Federal Election News

An open letter has called on Australia’s Albanese Government to deliver on its election promise and legislate an end to live sheep export.The call, from the RSPCA and 10 other Australian animal protection organisations, comes nearly six months after the independent panel’s report was delivered to the Government — with still no plan for how and when live sheep export will be phased out.“Australians were relieved when the Albanese Government took this promise to the 2022 federal election,” said RSPCA Australia CEO Richard Mussell.

The Australian Alliance for Animals and the RSPCA have expressed dismay over the decision by Australia’s Department of Agriculture to allow the re-export of more than 15,000 sheep on board the Bahijah to the Middle East.Originally, 16,000 Australian sheep and cattle were onboard the Bahijah for over a month after the vessel departed from Australia and then turned back from the Middle East due to maritime security concerns in the Red Sea. It was then recalled to Perth by the Department of Agriculture.The animals were unloaded after the Department rejected a plan for their immediate re-export.

HII announced that Peter Courtney has been promoted to corporate vice president of legislative affairs and Betsy Bina Benedict will join HII to serve as the director of legislative affairs. Courtney succeeds Carolyn Apostolou who retired in December after 10 years with the company.Courtney will be located in HII’s Arlington office and report directly to Stewart Holmes, HII’s executive vice president of government and customer relations (GCR). Benedict will report to Courtney.In Courtney’s new role…

The RSPCA has welcomed the tabling of the Australian federal Minister for Agriculture's response to one of the largest Australian parliamentary e-petitions in history, calling for an end to live sheep export.Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, stated: “The Australian Government acknowledges the considerable community concerns about animal welfare in the trade of live sheep exports by sea and understands the desire to see action.“The government took the commitment to phase out live sheep exports by sea to two elections…

U.S. federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel B. Maffei announced Phillip C. “Chris” Hughey has been hired as the General Counsel of the Federal Maritime Commission and appointed to be a member of the Senior Executive Service.In his capacity as General Counsel to the Commission, Hughey will provide legal advice and recommendations to the Chairman and Commissioners on regulatory and policy matters. He will serve as a member of the agency’s senior management team and will also…

Norway's Hoegh LNG has won a tender to supply a floating LNG import terminal for a consortium aiming to import liquefied natural gas to Australia's east coast from 2020 in a push to boost local supply.Australian Industrial Energy, a consortium that includes Japan's JERA and Marubeni Corp, said on Monday it signed an agreement giving it the right to lease one of Hoegh LNG's floating storage and regasification units (FSRU), to be docked at Port Kembla.The project needs approvals from the state of New South Wales, which is evaluating the proposal on a fast track as "critical state significant inf

Australia will speed up plans to build more naval vessels in domestic shipyards, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Monday, making an announcement that could find favour with voters just weeks ahead of a likely federal election. Naval shipbuilding is a key part of a plan unveiled in February to boost defence spending by nearly A$30 billion ($23.02 billion) over the next 10 years. To speed up the plan, the construction of 12 offshore patrol vessels, worth A$3 billion ($2.30 billion) would now start in 2018, Turnbull said, though the government has still to award the contract. "Putting our navy in the right situation to keep us safe and putting our naval ship building industry in the right place to build the ships we need for the future is a great national endeavour…

While most people know that ferries are a method of transportation, few have a good understanding of the nature of the sector and its importance. In Canada, ferries transport more than 55 million passengers, over 19 million vehicles, billions of dollars’ worth of goods and they employ close to 35,000 people. Beyond the numbers are the personal stories. and much more. For a good portion of Canadians, ferries are part of their way of life. Some are quite passionate about their ferries – something which shows when schedules, fares or routes are changed.

The Federal Election is an important opportunity to boldly support the marine industry as a means to sustainable Canadian growth. During this election and post-election period, political leaders are urged to build upon Canadian domestic shipping for the Canadian economy and sustainable economic growth. "The Canadian marine industry connects Canada's economic capacity with the rest of the world," says Robert Lewis-Manning, President of the Canadian Shipowners Association (CSA).

British Columbian officials on Friday criticized the Canadian government's response to an oil spill in the waters around Vancouver, calling into question plans for new crude oil export pipelines in the Pacific Coast province. Nearly 3,000 liters of oil spilled after an anchored bulk carrier began leaking bunker fuel in English Bay, just west of Vancouver's downtown core, on Wednesday. Officials in the province said the coast guard responded but was slow to contain the slick, which spread towards beaches. They said the federal agency failed to notify the cities of Vancouver and West Vancouver until early Thursday, delaying public safety warnings by more than 12 hours. "It took them six hours to get booms in place ...

Officials in Australia and Japan on Monday expressed scepticism and confusion over a pledge by Prime Minister Tony Abbott to give an Australian state-owned shipbuilder the option to tender for a major submarine contract, heightening the uncertainty around the project. Sources have said Australia is strongly considering buying a version of the 4,000-tonne Soryu-class submarine built by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries to replace its ageing Collins-class fleet. But Abbott on Sunday promised shipbuilder ASC Ltd the option to bid for the next-generation submarines, worth as much as A$40 billion ($31 billion), in an attempt to shore up support ahead of a challenge to his leadership from within the ruling Liberal Party.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that William Ebbs has taken on the new role of vice president, federal policy, and Andrew Hicks has been promoted to vice president, legislative affairs. Both will report to Mitchell B. Waldman, corporate vice president, government and customer relations. "Will and Andrew have been important members of our legislative team and have tremendous experience working with Congress and the executive branch of the government," Waldman said.

Huntington Ingalls Industries made two appointments to its government and customer relations leadership team. Carolyn E. Apostolou has been named vice president for legislative affairs (Senate), and Vice Adm. John "Jay" Donnelly (U.S. Navy, Ret.) has been named vice president of program integration and assessment. Apostolou joined on April 29, and Donnelly reported on May 6. Both report to Mitchell B. Waldman, corporate vice president, government and customer relations. "Carrie and Jay come to us with several decades of experience in their respective fields," Waldman said.

A year after Irving Shipbuilding Inc.’s successful bid to build $25B worth of combat vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, the largest procurement contract ever awarded in Canada, a positive economic buzz continues to grow across the province and throughout the Atlantic region. It’s an optimism not generated by any other project in many years. The multi-billion dollar package provided through the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS)…