ABS Issues Guidance on How to Properly Sanitize Marine & Offshore Assets
ABS has launched guidance on sanitizing and decontaminating marine and offshore assets exposed to COVID-19, applicable to commercial and naval vessels, as well as drilling units, production installations and other offshore units."Response Measures to COVID-19 for the Marine and Offshore Industries provides best practice guidelines for sanitizing assets exposed to COVID-19 and helps maritime leadership address the many challenges the virus brings," ABS said.The marine and offshore classification company also says that the best practices document helps to answer a range of practical…
This Day in Coast Guard History – August 6
1878- The last true sailing cutter built for the Revenue Service, Chase (Salmon P. Chase) was completed on 6 August 1878 at the shipyard of Thomas Brown of Philadephia. Barque-rigged, Chase displaced 142 tons and served as a cadet "practice vessel" for nearly 30 years before being decommissioned and transferred to the U.S. Public Health Service. 1918-The first American lightship to be sunk by enemy action, Lightship No. 71, was lost on her Diamond Shoals station. LS 71 had reported by radio the presence of a German submarine which had sunk a passing freighter. That message was intercepted by the submarine U-104, which then located the lightship and, after giving the crew opportunity to abandon ship in the boats, sank LS 71 by surface gunfire.
Coast Guard to Conduct Rescue Exercise
The U.S. Coast Guard, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and the U.S. Virgin Islands Government are working together to coordinate a one-day full-scale Caribbean Mass Rescue Operation Exercise in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on Aug. Since 2002, Coast Guard passenger vessel safety specialists from around the United States have been working together with the passenger vessel operators to develop standardized procedures for managing a mass rescue operation. Through meetings and a series of exercises, the participants learn about each others' capabilities, identify best response practices and are establishing standardized procedures to help ensure maximum effectiveness. NCL volunteered to be the lead cruise line in this exercise to assist the Coast Guard in their emergency preparedness efforts.
Comfort Arrives in Nicaragua, Continues Mission
After caring for more than 55,000 patients in Belize, Guatemala and Panama, hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) arrived in Corinto on July 18, continuing its four-month humanitarian assistance deployment. U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service, Canadian Forces, and Operation Smile and Project Hope personnel will continue providing the people of Latin America and the Caribbean with no-cost health care services, including adult and pediatric primary care, dental care, optometry and other services while in Nicaragua. More than 30 "Operation Smile" personnel will board the ship here to conduct cleft lip and cleft palate operations aboard Comfort.
USCG: Standing Watch Over The Cruise Industry
In testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives on the matter of Cruise Ship Safety, U.S. coast Guard Rear Admiral Robert C. North, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety and Environmental Protection, made some interesting observations. Central to his testimony, however, was a call for support of the USCG Deepwater recapitalization of cutters, aircraft and CFISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, sensors, and reconnaissance), a bolstering of assets critical to offshore rescue operations, particularly if the offloading of thousands of passengers from today's large cruise ships, was ever needed. Following are select quotes from his testimony. •"Much of the history of the regulation of maritime safety has been reactive — disasters followed by legislation.
Cruise Safety Enviro Record Good
Despite a rash of failures at sea and high-profile legal cases regarding illegal dumping, cruise shipping remains one of the safest and environmentally conscious modes of transportation available, according to a recently released report. The International Council of Cruise Lines cited the General Accounting Office (GAO) Report released to Congress as acknowledgement of the high degree of compliance by the cruise industry with U.S. environmental regulations. The GAO report, "Fewer Incidents by Cruise Ships Reported, But Important Issues Remain,'' states that, during the period from 1993-1998, the U.S. Coast Guard recorded 2,395 illegal discharges from all non-U.S. vessels, of which only 87 were from passenger ships.
Carnival Legend Earns Perfect Scores
The new 88,500-ton Carnival Legend scored perfect 100s from both the U.S. Department of Public Health and Canadian Public Health Service during inspections in Baltimore and Halifax, Nova Scotia, earlier this month. The new 2,124-passenger vessel, which entered service in August 2002 and embarked on a six-day Bermuda cruise from Baltimore yesterday, Oct. 30, received perfect marks on all 42 items that comprise the U.S. encompass the Health Canada's Cruise Ship Inspection Guide. U.S. and overall cleanliness of the galley and other shipboard areas. The potable water supply used in spas and pools is also examined. "While Carnival ships consistently receive high public health inspection marks, perfect scores are quite rare. perfect marks from both U.S.
