Bryant's Maritime Blog: Bryant’s Maritime Blog

Headlines: USN – officer relieved of command for displaying poor judgment; USCG – severe weather procedures for Aleutian/Pribilof Islands; Guam – floating drydock doesn’t; USCG – status of ballast water management rulemaking; BOEMRE – resumption of deepwater drilling conditionally approved; National Commission – New Orleans forum announced; FMC – review and outlook; USCG – credentialing performance report; CRS – fate of the Deepwater Horizon oil; and India & US – joint salvage exercise.

January 5, 2011

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. Keep misbehaving.

USN – officer relieved of command for displaying poor judgment

The US Navy issued a news release stating that the commanding officer of a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been relieved of his command and a new commanding officer has been assigned. The action was taken following disclosure that the officer had in a course of poorly-considered actions in the past. (1/4/11). Note: This chain of events highlights the special responsibility accorded those in command at sea, whether in a warship or a merchant vessel. With responsibility comes a duty to act in a manner commensurate with obligations undertaken. Lead from the front, not the rear.

USCG – severe weather procedures for Aleutian/Pribilof Islands

The US Coast Guard issued 2010-2011 Operating Procedures for Severe Weather in the Aleutian Islands and Pribilof Islands. These procedures automatically go into effect whenever severe weather occurs or is forecast to occur within 48 hours. Severe weather is defined as: (1) sustained winds that exceed 45 knots; (2) wind gusts that exceed 60 knots; (3) a “winter storm warning” issued by the National Weather Service; or (4) any combination of the above for any part of the Aleutian or Pribilof Islands. (11/3/10). Note: This item was brought to my attention by my good friend Tom Rueter of Alaska Maritime Agencies.

Guam – floating drydock doesn’t

The US Coast Guard issued a news release stating that it is investigating the sinking of a floating drydock in Guam. There have been no reports of injury or pollution. A salvage plan is being developed. (1/4/11).

USCG – status of ballast water management rulemaking

The US Coast Guard issued an updated rulemaking agenda regarding its ballast water management project. Among other things, it notes that promulgation of the final rule has slipped from December 2010 to April of 2011. This rulemaking will amend the current ballast water management requirements and establish standards that specify the level of biological treatment that must be achieved by a ballast water treatment system before ballast can be discharged into US waters. (12/20/10). Note: I confess that my rulemakings implementing OPA 90 some years ago slipped much more than this.

BOEMRE – resumption of deepwater drilling conditionally approved

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) issued a press release stating that it has notified 13 companies whose deepwater drilling activities were suspended during the moratorium that they may be able to resume those previously-approved activities without the need to submit revised exploration or development plans for supplemental reviews. Before resuming those activities, the companies must comply with BOEMRE’s new policies and regulations. (1/3/11).

National Commission – New Orleans forum announced

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling issued a media advisory stating that it will host a forum in New Orleans on January 12 for interested members of the public to learn about and discuss the Commission’s final report and recommendations for avoiding another spill disaster. (1/3/11).

FMC – review and outlook

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) issued a news release reviewing its activities during 2010 and providing an outlook regarding activities planned for 2011. (1/4/11).

USCG – credentialing performance report

The US Coast Guard National Maritime Center (NMC) posted the Performance Report of the Mariner Credentialing Program for the month of December 2010. While the inventory of pending applications increased slightly, the current throughput improved. (1/4/11).

CRS – fate of the Deepwater Horizon oil

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued its report on the fate of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill. It notes that human intervention disposed of approximately 41% of the oil and natural processes disposed of another 37%. This leaves approximately 22% unaccounted for – either remaining in the water column, settled on the sea floor, mixed with sediment, ingested by microbes, or collected during shore cleanup activities. While the actual fate of the remaining oil will probably never be known, perceptions regarding that fate may influence policy decisions for some time. R41531 (12/16/10).

India & US – joint salvage exercise

The Indian Ministry of Defence issued a press release stating that personnel from the Indian Navy and the United States Navy will conduct a Joint Salvage Exercise off Port Blair in the Andaman Sea. Among other things, participants will practice with underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and hot tap equipment for removing oil from sunken vessels. (1/4/11).