Bryant’s Maritime Blog–28 October 2010

Headlines: USCG – VTS Lower Mississippi River to become mandatory; Gulf of Alaska – injured crewman evacuated; MARAD – non-competitive solicitation for ship recycling; Indian Ocean – pirates thwarted by citadel; Somali Basin – pirates thwarted by citadel; Kenya – pirates sentenced to prison; NATO – newsletter; EC – contract signed for Galileo project; Indonesia – robbers steal MGO from passing tug; Seychelles – new facility provides fuel for helicopters; and Statue of Liberty – dedicated on October 28, 1886.

October 28, 2010

Bryant’s Maritime Blog
Bryant’s Maritime Consulting - 4845 SW 91^st Way - Gainesville, FL 32608-8135 - USA

Tel: 1-352-692-5493 – Email: dennis.l.bryant@gmail.com – Internet: http://brymar-consulting.com

Note: This blog is one section of the Bryant’s Maritime Consulting website. Visit the site for more extensive maritime regulatory information. Individual concerns may be addressed by retaining Dennis Bryant directly. Much of the highlighted text in this newsletter constitutes links to Internet sites providing more detailed information. Links on this page may be in PDF format, requiring use of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Comments on these postings are encouraged and may be made by clicking the envelope that appears at the end of each posting. Be aware that the daily blog entry is a single posting, even though it contains a number of individual items. Isn’t it quiet around the house when the goldfish dies?

USCG – VTS Lower Mississippi River to become mandatory

The US Coast Guard promulgated a final rule converting the current voluntary vessel traffic management (VTM) provisions for the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) into a mandatory vessel traffic system (VTS). The final rule implements current voluntary practices and operating procedures, with minor conforming revisions to the existing VTM provisions and related regulations. The VTS LMR area consists of navigable waters of the LMR below 254.5 miles Above Head of Passes (AHP), the Southwest Pass, and those waters within a 12 nautical mile radius around 28° 54.3’ N, 89° 25.7’W (Southwest Pass Entrance Light). The final rule comes into effect on December 27. 75 Fed. Reg. 66309 (October 28, 2010).

Gulf of Alaska – injured crewman evacuated

The US Coast Guard issued a news release stating that it medically evacuated by helicopter an injured crewman from a tanker in the Gulf of Alaska approximately 284 nautical miles southwest of Air Station Sitka. (10/27/10).

MARAD – non-competitive solicitation for ship recycling

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) approved a Justification for other than full and open competition for ship recycling services in the San Francisco Bay area for two non-retention vessels located in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet (SBRF). There are no other ship recycling facilities on the West Coast. Before a ship can be towed to one of the East or Gulf Coast recyclers, the hull must be cleaned. The only facility in the San Francisco Bay area that is capable of cleaning the hulls is charging more than it costs to recycle the ship. (10/7/10).

Indian Ocean – pirates thwarted by citadel

The EU NAVFOR issued a press release stating that pirates were thwarted in their attempt to hijack the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier Maido in the Indian Ocean 100 nautical miles southeast of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania when the crew locked themselves in the ship’s citadel. The fourteen crewmembers are reported safe. (10/27/10).

Somali Basin – pirates thwarted by citadel

The EU NAVFOR issued a press release stating that pirates were thwarted in their attempt to hijack the merchant vessel Beluga Fortune in the Somali Basin when the crew disabled the engines and locked themselves in the ship’s citadel. The master reported the attack to the owner, who notified the military authorities. An EU NAVFOR maritime patrol aircraft located the vessel. A NATO warship was dispatched to the scene. The pirates abandoned the vessel. A NATO boarding party released the crew, who were uninjured. (10/26/10).

Kenya – pirates sentenced to prison

The EU NAVFOR issued a press release stating that a Kenyan court convicted seven Somalis of piracy and sentenced them to 4 and one-half years each in prison. The judgment relates to the attack on the merchant vessel Nepheli on May 6, 2009. The Somalis were intercepted by an EU warship and delivered to Kenya for prosecution. (10/26/10).

NATO – newsletter

The NATO Shipping Center posted the September-October edition of its NSC Newsletter. This edition discusses the recent Transport Security (TRANSEC) Conference and the use of armed guards on merchant ships.

EC – support contract signed for Galileo project

The European Commission (EC) issued a press release stating that the fourth contract, out of a total of six, for procurement of full operations capability for Galileo has been signed. The €194 million contract, entered into with SpaceOpal GmbH, covers the industrial services needed to support the European Space Agency in the operations of the navigation satellites as well as the operations of the ground infrastructure. Galileo is expected to become operational in 2014. (10/26/10).

Indonesia – robbers steal MGO from passing tug

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued an Incident Alert stating that a tug transiting near Selat Berhala, Indonesia was boarded by eleven robbers armed with knives and parangs (machetes). The robbers threatened the crew and demanded fuel. The robbers escaped with three drums of Marine Gas Oil (MGO). The crew was unharmed. (10/24/10).

Seychelles – new facility provides fuel for helicopters

The EU NAVFOR issued a press release stating that it signed a contract with a company in the Seychelles for establishment of F44 helicopter fuel delivery facilities in Port Victoria, at the disposal of all military counter-piracy warships. Previously, warships with embarked helicopters had to transit to Djibouti to obtain this fuel. Two warships (one NATO and one EU NAVFOR) have already made use of the new facility. (10/27/10).

Statue of Liberty – dedicated on October 28, 1886

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924, and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986. The structure was originally treated as a lighthouse, due to the light in the torch. As such, it was administered by the US Lighthouse Service, which later merged into the US Coast Guard.

If you have questions regarding the above items, please contact the editor:

Dennis L. Bryant

Bryant’s Maritime Consulting

4845 SW 91^st Way
Gainesville, FL 32608-8135

USA

1-352-692-5493
dennis.l.bryant@gmail.com

http://brymar-consulting.com

© Dennis L. Bryant – October 2010

Redistribution permitted with attribution