (US DOT), Maritime Administration (MARAD) and an array of other maritime industry organizations conducted a multi-port preparedness identity management (PIM) exercise on July 20, 2006. The “Maritime Interoperability Demonstration (MID)” was an exercise of the First Responder electronic identity/attribute trust model being spearheaded by Tom Lockwood, Director of National Capital Region Coordination (NCRC) within the DHS Preparedness Directorate. MID was conducted simultaneously at four major eastern seaboard public/private ports to include Port of Baltimore…

The United States Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) has announced the creation of the Inland Waterways Research Project Website, a comprehensive source of the most current inland waterway information available online today. This repository contains published studies, reports, and ongoing research results by leading experts. It also provides links to inland corporations, inland news source links, and other research links. The website address is www.marad.dot.gov/iwrp. "This website, the only of its kind, is an excellent resource for the inland waterways industry's most relevant information. Now, with great ease…