Ice jam on the St Claire River

When the going gets tough, the tough 140' CG icebreakers get going through the ice on the St. Claire River near Detroit.

DETROIT–The U.S. Coast Guard is assisting a commercial vessel, in the St. Clair River, which has been delayed due to an ice jam in the vicinity of Algonac, Mich., Monday.

Three other commercial vessels, which were beset in the ice on Sunday, have been relieved from the ice jam.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Neah Bay, homeported in Cleveland; Penobscot Bay, homeported in Bayonne, N.J.; Hollyhock, homported in Port Huron, Mich.; and Bristol Bay, homeported here, are working together to break the ice jam and allow vessels to transit the area.

No fishing with expired liferafts and documentation

Captains,
Failure to maintain survival and lifesaving equipment on a commercial fishing vessel is asking for trouble. The Coast Guard is especially concerned about compliance in Alaska in the winter. These fishermen will get a safety exam dockside before they go to sea again.
RDML W

JUNEAU, Alaska – The Coast Guard Cutter Naushon terminated the voyages of two 50-foot and one 45-foot commercial fishing vessels Wednesday near Craig for safety violations.

A boarding team from the Coast Guard Cutter Naushon terminated the voyage of all three vessels between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. One of the fishing vessels was terminated due to an expired life raft, while the other two were terminated due to lack of a primary lifesaving device. Two of the vessels also had expired documentation.

Life rafts aboard commercial fishing vessels must be repacked annually and the hydrostatic release must be replaced or serviced in the required time frame depending on the type.

"Life rafts and flotation devices have made the difference between life and death many times in Alaska," Said Capt. Melissa Bert, commander Sector Juneau. "We take the requirement to have them on board seriously."

All the vessels were escorted by the Naushon to Craig. Two of the vessels are homeported in Craig while the third hails from Klawock, Alaska.

The vessels must clear the terminable offenses prior to getting underway. All three vessels were given a compliance option that may reduce or remove any potential fines provided that the vessels pass a dockside safety exam.

No LORAN-C signal after February 8

Captains,
If you still use LORAN-C for navigation, it's time to switch to GPS!
(The Department of Homeland Security will complete an analysis of potential backups to GPS, and LORAN-C is not considered a backup to GPS.)

Adm Allen provided some parting words for the venerable LORAN system and its faithful operators in his Journal.
RDML W

Picured above, right is Loran Station Searchlight, NV

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard’s Director of Prevention Policy announced Thursday publication in the Federal Register of plans to cease broadcasting the North American Loran-C signal Feb. 8.

As a result of technological advancements during the last 20 years and the emergence of the U.S. Global Positioning System, Loran-C is no longer required by the armed forces, the transportation sector or the nation’s security interests, and is used by only a small segment of the population.

President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2010 budget supported the termination of outdated systems and specifically cited the terrestrial-based North American Loran-C system as such an example. The president did not seek funding for the Loran-C system in fiscal year 2010. Termination was also supported through the enactment of the 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.

The decision to terminate transmission of the Loran-C signal reflects the president’s pledge to eliminate unnecessary federal programs.

Transporting "human cargo" for money

Captains,
Maritime routes on both coasts continue to be used for illegal immigration into the U.S. from Mexico, Central America, Bahamas and the Caribbean. Yesterday's stories involved smugglers who were transporting their "human cargo" for the money and had little regard for their safety. Fortunately, these two cases resulted in rescues and repatriation of the migrants as well as arrest of the smugglers.
RDML W

Coast Guard Rescues 24 On Migrant Smuggling Boat

By Amy Isackson

January 8, 2010

SAN DIEGO — The United States Coast Guard rescued 24 people from a migrant smuggling boat off San Diego's coast. The arrest Thursday night is part of a continuing trend of smuggling by sea.

US Coast Guard officials said someone on the boat called 911.

The person said the boat was disabled and adrift and they needed to be rescued.

A Coast Guard cutter and helicopter found the vessel about four miles off the coast of Point Loma.

Jetta Disco with the Coast Guard said the boat was overloaded. It was 20 feet long and carrying two dozen people.

"They were definitely cold. It was cold. And, you know, because it was foggy out there was dampness on them," she said. "Some of them were shivering. But they were very grateful to be rescued."

Smuggling illegal immigrants by sea has been on the rise in San Diego since the fall of 2008.

Local Customs and Border Protection officials say they arrested 430 people between October 2008 and October 2009. That's nearly double the number of arrests compared to the previous fiscal year.

Friday 01.08.2010

Coast Guard returns Cuban 15 migrants stopped off shores of Miami

The U.S. Coast Guard has returned a group of Cuban migrants who were stopped eight miles away from the shores of Miami.

Fifteen migrants and two smugglers were aboard the Abbey Road. The migrants were sent back last week to Bahia de Cabañas in Cuba, the Coast Guard said. The accused smugglers face federal prosecution.

More than two dozen migrants were sent to Bahia de Cabañas on Dec. 22 after the Coast Guard stopped a stolen 35-foot boat about 40 miles southwest of Cuba. One of the two suspected smugglers in that case was arrested on federal charges.

-- ROBERT SAMUELS

USN teams with USCG for the rescue

Captains,

Sister services, Navy and Coast Guard, did a great job saving this sailor yesterday. Fortunately he had adequate survival equipment when his boat sank.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Coast Guard and Navy worked together Sunday morning to return a rescued man to shore after his sailboat sank about 250 nautical miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C.

Coast Guard Fifth District watchstanders received a satellite distress signal at 5:07 p.m. Saturday from the sailboat Gloria A Dios. They launched an Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., HC-130J Hercules aircraft crew to search for the sailboat, began broadcasting an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to notify other mariners, used satellite Enhanced Group Calls to target other vessels in the area for help and diverted an AMVER vessel (a ship participating in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System.)

Coast Guard Fifth District watchstanders and Navy's U.S. Second Fleet Maritime Operations Center coordinated to identify the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its air assets as the quickest and safest way to rescue the unfortunate sailor.

The crew of the Coast Guard Hercules dropped a life raft near the Gloria A Dios after a large wave demasted it causing two holes in the port side cabin at about 9:30 p.m. The sailboat sank and Eisenhower's rescue helicopter crew picked up the man from the water around 10:30 p.m. and flew more than 100 miles back to the carrier.

RDML W

Keeping the boat off the bridge

Captains,

According to the initial report, a steering malfunction caused this fishing vessel to go aground in Oregon Inlet N.C. At this point, the main concern has been keeping it stationary until proper salvage equipment arrives tomorrow. (The Oregon Inlet Bridge is just 150 yards to leeward.)

OREGON INLET, N.C. - Coast Guard crews continue to work on freeing the grounded fishing trawler Sheila Rene Saturday near the Oregon Inlet Bar.

An Air Station Elizabeth City MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the 77-foot trawler's three crewmembers and dog to safety Saturday morning as conditions worsened for them. After the crew was hoisted to safety around 7 a.m. the trawler came free and re-grounded at around 9 a.m.

RDML W

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. On this first day of 2010 it’s appropriate to take note of maritime opportunities and challenges and the health of America’s longstanding pubic-private partnership to achieve mutual marine safety, security and stewardship goals.

Today’s Washington Post editorial asks, “As 2010 begins, can we keep faith in our great American ideals?” From a maritime perspective, my answer is a resounding “yes”.

Across every segment of the maritime – both domestic and international, I see mariners determined to support the aspirations and needs of freedom-loving people and the rule of law despite the hardships and distractions of being at sea. In fact, I strongly believe the maritime community is a model for the rest of society when it comes to compliance with laws and conventions, worldwide engagement, free trade, human rights, environmental protection, and aid to devastated people at sea and ashore.

My new years resolution is to advance the model using the opportunities I have as director of Coast Guard Atlantic operations. I see opportunities in the modernized Coast Guard, in new technologies such as Long Range Identification and Tracking, in cooperative initiatives such as the USCG-American Waterways Operators partnership, and the International Maritime Organization’s Voluntary Marine Safety Assessment System audits, and in the forthcoming worldwide economic recovery.

There will be broad challenges including: natural disasters, terrorism and piracy, climate change, drug and human trafficking, diminishing fish stocks, corruption in certain failing or centrally controlled governments, and wars.

Also, there’s industry specific opportunities and challenges such as: implementation of higher standards for towing and fishing vessels, cooperative security for certain dangerous cargo operations, implementation of ballast water standards to prevent invasive species and air emission standards to reduce NOX, SOX and particulates, and infrastructure changes including: a wider Panama canal, an aging American western river system, and sea-shore intermodal connections.

Manning and competency will continue to be a universal challenge AND opportunity in the maritime. Fortunately, maritime organizations - domestic and international, public and private – are focused on this critical issue. Modern standards for training, competency and watch keeping have created a threshold unlike any in the history of seafaring. Nothing is more important than for the maritime community to embrace and support young, talented people who are entering the profession.

I’m optimistic about 2010. I sent Christmas greetings to the Coast Guard men and women who were underway or in the war zone overseas – and they responded. They were optimistic and focused, and excited to be part of the maritime tradition of leadership and self-sacrifice for a better world.

RDML W