Grenada News

Oil stains possibly coming from neighboring Tobago have reached the island of Bonaire, local media said on Monday, prompting authorities to begin organizing protection to beaches and mangrove areas.Since an oil spill from a capsized vessel was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard on Feb. 7, it has blackened the Caribbean nation's beaches and is threatening other countries, including Grenada and Bonaire, whose main source of revenue is tourism.Part of Bonaire's East coast…

Police from two countries in the eastern Caribbean are investigating the possible murder of two people believed to be U.S. citizens who owned a catamaran that was hijacked by three fugitives in the waters off the island of Grenada.The yacht's alleged owners, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry, were last seen Sunday night, when three men escaped from the custody of Grenadian authorities. Police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines captured the men on Wednesday.The Royal Grenada Police…

Trinidad and Tobago has hired two remediation and salvage firms to help clean up an ongoing oil spill off Tobago and salvage the leaking barge, the country's Ministry of Energy said on Tuesday.It has been almost two weeks since the oil spill was first discovered off Tobago's Atlantic coast after a barge ran aground on a reef. The spill has entered the Caribbean Sea, threatening nearby Venezuela and Grenada."An international partnership comprised of T&T Salvage LLC and QT Environmental Inc…

Nine days after a slick was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard, an oil leak from a capsized barge remains unplugged, according to first responders and authorities, prompting nations across the Caribbean to coordinate a response.The spill has spread miles from Tobago's shore, the area first hit by the incident. Trinidad this week alerted neighbors Venezuela and Grenada on possible impact to their coasts.The Caribbean Disaster Management Agency, dependent on regional group Caricom…

An oil spill that has stained Tobago's coastline in the Caribbean is entering into Grenada's waters and could impact neighboring Venezuela, Tobago's Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told Reuters on Thursday.Eight days after Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard first spotted the oil from a capsized vessel whose owner and origin have not been confirmed, portions of the stain have moved about 144 km (89 miles) into the Caribbean Sea at a rate of 14 km per hour, Augustine said."It has now entered Grenada's territorial waters…

The United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (also known as the Beijing Convention) was signed by 15 nations and regions at a signing ceremony in Beijing on September 5, 2023.Signatories were: China, Burkino Faso, Comoros, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Kiribati, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Switzerland and Syria. It will come into force when it is ratified by three state parties. The Convention…

Admiral James Steele Gracey, USCG (retired), 17th Commandant of the Coast Guard, passed away on Sunday, April 5, 2020, in Falls Church, Va., at the age of 92.Born in Newton, Mass. in 1927, Adm. Gracey graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1949. Adm. Gracey was a 1956 graduate of the Harvard Graduate School where he earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration.His career included diverse tours both ashore and afloat, including Commanding Officer, LORAN Station Ocean Cape…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has conducted a Level 2 Training Course on OPRC (Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation) in St Kitts and Nevis  for oil spill response managers in the wider Caribbean region.Participants from 15 countries attended the IMO-funded event, which is focused on tactical aspects of spill preparedness and response, and applying incident management systems to assist effective coordination of spill response.The countries were Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis…

Caribbean States and Territories have re-affirmed their commitment to implementing International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards for safe, secure and sustainable shipping.According to the UN body, this is part of wider efforts to intensify investments and harness the full potential of the oceans, rivers and lakes to accelerate economic growth, create jobs and fight poverty.Ministers responsible for maritime transport and other participants representing the Governments in the region met at a High Level Symposium (27 February) in Montego Bay, Jamaica, under the theme, “Maritime Transportation: Harnessing the Blue Economy for the Sustainable Development of the Caribbean”.The participating countries are Anguilla…

The build-up of aquatic organisms on a ship’s underwater hull and structures is known as biofouling. This can introduce potentially invasive non-native aquatic species to a new area. Fouling can also slow down a ship and impact on its energy efficiency. An International Maritime Organization (IMO) regional workshop in  Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (20-22 June) aims to provide participants with a greater understanding of the requirements and implications of ratifying, implementing and enforcing the anti-fouling systems (AFS) convention and implementing biofouling guidelines. The AFS convention regulates anti-fouling systems in order to prevent adverse impacts from their use and from the biocides they may contain.

The American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF) announced it received a contribution of $150,000 from Mr. and Mrs. Roland Malins-Smith. Mr. Malins-Smith, now retired, is founder of SeaFreight Line Ltd. which was acquired by Crowley in 2015.The ACMF funds scholarships and provides grants for classrooms and other facilities at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU).Malins-Smith, born in Grenada, began his career in 1970 researching shipping and transportation issues for the then Caribbean Free Trade Area (Carifta) Secretariat based in Georgetown Guyana.

YANMAR America’s Commercial Marine Division has made three new additions to its distribution network, Mack Boring & Parts Co., W.W. Williams and Antilles Power. Established in the 1920s, Mack Boring & Parts Co. is one of America’s leading distributors of marine diesel engines, including YANMAR’s pleasure marine product lines. For YANMAR’s commercial marine division they will support the northeastern United States, including Maine, New Hampshire, Rhoda Island, Connecticut, eastern New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina. W.W. Williams has a history as long as YANMAR’s. Since 1912, the company has been providing experience and solutions…

Washington State Ferries (WSF) has sold its oldest ferry, Evergreen State, for $300,000 to Jones Broadcasting, LLC., who plans to use the 63-year-old vessel for ferry service in the protected waters of the southern Caribbean. “The Evergreen State is a special ferry. It was the first vessel custom built for Washington State Ferries in 1954,” said Ferries Chief of Staff Elizabeth Kosa. The first of the three Evergreen State class auto/passenger ferries, the 87-car, 854-passenger Evergreen State features surplus drive motors from World War II.

Further to Hapag-Lloyd's information to their Customer circular issued in 4th March 2016 on the preventive actions of Zika virus for all cargoes entering China, the company has now provided an updated list of origin countries. All shipments from the following countries (indicated below) shall be subject to anti-mosquito treatment. Inbound shipments without proof of anti-mosquito treatment will be fumigated at the port of discharge in China by the authorities without prior notice. It is the Consignee’s responsibility to inform Shipper (at origin) to provide a certificate proof of treatment before loading. Please note that the Carrier is not involved in this procedure and all relevant costs as a result of required measures by the authorities shall be borne by the customer.

Container shipping company CMA CGM Group announced its Gulfbridge service upgrade, and its Hispaniola feeder service optimization. To adapt the group’s offer to its clients’ demand, CMA CGM decided to improve its Gulfbridge service by decreasing its transit times to Colombia. The service first rotation will start on April 29, in New Orleans, with the vessel Frisia Loga. 2,500 TEUs capacity vessels will call ports in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea and East and West South American coast calls through its Kingston transshipment. To complete its regional coverage, the CMA CGM Group uses feeder services. Those services dispatch the containers transported on the main services via transshipment ports. Calls frequency will be increased. Transit times from Kingston will be reduced.

Today in U.S. 1812 - USS United States (Capt. Stephen Decatur) captures HMS Macedonian. 1924 - Airship, USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), completes round trip transcontinental cruise that began on October 7. 1944 - During Battle of Leyte Gulf in Battle of Surigao Straits, U.S. battleships execute the maneuver of "crossing the tee" of the Japanese forces. In Battle Off Samar, escort carriers, destroyers and destroyer escorts heroically resist attacks of Japanese Center Force. In Battle Off Cape Engano, 3rd Fleet carriers attack Japanese Northern Force sinking several small carriers.

Today in U.S. Naval History - October 23 1944 - Battle of Leyte Gulf, a series of separate battles, begins with attacks on Japanese ships. 1983 - A suicide truck bomber attacks the Marine barracks at Beirut airport, Lebanon killing 241 (220 Marines, 18 Sailors and three soldiers) 1983 - Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada, West Indies) begins. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.

1797 - Launching of USS Constitution at the Hartts Boston shipyard, Boston, Massachusetts. The ship is now the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy. 1942 - British submarine lands CAPT Jerauld Wright, USN and four Army officers at Cherchel, French North Africa, to meet with a French military delegation to learn the French attitude toward future Allied landings. 1944 - Leyte Landings continue. 1846 - Miss Lavinia Fanning Watson of Philadelphia christens the sloop-of-war Germantown, the first U.S. Navy ship sponsored by a woman. 1951 - First of seven detonations, Operation Buster-Jangle nuclear test. 1962 - President John F. Kennedy orders surface blockade (quarantine) of Cuba to prevent Soviet offensive weapons from reaching Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

April 22, 2011- While Earth Day was being celebrated around the world, a young maritime industry led agency added to the festivities by announcing it now has over 100 members. The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) was officially launched in 2007 under the watchful eyes of  IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos and USCG Vice Commandant Vivien Crea . In keeping with the mission of MEPAs worldwide, this   industry-led initiative is dedicated…

1904-An Executive Order extended the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Service to the noncontiguous territory of the Midway Islands. 1941-Coast Guardsmen seized all nine Finnish vessels that were currently in U.S. ports and placed them in "protective custody" to "prevent the commission of any acts of sabotage" on orders from the Navy Department. Twenty-four hours later the Coast Guard removed the crews from each of the vessels. This action was ordered soon after the break in diplomatic relations between Great Britain and Finland. The following Finish vessels were seized: SS Olivia, at Boston, Massachusetts; SS Kurikka, SS Jourtanes, and SS Saimaa at New York…

1812 - USS United States (CAPT Stephen Decatur) captures HMS Macedonian. 1924 - Airship, USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), completes round trip transcontinental cruise that began on 7 October. 1944 - During Battle of Leyte Gulf in Battle of Surigao Straits, U.S. battleships execute the maneuver of "crossing the tee" of the Japanese forces. In Battle Off Samar, escort carriers, destroyers and destroyer escorts heroically resist attacks of Japanese Center Force. In Battle Off Cape Engano, 3rd Fleet carriers attack Japanese Northern Force sinking several small carriers. 1950 - Chinese Communist Forces launch first offensive in Korea. 1966 - Operation Sea Dragon logistics interdiction began. 1983 - U.S. Marines and U.S. Army troops land on Grenada to evacuate U.S.

1824 - U.S. Schooner Porpoise captures four pirate ships off Cuba. 1944 - Seventh Fleet lands over 60,000 Army troops on Leyte, Philippines while Japanese aircraft attack. 1952 - Task Force 77 establishes ECM Hunter/Killer Teams of 2 ECM equipped aircraft and an armed escort of 4 Skyraiders and 4 Corsairs. 1967 - Operation Coronado VII began in Mekong Delta, Vietnam. 1983 - Due to political strife, USS Independence (CV-59 ) ordered to Grenada. (Source: Navy News Service)

1904-An Executive Order extended the jurisdiction of the Lighthouse Service to the noncontiguous territory of the Midway Islands. 1941-Coast Guardsmen seized all nine Finnish vessels that were currently in U.S. ports and placed them in "protective custody" to "prevent the commission of any acts of sabotage" on orders from the Navy Department. Twenty-four hours later the Coast Guard removed the crews from each of the vessels. This action was ordered soon after the break in diplomatic relations between Great Britain and Finland. The following Finish vessels were seized: SS Olivia, at Boston, Massachusetts; SS Kurikka, SS Jourtanes, and SS Saimaa at New York…