Passenger Vessel Operator News

Patrick Murphy has been President of Blue & Gold Fleet, L.P., the San Francisco Bay Area’s largest and premier provider of Bay Cruises and ferry service, since 2016. Murphy grew up in the Maritime business. His father, Roger Murphy, founded Blue & Gold Fleet in 1979. Patrick Murphy began his career in 1982, working part-time in the Box Office and as a Deckhand before receiving his United States Coast Guard’s license in 1995 and was promoted to Captain in 1996. In 2005, Murphy advanced to Blue & Gold Fleet Operations Manager, and then to Director of Operations in 2009.

Hurtigruten Group said green upgrades for its entire fleet of Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express ships—including batteries, shore power and biofuel—will reduce CO2 emissions by least 25% and NOx emissions by 80% as the Norwegian passenger vessel operator continues its journey toward totally emissions-free vessel operations.Already fitted with shore-power connectivity to fully eliminate emissions when connected in port, the seven Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express ships will be retrofitted with a combination of technologies and solutions specially adapted for each individual ship…

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission voted to support a proposal put forward by Fact Finding Officer Commissioner Louis E. Sola that provides limited and temporary relief to small passenger vessel operators whose operations and business have been disrupted by the response to COVID-19.In approving the "Policy Statement on Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility", which will be published on the Commission's webpage and in the Federal Register in the near future, the FMC determined…

U.S.-based passenger vessel operator Hornblower Group announced it has appointed Kevin Rabbitt has CEO. Rabbitt is expected to take up the role in July, while founder, Chairman and current CEO Terry MacRae will continue as Executive Chairman.Rabbitt’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for industry-leader Hornblower as many parts of the Group’s operations prepare to resume operations when current pandemic restrictions are lifted.“In these unprecedented times, there will be challenges alongside opportunities,” Rabbitt said.

The company which owned Spirit of 1770, a passenger vessel that caught fire and burnt to the waterline with 42 paying customers and four crew members on board while returning from a voyage to Lady Musgrave Island on May 11, 2016, has been fined $25,000 for reckless operation of a commercial vessel.The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) investigated the incident and recommended a charge against the company, Panforta Pty Ltd – trading as 1770 Great Barrier Reef Cruises Pty Ltd. The charge was pursued by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP).On March 16, 2020, the company plead guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates court to one count of reckless operation of a commercial vessel…

French America Line Prohibited from Offering, Advertising, or Conducting Passenger CruisesFrench America Line, a domestic passenger vessel operator (PVO), is prohibited from offering, advertising, or conducting cruises following revocation today of its Certificate of Financial Responsibility for Indemnification of Passengers for Nonperformance of Transportation (Certificate (Performance)) by the Federal Maritime Commission.In April 2019, the Commission’s Bureau of Certification and Licensing notified Great Northern & Southern Navigation Co., LLC, which does business as French America Line (FAL), that it intended to revoke the company’s Certificate (Performance). Companies must maintain a Certificate (Performance) to offer passenger services.

How to make the Capital Construction Fund work for all vessel owners and operators.The Red and White Fleet is a passenger vessel operator on San Francisco bay with roots back to 1892. We make no secret of the fact that we want to build new vessels with zero environmental signatures, all in an effort to increase employment for shipyard workers, provide new jobs for US mariners, and provide a training ground to support the growth of the U.S. flag deep sea ships. That mission is, today, unnecessarily difficult. The reasons why are easy to see.Not too long ago, H.

Passenger Vessel Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting education and safety in the passenger vessel industry, received a $25,000 Challenge Grant from Hornblower Cruises & Events, a San Francisco-based passenger vessel operator with operations in California, New York and Canada to name a few.“We are very pleased to receive this generous Challenge Grant from Hornblower Cruises & Events,” said Rob McMahon, President of the Passenger Vessel Foundation (PVF). “Hornblower…

Regulatory reform is one of President Trump’s priority agenda items. Upon taking office, the President issued a number of Executive Orders focusing attention and demanding action on the myriad of regulations impacting American businesses.Last May, the reform spotlight fell on maritime regulations when the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), published a Request for Information (RFI) on how the government should “prudently manage regulatory costs imposed on the maritime sector.” OMB…

A New Zealand passenger vessel operator and its director have been fined more than $93,000 after a 60-year-old passenger suffered a broken back on the company’s high-speed tourist excursion boat near Cape Brett, New Zealand. In October 2014, Raewyn Russell was seated in the front row as a passenger on the high-speed tourist excursions vessel Mack Attack, a catamaran capable of speeds of up to 100 km/hr. When the boat hit a large wave at speed and landed heavily, Russell was thrown forward and on landing back in her seat heard a crack in her back.

Thordon Bearings’ US West Coast Distributor, Pacific Marine Equipment has successfully completed the installation of a pair of TG100 mechanical propeller shaft seals to Hornblower Cruises & Events’ 1000-passenger capacity twin screw flagship, Inspiration Hornblower. Hornblower, one of the leading river cruise operators in the U.S., operates a fleet of 70 sightseeing and dinner cruise vessels in several cities across the Golden State, the United States and Canada. Todd Terry, President, Pacific Marine Equipment, Thordon Bearings’ U.S.

Passenger vessel operator Haimark Line Limited has cancelled all future cruises, the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has advised. Haimark operates a single vessel, the 210-passenger Saint Laurent, and has cancelled its planned sailings from Miami to Cuba due to prolonged financial issues. Haimark has not sailed since it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2015. In accordance with FMC regulations, Haimark maintains an escrow account to refund applicable passenger fares and deposits for cruises departing from a U.S. port in the event that the cruise line fails to perform any such cruises. The account does not provide reimbursement for payments for air travel…

Finnlines, a Ro-Ro and passenger vessel operator with services in the North and Baltic Seas, has contracted Wärtsilä to supply three vessels with exhaust cleaning scrubber systems. The deal marks a repeat order for Wärtsilä, following a similar contract from Finnlines in 2014 to have six of its ships fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems. Part of the Grimaldi Group, Finnlines' passenger-freight vessels offer services from Germany to Finland and Sweden, as well as from Sweden via the Åland Islands to Finland. Tapani Voionmaa, Group General Counsel, Finnlines Plc., called the latest order an important step toward having Finnlines’ entire Baltic fleet equipped with scrubbers.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) granted a passenger vessel operator a decrease in the amount of financial responsibility it is required to maintain to reimburse passengers when an operator fails to perform cruises as contracted. The Federal Maritime Commission has granted the request of a passenger vessel operator (PVO) for partial relief from its financial responsibility requirements used to reimburse passengers when a PVO fails to perform cruises as contracted. This is the first request granted to a PVO since the Commission updated its regulations in 2013.

CFR 46 Subchapter M is on track and heading for you. Neither the U.S. Flag inland vessel industry, nor the United States Coast Guard knows for sure where or when, but it is coming. One thing is for sure, however, it is going to be expensive – very expensive. Subchapter ‘M’ has been cooking for over a decade and is meant to address a segment of the U.S. commercial inland marine industry that currently carries the moniker of “uninspected” vessel. Far from truly uninspected, responsible operators, in consort with the Coast Guard, The American Waterways Operators (AWO), insurers, lenders and classification societies, have for many years – for safety and liabilities sake – addressed a considerable number of issues now scheduled to be codified under Subchapter M.

A high speed vessel operator's failure to investigate and address the causes of a series of serious back injuries to passengers has earned it a conviction, fines and reparation totalling $270,000, following a prosecution by Maritime New Zealand (MNZ). Intercity Group (NZ) Limited, owners of the Paihia-based high speed vessel Excitor III, was today sentenced in the Auckland District Court after earlier admitting two separate but identical charges under the Health and Safety in Employment Act (HSEA), relating to incidents in the Bay of Islands on 12 January and 22 March 2011 respectively. The two charges, both under sections 15 and 50…

One thing we can look forward to in the new year and beyond is the implementation and development of more regulations. Through a series of unfortunate events, the marine industry seems to have become a prime target for scrutiny, which may or may not be warranted. The onus of compliance established its momentum with the potential threat of terrorists on the waterways; thus, we received the requirement for T.W.I.C. cards that somehow create a shield of security. In addition to new security measures, we have lately seen stronger environmental regulations for emissions and vessel discharge.

By James P. Nader, Esq. Joseph A. Poblick, Esq. It is common in today's litigious environment for businesses to attempt to limit their liability through contracts. Courts have struggled with the "boilerplate" language used in many contracts today. This is true even in the admiralty and maritime world. Although lawsuits involving maritime injuries generally must be filed within three years, passenger vessels such as ferries and cruise ships may stipulate a shorter time frame. Federal maritime law allows a passenger vessel to limit its liability to lawsuits which are filed within one year of the accident. Passenger vessels may stipulate time limitations for filing claims and commencing lawsuits on their tickets.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) issued a press release stating that it has reached compromise agreements recovering civil penalties in an aggregate amount of $820,000. The agreements were reached with a vessel-operating common carrier, members of a carrier credit agreement, a passenger-vessel operator, and various ocean transportation intermediaries. Source: HK Law

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) held a meeting on January 30, 2002 regarding its Passenger Vessel Operator (PVO) Program. Under the PVO Program, operators are required, among other things, to provide financial assurances and related material to the FMC with regard to reimbursing prospective passengers in the event of non-performance. The FMC Staff raised various issues with the Commissioners related to the PVO Program. Questions were raised regarding whether the self-insurance program should be altered or discontinued. The Staff was concerned that current reporting requirements may be insufficient and that there are no penalties for failure to submit reports in a timely manner.

The Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) this week officially submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard a comprehensive security standard for domestic passenger vessels and ferries. Entitled, “ the PVA Industry Standards for Security of Passenger Vessels and Small Passenger Vessels,” the document is the product of a PVA security task force composed of experts representing every type of passenger vessel operation nationwide. The task force developed standards specific to the passenger vessel industry in order to provide effective security measures, many of which are already in place. Using this document, a domestic passenger vessel operator will be able to assess vessel and shore side facility security needs and then develop and implement an effective security plan to protect passengers…