The well-preserved wreck of a World War One German submarine, possibly still containing the bodies of its 23 crew members, has been found off the Belgian coast. The use of submarines, often referred to as U-boats, in World War One to disrupt British trade routes in the English Channel and the North Sea was a key part of German tactics. The 93 German U-boats stationed in Belgian ports downed more than 2,500 ships but were also a target themselves, with 70 of them lost at sea, killing 1,200 sailors.

Environmental compliance challenges are nothing new to the cruise industry. Initiatives to enhance environmental compliance, from clean technologies to improved processes and procedures, have significantly reduced the impact cruise vessels have on the environment and improved the quality of discharge. These onboard initiatives address what is in the vessel’s control, but cannot simplify the increasingly complex regulatory environment in which cruise lines operate. Enforcement of environmental regulations is on the rise as international…

The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded Eastern Shipbuilding Group (ESG) a Long Lead Time Material (LLTM) contract for the first Offshore Patrol Cutter, USCGC Argus (WMSM 915). The LLTM contract awarded on September 7, 2017 allows Eastern to move forward on an aggressive schedule to deliver a capable and affordable platform to meet the Coast Guard’s mission needs. The award includes main propulsion, machinery control, electrical and mechanical equipment orders that need to be placed…

The Australian Defence Force Gap Year – Navy is an opportunity for young Australians to experience military training, service and lifestyle through a year-long program, with no further obligations on the participant to continue to serve. The program allows people to experience Navy life as a ‘try before you buy’ scheme during which every opportunity is given to participants to apply for transfer to Permanent Navy workforce categories, subject to sustainability and vacancies. The…

The U.S. Navy dismissed two senior officers on Monday after a series of collisions involving Seventh Fleet warships in Asia, citing a loss of confidence in their ability to command. Rear Admiral Charles Williams, commander of Task Force 70, and Captain Jeffrey Bennett, commander of Destroyer Squadron 15, were fired by Seventh Fleet commander Vice Admiral Phil Sawyer, the Navy said. In August, Sawyer replaced fleet commander Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, who was fired after the accidents. "Both reliefs were due to a loss of confidence in their ability to command," the Navy statement said.

The US Navy will christen its newest America-class amphibious assault ship, the future USS Tripoli (LHA 7), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony, Sept. 16, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Thomas Dee, performing the duties of the Under Secretary of the Navy, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Lynne Mabus, the wife of the 75th Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Ray Mabus, will serve as the ship's sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by Mrs. Mabus breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to formally christen the ship, a time-honored Navy tradition.

In pursuance of India’s ‘Act East’ policy, Eastern Fleet ships INS Satpura and Kadmatt are on a 4-day port visit to Singapore from 14 September 17. During the stay in harbour, various activities such as official calls, formal reception on board ships, ships open to visitors, guided tours for Indian naval personnel and professional interaction between naval personnel of both the nations have been planned. With a joint aim to ensure seamless Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) through optimal utilisation of limited resources at sea…

The Government of India signed a loan deal worth USD 76 million with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), for a project to upgrade the environment management plan at Alang-Sosiya ship recycling yards. The total cost of the project will be $ 111 million, out of which $76 million will be provided as soft loan from JICA. Out of the remaining amount, $25 million as taxes and fees will be borne by Government of Gujarat and the balance $10 million will be shared by Ministry of Shipping & Government of Gujarat.

HMAS Newcastle has completed an attachment with the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in the Arabian Gulf while deployed on maritime security operations in the Middle East region. During the two-week attachment supporting the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (CSG-11), Newcastle conducted escort operations and a range of naval manoeuvres with USN ships. Commander of Australian Forces in the Middle East, Major General John Frewen, said Newcastle’s role directly supported the international effort…

The Navy awarded a $5.1 billion contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat for Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) of the Columbia Class submarine Sept. 21. The IPPD contract award is for the design, completion, component and technology development and prototyping efforts for the Columbia Class Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines (SSBNs). This work will also include United Kingdom unique efforts related to the common missile compartment. "The Columbia class submarine is the most important acquisition program the Navy has today," said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer.

France hopes for agreement over the future of the STX France shipyards at a Franco-Italian summit on Sept. 27, but a separate deal on warship co-operation would take longer to negotiate, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday. "I would like us to have an agreement between the French and Italian governments on STX for the summit on September 27," Le Maire told reporters after a meeting with suppliers in the aerospace sector. France clashed with Italy in July after ordering a "temporary" nationalisation of STX…

Dominican Republic closed most of its ports ahead of Hurricane Maria, but the country's 34,000-barrel-per-day refinery was still running, the government said on Wednesday. Ports that suspended operations under the "red alert" declared for extreme weather conditions are La Romana, Samana, Arroyo Barril, Puerto Plata and Manzanillo, the Dominican Port Authority said in a statement. Maria was a Category 4 hurricane when it hit Puerto Rico earlier on Wednesday. The ports of San Souci and Haina…

Hunter Marine's Operations Division has selected MarineCFO’s Vessel 365 fleet optimization technology, along with Endurance Personnel for managing time cards, scheduling and personnel reporting functions, and Endurance Maintenance, a complete maintenance solution from scheduling, outside services and capacity planning to quality control. Darrick Lee, Hunter Marine Purchasing Manager said the company will use MarineCFO's suite of products to achieve Subchapter M compliance and to help streamline existing business processes.

The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), along with multiple embarked Navy and Marine Corps units, completed initial rescue and recovery operations in support of federal and state officials Sept. 17, following Hurricane Irma's devastation of the Florida Keys. Iwo Jima and New York are scheduled to return home Sept 19. Led by Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10, the Navy and Marine Corps units partnered with…

HMAS Darwin and her younger sister HMAS Melbourne have shared their last moments together, showing the rest of the Navy that the guided missile frigates are still an impressive capability. The Adelaide class frigates have deployed concurrently with a number of other Australian Navy ships to the Asian region, however, Darwin’s program will see her decommission before Melbourne returns home from the deployment in December. Seizing the opportunity, Commanding Officer Darwin, Commander Phillip Henry…

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday that he was working to see if there was a link between a spate of recent military accidents and budget caps, but said he could not draw a direct line at this time. Since June, more than 70 U.S. service members have either been killed or injured in training or non-combat accidents, ranging from two naval collisions in Asia to a Marine Corps transport plane crash in rural Mississippi. “I am not willing to say right now that there is a direct line between sequestration and what has happened. I am willing to say ...

Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs and Trade to Seoul, Anne Linde, and a high level Swedish business delegation, including Seth Ryding, Head of APAC at Telenor Connexion, are invited as key partners for the Next generation transportation in Smart Cities summit in Seoul on September 20-21. South Korea has for many years been one of the fastest growing economies in the world and today the country is ranked as the 12th largest economy globally considering purchasing power. A very strong…

Hurricane Maria has intensified and regained its Category 5 hurricane strength, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday.   Maria, which made landfall in Dominica as a Category 5 storm on Monday night, is about 205 miles (325 km) southeast of St. Croix with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h), it said.   The hurricane is expected to move towards the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday night and Wednesday, the Miami-based weather forecaster added. Reporting by Vijaykumar Vedala 

Bahrain accused Qatar on Monday of illegally seizing three boats with 16 sailors on board, state news agency BNA reported, worsening an already deeply troubled diplomatic situation in the region. Coast Guard Commander Commodore Alaa Siyadi told BNA the boats were seized over the past three days. The report gave no details on the nature of the boats or where they were seized. Qatari officials said they were checking the report. Siyadi said the seizure raised to 15 the number of boats seized, and the number of sailors in Qatari custody to 20, adding that some of the boat seizures date back to 2009, BNA reported. Bahrain, together with Saudi Arabia…

Austal USA delivered its sixth littoral combat ship to the U.S. Navy on Friday, September 15. The future USS Omaha (LCS 12) is the nation’s 10th littoral combat ship delivered to the Navy, the first of two that the shipbuilder will deliver this year. “They’re here and ready. Our Independence-variant littoral combat ships are coming off the line with exceptional quality and under the congressional cost cap,” said Austal USA President Craig Perciavalle. The Omaha delivery follows the USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) commissioning which took place in Galveston, Texas, earlier this summer. With the USS Jackson (LCS 6) and USS Montgomery (LCS…

A Panama flagged bulk carrier, DL Carnation, has been banned from entering Australian ports for a period of 12 months after authorities uncovered a scheme which saw the vessel’s crew being intentionally underpaid. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it received a complaint on Friday, September 8 via the International Transport Workers’ Federation alleging discrepancies in the payment of wages for the crew of the DL Carnation. An AMSA surveyor attended the vessel in Gladstone and found that the ship was operating with two sets of wage accounts on board: one showing the amount of pay the crew should have been receiving in line with their Seafarer Employment Agreements, and the other showing what the crew was actually receiving.

A second powerful storm in as many weeks was bearing down on a string of battered Caribbean islands, with forecasters saying Maria would strengthen rapidly into a major hurricane as it ripped into the Leeward Islands on Monday night. Maria's strength was building as it approached the Lesser Antilles, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, estimating its winds near 90 miles per hour (145 kph). "Maria is expected to become a major hurricane as it moves through the Leeward Islands," the forecaster said, marked by "rapid strengthening" during the next 48 hours. Maria is approaching the eastern Caribbean less than two weeks after Irma hammered the region before overrunning Florida.

More than 22,000 barrels of oil, refined fuels and chemicals spilled at sites across Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, along with millions of cubic feet of natural gas and hundreds of tons of other toxic substances, a Reuters review of company reports to the U.S. Coast Guard shows. The spills, clustered around the heart of the U.S. oil industry, together rank among the worst environmental mishaps in the country in years, but fall far short of the roughly 190,000 barrels spilled in Louisiana in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina - the last major storm to take dead aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast. Harvey slammed ashore in Texas on Aug. 26, unleashing record flooding around Houston that destroyed countless homes, displaced around a million people and killed scores. The U.S.

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) hosted its Annual Meeting in New Orleans, where NASDA President and Commissioner of Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr. Michael Strain championed a motion supporting the deepening of the Mississippi River Ship Channel to 50 feet. Earlier in the week, Dr. Strain led the effort to gain the support of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA) on the same motion. “NASDA…

South Pacific island nations are scouring shipping records for vessels with links to North Korea after Fiji said it had identified 20 falsely flagged ships it suspects the isolated regime is using to evade United Nations sanctions. Fiji, along with Interpol and the Singapore-based regional shipping regulator Tokyo MoU, are investigating the vessels for links to North Korea, a spokesman for the country's Maritime Safety Authority (MSAF) told Reuters on Friday. Interpol and Tokyo MoU did not immediately respond to requests for comment on their investigations. The 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum this month agreed to launch an audit of every ship registered in the Pacific to search for any links to North Korea.

Hong Kong's port expects a slight rise in container shipping volumes this year despite continuing global turmoil in the sector. The global container industry, which transports everything from bananas to iPhones, is showing signs of better returns after a near-decade long slump. Nevertheless, worries over global retail demand and too many ships have continued to put the brakes on a bigger recovery. Hong Kong's Secretary for Transport and Housing, Frank Chan Fan, said container…

Phillips 66 has chartered a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, making use of a temporary waiver of the Jones Act that was put in place to meet fuel shortages in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Argus Media reported on Thursday. The vessel, Nave Jupiter, departed from Houston, Texas on Sept. 9, and was docked near the company's Alliance refinery in Louisiana, the report said. The nearly 100 year-old law mandates the use of U.S.-flagged vessels to transport merchandise between U.S. coasts. Last week, the U.S. Homeland Security Department had waived the law for a week, the first such waiver since December 2012 after Hurricane Sandy. The department said earlier this week that it was extending the temporary waiver until Sept. 22.

More than 22,000 barrels of oil, refined fuels and chemicals spilled at sites across Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, along with millions of cubic feet of natural gas and hundreds of tons of other toxic substances, a Reuters review of company reports to the U.S. Coast Guard shows. The spills, clustered around the heart of the U.S. oil industry, together rank among the worst environmental mishaps in the country in years, but fall far short of the roughly 190,000 barrels spilled in Louisiana in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina - the last major storm to take dead aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast.

In the week that global maritime leaders gave the UK a vote of confidence, naming it one of the world’s leading maritime centres, PD Ports is urging UK businesses not to develop ‘Brexit blinkers’ but instead to explore significant new global opportunities as the UK negotiates its exit from the EU. Industry data shows UK export performance as a whole has been stronger outside the Single Market than within the EU over the last decade according to PwC’s UK Economic Outlook report.

Yemen's Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi said on Thursday his group could target Saudi oil tankers should Saudi Arabia attack Yemen's main port at Hodeida.   "We could target Saudi oil tankers and we could do anything, we have not done this before," he said.   In a televised speech, the leader also said his group's ballistic missiles were capable of reaching the United Arab Emirates' capital of Abu Dhabi and anywhere inside Saudi Arabia.   It was unclear whether the Houthi group has the capability to carry out its threats. (Writing By Maha El Dahan; Editing by Toby Chopra)

Remarks from Federal Maritime Commissioner William P. Doyle at the FTR Transportation Conference 2017, Indianapolis, Ind. On September 13, 2017, I voted to expedite the Commission’s decision and support THE Alliance’s amendment authorizing creation of a contingency trust fund designed to protect customers’ cargo and the ocean transportation chain should one of THE Alliance’s carriers experience financial distress or an insolvency event. I support the goal behind this amendment: the smooth and continuous flow of cargo even in the face of another ocean carrier bankruptcy or catastrophic failure.

The divers have recovered two bodies out of the five missing crew of JBB DE RONG 19, following the collision between Indonesian-registered tanker KARTIKA SEGARA and Dominican-registered dredger JBB DE RONG 19 that occurred in Singapore territorial waters at about 12.40am (Singapore time) on 13 September 2017. At the point of collision this morning, 12 crew members were onboard JBB DE RONG 19. Seven were sent to the Singapore General Hospital, out of whom five have since been discharged. Search and rescue (SAR) efforts for the three remaining crew members are ongoing.

Cyber risk has hit a critical peak within the maritime industry, and the significant impact of the Petya ransomware attack on scores of maritime entities only amplifies it. The attack effectively shut down major ocean carriers, including shipping conglomerate Maersk, and impacted marine terminal operations across the globe. Every maritime company, no matter the size or business function, is a potential target. The industry has seen a recent wave of guidelines and resolutions from maritime regulatory bodies related to maritime security and cyber risk mitigation.

The U.S National Ice Center (USNIC) in coordination with the Office of Naval Research, Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, the Danish Joint Arctic Command, Environmental and Climate Change Canada and University of Washington deployed buoys into the Arctic Ocean during a joint mission. The joint mission was conducted to collect weather and oceanographic data to enhance forecasting and environmental models thereby reducing operational risk for assets in the Arctic. "Polar lows…

The UK Chamber of Shipping's CEO Guy Platten and its president Dr Grahaeme Henderson were among a delegation of international shipowners and major figures from the shipping industry that visited 10 Downing Street on Monday as part of London International Shipping Week 2017. The delegation, led by Maritime UK, took part in a round-table debate with government ministers to discuss both the challenges and opportunities facing the UK's maritime industry, and how the government can strengthen the country's appeal as an attractive business centre.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Ship Teruzuki visited Kochi from 09 to 11 September 2017. Captain Masashi Kondo, Commander Escort Division Six is sailing onboard JS Teruzuki, a destroyer which is being commanded by Commander Seiichi Hashimoto. Captain Masashi Kondo, Commander Escort Division Six accompanied by the Commanding Officer of Japanese Ship Teruzuki had called on Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, VSM, the Chief Staff Officer (Training) of Southern Naval Command (SNC) on 09 September 2017 wherein professional subjects of common interest to both navies were discussed.

The Australian Defence Force Joint Task Group, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017, has completed the first international engagement activity of the deployment. HMAS Adelaide, one of the Royal Australian Navy’s Canberra class amphibious ships, reached the milestone after recently conducting aviation training with the USS Bonhomme Richard off the east coast of Australia. The training involved both the SH60S Seahawk helicopter and a United States Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor, with…

A Ukrainian delegation led by its Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Ms. Nataliya Mykolska, met Secretary, Ministry of Shipping Shri Ravikant in New Delhi  to discuss the potential for developing sustainable partnership between the two countries in the area of shipbuilding. Giving an overview of ship building industry in their country, the Ukrainian delegation invited senior officials of the Ministry of Shipping to visit Odessa and Kiev to study the logistic chain and shipbuilding yards in particular.

The new Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided missile destroyer Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) was launched by Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division on Friday, September 8, in Pascagoula, Miss. “A quality launch is a critical milestone in a ship’s life,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. “Our world-class shipbuilders have once again met this goal in launching DDG 119. We look forward to continuing this success as we prepare DDG 119 to join the fleet as USS Delbert D. Delbert D. Black was translated via Ingalls’ rail car system to a floating dry dock.

The German defence procurement agency said on Tuesday it has awarded a contract valued at nearly 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) to a consortium of shipbuilders led by Lurrsen Werft for five new corvettes to be delivered from 2022 to 2025. The agency said the contract would give the German navy additional proven warships to keep up with its increased responsibilities within the NATO alliance. The consortium also includes Thyssenkrupp and German Naval Yards, which had undertaken legal action to be added to the group. In July Germany's competition regulator, the federal cartel office, said it would not block moves by Lurssen and Thyssenkrupp to expand the consortium after finding no evidence of antitrust concerns.

Representatives of the British and Hong Kong maritime business sectors have agreed to forge a closer working relationship. Under the terms of a new Memorandum of Understanding, Maritime London and the Hong Kong Maritime & Port Board (HKMPB) will cooperate in a range of areas including promotional activity, training and sharing of best practice for maritime business services. The agreement was signed in London during London International Shipping Week by Chan Fan, Frank, JP, Secretary for Transport & Housing…

A Container-on-Barge service intended to be an integral part of the regional intermodal equation is gathering momentum – and customers. Quietly, the Port of New Orleans (NOLA) has marked some important accomplishments in the past two years, across multiple business sectors. For example, in April 2016, NOLA’s Board dedicated a $25 million Mississippi River intermodal terminal, capable of handling 160,000 twenty-foot-equivalent (TEU) units per year by rail. CN Railroad signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) a year earlier (2015)…

The Consultative Shipping Group (CSG) is meeting in the United Kingdom during the London International Shipping Week (LISW) to discuss the challenges facing global shipping markets, said a press statement from Danish Maritime Authority (DMA). Director-General of DMA Andreas Nordseth, has chaired the CSG since 2009 while the DMA itself is secretariat for the group. The CSG members hail from 18 European, Asian countries plus Canada - all sharing the values and principles of open and unhindered shipping markets.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency are working with Texas state regulators to clean up oil and chemicals spilled from a dozen industrial facilities after flooding from Hurricane Harvey, authorities said. The spills came from oil refineries, fuel terminals and other businesses, but EPA spokeswoman Terri White said it was not possible to provide an estimate for the amounts spilled. "Initial reports were based on observation," White said. Refineries owned by Valero Energy Corp in Houston, Motiva Inc in Port Arthur, and Exxon Mobile Corp in Baytown, were among the facilities that had reported spills, according to White. Representatives for those companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Norco Holdings, the Poole-based manufacturer of lightweight composite structures and GRP moldings, has been selected by Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK) to build the fleet of replacement workboats ordered recently by the UK MoD and due to be delivered over the next six years. The contract is for 30+ boats in total, ranging in size from 11 to 15 meters. As the primary composites supplier for the project, Norco will be producing the major components for the new vessels including hull, deck, superstructure and associated multipurpose modules.

An Iranian military vessel confronted an American warship in the Gulf and warned it to stay away from a damaged Iranian fishing boat, Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, but the U.S. Navy denied any direct contact with Iranian forces. The American vessel turned away after the warning from the Iranian ship, which belonged to the naval branch of the Iranian army, according to Tasnim. The Iranian military vessel then towed the fishing boat, which had sent out a distress signal after taking on water, back to shore. The agency did not specify when the incident, close to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, took place. In statement, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) said the coastal patrol USS Tempest, operating in the Gulf of Oman on Sept.

Hurricane Irma was losing strength as its center moved toward the northwestern coast of the Florida Peninsula on Monday and was forecast to weaken to a tropical storm during the day and to a tropical depression by Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.   Irma, once ranked as one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic, was about 60 miles (100 km) north of Tampa, Florida, carrying maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (120 km per hour), the center said in a 5 a.m. ET (0900 GMT) advisory.   Irma's center would cross the eastern Florida Panhandle into southern Georgia on Monday afternoon, then move through southwestern Georgia and eastern Alabama on Monday evening and Tuesday, the NHC forecast.   Reporting by Vijaykumar Vedala

Bangladesh has shortlisted global commodity traders Trafigura and Gunvor to arrange the installation of two floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals in 2018 as the country transforms into a major LNG consumer. "Trafigura and Gunvor have been shortlisted out of 13 companies for two 200 million cubic feet/day LNG import terminals," a director at state-run energy firm Petrobangla's LNG division told Reuters. Petrobangla will hold talks with the companies and deals will then be finalised, he added.

Product tanker Agia Zoni II reported water ingress, sinking, in the early hours of Sunday  in Saronikos Gulf, south of Athens at anchorage west of Piraeus, with some 2500 tons of fuel on board, and two crew. The local media reports that Aghia Zoni II took on water while it was anchored and sank at 2.45 a.m., after sailing from the Aspropyrgos distilleries in the early hours of Saturday carrying 2,200 metric tons of fuel oil and 370 metric tons of marine gas oil. It is not yet known what caused the sinking.

Skuld Singapore  has reminded all members that Singapore has ratified the Wreck Removal Convention (WRC) which entered into force in Singapore on 8 September 2017. "As members will be aware, the WRC requires among other matters owners of ships over 300 GT to have in place insurance to cover the costs of wreck removal. Skuld, like all the clubs within the International Group, has appropriate wreck removal cover available to their members," said a statement from the international mutual marine insurance company.

Technological advancement for modernization of major ports and reforms for enhancing ease of doing business are driving and sustaining the growth trend line at India’s major ports. The country’s 12 major ports together handled 273.96 Million Tonnes of cargo between April to August, 2017 as against 265.31 Million Tonnes handled during the corresponding period of previous year, an overall growth of 3.26%. Seven Ports (Kolkata, Paradip, Chennai, Cochin, New Mangalore, Mumbai and JNPT) registered positive growth in traffic during the period April to August 2017.

The number of incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in August 2017 had increased slightly compared to the same period in 2016, said ReCAAP ISC. Four incidents were reported in August 2017 compared to three incidents reported in August 2016. However, the total number of incidents during January-August 2017 was the lowest among the 10-year reporting period of January-August 2008-2017. There was no report of incident involving the abduction of crew from ships in the Sulu-Celebes Sea since the last actual incident that occurred in March 2017.

Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast is forming Contingency Engineering Response Teams (CERTs) in preparation of any damage to Naval facilities in the path of Hurricane Irma. "Teams returned last week from Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville and NAS Corpus Christi after performing damage assessments after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas," said Integrated Product Team Gulf Coast Assistant Operations Officer Cmdr. Anant Patel who is the CERT officer in charge.

The U.S. Coast Guard identified locations and dates for the Hudson River Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment (PAWSA) Workshops. Dates in November have been identified for two groups of waterway users and stakeholders to participate in two-day structured workshops to ensure the PAWSA process is a joint effort involving waterway users, stakeholders, and agencies to identify ways to improve the safety of the Hudson River. The Coast Guard has completed 52 PAWSA studies nationwide since the program’s inception in 1999. On November 7-8, a workshop will be held in the Mid-Hudson region.

The amphibious assault ships USS Wasp (LHD 1), USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) along with the Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are supporting the lead federal agency in providing humanitarian relief efforts for Hurricane Irma. Wasp, the first Navy platform to arrive in the vicinity of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is providing medium and heavy lift helicopters to transport people and supplies. Wasp's helicopters are conducting medical evacuations for intensive care patients from St. Thomas to St.

Hand in hand with the digital craze in maritime is the caution of cyber attacks. We live and operate in a complex society. That society would be impossible without modern computers and other information technologies Those technologies have largely been developed piecemeal to address particular issues, and for the most part they have generally achieved their particular goals. Maximum efficiency is gained when multiple technologies are joined to coordinate their work. Computers get smaller and faster, with ever-growing memory. Joining computers together allowed for creation of the internet.

BMT Group subsidiary BMT Asset Performance has appointed Paul Haycock as Business Development Lead for Surface Systems. Haycock joins BMT after 35 years in the Royal Navy, serving on a variety of ships and in a diverse range of environments. A Warfare Officer and Lynx Helicopter Observer, Haycock’s sea time has ranged from Minesweepers on Fishery Protection duties to Frigates and Destroyers as a Bridge Watch Keeper, Ships Communications Officer, Flight Commander and Second in Command.

Within the U.S. inland waterways industry, any mention of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will almost certainly be in reference to the “Infrastructure Report Card” that ASCE prepares and issues every four years, describing the condition and performance of America’s infrastructure in 16 categories: aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, inland waterways, levees, ports, public parks, rail, roads, schools, solid waste, transit and waste water.

At least half of Puerto Rico's island without power; storm likely to hit Florida Saturday or Sunday. Hurricane Irma killed eight people on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin and left Barbuda devastated on Thursday as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century took aim at Florida. Television footage of the Franco-Dutch island of Saint Martin showed a damaged marina with boats tossed into piles, submerged streets and flooded homes. Power was knocked out on Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy and in parts of the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. "It is an enormous disaster, 95 percent of the island is destroyed. I am in shock," Daniel Gibbs, chairman of a local council on Saint Martin, told Radio Caribbean International.

Malaysian authorities thwarted the hijacking of a Thai oil tanker on Thursday and arrested 10 suspected Indonesian pirates on board the ship, a maritime security agency commander said. A special team from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) stormed the MT Tanker MGT1, off the coast of the northeastern state of Terengganu, nearly 10 hours after it was reported missing on Wednesday. While the 10 were detained on the tanker, three suspects on a smaller boat nearby managed to escape, and an MMEA vessel has been sent to find them, the agency's chief, Maritime Admiral Zulkifli Abu Bakar, said in a statement. The boat was spotted near the tanker by a surveillance aircraft.

The Australian Government is joining forces with countries from around the world to conduct Exercise PACIFIC PROTECTOR, as part of an ongoing major international commitment to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems and related materials. The exercise will be held in Cairns, Queensland from 6–9 September 2017 as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is an effort by 105 partner countries to build networks, tools and capabilities to counter illicit weapons of mass destruction-related trade across the globe.

Navy installations throughout Florida are preparing for heavy weather as Hurricane Irma approaches South Florida. Commander, Navy Region Southeast, Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar, directed the evacuation of non-essential personnel and family members from Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, Sept. 5. "Their safety and security is a top priority," Bolivar said. Approximately 50-60 mission essential personnel are remaining behind to maintain essential functions on the installation. Naval Air Station Key West personnel have a designated safe haven area of within 300 miles of Atlanta.

Now, the Danish Maritime Authority makes a digital version of the Radio Medical Record available on the website. This new feature is a small step on the road to digitalization. These years, the Danish Maritime Authority is striving to digitalize as many work processes as possible to ease the burdens imposed on both seafarers and the industry as much as possible. The Danish Maritime Authority continues its work within the fields of digitalization and the utilization of technological solutions for the benefit of Blue Denmark.

Bollinger Shipyards has delivered the 25th Fast Response Cutter (FRC) USCGC Jacob Poroo to the U.S. Coast Guard on September 5, 2017 in Key West, Fla. The vessel’s commissioning is scheduled for November 8 in New Orleans. Ben Bordelon, Bollinger president and CEO, said, “This FRC built by Bollinger Shipyards will be the second FRC to be stationed in Pascagoula, Miss. Previous cutters have been stationed in Florida; San Juan, P.R.; Cape May, N.J.; Ketchikan, Alaska; Pascagoula, Miss. and Honolulu, Hawaii.

Aiming to support shipbuilding modernizations that will increase productivity and allow U.S. shipyards to compete more effectively in global markets, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded $9.8 million to 18 U.S. yards through its Small Shipyard Grant Program. “Small shipyards play a significant role in our country’s maritime sector, which contributes to our economy, security, and infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

Port handles 60 mln tonnes/year of foreign and domestic seaborne coal. Guangzhou port, the largest coal transport hub in southern China, has halted foreign coal imports, according to traders who use the port and said they had been informed of the shutdown by customs authorities and senior company officials. Traders said the move caught merchants using Guangzhou by surprise and interpreted it as a sign of Beijing stepping up its campaign to cut pollution caused by the burning of coal.

Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, churned across northern Caribbean islands on Wednesday with a potentially catastrophic mix of fierce winds, surf and rain, en route to a possible Florida landfall at the weekend. Irma is expected to become the second powerful storm to thrash the U.S. mainland in as many weeks but its precise trajectory remained uncertain. Hurricane Harvey killed more than 60 people and caused damaged estimated as high as $180 billion when it hit Texas late last month. The eye of Irma, a Category 5 storm packing winds of 185 miles per hour (295 km per hour), moved away from the island of Barbuda and toward the island of St. Martin, east of Puerto Rico, early on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami reported.

The future USS Little Rock (LCS 9) concluded its acceptance trial August 25 after completing a series of graded in-port and underway demonstrations on the Great Lakes for the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey. The acceptance trial is the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship to the Navy, which is planned for this fall. During the trial, the Navy conducted comprehensive tests of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) intended to demonstrate the performance of the propulsion plant, ship handling and auxiliary systems. While underway, the ship successfully completed a full-power run along with all associated steering and maneuvering events (quick reversals and quick ahead) to demonstrate the ship's maneuverability.

BMT has launched VENARI-85, a new mine countermeasure (MCM) concept design said it be capable of clearing mines faster over a greater area and with less risk to the crew, while simultaneously providing broader utility to navies around the world. According to BMT, VENARI-85 offers a flexible platform that is capable of a spectrum of roles which is future-proofed and able to evolve as technology advances in the unmanned and offboard systems markets take shape. Combining BMT’s ship design pedigree with QinetiQ’s integration expertise…

Vietnam on Tuesday issued a strong condemnation of Chinese military live-fire exercises in the disputed South China Sea, amid rising tension between the two countries. The Maritime Safety Administration of China's southern province of Hainan, which oversees the South China Sea, said last month there would be live fire drills around the Paracel Islands, which Vietnam claims, until September 2. "Vietnam strongly objects this action by China and seriously requests China to respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement. "Vietnam once again asserts…

Qatar inaugurated a new $7.4 billion port along its Gulf coast on Tuesday that officials said would become a regional transport hub and help shield its economy against sanctions enforced by neighbouring Arab states. The Hamad port, 40km south of Doha, is one of the largest such facilities in the Middle East. Since Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) severed ties with Qatar in June, the port has been receiving large quantities of food and building materials for construction projects including stadiums for the 2022 soccer World Cup. The isolation of Qatar over Doha's alleged support for militants has raised concerns that projects could be delayed if supplies from the Far East and South Asia are choked.

Irma on Tuesday intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory.   Hurricane Irma is about 270 miles (440 km) east of Antigua and packing maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h), the Miami-based weather forecaster said.   Irma, which is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days, will move near or over portions of the northern Leeward Islands Tuesday night and early Wednesday, the NHC said.   Reporting by Swati Verma 

Hurricane Irma, a powerful Category 4 storm, plowed toward the Caribbean and the southern United States on Tuesday as islands in its path braced for possible life-threatening winds, storm surges and flooding. Hurricane warnings and watches were in effect for parts of the Leeward Islands, the British and U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, in preparation for a storm that was intensifying with 150 mph (240 kph) winds, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. "Dangerous Hurricane Irma heading for the Leeward Islands," the hurricane center said. A Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale means sustained winds of 130-156 mph (209-251 kph) with "catastrophic" outcomes.

A group of warships departed Sydney on 4 September to participate in a series of key military exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific region – grouped as Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017. Running from 4 September to 26 November, Indo-Pacific Endeavour will focus on enhancing military cooperation with some of Australia’s key regional partners including Brunei, Cambodia, the Federated States of Micronesia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.

EU Naval Force warship ESPS Rayo conducted Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) training in support of the Djiboutian Coast Guard, during her port visit to Djibouti on 30 August. The training began with a briefing on board ESPS Rayo for the Djiboutian Coast Guard personnel. This was followed by comprehensive training in fire fighting techniques, as well as the use of protective clothing used to safely fight a fire. Those receiving the training showed great interest in both…

A Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship sank off the Omani coast due to leaked sea water, reported Bahrain News Agency. Twenty sailors were saved. The report quoted Authorities in Oman saying that the ship was loaded with construction material, consisting of steel bars and sand. Police and Oman’s Transportation and Communications Ministry said that the boat sank off the coast of Lakabi, a town some 620 kilometers (385 miles) southwest of the sultanate’s capital, Muscat. The 20 sailors, who were of various nationalities, were rescued and brought to the nearby police hospital in Lakabi.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) has activated two National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) vessels for a pre-scripted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mission to support relief efforts in Texas. The State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College’s training ship, Empire State VI, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s  training ship, Kennedy, have received orders to set sail within 10 days for the four- to five-day transit from the east coast to the gulf coast of Texas.

Training to ‘fight and win at sea’ occurs across the Navy every day of the year, but how does that concept map to the hydrographic fleet and their motto ‘diligence and skill’? – step into the world of the Navy’s survey motor launches. HMAS Mermaid, one of four Paluma class vessels, recently completed an intensive five and a half week training program in North Queensland waters in company with her sister ship HMAS Paluma. The ship and her 15-person crew were put through their paces by Navy’s in-house training and assessment team – Minor War Vessel Sea Training Group.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said Friday it has received and is reviewing one request to waive the Jones Act due to the impact of Hurricane Harvey, which has shut down refineries and closed parts of a key pipeline.   The Jones Act mandates the use of U.S.-flagged vessels to transport merchandise between U.S. coasts. The CBP has occasionally allowed exemptions for oil and gas operators to use often cheaper, tax-free, or more readily available foreign flagged vessels. (Reporting By Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

The United States is proposing to speed up approval of small-scale exports of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), the U.S. Department of Energy said in a statement released on Friday. The department said the proposed rule would "expedite the review and approval of applications to export small amounts of natural gas in the emerging small-scale LNG export market," which it said includes the Caribbean, Central America and South America. To date, most applications for export approval have been for larger-scale natural gas exports…

Austal Australia has opened its Adelaide office, which will support the design and production for the $3 billion Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) program. Officially welcoming Austal’s expansion into Adelaide were Martin Hamilton-Smith, Minister for Defense Industry (SA), Senator David Fawcett, and several locally based Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are already a part of Austal’s 1000 plus Australian supply chain. “As Australia’s largest defense exporter, it is only natural for us to have a presence in Australia’s largest naval shipbuilding hub,” said Austal CEO, David Singleton.

A fishing vessel company that operated in and around American Samoa was convicted and sentenced for maintaining false and incomplete records relating to the discharge of oil and garbage, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Environment and Natural Resources Division and United States Attorney Channing D. Phillips. The company, Yuh Fa Fishery (Vanuatu) Co. Ltd., owned the F/V Yuh Fa No. 201, the vessel that was responsible for the pollution. Yuh Fa Fishery (Vanuatu) Co. Ltd., admitted that its engineers failed to document the illegal dumping of oily bilge water into the waters of the South Pacific Ocean without the use of required pollution prevention equipment. The Chief Engineer onboard the F/V Yuh Fa No.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, has activated its Disaster Relief and Response Fund to assist Coast Guard Members impacted by Hurricane Harvey. “As we see the hurricane rescue efforts unfold, we bear witness to the skill and expertise of the men and women of the United States Coast Guard,” said Susan Ludwig, president, Coast Guard Foundation. “These brave men and women are…

A high-speed rigid inflatable boat (RIB) will be featured in the first unmanned water-borne demonstration to take place at the world’s largest defense and security exhibition, being staged in London this month. The result of a collaboration between BAE Systems and ASV Global, the Pacific 950 optionally-manned RIB has already made waves at Unmanned Warrior naval exercise which took place off the coasts of Scotland and West Wales just under a year ago. Now it’s set to play a vital…

Motiva Enterprises' Port Arthur, Texas refinery, the nation's largest, may be shut as long as two weeks for assessment of the plant and repair of any damage, sources familiar with plant operations said on Thursday. The 603,000 barrel per day (bpd) Port Arthur Refinery was shut on Wednesday due to flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey. Reporting by Erwin Seba

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will not be renewing the bunker supplier licences of Panoil Petroleum Pte Ltd and Universal Energy Pte Ltd when they expire on 31 August 2017. The bunker craft operator licence of Universal Energy Pte Ltd will also not be renewed. Both companies will no longer be allowed to operate as a bunker supplier and bunker craft operator in the Port of Singapore. Panoil Petroleum Pte Ltd made unauthorised alterations on the pipelines of their bunker tankers and has accumulated demerit points[1] for non-compliances to the bunkering procedures.

Japan will not lower its guard over its whaling even though its biggest foe - the Sea Shepherd conservation group - has said it will not send ships to disrupt its fleet this year, a government official said on Tuesday. Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, said in a statement on Monday the group’s limited resources made it difficult to compete with the military technology Japan employs to guard its whaling fleet and it would not send ships to the Southern Ocean this year. But an official at Japan’s Fisheries Agency was skeptical.

GE’s Marine Solutions said its LM2500 family of aeroderivative marine gas turbines have been selected to power two newbuild surface combatants for U.S. Navy and Coast Guard programs. Specifically, two LM2500+ gas turbines will power Bougainville (LHA 8), the U.S. Navy’s newest multi-purpose amphibious assault ship. Construction is expected to begin shortly according to shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries. GE LM2500+ gas turbines also power first-in-class USS America (LHA 6) and Tripoli (LHA 7).

U.S. drivers are starting to feel the effects of Tropical Storm Harvey in their wallets as the country's fuel distribution network starting at the Gulf Coast and stretching across the country is squeezed by floods, refinery closures and dwindling supplies. At least 3.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of refining capacity is offline and more refineries are at risk of shut downs as the storm relentlessly dumps rain on Texas and heads toward Louisiana. The longer refineries remain shut, the more retail prices will increase, traders and analysts said.

Tropical Storm Harvey bore down on Louisiana on Wednesday, pouring down more water after setting rainfall records in Texas that caused catastrophic flooding and paralyzed the U.S. energy hub of Houston. The storm that first came ashore on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years has killed at least 17 people and forced tens of thousands to leave their deluged homes. Damage has been estimated at tens of billions of dollars, making it one of the costliest U.S. natural disasters. There is some relief in sight for Houston, the fourth most populous U.S. city, with forecasters saying five days of torrential rain may come to an end as the storm picks up speed and leaves the Gulf of Mexico region later in the day.

A Damen 3307 Patrol Vessel has been delivered to Homeland Integrated Offshore Services Ltd of Lagos, Nigeria, taking its fleet of these craft up to three, with a fourth currently under construction. Guardian 3 along with its sister ships Guardian 1 and Guardian 2 is now providing security and other support services to the international offshore oil companies active off the coast of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea, in cooperation with the Nigerian Navy. The Guardian series of 3307 Patrol vessels are themselves unarmed…

The center of Tropical Storm Harvey is likely to remain just off the coast of Texas through Tuesday night before moving inland over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.   The storm is not expected to further intensify before its center crosses the coast again within 36 hours or so, the NHC said.   Harvey is now located about 135 miles (220 km) south-southwest of Port Arthur, Texas with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 km per hour), it added.   Reporting by Arpan Varghese 

Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed, Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy is on an official visit to India from 28 to 30 August 2017. The visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for Naval Cooperation. The Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy will hold bilateral discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of the Naval Staff and other senior officials of the Indian Navy on 28 August 2017.

France will make new proposals to Italy with the hope of resolving their differences over the sale and joint control of STX shipyards before a Franco-Italian summit in September, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday. Paris angered Rome last month after it ordered a "temporary" nationalisation of STX, cancelling a deal in which Italy's state-owned Fincantieri and another Italian investor had agreed to buy a 54.6 percent stake. France took the decision after Fincantieri…

Libyan naval forces on Sunday seized a Liberian-flagged oil tanker and detained its mainly Filipino crew on suspicion of smuggling oil off the Abu Kammash area west of the capital Tripoli, a naval spokesman said. Libyan coast guards often seize tankers suspected of smuggling oil and gasoline off the coast that has become a haven for migrants and smugglers taking advantage of chaos that followed the 2011 fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi. In the latest case, the Levane tanker with its crew of 20 members from the Philippines was seized on Monday afternoon by a patrol, naval spokesman Ayoub Qassem said. "The capacity of the tanker Levane is six million litres and it is a Greek-owned company tanker," Qassim said, adding that members of the crew were being questioned.

Major Qatari shipping conglomerate Qatar Navigation (Milaha) is launching a direct service between Qatar and Karachi in Pakistan, the company said on Sunday, as it seeks to counter economic sanctions against Doha by other Arab States. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and transport links with Doha on June 5, ending the use of Dubai's Jebel Ali port as a trans-shipment centre for goods flowing to and from Qatar. As a result, imports into Qatar plunged by more than a third from year-earlier levels in June and July…

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency has made a new appointment to the role of Secretary of State’s Representative (SOSRep) Maritime Salvage & Intervention, which oversees the response to accidents at sea. Les Chapman has been appointed to the role and will join the Agency on Monday 21 August. He will work alongside the existing SOSRep Hugh Shaw OBE for several months, to allow a substantial transition period in this important role, and will not assume the role and responsibilities of the SOSRep until an agreed time later on in the year. The SOSRep is responsible for reducing the risk to safety and the environment arising from accidents at sea.

A christening ceremony was held for the U.S. Navy’s 18th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Charleston (LCS 18), at Austal USA’s Mobil, Ala. shipyard on August 26. “Today marks another major milestone with the christening of this remarkable war ship,” said Austal USA President, Craig Perciavalle. The ship’s sponsor, Charlotte Riley, headlined the group of officials, naval guests – including the Honorable Richard V. Spencer, Secretary of the Navy -, civic leaders, community members and Austal employees who attended the ceremony in Austal’s final assembly bay.

The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command has awarded a $3.1 million firm, fixed-price contract for the heavy lift of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) following a fatal collision with a Philippine containership off the coast of Japan on June 17. Houston based Patriot Shipping has been awarded the contract to move Fitzgerald from Yokosuka, Japan, to Pascagoula, Miss. where the ship will be repaired by Huntington Ingalls Industries.  Heavy-lift will be completed by November 2017.

The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) and 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit departed Singapore after supporting the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) Aug. 27. America will continue on its maiden deployment. While in Singapore, Sailors and Marines aboard America provided initial support for the McCain crew to include berthing for 155 Sailors, daily supplies, counseling, medical/dental services and communications network support. Additionally, America's Sailors assisted with damage control efforts by providing watchstanders and additional equipment.

Korea Maritime Promotion Corporation (KMPC), a dedicated support organization for the shipping industry, will be established in Busan in June of next year with capital of 5 trillion won (US$4.5 billion), reported BusinessKorea. KMPC is set to offer financial and industrial policy support, in order to reform and upgrade the shipping industry in Korea, in response to the Hanjin Shipping bankruptcy. At Seoul meeting of the ministers of economic affairs, on 24 August, South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced a plan to establish Korea Maritime Promotion Corporation…

Brazilian authorities plan to implement legislation to help prevent that vessels owned by exporters such as Petrobras and Vale wind up on South Asia's beaching yards, Bloomberg reported. The report said that earlier this month, authorities decided to develop a legal framework to ensure former Brazilian ships don’t end up with recyclers notorious for using dirty and dangerous methods, federal environmental watchdog Ibama said by email. Brazilian companies could face fines of as…

Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, arrived in Yokosuka Aug. 25, after assuming command Aug. 23. Prior to arrival, he participated in the International Maritime Security Symposium hosted by the Indonesian Navy in Bali, Indonesia. A career submariner, Sawyer has extensive experience as a commander in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. His most recent assignment was deputy commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii. Before that, he was commander, U.S. Submarine Forces Pacific, also in Hawaii; and commander, Submarine Group 7/ Task Force 54 and 74 in Yokosuka.

Residents fleeing most powerful storm on U.S. mainland since 2005. Businesses closed and lines of cars streamed out of coastal Texas as officials called for residents to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Harvey, expected to arrive about midnight as the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. mainland in more than a decade. The hurricane is forecast to slam first near Corpus Christi, Texas, drop flooding rains along the central Texas coast and potentially loop back over the Gulf of Mexico before hitting Houston, some models showed. "My urgent message to my fellow Texans is that if you live in a region where evacuation has been ordered, you need to heed that advice and get out of harm's way while you can," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a televised address.

The Port of Long Beach notched clean air records in its latest study of air pollution emissions, including an 88 percent reduction in diesel particulate matter, continuing more than a decade of air quality improvements. The first phase of the zero-emissions Long Beach Container Terminal opened on Pier E in 2016, helping to drive down the air pollution tallied in the Port’s annual Emissions Inventory, which was completed this week. The Port has been monitoring its progress in air quality improvements since 2005.

Chevron Corp said on Friday it does not expect Hurricane Harvey to affect its U.S. Gulf of Mexico production.   The company, which pumped on average about 128,000 barrels of oil per day from the Gulf last year, has not evacuated any staff, spokesman Morgan Crinklaw said.   Most of Chevron's Gulf offshore operations are east of Harvey and are not being inundated with major wind or waves.   Reporting by Ernest Scheyder 

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting dealings in certain Venezuelan public sector debt on to pressure the government of President Nicolas Maduro to halt its "tyranny," the White House the White house said on Friday.   The order prohibits dealings in new debt and equity issued by the Venezuelan government and by its state oil company, PDVSA. But the White House said the order allows Treasury to provide licenses for other commercial and humanitarian transaction, including financing for commercial trade, petroleum exports and imports and transactions that only involve PDVSA's U.S. unit, Citgo.     (Reporting by David Lawder and Tim Ahmann)

U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth arrived at her home port of Portsmouth last week, fitted with two Dellner Brakes ‘stopping, turning, locking’ (STL) systems that, weighing in at 11,000 kg each, are the biggest STL systems that Dellner Brakes has ever built. Each of the carrier’s two propeller shafts is fitted with a custom-designed Dellner Brakes STL system that allows operators to stop, hold and securely lock each shaft independently, and to individually turn the shafts and giant 33 tonne propellers for maintenance and blade assembly.

The U.S. Justice Department announced a federal grand jury in Portland, Maine, returned a nine-count indictment today charging MST Mineralien Schiffarht Spedition Und Transport GmbH (MST) and Reederei MS “Marguerita” GmbH & Co. Geschlossene Investment KG (Reederei) with failing to keep accurate pollution control records and falsifying records. The charges stem from the falsification of records in 2016 and 2017 designed to cover up overboard discharges of oily mixtures and machinery space bilge water from the Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, M/V Marguerita. On at least eight occasions between September 2016 and June 2016, the M/V Marguerita entered United States waters and ports with a false and misleading Oil Record Book available for inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard.

U.S Navy and Marine Corps divers have recovered and identified a second body in the search for ten sailors missing after a collision between a guided-missile destroyer and merchant vessel near Singapore earlier this week, the U.S. Navy said on Friday. The USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant tanker in waters near Singapore and Malaysia on Monday, which led to an international search-and-rescue operation for the missing sailors. The navy recovered the first body from inside the hull of the warship earlier this week.

Huntington Ingalls Industries has cut a 35-ton steel plate at its Newport News Shipbuilding division to kick off advance construction of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80). The steel plate will become part of the foundation of Enterprise, the ninth U.S. Navy ship to bear the legendary name. Ship’s sponsors and U.S. Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky gave the order to cut the steel during a ceremony that marks the first construction milestone in the life of the ship. Other ceremony participants included Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.; Rear Adm. Brian K.

India's Eastern Naval Command Golden Jubilee Seminar with the theme “National Maritime Power - Concepts, Constituents and Catalysts”, concluded on 23 August 2017. The two-day seminar is jointly hosted by ENC in partnership with the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) was inaugurated at Samudrika Auditorium Visakhapatnam on 22 August 2017 by Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, ADC  Chief of the Naval Staff. In the Inaugural session, the welcome address was delivered by Vice Admiral HCS Bisht…

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) said its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been selected to repair the guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) when it returns to the U.S. The ship, which suffered heavy damage and nearly sank off the coast of Japan after a fatal collision with a Philippine containership on June 17, will be brought to Ingalls’ facilities in Pascagoula, Miss. for the repairs. Ingalls’ history of repairing damaged Navy ships includes the frigate USS Stark (FFG 31) and USS Cole (DDG 67), a guided missile destroyer in the same class as Fitzgerald.

Deltamarin Ltd said it has signed contracts with shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) for the basic design of deck outfitting and machinery for the vessels to be built in the Finnish Navy’s Squadron 2020 project. The Squadron 2020 project will replace seven vessels, which have already been (e.g. the minelayer Pohjanmaa) or are scheduled to be decommissioned. The Navy’s capabilities will be upgraded to counter modern threats by procuring four multi-role corvettes. The main features of the vessels will be the capacity for year-round and long-endurance presence at sea in all the weather and ice conditions of the Baltic Sea, command and control of maritime operations, anti-surface warfare in the open sea, mine-laying at sea and anti-submarine warfare.

The U.S. Navy on Thursday confirmed the identity of one sailor killed after the warship USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant vessel in waters near Singapore and Malaysia, and of nine missing sailors. "After more than 80 hours of multinational search efforts, the U.S. Navy suspended search and rescue efforts for missing USS John S. McCain sailors in an approximately 2,100-square mile area east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore," the U.S. Seventh Fleet said on its website. U.S.