Office Of The General News

Swire Shipping announced that Westwood Shipping Lines, a niche vessel operator it acquired in June 2022, has changed its name to Swire Shipping.According to Sire, the rebrand—which took effect February 1—will help Westwood to leverage synergies and capabilities in containers, networks, and projects across the global Swire Shipping network to better serve customers throughout North America, Japan, South Korea and China.“The integration of Westwood Shipping Lines reflects our continued investment and expansion in the North Pacific.

Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco has been confirmed as the next Secretary-General of the IMO. The IMO Assembly unanimously approved the decision of the Council at its 129th session on November 30.Dominguez Velasco will take up the office of Secretary-General on January 1, 2024, for an initial term of four years. He becomes the Organization's 10th elected Secretary-General.The outgoing Secretary-General, Kitack Lim, congratulated his successor on his appointment. "I am confident that the Membership as a whole has made a wise decision, and that Mr.

U.S. federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel B. Maffei announced Phillip C. “Chris” Hughey has been hired as the General Counsel of the Federal Maritime Commission and appointed to be a member of the Senior Executive Service.In his capacity as General Counsel to the Commission, Hughey will provide legal advice and recommendations to the Chairman and Commissioners on regulatory and policy matters. He will serve as a member of the agency’s senior management team and will also…

On August 11, 2022, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging seven defendants with running a criminal enterprise dedicated to extorting and misleading shipping companies into paying fees for the loading and unloading of cargo at the Port of San Juan—Piers 9, 10, and 11—under the threat of strikes and blockades on the part of union members of the ILA-1740 of the International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO (ILA) and under false representations…

The good news is that work has commenced on the first new heavy polar icebreaker for the United States Coast Guard in 43 years. The bad news is that when it enters service, projected to occur in FY2024, it will be the first new heavy polar icebreaker for the USCG in 47 years.Meanwhile, Russia has approximately 30 active polar icebreakers, including four that are nuclear powered. Arktika, the first of a new class of three heavy polar icebreakers, has commenced sea trials in the Gulf of Finland, with the other two under construction.

In the realm of marine casualty investigations the allocation of blame should be secondary to marine safety. There are three important criteria for marine casualty investigations to be of value to the maritime industry. First, the report must be completed promptly. It does little good to see for the first time the report on a casualty that occurred three or more years ago. Second, the report must be publicly disseminated. The best report is of little value if it is available only to the principals. Third, the report must focus on the root cause of the casualty.

Wood Group PSN Inc., a Nevada corporation headquartered in Houston, was ordered to pay $9.5 million in two separate cases involving its conduct in the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, Wood Group PSN was ordered to pay $7 million for falsely reporting over several years that personnel had performed safety inspections on offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico in the Western District of Louisiana, and $1.8 million for negligently discharging oil into the Gulf of Mexico in violation of the Clean Water Act after an explosion on an offshore facility in the Eastern District of Louisiana, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeff Wood of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Stephanie A. Finley, and U.S.

The Honorable Sean J. Stackley assumed the responsibilities of acting secretary of the Navy Jan. 20 at noon. Stackley, who served as the assistant secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) for more than eight years, will carry out the day-to-day responsibilities of the secretary of the Navy until the incoming Trump administration nominates, and Congress confirms, a replacement for Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. The Honorable Thomas W. Hicks, deputy undersecretary of the Navy (Management), will also perform the duties of under secretary of the Navy until a replacement for the Honorable Janine Davidson is nominated and confirmed. The Honorable Allison F. Stiller will perform the duties of assistant secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition).

The status of Hanjin Shipping and the disruptions caused by its bankruptcy to the American shipping community, as well as global supply chains, was examined closely by the Federal Maritime Commission during the closed session of the September 20, 2016 public meeting. Commissioners were briefed by staff from the Office of the General Counsel; the Bureau of Trade Analysis; the Bureau of Enforcement; and the Office of Consumer Affairs & Dispute Resolution Services about a variety of developments related to the insolvency of Hanjin Shipping. Topics addressed included: proceedings in the U.S.

U.S. Coast Guard Guidance Helps to Bring some Clarity to the Debate. In July 2015, the U.S. Coast Guard released Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 01-15 (“NVIC”), titled Marine Casualty Reporting Procedures Guide with Associated Standard Interpretations. The purpose of the NVIC is to assist vessel owners and operators in understanding the marine casualty reporting requirements, which many in the industry think are about as clear as mud. Confusion as to what constitutes a marine casualty and what incidents need to be reported has persisted in the marine industry for years.

Keppel FELS Limited , a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), is on track to deliver three KFELS B Class jackup rigs to Mexican company, Grupo R, safely, on time and on budget. A world's first triple rig naming ceremony was held today at Keppel FELS' yard with Mr Chan Chun Sing, Singapore's Minister in Prime Minister's Office and Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress as the Guest of Honour. Built to Keppel's proprietary KFELS B Class design, the three identical rigs were named CANTARELL I, CANTARELL II and CANTARELL III, after the Cantarell oil field in offshore Mexico. They are the first three of five rigs that Keppel FELS is building for Grupo R.

Funds appropriated for use by the US Coast Guard are about to be decreased – again. The service’s funding has decreased in four of the previous five fiscal years, generally by 1% each year. The Administration’s budget request for FY 2016 has just been submitted to Congress. It calls for a 6.2% decrease in Coast Guard funding. For FY 2015, the Coast Guard was appropriated $10,438,120. For the upcoming year, the Administration is requesting only $9,796,995. The budget request identifies various minor cuts.

Sea Star Line LLC and Horizon Lines LLC have agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by fixing the price of government cargo transportation contracts between the continental United States and Puerto Rico, the Department of Justice announced today. Under the settlement agreements, Sea Star Line has agreed to pay $1.9 million, and Horizon Lines has agreed to pay $1.5 million. “Today’s civil settlements demonstrate our continuing vigilance to ensure that those doing business with the government do not engage in anticompetitive conduct…

Halliburton Pleads Guilty to Destruction of Evidence in Connection with Deepwater Horizon Disaster and Is Sentenced to Statutory Maximum Fine; Former Halliburton Manager Is Charged. Halliburton Energy Services Inc. (Halliburton) pleaded guilty today to destroying evidence pertaining to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster and was sentenced to the statutory maximum fine, the Justice Department announced. In addition, a criminal information was filed today charging a former Halliburton manager, Anthony Badalamenti, 61, of Katy, Texas, with one count of destruction of evidence.

Halliburton Energy Services Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to destroying evidence in connection with the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the Department of Justice announced today. A criminal information charging Halliburton with one count of destruction of evidence was filed today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Halliburton has signed a cooperation and guilty plea agreement with the government in which Halliburton has agreed to plead guilty and admit its criminal conduct. As part of the plea agreement, Halliburton has further agreed, subject to the court’s approval, to pay the maximum-available statutory fine, to be subject to three years of probation and to continue its cooperation in the government’s ongoing criminal investigation.

Internationally renowned academic José Viegas of Portugal is new chief executive of global transport policy body. José Viegas, a Portuguese national, has taken office as Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum. The International Transport Forum at the OECD is an intergovernmental organisation with 54 member countries that acts as a strategic think tank for global transport policy and organises an annual summit of transport ministers. The Forum is housed by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

The federal government - by means of the Office of the President's Chief of Staff, the Office of the General Counsel to the Federal Government, the special secretary of ports, and the National Agency for Waterways Transportation (ANTAQ) - is preparing to launch a set of measures designed to modernise Brazil's port infrastructure. First, auctions will be held for new public terminals, with Manaus, Espirito Santo and Ilheus (and possibly Imbituba) likely to be the terminals first auctioned. ANTAQ has already submitted the draft resolution for organisation of the auctions to the president's chief of staff. The draft provides for the presentation…

RINA updates GREEN PLUS notation to cover transhipment terminals. International classification society RINA has updated its industry-leading GREEN PLUS notation to include new potential sources of pollution involving seagoing ships and ships operating at fixed locations. GREEN PLUS is awarded to new vessels that make a significant investment in design solutions, onboard equipment and operational procedures which contribute to an improvement in environmental performance beyond the minimum levels required by regulation.

Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. welcomed John Ferguson, Business Development Manager, to their Offshore Support Division. Ferguson has over 17 years of experience in the offshore and international Oil and Gas industry. He will be using his expertise to prepare for opening a Houston office as the General Manager. His current responsibilities include expanding Global's commercial diving, ROV, and environmental services within the Gulf of Mexico region and evaluating international market potential.

On September 14, 2010, the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General posted its much anticipated report addressing the very serious allegations of misconduct made against the U.S. Coast Guard’s Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) system by former ALJ Jeffie J. Massey. In short, the Inspector General’s office concluded that it “was not able to substantiate” Judge Massey’s allegations against her former superior, Chief ALJ Joseph N. Ingolia, and numerous members of his staff, members of the ALJ Docketing staff, members of the Coast Guard Commandant’s staff and several USCG Investigating Officers who were involved in cases then pending before Judge Massey.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) release the report of its examination of the Coast Guard’s Offshore Vessel Inspection Program. It found that 99% of such inspections were conducted by qualified personnel and did not identify any instances of uninspected offshore vessels. It found, though, that all the guidance needed by inspectors to perform the inspections and record the results had not been developed and implemented. A formal review process for domestic vessel inspection data had not been established. As a result, the Coast Guard cannot determine its current or future resource requirements for this program. OIG-11-86 (6/22/11).   Source: Bryant’s Maritime News

Carole Coune has officially assumed the office of Secretary General of the International Transport Forum at the OECD. As of August 1, 2011, Coune takes over from Jack Short, who is retiring, as leader of the Paris-based intergovernmental organization which brings together 52 nations. On her first official visit to a member country, Coune met with Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport, Construction and Urban Development, Dr. Peter Ramsauer, and State Secretary Rainer Bomba in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss her strategic vision for the future of the International Transport Forum. Minister Ramsauer assured Coune of Germany’s support for her work. He emphasized that Germany is prepared to host the Forum’s annual summit until at least 2017. ”I am delighted that Ms.

Florida-Based Sea Star Line LLC Agrees to Plead Guilty and Its Former President Is Indicted for Price Fixing on Coastal Freight Services Between the Continental United States and Puerto Rico Sea Star Line Also Agrees to Pay $14.2 Million Criminal Fine. Sea Star Line LLC has agreed today to plead guilty and to pay a $14.2 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the coastal water freight transportation industry, the Department of Justice announced. Additionally…