Office Of General News

A ClassNK executive who played a major part in the fourfold increase in the society’s German market share has returned to the Hamburg office as General Manager.Akizumi Miura has returned for his second posting to ClassNK’s survey office in Hamburg, with a brief to further reinforce and continue building the society’s presence in the key German market.During his first posting, between 2011 and 2016, Miura was a pivotal member of the team overseeing the Japanese classification society’s market share in Germany quadruple…

Alaska Oil Company Agrees to Pay $10 Million in Penalties to Settle Federal Claims for Violating the Jones Act. Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Furie Operating Alaska LLC (“Furie”), a company whose focus is exploration and production of natural gas and oil in Cook Inlet, has agreed to pay $10 million to satisfy a civil penalty originally assessed against it by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) for violating the Jones Act. Furie was penalized when it transported the Spartan 151 jack-up drill rig from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaska in 2011 using a foreign flagged vessel without acquiring a waiver of the Jones Act from the Secretary of Homeland Security. This resolves a civil lawsuit filed by Furie in 2012 challenging the assessment of the civil penalty.

Fendercare Marine Middle East celebrate the official opening of their new regional Head Office in Sharjah with an official event to celebrate at The Address, Dubai Mall before the invited guests – including customers, local dignitaries and staff from the Fendercare Marine global locations - were transported to the new base. After the official opening ceremony, conducted by Fendercare Marine Managing Director Eric Plane, the attendees were given a tour of the premises including the extensive new warehouse facilities.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, says it has been awarded two contracts valued at approximately $226.7 million by the U.S. Navy's Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) office for continuing efforts to modernize and repair training and support equipment for the U.S. and United Kingdom ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) and SSGN fleets. "These contracts are a testament to our 50-year legacy of delivering high-quality mission-critical solutions to the U.S.

The American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) 2013 Maritime Economic Development Workshop in Chicago, June 27-28, will explore the factors driving today’s investments in seaport and related infrastructure. The program's speakers will analyze the risks and rewards for undertaking such investments, reveal how capital improvements propel business development decisions and discuss what influences intermodal connection improvements with ports. Addressing the issue of what is…

DOT's Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance Publishes Official Q & A:      The Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance, with the Office of General Counsel, issued a 49 CFR Part 40 Question and Answer.  Like all ODAPC/OGC Qs & As, this Q & A constitutes official and authoritative guidance and interpretation concerning Part 40. The Q & A issued today is available on their website at: http://www.dot.gov/odapc/qanda.html. The Q & A explains how the Public Interest Exclusion process works when a service agent has been convicted for an offense related to non-compliance with Part 40 or DOT Agency drug and alcohol testing rules.

Representatives from the U. S. Navy's Program Executive Office, Littoral Combat Ships Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office and General Dynamics unveiled a quarter-scale model of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (SMCM UUV), known as "Knifefish," at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition being held at the Gaylord National Resort. Knifefish is a heavyweight-class, minehunting, unmanned undersea vehicle designed for deployment by forward operating forces, and will be a part of the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Countermeasures Mission Package. The SMCM UUV system will allow Navy commanders and sailors to detect and identify mines in high-clutter underwater environments without putting sailors in harm's way.

General Dynamics announced that David K. Heebner, president of General Dynamics Land Systems, will succeed Michael W. Toner as executive vice president and group executive for the corporation's Marine Systems group when Toner retires on December 31, 2008. Mark C. Roualet, senior vice president and chief operating officer of General Dynamics Land Systems, will succeed Heebner on October 15, at which time Heebner will transfer to the corporation's headquarters for a transitional period. Heebner, 63, has been president of General Dynamics Land Systems since July 1, 2005. Previously he had been senior vice president - planning and development for General Dynamics, since March 2002. He had been vice president of strategic planning for General Dynamics since January 2000.

Clean Gulf 2001 Conference and Exhibition, scheduled for October 23-25, 2001 in Mobile, Ala., will provide the oil and haz-mat spill industry and the marine fire and salvage industry an opportunity to discuss innovative solutions for emergency response, clean-up and environmental issues. The event will showcase comprehensive coverage of the oil and haz-mat spill industry from an offshore, coastal and inland perspective as well as marine fire and salvage. This year's 11th annual conference will be hosted and supported by several notable state and federal agencies. Key individuals from state agencies, the federal government, and private industry will be on-hand to address issues of cooperation, regulation, preparedness, prevention and response.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of General Counsel has settled a multiple-violation shark case with the owner of Brooklyn-based Agger Fish Corporation. The fish dealer admitted to purchasing shark meat and fins without a federal permit, failing to report the vast majority of those purchases to federal authorities, and possessing fins from seven shark species that are prohibited from harvest under federal law, including basking and white sharks. he settlement agreement requires Agger Fish to pay a civil penalty of $750,000 and forfeit nearly 1,000 lbs. of dried shark fins, including more than 230 lbs. from prohibited species worth approximately $80,000. An additional $250,000 penalty was suspended.

Coast Guard Cutter Tybee arrived in San Diego, Ca. on Friday escorting the King Diamond II, a Honolulu-based, 82-ft. fishing vessel with 12 tons of prohibited shark fins onboard. A Coast Guard law enforcement detachment operating from a U.S. Navy ship boarded the King Diamond II approximately 350 miles southeast of Acapulco on the afternoon of August 13 and seized the vessel after discovering the illegal shark fins. The Coast Guard Cutter Chase arrived on scene on August 15 and took custody of the vessel, its crew and the catch. The Coast Guard law enforcement detachment returned to the Navy ship, which continued its patrol, and Chase began its escort of the King Diamond II toward San Diego.