Ambassador Award to Chairman of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council

Captains,

In the recreational boating community, Jim Muldoon stands out as a leader and mentor. Congratulations to Jim on receiving recognition for his dedication and longevity to the cause.

RADM W

James Muldoon Honored for Contributions to Sport, Education, and Boating Safety

Receives Governor’s Chesapeake Bay Ambassador Award

(St. Mary’s City, MD) August 18, 2010—More than two dozen sailing and boating-related organizations, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Special Olympics Maryland, and US SAILING, recently joined together to honor James P. Muldoon, avid sailor and community leader, for his commitment, leadership, and achievements in the field of recreational boating and boating safety. Muldoon, who lives in Washington , D.C. , and Bethesda , is founder and CEO of METCOR, a government relations and high technology training company.

Sheila Hixson, chair of the Ways and Means Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates, presided over the surprise tribute, which was held at St. Mary’s College of Maryland on Aug. 7 during the Governor’s Cup Yacht Race weekend. “We have no doubt that Mr. Muldoon will make many more contributions to the recreational boating community in years to come, but we wanted to take this opportunity to thank him for all he has done over the past four decades,” Hixson said.

Captain Mark Rizzo, chief of the Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety for the U.S. Coast Guard, called Muldoon “one of the Coast Guard’s most caring and compassionate partners.” He went on to praise Muldoon’s support for the Coast Guard Foundation and his 11 years of service as chairman of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council.

What's the world trade situation?

Captains,

The volume of U.S. trade with other countries this June is up nearly 24 percent from last June. The total trade of goods and services of $350.8 billion was not as high as in July 2008 when it peaked at nearly $400 billion, but much better than June 2009 when it reached only $283 billion. This means more ships and more terminal business.

RADM W

An August 18 Reuters article reported on Maersk, the Suez Canal, Hapag-Lloyd and Dubai Ports World:

Maersk in particular is seen as a barometer of global trade as its fleet has 14.6 percent of all container shipping capacity. Compared with 2009, Maersk's freight rates rose 31 percent and volumes 11 percent, rebounding to 2008 levels. Due to increasing volumes, Maersk began redeploying laid-up vessels in the second quarter, putting 14 ships back into service by the end of July from 19 laid up at end-2009.

The Suez Canal said recently it had seen its highest daily revenue since the 2008 financial crisis, while Germany's TUI AG said it saw a rebound in demand at its Hapag-Lloyd container shipping unit.

DP World's first-half container volume climbed 7 percent.

Maersk's APM Terminals unit -- which with six-month revenue of $2.18 billion and operating profits of $607 million is bigger than DP World -- saw the volume of containers it handled rise 6 percent in the first half.

IHS Global Insight's World Trade Service summarized the outlook:

World containerized trade measured in 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) increased 9.2 percent in 2010 and is projected to grow at 6.8 percent in 2011.

The outlook for bulk shipping also is improving following a decline of 2.8 percent in bulk commodity trade in 2009. Dry bulk commodity shipment tonnage, which includes grain, iron ore, and coal, will increase 10.3 percent in 2010 and 8.7 percent in 2011.

Liquid bulk trade, which includes petroleum and liquefied natural gas, has also been growing despite short-term supply issues in the U.S. Gulf Coast. The growth rate for liquid bulk global trade is forecast at 9.9 percent in 2010 and 8.4 percent in 2011.

Catch of the Day

This headline caught my attention....

RADM W

Gulf seafood may be the most tested, and safest, fish you can find.

Davies and Starr / Getty Images

When President Obama took his August microvacation along the Gulf of Mexico, he swam in the water, munched on fish tacos, and said, “Let me be clear. Seafood from the gulf is safe to eat.”

More than 90 percent of the shrimp consumed in this country comes from Thailand, China, India, and Ecuador, where the shrimp is raised in ponds so overcrowded, they also serve as breeding grounds for salmonella, bacteria, and parasites, which are combated by adding massive doses of antibiotics and fungicides to the water. Then there’s the taste and texture, which Dave Pasternack, chef at Manhattan’s Italian seafood mecca Esca, calls “disgusting.”

Given the imports’ lovely provenance, it’s ironic that Americans are now squeamish about the catch in the gulf. We spot-test less than 2 percent of the shrimp that comes in, compared with the 20 to 30 percent required by the European Union. Contrast that to what’s going on in the gulf, where waters must be free of oil for a month before fishing is allowed. Samples of all fish and shellfish (directly from the water, as well as from docks and markets) are then aggressively tested for contaminants by both the FDA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which subjects them to microscopic analysis and the “sniff test” (by people trained to detect the presence of oil). To Pasternack, such measures mean that “gulf seafood is the safest seafood in the world right now.”

Piracy in T&T waters

Captains,

Piracy in the Western Hemisphere continues to prompt sad commentaries where the effects are felt most - fishing communities. The situation in Trinidad and Tobago calls for a modern Coast Guard that could be effective with relatively modest resources and training.

RADM W

SOURCE: Trinidad Express DATE: 20Aug10

Condolences are extended to the families of those fishermen who lost their lives as a result of piracy in the Gulf of Paria and in the waters near King's Wharf, San Fernando during the past week. These acts must be placed in the proper context, having regard to the fact that the bandits are after boats and engines, not nets and fish. There exists a brisk trade in stolen engines and boats to support fishing and other activities, mainly illegal, on the mainland of South America, as well as the use of these items to barter for drugs and other contraband goods. Let us not discount what goes on up the islands because engines belonging to Trinidad fishermen have found their way to some of these islands. These incidents of piracy in our waters have been highlighted in the news for decades, without solution. In recent times, with the upsurge in the drug trade and gun-running, they have become more prevalent. Is the responsible government agency or agencies keeping a reliable account of where these incidents occur, the frequency with which they occur, how many lives are lost, what items and the value of the items stolen to fully appreciate the gravity of the situation and how best to address it? Can we appreciate that one fisherman's life lost in this way is one too many, for these are citizens who risk their lives at sea on a daily basis, to supply the population with food. Not only are their livelihoods and families threatened, but their very lives are now imperilled. The problem can be approached strategically from two angles: prevention and survival. In terms of prevention, it is the considered opinion of many that a dedicated programme of Coast Guard patrols in those areas where these acts of piracy are likely to happen is the most important key in the fight against piracy. Does setting up a system of regular patrols with two or three boats in known fishing areas present such an insurmountable task for the authorities? Given that on the seas, drug interdiction is a major focus of the Coast Guard, would these patrols not serve the dual purpose of drug interdiction while affording fishermen some measure of comfort and a sense of security when they are out fishing?

Good Samaritan recognition

Captains

Here's a good news story:

RADM W

Coast Guard to award Tybee Island charter boat crew Certificate of Merit for heroic action

SAVANNAH, Ga. – An award ceremony will be held Wednesday for the captain and crew of the motor vessel Dolphin III for their heroic efforts in the rescue of two boaters earlier this year.

The Coast Guard will present a Coast Guard Certificate of Merit to Capt. Josh Parker and his crew for their meritorious public service at a ceremony Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Parker and his crew are credited with saving the life’s of two people aboard a 31-foot pleasure craft after they hit a jetty in the Savannah River May 24, 2010.

Marine Highways

Captains,

America's marine highway program, a MARAD led initiative, is getting up steam. The six eligible active projects are: Port Manatee FL-Brownsville TX, Port Itawambo MS-Mobile AL (Tenn-Tom waterway), South Carolina ports-Galveston TX, Detroit MI-Windsor CA (passenger), Jersey City NJ-Brooklyn NY (rail-float), and Hampton Roads VA-Richmond VA (James River).

According to the Virginia-Pilot, the James River Barge line has received at least $2.3 million in federal funds.

In 2009, 66 percent of Hampton Roads cargo moved by truck, 30 percent moved by rail, and 4 percent by barge. The US DOT identified a major truck bottle-neck in the Virginia Tidewater area and is trying to do something about it by incentivizing the marine highway to Richmond.

RADM W

DOT Announces Projects Eligible for Marine Highway Funds

Aug 16, 2010 12:07 PM

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced his selection of marine highway corridors and an initial eight projects and six initiatives along the corridors that will be eligible for federal assistance under the America's Marine Highway program, a new initiative to move more cargo on the water rather than on highways.

Captain Sandy Tanos

Captains,

A friend and colleague, Captain Sandy Tanos, crossed the bar. Sandy's contribution in the Miami maritime community (before and after he retired) was significant. I would have liked to have learned from him in his sailing and inspecting days.

RADM W

TANOS, CAPTAIN ALEXANDER "SANDY", died peacefully on August 8, 2010. Captain Tanos was born in 1929 and was a native of Miami. Following his love for the sea, he joined the Merchant Marine at the age of 15 and earned his master's license before the age of 25. After sailing commercially for many years he joined the U.S. Coast Guard and served in a number of seagoing and shoreside billets including Captain of the Port in St. Louis, MO. He received numerous career awards and retired from the Coast Guard in 1990 with the rank of Captain. Read more: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/herald/obituary.aspx?n=captain-alexander-tanos-sandy&pid=144683704#ixzz0wxFRW3Uf

USCGC Mohawk in Sierra Leone

Captains,

Maritime security and environmental protection is necessary all over the world. African countries, like Sierra Leone, have been learning how to enforce maritime laws with a little assistance from the US Coast Guard.

RADM W

U.S. Coast Guard, Sierra Leone Law Enforcement Complete Joint-Maritime Exercise

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk (WMEC 913), in partnership with a Sierra Leone Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), completed their African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) operations August 7, 2010.

AMLEP is designed to build partner nation maritime security capacity and improve management of the maritime environment through combined law enforcement operations.

During this most recent phase of operations, AMLEP supported a seven-man Sierra Leone LEDET including four naval officers, two police officers and a civilian fisheries officer attached to the police.

What happened to the oil?

Captains,

I posted comments on the fate of the spilled oil from Deepwater Horizon disaster back on July 16th. This week the US Government posted an official report. According to this report, the Unified Command's response operations mitigated about 1/3 of the 4.9 million barrels. This is actually a pretty good measure. Often, spill response efforts manage to mitigate less than 1/10 barrels spilled.

Of the remaining 2/3, note that over 40% evaporates, dissolves like sugar, or naturally disperses into microscopic droplets that get consumed by micro-organisms. This percentage is very typical for any oil spill. So it's the 25% residual amount that response operations hoped to minimize.

Fortunately, the Deepwater Horizon residual sweet Louisiana crude oil is 1. buoyant, 2. far from shore, and 3. in warm water. These three factors greatly assist natural degradation, which will actually be the fate of the recovered oil and oiled debris when it's deposited into the land fills of the four affected states.

RADM W

Flow Rate: The Oil Budget Calculator starts with an estimate of the cumulative amount of oil released

over the course of the spill. The newest estimates reflect the collaborative work and discussions of the

National Incident Command’s Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG) led by United States Geological

Survey (USGS) Director Marcia McNutt, and a team of Department of Energy (DOE) scientists and

engineers, led by Energy Secretary Steven Chu. This group estimates that approximately 4.9 million

barrels of oil flowed from the BP Deepwater Horizon wellhead between April 22 and July 15, 2010, at

which time the flow of oil was suspended. The uncertainty of this estimate is + 10%. The pie chart

above is based on this group’s estimate of 4.9 million barrels of oil.

220 continuous years of service

Captains,

What would Alexander Hamilton think of us today?

Wikipedia - The roots of the Coast Guard lie in the United States Revenue Cutter Service established by Alexander Hamilton under the Department of the Treasury on 4 August 1790. The first Coast Guard station was in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Until the re-establishment of the United States Navy in 1798, the Revenue Cutter Service was the only naval force of the early United States. It was established to collect taxes from a brand new nation of patriot smugglers. When the officers were out at sea, they were told to crack down on piracy; while they were at it, they might as well rescue anyone in distress.

Request from Adm Nimitz

LORAN engineers and operators,

At 1316 local time, 03 Aug 2010, ETCS Fred Ripley, USCG, Officer in Charge of USCG Loran Station Caribou, directed ET2 Andrew Petersen to secure the Canadian East Coast 5930 Master Signal, terminating last United States Coast Guard Loran-C transmission. Loran Stations Shoal Cove, George and Nantucket had secured their transmissions just before Caribou. All the USCG loran transmitters are now silent. For the first time since 1942, there is not a loran signal in the atmosphere above United States or the Canada.

Your mission is complete. You have stood the watch as faithful shipmates for countless mariners on countless voyages. Thank you.

/s/ RADM W

26 October 1945

From: Commander in Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas

To: Commandant, United States Coast Guard

Via: Chief of Naval Operations

Subject: Loran Service

1. The installation, maintenance, and operation of Loran service in the Pacific Ocean Areas by the officers and men of the United States Coast Guard contributed in great measure to the successful prosecution of the war against the Japanese. The navigational service afforded to our sea and air forces through the use of Loran Service was of vital importance not only in the transportation demands in moving troops and material, but in actual combat operations as well.

2. The Coast Guard personnel who constructed the Loran stations conquered many hazardous and difficult problems of weather and terrain, and those officers and men who have manned the isolated stations have done a magnificent and exacting job in transmitting Loran signals.

3. It is requested that the appreciation of the Commander-in-Chief, U. S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas, be expressed to all officers and men of the United States Coast Guard who participated in the extensive Loran program for their outstanding performance in support of the operations which resulted in the final victory.


/s/ C. W. Nimitz