Ballast Water Update: Weighing the Advent of VIDA
The hard-fought passage of VIDA promises a simpler, more unified and logical set of environmental standards related to the discharge of myriad vessel streams. Industry wanted it, and now it is here. Will it deliver, and if so, when? That depends on who you talk to.As most commercial maritime operators know, US ballast water regulations made a sharp turn last December. That’s when President Trump signed the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018.That legislation contained Title IX – the “Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA)…
US Navy Ship Steaming toward Haiti to Support Relief Efforts
The USS Mesa Verde, a U.S. Navy amphibious transport dock ship, is steaming toward Haiti to support relief efforts after Hurricane Matthew killed more than 500 people and left thousands homeless in the Caribbean country, the Navy said on Friday. A Navy spokesman said the ship would bring a large set of capabilities, including three CH-53 heavy lift helicopters, bulldozers and fresh water delivery vehicles. The ship can produce 72,000 gallons of fresh potable water per day and is stocked with pallets of food, medicine, baby formula, diapers, first aid supplies and other key items. The ship has a surgical team which can work out of two operating rooms on board. (Reporting by Phil Stewart)
Moose Boats’ Fire Rescue Catamaran
Specialty workboats redefined: versatility, value and multi-mission capabilities, all rolled into one affordable hull. In a world where small to medium sized municipalities and port authorities have to make every dollar go a long, long way, any opportunity to leverage just one hull over multiple mission sets grabs a lot of attention. Nevertheless, Job 1 on that set of requirements is arguably the need to provide robust firefighting capabilities. Sure, everyone would like to have the ability to pump 15,000 gallons per minute (gpm), but at the same time, not everyone can afford it. Nor does everyone have the available draft to support such a (larger) platform.
H2O, Inc.: Taking the Risk out of Water
Water is often one of the last thoughts when it comes to safety on rigs, but it should be one of the first. The good news is that this is one of the easiest risks to eliminate. “We thought bottled water was the answer,” said Bryan Courville of Coastal Production and Consulting. “But when we realized just how much water our platforms used that wasn’t bottled – water for ice machines, bathing, brushing teeth, washing laundry and dishes, and food preparation in the galley we realized how great of a safety risk we were chancing.
Not in Compliance with Ballast Rules? You Will Pay
The U.S. Coast Guard published regulations establishing penalties for ships headed to the U.S. that fail to submit a ballast water management reporting form, as well as vessels bound for the Great Lakes or portions of the Hudson River that violate mandatory ballast water management requirements. These regulations also increase the number of vessels subject to the reporting and recordkeeping provisions and expand the reporting and recordkeeping requirements on ships, increasing the Coast Guard’s ability to prevent the introduction of nonindigenous species as required by the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act and the National Invasive Species Act.
Government Update: Ballast Water Management Acquiring Teeth
Effective August 13, 2004, the U.S. Coast Guard will have the authority to impose civil penalties of up to $27,500 per day against vessels that fail to submit ballast water management reports. The basic ballast water management program has been in existence for some years, but submittal of reports has been largely voluntary since the agency lacked the power to require submittal. As a result, participation in the program has been abysmal - at less than 30 percent. It is expected that participation will rapidly become universal as the penalty regime takes hold. The goal of ballast water management is to reduce the risk of transport in a ship's ballast tanks of aquatic species from one location to another where the species is not indigenous and may have no natural enemies.
First Offshore Bunkering Service Launched
Iran has launched its first offshore bunkering service at an anchorage south of the Qeshm island free trade zone in the Gulf. Singapore-based Global Energy provides the services in cooperation with the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). Ahmad Hakim, a senior official in Qeshm, said that the floating anchorage, set up nine miles southwest of Qeshm, had begun its services earlier this month, having already fuelled several international tankers. Located near the main shipping lanes in the Gulf, the new anchorage has a capacity of four billion tons. Hakim said services would remain on a small scale until more business is attracted. He said the island planned to offer other shipping services such as food and water delivery and those for crew change.
U.S. Ships Bring Water to Tsunami-Stricken Islands
Two Military Sealift Command (MSC) prepositioning ships, MV 1st Lt. Jack Lummus (T-AK 3011) and MV 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman (T-AK 3002), completed a 10-day tsunami relief operation Feb. 1 in the Republic of Maldives as part of Operation Unified Assistance. Lummus and Bonnyman belong to Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadron 3, a group of 11 ships deployed to the Guam/Saipan area laden with enough cargo to sustain a Marine Expeditionary Brigade for 30 days. Together, the ships delivered more than 100,000 gallons of water, $3,000 of medical supplies and more than 20 tons of food. The Maldives is a string of more than 1,000 islands located 2,000 nautical miles east from the Dec. 26 earthquake's epicenter.
