Bryant’s Maritime Blog - 30 August 2011

Commencing 1 September 2011, this Blogspot blog will no longer be updated. Instead, readers should go to the blog on my official website, located at http://brymar-consulting.com/?page_id=6 . I apologize for any inconvenience, but my official website has the same information and more.

Headlines:

MMMAC – meeting;

Missouri River – safety zone;

USCG – town hall meetings;

New York/New Jersey – hurricane restrictions cancelled;

Philadelphia – normal operations resumed;

USCG – East Coast ports reopened;

BOEMRE – Arctic oil spill trajectory analysis;

EMSA – workshop on ship recycling;

India – deployment of armed security guards;

India – status of pollution conventions;

India – entry restrictions on vessels over 25 years of age;

India – emergency towing vessels; and

India – vessel traffic management systems.

August 30, 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. Remembering the future.

MMMAC – meeting

The Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee (MMMAC), sponsored by the US Coast Guard, will hold its inaugural meeting in Easton, Maryland on September 19-21. Topics on the agenda include maritime casualties with a nexus to mariner medical issues; mariner medical conditions leading to denial of a mariner’s application; and aging mariners. 76 Fed. Reg. 53924 (August 30, 2011).

Missouri River – safety zone

The US Coast Guard has extended, through October 31, the safety zone on the Missouri River from the Montana and North Dakota border to the confluence with the Mississippi River. 76 Fed. Reg. 53820 (August 30, 2011).

USCG – town hall meetings

The US Coast Guard issued a news release stating that it will host town hall meetings in Gulf Shores (September 1); Biloxi (September 7); Pensacola (September 8); and Panama City (September 12) to discuss updates made to the Coast Guard Sector Mobile Area Contingency Plan and to reflect on lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (8/29/11).

New York/New Jersey – hurricane restrictions cancelled

The US Coast Guard issued a news release stating that restrictions imposed on navigation in the Port of New York and New Jersey due to Hurricane Irene have been cancelled now that the storm has passed. (8/28/11).

Philadelphia – normal operations resumed

The US Coast Guard issued a news release stating that normal operations have resumed in the Port of Philadelphia now that Hurricane Irene has passed. (8/28/11).

USCG – East Coast ports reopened

The US Coast Guard issued a news release stating that all East Coast ports have been reopened to navigation as waterway assessments and verification of aids to navigation continue. Several restrictions remain in place, including in the Ports of New York and Hampton Roads as the Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continue to examine post-storm conditions. (8/29/11).

BOEMRE – Arctic oil spill trajectory analysis

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) issued a press release stating that it is releasing a new report evaluating how climate change may affect the environmental conditions measured and used in mathematical modeling for oil-spill trajectory analysis in the Arctic region. (8/29/11).

EMSA – workshop on ship recycling

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) issued the report of its Workshop on Ship Recycling, held in Lisbon on 27-28 June 2011. The workshop considered, among other things, interim measures prior to entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention and possible alternatives to the prohibition of exporting end-of-life ships to non-OECD countries. (8/25/11).

India – deployment of armed security guards

The Indian Ministry of Shipping, while not endorsing use of armed personnel on its merchant ships, has issued voluntary Guidelines on Deployment of Armed Security Guards on Merchant Ships. Owners are advised to conduct their own risk assessment, particularly for hips which bear slow speed and have low freeboard. In addition to compliance Indian law and regulations, owners must ensure that carriage of weapons and armed security guards on their ships is in accordance with all applicable requirements of coastal and port states through whose waters the ship might transit. (8/29/11).

India – status of pollution conventions

The Indian Ministry of Shipping issued a press release reminding stakeholders that India has recently acceded to: the Nairobi International Convention on Removal of Wrecks; the Protocol of 1996 to the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims; and Annex VI to MASRPOL 73/78. India is in the process of acceding to other conventions, such as: the Bunker Convention; the OPRC and the OPRC-HNS. (8/29/11).

India – entry restrictions on vessels over 25 years of age

The Indian Ministry of Shipping issued a press release stating that the Government has decided to issue a notification that, if ships are more than 25 years old, they will be allowed to enter Indian ports only if they satisfy the following conditions: (1) classed with a society that is a full member of IACS; (2) have adequate insurance coverage to liabilities, including collision, wreck removal, and salvage; (3) appoint an Indian Ship Agent to represent the owner/charterer; and (4) the Indian agent should notify the port authority and the customs collector at least 48 hours prior to arrival about the ship’s details. (8/29/11).

India – emergency towing vessels

The Indian Ministry of Shipping issued a press release stating that it has deployed a chartered emergency towing vessel (ETV) on the West Coast of India during the 2011 monsoon season. The Government is considering to engage three ETVs from next year, two on the West Coast and one on the East Coast, during the monsoon season. (8/29/11).

India – vessel traffic management systems

The Indian Ministry of Shipping issued a press release stating that Vessel Traffic Management Systems (VTMSs) are installed at Mumbai, JNPT, Kolkata, Cochin, New Mangalore, and Mormugao Ports. There is one VTMS installed for monitoring the traffic in the Kutch region. Installation of VTMS is in progress at Chennai Port. The Ports at Visakhaptnam, Tuticorin, Paradip, and Ennore are in the process of installing VTMS shortly. (8/29/11).

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 – August 2011

Redistribution permitted with attribution