Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen to Close NMDay 2014
Acting Maritime Administrator, Paul “Chip” Jaenichen will close the “Safety at Sea” Seminar being hosted by North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) at the National Press Club from 2:30-6:00pm. NAMEPA’s seminar will join industry and governmental leaders as they discuss issues of the day surrounding Safety at Sea. The seminar is designed to highlight both best practices and opportunities for improvement. Immediately following the “Safety at Sea” seminar is the AMVER Awards Dinner where over 150 companies will be recognized for their participation in the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) system.
Oil Sheen Seen Near Shell Gulf of Mexico Rig
The Coast Guard is investigating the report of a rainbow sheen, approximately 56 miles offshore Venice in the Gulf of Mexico. Watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center received notification from Shell Oil Co., that a rainbow sheen one mile by 10 miles in length was spotted near the Mississippi Canyon Block 807. The Captain of the Port Morgan City Coastguard, Capt. Jonathan Burton, issued a Notice of Federal Interest to Shell Offshore. The source of the sheen and the responsible party are unknown at this time. Pollution investigators from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans conducted an overflight, aboard a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65C Dolphin helicopter. “We are treating this very seriously, as we do all reports of possible pollution.
USCG Pollution Recovery, Charenton Navigational Canal
The Coast Guard announced that it has accessed the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to pay for costs associated with the pollution recovery operations resulting from the sinking of a Mobil Inland Drilling Unit that sank in the Charenton Navigational Canal in April 2010. "We, along with our partners, are dedicated to mitigating the potential environmental hazard that the MIDU represents," said Capt. Jonathan Burton, commanding officer Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Morgan City. On April 30, 2010, the Hercules 61 overturned after taking on water while transiting the canal and sank in its current position just south of the I-90 Bridge. The MIDU has a 20,000-gallon diesel fuel capacity, but there is no current estimate on how much fuel was on board at the time of the incident.
