Americans Evacuate Israel Aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship
A Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea is transporting American citizens fleeing war between Israel and Hamas.Sailing at the request of the U.S. embassy in Israel, the Rhapsody of the Seas arrived at Israel's Haifa Port on Monday morning, loaded an unknown number of passengers and departed en route to the Port of Limassol in Cyprus.Many flights departing Israel have been canceled, leaving countless trapped inside the country as violence rages on."The U.S. government is assisting U.S. nationals and their immediate family members with a valid travel document to depart Haifa via sea for Cyprus on October 16, 2023," the U.S. embassy in Israel said in a recent security alert.“Royal Caribbean Group is actively supporting the U.S.
Indonesia's Navy Seizes Two Tankers Carrying Palm Oil
Indonesia's navy seized two tankers carrying crude palm oil, palm olein, and methanol for what it said were permit and paperwork violations, in an operation, conducted a day before a palm oil export ban took effect, it said on Thursday.MT World Progress violated vessel specifications in its travel document, while the other ship, MT Annabelle carried methanol without a permit, said the navy, which has been deployed to enforce the export ban, which took effect midnight Wednesday.MT World Progress was traveling from Dumai on Sumatra island towards India carrying 34,854.3 tonnes of palm olein, whi
'Miraculous' Rescue of Man Overboard
Swiber Holdings' tugboat 'Swiber Charlton' fortuitously picked up a Thai man floating in open water 'twixt Vietnam & Singapore. “Swiber Charlton” was on its way back from Vung Tau, Vietnam to Singapore when the crew spotted at a far distance, a man floating but alive, in the open waters of the South China Sea. The vessel closed, a lifebuoy was thrown to him, and the survivor was brought up on the deck where he was quickly administered first aid. He did not incur any serious injuries and was assessed physically well.
DHS Budget Request Up 6.8%
President Bush’s fiscal year 2009 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) represents $50.5 billion in funding, which is an increase of 6.8 percent over the 2008 fiscal year level – excluding funds provided in emergency supplemental funding. The request targets five areas, detailed in the following release of information from the DHS. The Department of Homeland Security’s main priority is to prevent terrorist attacks against the nation and to protect our nation from dangerous people. DHS will continue to prevent the entry of terrorists while facilitating the legitimate flow of people by strengthening border security efforts and continuing to gain effective control of America’s borders.
Text of DHS Ridge Speech
The following is the transcript of the Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, January 12, 2005. Secretary Ridge: John, thank you very much, David. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is true as of February 1st I’ll be able to walk through the front door. That’s a good thing. It’s a much abused reference for those who enter public service and then leave it, but I am reminded from time to time, particularly by my children, that there will be a point in time when I get into the back seat and the car doesn’t move. That means I’ve got to get out and get in the front seat and move it myself.
Electronic Transmission of Manifests
The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a rule amending the regulation pertaining to filing of commercial vessel manifests for passengers and crew members. Effective June 6, such manifests must be filed electronically (submittal via the USCG electronic Notice of Arrival/Departure [eNOA/D] system will meet this requirement). The carrier is responsible for ensuring that the information transmitted is correct, the travel document presented by the passenger or crew member appears to be valid for travel to the United States, and the passenger or crew member is the person to whom the travel document was issued. 70 Fed. Reg. 17819 (HK Law)