Hope for Haiti

Captains,

This commercial venture announcement is a good sign that Port au Prince will not only be restored, but perhaps flourish.

RADM W

27 Mar 2010

Port-au-Prince, devastated by the earthquake, is now looking at development. Photo: NASA

Earthquake struck Port-Au-Prince has revealed plans for new jetties and increased depth, along with state-of-the-art container terminal facilities.

Responding to the desperate need for new and expanded port infrastructure to serve earthquake recovery efforts, as well as to address the long-term shipping needs of the country, Haiti-based WIN Group and South Florida-based Santé Holding have announced an agreement to re-develop Terminal Varreux, SA in Port-Au-Prince, the largest privately-owned shipping terminal and port facility in Haiti.

Terminal Varreux currently consists of multiple berths connected to liquid and dry bulk pumping pipelines. The facility was damaged during the recent earthquake, but quickly repaired in order to allow crucial tanker shipments of fuel to Haiti, as Terminal Varreux receives and stores more than 70% of Haiti’s fuel.

The redevelopment plans include a new port, additional jetties and a state of the art 150 acre terminal open to all maritime lines looking to efficiently service Haiti.

The expansion will include a modern container and break-bulk shipping terminal and ancillary facilities. The agreement also includes remediation and expansion of existing piers.

Preparing for a worst case

Captains,

Shell Oil provided the industry leadership along with the State of Maine and U.S. Coast Guard for this year's largest maritime spill exercise in the U.S. RADM Joe Nimmich was the New England On-Scene Coordinator. I acted as the National Incident Commander - a role that would normally be held by the Commandant or Area Commander. The exercise was a great chance to demonstrate contingency plans that have been maintained since the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 became effective. My job was to coordinate national support from the Department of Homeland Security, EPA, NOAA, and other agencies. I was impressed with the realism on the water and in the Portland command center as well as the national attention in Washington D.C.

RADM W

Portland ME 3/25/2010 Update: A large-scale oil spill response exercise involving more than 600 people is wrapping up in Maine.

The so-called Spill of National Significance Exercise aims to test the preparedness of oil spill clean-up vessels and numerous federal and state agencies in responding to a massive oil spill at sea.

The exercise has been centered in Portland, where vessels on Wednesday responded to a simulated spill in the harbor while hundreds of people in an onshore command center monitored the vessels and worked on the logistics of coordinating a response.

The drill wraps up today with officials participating from Maine, Boston, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C.

The exercise is held every three years. This is the first time it was held in New England.

The U.S. Coast Guard vessel Shackle, right, passes by the Maine Responder during an oil spill cleanup drill in Portland Harbor on Wednesday. The scenario had an oil tanker leaking 2 million gallons of crude into Casco Bay after being struck by another vessel.

Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Nasty barge explosion, but no deaths

Captains,

This week's "close call" involved two guys welding on an oil barge. No gas free certificate. No hot work permit. The two guys were lucky. The barge is a total loss.

RADM W

INGLESIDE — The Coast Guard reopened the Intracoastal Waterway on Friday and was developing a plan to remove a barge that exploded there the day before, a Texas General Land Office official said.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Coast Guard crews are responding to a barge explosion that occurred at Superior Docks in Ingleside, Thursday.

Two men were treated for minor injuries and released. Bystanders rescued one man, who was thrown into the water when the barge exploded.

A watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi received a call at 3:12 p.m. from the captain of a tugboat, who reported he had just witnessed a major explosion at Superior Docks. The witness stated that the blast was so strong, it blew his boat’s windows out.

Federal, State, and private responders in Savannah

Captains

Liberty, a 625 foot U.S. flag roll on/roll off vessel, sustained a hull puncture while attempting to depart the Ocean Terminal in Savannah, GA yesterday. Over 5,000 feet of boom was deployed and skimmers are attempting to recover the spilled fuel oil.

The National Contingency Plan requires an "all hands" response, which includes federal, state, and private sector coordination. Looks like the unified command system is up and running for this case.

RDML W

SAVANNAH, Ga. – A unified command has been established and is continuing to respond Monday to approximately 6,500 gallons of diesel fuel released into the Savannah River by the motor vessel Liberty Sunday morning at the Ocean terminal.

The unified command consists of representatives from the Coast Guard, Georgia Port Authority, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, National Park Service, O’Briens Response Management Group, Marine Spill Response Corps, and Crowley Maritime Corporation.

Ohio River holds mystery of tragic sinking

Captains,

The 40' towboat Ceredo went down fast taking one of the crew with her in the fast 45 degree waters of the Ohio River. Salvage will be difficult while the water remains high on the river. Let's hope the investigation provides some valuable safety recommendations. Safety regulations are currently being drafted for commercial towing vessels like Ceredo. The Coast Guard has already hired about a hundred towing vessel inspectors and opened a towing vessel center of expertise in Paducah , KY.

RDML W

CINCINNATI - The Coast Guard re-opens the Ohio River Tuesday after a motor vessel sinks Sunday.

At approximately 4:30 p.m., Sunday, the Coast Guard received a report from the motor vessel Claude R that the motor vessel Ceredo sank on the left bank of the Ohio River near mile marker 480.6. It was reported that there were three persons in the water after the Ceredo sank. Two people were rescued by Good Samaritans.

Man Missing After Tow Boat Sinks In Ohio River Identified

Water units from Cincinnati, Boone County and the Coast Guard searched the river for the third man, Christopher McAllister, of Vevay, who was wearing a life jacket. Their search became a recovery effort Monday afternoon.

The men told police that the boat went down quickly. Search crews using side-scan sonar Monday found the boat submerged in about 50 feet of water about 100 feet from shore.

NOAA and Coast Guard teamwork

Captains,

NOAA and Coast Guard are close partners. NOAA provides weather information critical to safe navigation. Coast Guard sets the buoys. Similar close coordination occurs for charting, EPIRB monitoring and response, protection of marine mammals, and hazmat spill response.

RDML W

BALTIMORE – The Coast Guard along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted seasonal buoy replacements Monday in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Coast Guard Cutter James Rankin, a 175-foot coastal buoy tender homeported in Baltimore, maintains approximately 375 aids to navigation and conducts fall and spring buoy replacements annually.

Weather buoys collect data and report real-time environmental information including wind speed, temperature and wave height. The buoys also serve as interpretive buoys that mark the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historical Trail that runs throughout the Chesapeake Bay.

Honor your cooks

Captains,

We all know how important cooks are. I honored our Coast Guard culinary team Friday by attending the awards ceremony as they took 3rd out of a field of 35 military culinary teams in the "world series" of military culinary competitions at Ft Lee, VA. The CG team's high placing in the competition made a strong statement to the Army about the high quality of food service we enjoy in the sea services.

RDML W

Staff report Posted : Friday Mar 12, 2010 17:26:01 EST

The winners of the 35th Culinary Arts Competition at Fort Lee, Va., were announced Friday.

The annual competition drew 629 entries from 229 competitors, according to a release from Fort Lee. Chefs and other culinary artists and teams took home a total of 494 medals, including 133 gold medals.

The winners are:

• Installation of the Year: first place, U.S. Army Team Europe; second place, Fort Bragg, N.C.; third place, Team Coast Guard.

Shore-side ship tracking advances

Captains,

Shipboard Automated Identification System (AIS) transmissions, originally intended to complement radar for navigation safety, are increasingly being combined with vessel database information, distributed via the internet and displayed graphically in shore based command centers. This week's STIRES announcement by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is about a web-based service for Member States to track ships in European waters. (STIRES stands for SafeSeaNet Information Relay and Exchange System.)

The US Coast Guard's equivalent system is called Watchkeeper. However, unlike Europe, which has EMSA as a standards and information service-provider for member states; the United States has the USCG as a single maritime services, standards, information and authority provider. So Watchkeeper is imbedded in a larger project called IOC/Command 21. This is a multiyear project authorized by the Safe Port Act of 2006 to transform USCG Sector Command Centers into Interagency Operations Centers (IOCs). IOC/Command 21 will also include world-wide tracking via the Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system, as well as the Coast Guard's new Rescue 21 system for search and rescue cases.

RDML W

11 Mar 2010

EMSA HAS launched a new system allowing EU port authorities, governments and agencies to track all ships in EU waters.

The European Maritime Safety Agency plans in time to roll out the STIRES surveillance system worldwide, the agency told Fairplay today.

The position of any vessel transmitting an AIS signal is indicated by EMSA’s STIRES, which was launched yesterday. It also allows users to determine whether a ship is carrying hazardous cargo, to view all high-risk ships, to track a ship's course to establish where it has been at different times and to find out which port the ship will arrive at and when.

It uses a single-platform, map-based interface and the existing SafetySeaNet, which is based on the AIS information gathered by a network of receiving stations along EU coastlines.

The EU anti-piracy naval force is already using EMSA's satellite-based global Long Range Identification & Tracking system to monitor ships passing through the Gulf of Aden.

EMSA plans soon to integrate this system with STIRES, the agency told Fairplay.

1941 war sacrifices remembered

Captains,

Imagine if the Coast Guard was ordered to give-away one of its precious class of cutters today. WWII required many sacrifices. This must have been particularly tough on the CG at the time.

RDML W

1941 - The Lend-Lease Program was inaugurated. All 10 Lake-class cutters were transferred to the Royal Navy under the program. Two were lost in action against German forces. These 250-foot cutters had been designed by the Coast Guard and featured a slightly raked stem and a cruiser stern. Their innovative turbine-electric drive power plant was developed by Coast Guard Captain Quincy B. Newman. These were the first ships to have alternating current, synchronous motor for propulsion--the whole ship ran off the main turbine. The auxiliary generators were tied into the main generator electrically, after sufficient speed was attained. At that point, no steam was required to drive the turbines on the auxiliary generators. The propulsion plant achieved remarkable efficiency.

Marine Casualty Board hearing in Port Arthur

Captains

It's sobering, but informative to follow a formal Coast Guard marine board of investigation. This one began 3 days ago. Key witnesses have already testified. The purpose of the hearing is to determine the facts, identify the cause, and recommend improvements for ship safety, navigation, and the waterway.

RDML W

PORT ARTHUR, Texas – The Coast Guard concluded the second day of formal hearings, Wednesday, concerning the Jan. 23, 2010, incident involving the tank vessel Eagle Otome, the Gull Arrow and the tug Dixie Vengeance. The incident resulted in more than 400,000 gallons of oil being spilled into the Sabine-Neches waterway.

Summary:

• The Coast Guard introduced 16 exhibits.
• The National Transportation Safety Board introduced one exhibit.
• Vessel Traffic Service Training Director Scott Whalen testified and answered questions after an audio recording of ship-to-ship radio communication between the Eagle Otome and the Dixie Vengeance was played.
• Each mariner involved provided sworn statements on their training, experience, position at the time of the incident and rest prior to the incident.
• Pallava Shukla, master of the Eagle Otome, discussed the status of the vessel’s equipment and weather conditions during the transit up to the point of the accident.
• A.T.K.M. Shahjalall, chief engineer of the Eagle Otome, testified concerning the status of the ships machinery before and after the incident. He reported no alarms other than the emergency stop alarm sounded and that the ship’s systems were performing satisfactorily after the incident.
• Captain Charles Bancroft, the Sabine pilot who had control of the ship at the time of the incident, spoke about weather conditions and visibility. The master-to-pilot exchange was also discussed.
• Various media reports have circulated stating that strong winds and poor visibility contributed to the accident. The Coast Guard would like to stress that the “poor visibility” and the “strong winds” mentioned in the testimony occurred prior to the incident and were not present at the time of the incident.
Captain David Borden, a Sabine 2nd pilot, stated that he did not have the conn and made no radio calls to notify other vessels the Eagle Otome was out of control.
Peter Chua, the Eagle Otome’s 3rd officer, stated that the engine order telegraph worked properly and that the vessel’s master took control of the telegraph in the final minutes before the incident.
Captain Lex Wimberley, master of the Dixie Vengeance, stated that he put the vessel into astern propulsion when he heard the danger signal from the Eagle Otome. He also stated that he saw the Eagle Otome’s anchor drop, and that radio calls made to the ship were unanswered.
Drew Cary, the tankerman on the Dixie Vengeance, reported being in the galley and alerted to a problem by the general alarm. He stated that he went outside and heard the danger signal of the Dixie Vengeance, and that he heard the Dixie Vengeance engines switch to astern propulsion while the alarms were sounding.

Perils of spring weather

Captains,

Coast Guard District Commanders in Boston and Cleveland published advice to boaters and ice fishermen about the risks of thinking its summer or still winter when its really not. The lure of the open waterway on a nice day after a long cold winter is strong, but shouldn't undermine common sense and safety of life.

RDML W

BOSTON – The United States Coast Guard is issuing a fair weather warning for all boaters, paddlers, sailors and fishers who plan to venture out this weekend on the inland and coastal waters of the Northeast’s First Coast Guard District.

With sunny skies and spring-like temperatures forecasted for Saturday and Sunday and inland ice covers rapidly subsiding, the beck and call of open water is strong for many small boaters and paddlers. However, the Coast Guard’s advice is to ignore that call unless properly attired in a dry suit or wet suit, wearing a Coast Guard-approved life jacket and prepared in all respects in the event of capsizing or falling overboard. With coastal water temperatures just a few degrees above freezing and inland waters even colder, the lure of spring-like weather creates a deceptively dangerous combination.

CLEVELAND - The U.S. Coast Guard advises all Great Lakes residents and ice fishing enthusiasts to be aware of possible ice floe break-aways in the coming days.

The National Weather Service forecasts that an ice floe may be set adrift in the western basin of Lake Erie this weekend. The northern half of the western basin of Lake Erie is now ice-free with extensive ice coverage over the southern half of the lake. Winds are forecast to remain from a northerly direction which will help keep the ice locked to the southern shore through the next few days. However, winds are forecast to shift to a southwest direction Saturday night and increase in speed on Sunday.

Temperatures are expected to warm up into the upper 30s and lower 40s over the weekend. The combination of the warmer temperatures and shifting winds along with expected sunshine will cause hazardous conditions on the ice over the weekend.

A large ice floe could potentially break away from its anchor to the islands and shore of Ohio and drift toward Canada. For anyone venturing out on the ice this weekend, there is a danger of becoming trapped on the ice as the ice begins to break away.

Rogue waves and wind strike again

Captains,

Much has been said about the the rogue wind and waves that struck the sail training ship Concordia off Brazil in February and the cruise ship Louis Majesty in the Mediterranean this week. Bottom line is the sea continues to hit hard every so often.

RDML W

CBSNEWS: An abnormally high waves (6-8 m) hit the cruise ship “Louis Majesty” (former “Norwegian Majesty”) carrying 2000 people in the Mediterranean sea on March 3rd, 2010. The waves have smashed glass windshields killed two and wounded fourteen passengers according to the official news reports. The killed passengers were identified as a German and an Italian man.

“Louis Majesty” was sailing from Barcelona to Genoa.According to our archive records the accident has happened on March 3rd, 14:20 UTC around the following location.

Latitude: 41°55′ N Longitude: 3°47′ E

40 ships icebound in the Baltic Sea

Captains,

Shipping goes on in the Baltic despite severe winter conditions. A fleet of Swedish icebreakers go to the rescue when vessels get stuck. US and Canada may have to develop this kind of capacity some day if trade routes and energy exploration move into the Arctic.

RDML W

(CNN) -- Thirty to 40 ships -- including several passenger ships -- were stuck Thursday in ice off the coast of Sweden, said a spokesman for the Maritime Search and Rescue Center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The area of the Baltic Sea worst hit by the ice were the waters bounded by mainland Sweden, the Stockholm archipelago and the Finnish island of Aland, said Tommy Gardebring, press officer with the Swedish Maritime Administration.

The center identified one of the passenger ships as the Amorella, with 753 passengers and 190 crew members.

Sad day for winter boaters in VA and NY

Captains,

Weather, navigational safety, lifejackets, or a multitude of other factors could have contributed to these incidents. In any case the water temperature this time of year greatly reduces the survival and viable search time.

In this his is a picture, football player Nick Schuyler is being rescued in a similar incident last year off the Florida Gulf Coast, but his two NFL companions were not found.

RDML W

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Coast Guard crews suspended their search for two missing men on the York River at 6:24 p.m. Thursday.

Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders began coordinating the multi-agency search after a James City County 911 dispatcher notified them of a report of two overdue boaters at 9:56 a.m.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew located the men’s 23-foot Sea Ox overturned at about 11 a.m., across the river from Poropotank Bay, about eight miles downriver from West Point.

NEW YORK – The Coast Guard has suspended its search for two missing people after a vessel allegedly capsized in the Rockaways near Queens, N.Y., today around 10 a.m.

“The Coast Guard has suspended its search after searching an area of seven-and-a-half-square miles, or all of lower Jamaica Bay,” said Chief Michael Kramer, a watchstander at Coast Guard Sector New York. The search was suspended at 6 p.m. pending further developments.

Students at Beach Channel High School contacted authorities after reportedly watching a vessel capsize in Jamaica Bay with two people onboard.

Icebreakers POLAR SEA and POLAR STAR in the news

Captains,

America's only two class 1 polar icebreakers were in the news this week. POLAR SEA embarked scientists in Kodiak and POLAR STAR is finally going to be reactivated. Anyone with an interest in climate change and its implications for increased Arctic navigation should keep an eye on these two Coast Guard cutters.

RDML W

KODIAK, Alaska — The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea, one of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers, homeported in Seattle, will arrive and moor at the city pier in Kodiak Thursday. The stop is to embark scientists as part of a two-month deployment in support of the Bering Sea Ecosystem Study (BEST).

The BEST cruise is part of a six year study of the Bering Sea ecosystem supported by the National Science Foundation and the North Pacific Research Board.

The central focus of the scientific cruise is to examine the impacts of changing ice conditions on food web structure in the Bering Sea. A team of 25 scientists will study processes and collect data relating to food webs in the northern Bering Sea.

SEATTLE — Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant, will announce the reactivation of the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star on Wednesday March 10. The Polar Star is a Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker. Commissioned in 1976, the ship was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington along with her sister ship, Polar Sea.

The Polar Star has been in “Caretaker” status since June 30, 2006. Caretaker status requires that the crew be reduced to 34 and that the ship be kept ready for reactivation and return to the ice.

Un-marked kayak caused unnecessary search

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Kayaker

Posted: Mar 03, 2010 7:43 AMUpdated: Mar 03, 2010 8:16 AMCAPITOLA, Calif. - The Coast Guard is urging those who take to the waters to mark their boats and kayaks. This follows a massive search that they say could have easily been prevented.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a distress call after a kayak washed ashore in Capitola. They then launched a search for the kayaker, only to realize hours later, the owner had been found on Sunday. His kayak was just never recovered.

This comes off the heels of a new program the Coast Guard just launched called "Operation Paddle Smart."

They encourage boat owners to apply this water-proof sticker with their name and contact info, so any missing items can be returned and they can prevent any more events like this from happening.

Rising tide sinks tug

Captains,

Piers and rising tides can be enough to ruin your day. Always double check your mooring.

RDML W

SEATTLE - The 65-foot tug boat Island Wind belonging to Island Tug and Barge sits submerged at its dock in the west waterway of the Duwamish River, north of the Southwest Spokane St. Bridge here, Feb. 28, 2010. Investigators determined the bow of the tug boat became wedged beneath the dock at low tide, causing it to take on water and sink as the tide rose. U.S. Coast Guard photo.