Paul Thomas News

The bodies of three boaters from Europe who died in an Alaska lake were surrounded by frozen debris, a sign that the victims were killed by ice that fell from the melting glacier that feeds the lake, officials in the city of Valdez said on Thursday.The victims were identified by the city as two Germans and an Austrian and were found dead on Tuesday morning in Valdez Glacier Lake, about 120 miles (193 km) east of Anchorage.The victims were found in an area that "was littered with floating icebergs, glacial slush and challenging terrain for recovery," said a statement released by Valdez city officials.Those conditions, plus the location of the remains near the toe of Valdez Glacier…

Last month Maritime Reporter & Engineering News was invited to join Admiral Karl Schultz, the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, on a trek to New Orleans for an underway tour on board a mid-stream transfer operation in the Mississippi River. As the U.S. inland waterway system has endured historic water levels for more than six months, the destination provided a perfect backdrop to discuss several key messages coming from USCG leadership: the maritime industry’s critical role in facilitating U.S.

Energy.It seems that energy touches every aspect of our lives from heating our homes to ensuring that fresh produce is available at grocery stores. It powers our cars and allows industry to move products around the world. The connection between energy and risk to the maritime environment has been a growing area of discussion, research and analysis. The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, within its Joint Doctrine Publication (JDOP 0-10) 5th edition UK Maritime Power, captured this issue superbly: “Fossil fuels and minerals are an important resource in the maritime environment. New deposits of oil and gas, as well as mineral wealth, are discovered under the seabed each year, and improvements in technology will facilitate future exploitation.

Resilience planning, Info Sharing Take Spotlight“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” That old chestnut gets turned on its head when it comes to port cyber security. It’s more like “Oh what a tangled web we’ve woven, so much harder to stop data stolen.”Ports today have the physical aspect of security pretty well nailed shut - gates, locks, fencing, alarms, cameras, drones, etc. As Chris Mason, Rajant Corp.’s director of sales for EMEA, notes, “Every…

ASA Sets the Record Straight. The U.S. salvage industry came under attack at a recent Congressional hearing on May 3 by a special commercial interest that is promoting its own agenda. The American Salvage Association (ASA) intends to set the record straight. At the hearing, the attacking group made false allegations that the Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) resource providers are not willing or contractually obligated to respond and lack the resources to meet regulated response requirements. At the same hearing, this group also criticized the U.S.

Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) has appointed Jim Corr as Vice President – Planning & Estimating. Corr joined VSY in January 2017 as a consultant, and in June 2017 was promoted to Vice President, Planning & Estimating. In this role, Corr is responsible for providing leadership and direction on network planning, detail planning and production control, as well as estimating for new ship construction. planning/scheduling, Integrated Master Scheduling, Lean Six Sigma, engineering planning, process development and pre-production processes.

A top U.S. Coast Guard official said at a recent congressional oversight hearing that the Coast Guard “has not been aggressively enforcing the compliance” of vessel response plans filed under federal Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) regulations. The rules, derived from the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, are meant to prevent a worst-case discharge resulting from fire or explosion aboard a vessel. “The shocking admission by the Coast Guard that it cannot, and is not, enforcing its own marine firefighting rules should be a warning to all ship owners…

Rear Admiral Paul Thomas develops and maintains policy, standards and program alignment for waterways management, navigation safety, boating, commercial vessels, ports and facilities, merchant mariner credentialing, vessel documentation, marine casualty investigation, inspection and port state control activities. He serves as the Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy overseeing three Coast Guard directorates: Inspections and Compliance, Marine Transportation Systems, and Commercial Regulations and Standards. A specialist in Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Protection, he has served at the Marine Safety Center in Washington, DC and many others before that. His other tours include, among others, service as Commanding Officer of USCGC CAPE ROMAIN.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has awarded Qualship 21 status to 30 bulk carriers owned and operated by Star Bulk Carriers Corp., the largest U.S. listed dry bulk operator. The Qualship 21 program rewards high quality ships sailing under qualifying flags. In a letter to Star Bulk, Rear Admiral Paul Thomas of the USCG stated, “Less than 10 percent of all [non-U.S. flagged] ships that operate in the [U.S.] meet the eligibility requirements of this program, putting [Star Bulk's] qualified vessels in an elite class.

Steve Roth has been promoted to President of Seaspan Ferries Corporation (SFC). In this position, Steve will continue to have the primary accountability for the overall performance of the SFC business unit, including management of day-to-day operations of SFC, as well as the short and long-term strategic planning processes, including setting and fulfilling revenue and profitability targets and maintaining relationships with all stakeholders. He is also responsible for ensuring that customer service expectations are met or exceeded while ensuring the safe operation of SFC’s vessels…

Globally renowned green energy champion Peggy Liu has been announced as the latest speaker for Nor-Shipping 2017. Liu, the Chairperson of Joint US-CHINA Collaboration on Clean Energy (JUCCCE), is set to join a growing list of key shipping figures at the leading global maritime event week. Together they will deliver fresh perspectives on the challenges, opportunities and future evolution of the industry worldwide. Liu is a well-known figure throughout the business, political and media landscapes.

The U.S. Coast Guard issued the first U.S. type-approval certificate for a ballast water management system Friday. The Coast Guard Marine Safety Center issued the certificate to Optimarin after its application for U.S. type approval was reviewed and determined to meet the requirements of the Coast Guard’s type approval requirements contained in 46 C.F.R. § 162.060. While this certification provides vessel owners and operators with a type-approved system to meet the ballast water discharge standard, there are other ways that vessels can comply with U.S. ballast water management regulations. * Use of ballast water obtained exclusively from a U.S.

The U.S. Coast Guard formally accepted the American Waterways Operators (AWO) Responsible Carrier Program (RCP) as an existing Safety Management System that complies with the requirements of Subchapter M. In a letter conveying the acceptance, RADM Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, wrote, “This is a significant milestone in the implementation of Subchapter M and... your staff and your members are to be commended on this remarkable achievement. Subchapter M…

From the desk of Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, U.S. It has been one year since the tragic loss of the cargo ship El Faro and her 33 crew members. I encourage everyone in the maritime community to take a few moments to remember them, and reflect on the hazards faced by all seafarers. This is an extremely difficult milestone for the families and loved ones. My thoughts continue to be with them. Many continue to question what happened on board the El Faro during its final voyage. In order to ensure we get those answers…

As the Executive Director for the Offshore Supply Vessel Dynamic Positioning Authority (OSVDPA), Aaron Smith is charged with managing the day-to-day operation of the Authority. Along with the OSVDPA Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Council (TAC), Aaron has helped to craft the Authority’s dynamic positioning operator (DPO) certification program. This includes ensuring that the program is ultimately accepted by the offshore energy industry, and its many international and domestic counterparts.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) and DNV GL signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) authorizing DNV GL to participate in the Alternate Compliance Program (ACP) and delegated certain survey and certification services for U.S. flagged vessels. The MOA was signed by Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for prevention policy, and Captain Blaine Collins, DNV GL vice president of group government & public affairs for the U.S. “We greatly value the ongoing relationship we have with the Coast Guard,” said Collins. “We appreciate their trust and confidence in DNV GL to provide statutory services on behalf of the U.S. The ACP is an alternative to complying with vessel certification and inspection standards contained in Title 46…

The U.S. Coast Guard and DNV GL have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) authorizing DNV GL to participate in the Alternate Compliance Program (ACP) and delegated certain survey and certification services for U.S. flagged vessels. This delegation and MOA, signed by Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for prevention policy, and Captain Blaine Collins, DNV GL vice president of group government and public affairs for the U.S., supersedes the agreements previously executed by DNV and the Coast Guard on August 4, 2006, and GL and the Coast Guard on September 7, 2011.

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) has today filed a rule in its Marine Terminal Operating Schedule (MTOS) outlining its process for adherence to the IMO regulations regarding Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Regulation VI/2, consistent with the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Information Safety Bulletin on this topic, which outlined that existing procedures to comply with U.S. terminal safety regulations could be used to comply with this important regulation. This provision allows the Port of Charleston to provide VGM data directly to ocean carriers via EDI 322 messages as today and provides that shippers using the Port of Charleston authorize this practice, unless they make other arrangements with their ocean carrier.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Director Brian Salerno and U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Paul Thomas participated in a luncheon panel discussion today ​at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC)  in Houston. The discussion focused on topics relevant to joint inspections of offshore facilities and other offshore regulatory issues. Center for Offshore Safety Executive Director Charlie Williams hosted and moderated the session on the final day of OTC. The Director and Rear Admiral discussed their coordinated approach to joint inspections and incident investigations and how they’re carried out. They described the protocol for sharing information on worst case discharge scenarios, as well as how joint working groups and quarterly meetings enhance collaboration.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) received preliminary information regarding the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG’s) Qualship 21 list during Intertanko’s North American Panel meeting. The meeting, which took place on day one of the Connecticut Maritime Association’s (CMA’s) Shipping 2016 conference, was the largest attended North American Panel meeting to date. Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, USCG presented the preliminary results showing the RMI on the Qualship 21 list for 2016. While these results are preliminary, the final results will be presented in the USCG’s 2016 Annual Report scheduled to be released in early summer. There were 26 eligible flag States in 2015 of which 13 fell off the 2016. Qualship 21 preliminary list.

Tomorrow, five prominent members of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) will explain the major detrimental impact that the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Container Weight Documentation Amendment will have on the US agriculture and forest products export industry. The amendment is scheduled to go into effect July 1, 2016. The Agriculture Transportation Coalition's SOLAS Container Weights Working Committee, comprised of U.S. agriculture and forest products exporters and their freight forwarders and trucking companies, has been active on this issue for months, reaching out to the steamship lines, Federal Maritime Commission, U.S. Coast Guard, and Congress to draw attention to the significant problems this amendment poses to the industry.

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.

Seaspan, an association of Canadian companies primarily involved in coastal and deepsea transportation, bunkering, ship repair and shipbuilding services, named three senior leaders to its corporate executive team, the company announced today. The appointments include Paul Thomas as Vice President, Engineering – Vancouver Shipyards; Matt Boydston as Vice President, Finance – Seaspan Shipyards; and Billy Garton as General Counsel for Seaspan ULC. As Vice President, Engineering, Thomas is primarily responsible for engineering and design on new ship construction…