Global Government News

Crowley has appointed Clay Heil as vice president of global government relations, where he will lead the company’s full spectrum of government advocacy across all of the company’s business interests and activities.Based in Washington, D.C., Heil will spearhead Crowley’s engagement with federal, state and local government partners and elected officials on policy and regulatory matters that support the company’s strategic growth. Heil joins Crowley with more than 25 years of legislative and legal experience. In Congress, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.

ABS announced it was assigned Recognized Organization (RO) status by the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND). ABS is now authorized to survey non-combatant vessels and undertake certification activities in key hazard areas identified by the Naval Ship Code.“ABS was selected as the exclusive classification organization for all non-combatant vessels in service with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 2017 before expanding our class and certification services to the entire Canadian Coast Guard fleet in 2018—and now we have been assigned RO status by the DND…

ABS has updated its Guide for Building and Classing International Naval Ships (INS Guide), expanding its guidance to strengthen safety and protection against a range of threats.“ABS is a world leader in naval classification and our 2019 INS Guide takes this to the next level,” said ABS Senior Vice President for Global Government, James Watson. “Naval vessels face an increasingly sophisticated range of threats and the ABS guidance is evolving to keep pace with the challenges they face, supporting more reliable and mission-ready fleets.”The Guide features new sections on Mission Threats Protection which consist of new notations to demonstrate a vessel meets the Allied Naval Engineering Publication (ANEP) 77 standard…

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has awarded a follow-on $9 million Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to ABSG Consulting Inc., an ABS Group company (ABS Group). ABS Group will provide a range of Human Systems Integration (HSI) support to the USCG's Human Systems Integration Office (CG-1B3), which is the USCG's technical authority for human systems integration (HSI). The BPA will cover acquisition support, project identification, usability analyses, testing, user facilitation and documentation services. As the USCG embarks on several new acquisition programs, including the Offshore Patrol Cutter and the Polar Ice Breaker, ABS Group will assist CG-1B3 and its partners within the USCG Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9)…

Whilst LNG has proven to be a viable option as a bunkering fuel for ships, there are still challenges to the pace of its development and demand for LNG as a fuel. One of the obstacles to the accelerated uptake is the uncertainty regarding its availability. DNV GL is undertaking a new study on the LNG market in the EU as part of its efforts to drive the development of an EU-wide network of LNG refuelling points. The company has also developed a new tool and guidelines to facilitate wider adoption. The market study is being carried out on behalf of the CORE LNGas hive project which is co-funded by the European Commission. The research aims to develop a safe and efficient…

Inmarsat the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, has signed an agreement with Globecomm, appointing the specialised managed satellite services provider as a Value Added Reseller (VAR) for Global Xpress (GX), serving the Maritime market globally. The agreement completes Globecomm’s Global Xpress offering, having previously been appointed as a GX VAR for the Enterprise and Global Government markets. Global Xpress will be the first global Ka-band broadband satellite network providing very high bandwidth services to a range of land, maritime and aero terminals, delivered through a resilient, secure waveform which is optimised for mobility.

At their board meeting on October 22, the directors of the Steamship Mutual reviewed the club’s open policy years, as well as claims in earlier years, and considered the premium ratings required for the 2014 policy year. On the basis of owned claims reported to date, the overall value of claims for the current policy year is expected to be high, continuing the trend of recent years. It was noted that the total value of claims in the layer up to $250,000 is marginally below last year…

ABSG Consulting Inc. selected for the GSA Performance Management and Continuous Process Improvement (PM/CPI) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). The government-wide vehicle will allow agencies to procure a comprehensive set of services to maximize operational effectiveness, especially in the current uncertain budgetary climate. The services available include Strategic Planning and Performance Management; Strategic Business Analysis; Process and Performance Improvement; Communications and Change Management; and Training, Certification and Recognition. The BPA comes at a time when all government agencies are under extreme pressure to improve their operating efficiencies with minimal impact on mission performance.

Inmarsat has announced that Shared Services Canada (SSC) will deploy FleetBroadB & new Assured Access service for 29 Canadian warships. The contract to provide these services to Government of Canada is now under the responsibility of SSC. The Government of Canada established SSC in August 2011 to consolidate its data centers, telecommunications and email systems. Deployment of these services to the Canadian Navy started in October 2012. FleetBroadband will provide the ships with global broadband connectivity while at sea – for email, internet and data services and voice communications. Since Inmarsat introduced FleetBroadband in 2007, it has been deployed on more than 30,000 commercial and government vessels worldwide.

The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) say they are gravely concerned with the Interim Policy Document issued this week by the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). By affirming that BSEE inspectors can issue Incidents of Noncompliance (INCs) to drilling contractors as well as oil companies, this unprecedented policy demonstrates a significant deviation from the global paradigm of holding operators ultimately responsible for accidents at the well site. “Drilling activity is strong around the world, with significant rig demand in areas like Brazil, West Africa and Asia Pacific. “BSEE’s guidance is inconsistent with the industry model and creates a whole new area of ambiguity,” said Brian Petty, IADC executive vice president – government affairs.