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President’s Message Happy New Years from NAMSGlobal. We are entering an exiting New Year with a more unified and progressive organization. For our members and associates and other interested industry members, NAMSGlobal will hold its 47th Annual National Marine Conference East March 29 – 31, 2009, Hilton Newark Penn Station Hotel, Gateway Center/Raymond Blvd., Newark, New Jersey. This provides one of the best opportunities for member and industry attendance. Newark is close to New York City and is well serviced by several airports and public transit. Our theme this meeting is “The Value of a Marine Surveyor”. I strongly encourage all members to contact and invite their friends in the industry, and non-NAMSGlobal members this conference. The Board of Directors recently approved the first New Members Ballot for 2009. First, please welcome our new member, Donald Kinsey from the Central Atlantic Region. Donald is a Yacht and Small Craft Surveyor and was sponsored by Andrew Kinsey, Ed Viola and Dick Frenzel. We also have an applicant for Associate member, E. Earle Brown ,New England Region, Yacht & Small Craft discipline, sponsored by J. Simonitsch, L. Trumbull & S. Bunnell. I wish fair winds and following seas to retiring members Gerald LaMarque of the Central Atlantic Region, Bob Wallstrom of the New England Region and Larry Dobbins of the Central Pacific Region. Reinstated was Jamie Theriault from the Eastern Canada Region, WELCOME BACK Jamie! Sadly, we must report that Bill Case passed away in January 2009. Bill was a native of Canton, Mississippi, and received training at the Merchant Marine Academy in Kingsport, RI. After receiving his commission, he began his service in the Merchant Marine during World War II. Captain Case served aboard a vessel that transported landing craft used to carry troops from the ships to the beachheads. He took part in the invasion at Anzio, Italy. He continued in his service to his country for several years later entering into the private sector of the maritime industry. He was the youngest captain employed by Likes Brothers Steamship Company in Galveston, Texas. After leaving Likes, he worked for Glenworth Bond Shipyard before forming World Marine Associates, Inc. of Houston in 1973. Obituary courtesy of the Houston Chronicle Newspaper. We have vacancies in several committees. I al looking for as many members as possible to come forward and provide assistance. All committees need help! NAMSGlobal will only be as good as the membership makes it, so I am encourage all members to step forward and provide their expertise in committee work. Our next event will be the Spring Conference in Newark, New Jersey. Shawn Barnett is the point man on this project and has made preliminary arrangements for a Northern New Jersey location on March 29 – 31, 2009. As of the writing of this message, theme speakers are being arranged. If you know of anyone who can assist in this conference, please do not hesitate to contact Shawn. I look forward to seeing all at the upcoming conference. Thank you, Bill NAMS Applicants, New Members & Changes in Member Status
February 16-20, 2009 – Chapman’s Damage Course: A Fundamentals of The Damage and Claims Survey course is being offered at Chapman School of Seamanship, Stuart, Florida. Class meets from 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM for 28 Hours. Topics include The Marine Insurance Contract, The practical role of the Marine Surveyor in a Damage Claims, The Damage Survey Report, Special cases and two days of supervised practice Damage Surveys including the report writing. Class enrollment is limited to 30 students. Contact the Registrar at 800-225-2841 or [email protected] for more details. Jerry Schmitt AMS, Course Coordinator. February 19, 2009 – Appraisal Report Writing Seminar, by the Northern California Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers. San Francisco, California, L’Olivier Restaurant. Hours 8 AM to 4 PM. Cost $225.00 for non-members, and $195 for Members of several other appraisal organizations. To register, contact Jack Young, ASA, Northern California Chapter. E-mail [email protected] or phone 530-219-7900. February 26, 2009 – Sailing Vessel Industry Day, Oakland, California, Executive Inn & Suites. Organized by the US Coast Guard, Sector San Francisco. Hours 8 AM to 2:30 PM. Topics will include sailboat rigging inspections, renewal intervals, and open discussion with input from industry. Mark Cruder, USCG Senior Marine Inspector, will speak on recent sailboat rigging failures and the USCG response to casualties. RVSP by contacting Harvey “Chris” Atkinson by February 1: Office phone 510-437-3084, E-mail [email protected]. March 29 – 31, 2009 – NAMSGlobal 47th Annual National Marine Conference East – Conference Theme: Value of a Marine Surveyor. A registration form (PDF) is attached to this NAMSGlobal eNews. With Adobe Reader, you may fill it out and email, regular mail, or fax it to the National Office. The conference is being held at the Hilton Newark Penn Station,Gateway Center/Raymond Blvd. Newark, New Jersey. Reservations: (973) 622-5000. Make your room reservations early, be sure to ask for NAMS Group rate $119.00 plus taxes. March 30-31, 2009 and April 2-3, 2009 – The SHIPS Watercraft Training Small Power Watercraft Damage and Claim Evaluation Seminar will be presented at the American Family (AMFAM) Extended Learning Center in Madison, WI. The class has been approved for 12.0 hrs CE for SAMS members, and includes information and instruction on the inspection and evaluation of damage claims to private pleasure watercraft. Information regarding the class and on-line registration is available at: www.shipsinc.com. Follow the “Training” link on the left side of the home page. Contact Jerry P. Simon, AIC, AMS, CMI Simon & Hall Insurance Professional Services, Inc. [email protected] Office: (573) 348-2741 Cell: (417) 848-4777 April 2-3, 2009 – The 2009 Asian Marine Insurance and Surveying Forum, Novotel Century Hong Kong Hotel. Theme: ‘The carriage and care of steel cargoes’. Early bird rates available. CPD Certificates, accepted by all Marine Surveying Professional Institutes, will be issued upon request. Those interested in attending should contact Mrs Lulu Zuniga-Carmine at Asia Conference Ltd: [email protected] Those interested in giving a paper at the conference should contact Mike Wall at [email protected] (Speakers earn 3 IIMS CPD points.) 27 – 28 APRIL 2009 – SAFEDOR FINAL CONFERENCE, LONDON, UK. Organised by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects on behalf of the SAFEDOR Project: Standing for “Design, Operation and Regulation for Safety”, SAFEDOR is an Integrated Project (IP) funded by the European Commission under the 6th RTD Framework Programme, in which a total of 53 project partners – coordinated by Germanischer Lloyd – from all sectors of the maritime industry in Europe are participating. SAFEDOR is about to complete its four year R&D programme. To mark this event, partners of SAFEDOR will present the latest and overall results of their work at a public conference at the Headquarters of the International Maritime Organisation. The event will provide an excellent opportunity to familiarise engineers with the principles underlying risk-based ship design, regulation, operation and approval, and to discuss a variety of applications. Info at: [email protected]or go to www.rina.org.uk June 29-30, 2009 – American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU) Correspondents Conference: Atlantic City, NewJersey. Details for the two-day Correspondents Conference, a joint venture with the Marine Insurance Claims Association (MICA), to include education and information programs, have been finalized. AIMU will apply for Continuing Education credits for the event. AIMU is seeking potential presenters for the 30, 40, 60, and 75-minute education sessions. Third-Party Surveyors Sought For Towing Vessel Inspectors We included in the December, 2008 NAMS News an article about the upcoming SubChapter M regulation for inspection of towing vessels in the U. S. The proposed regulation will specify third party surveyors. NAMSGlobal is lobbying to include wording that the third party surveyor must be a member of NAMS plus a graduate of a maritime school or have experience surveying tug boats. Lorne Gould, NAMS-CMS is organizing a list of potential third party surveyors. He asked that those NAMSGlobal members that are qualified and would like to do these third party surveys submit to him an e-mail of school and experience. Lornes’ e-mail address is [email protected]. Those of you who want to add your name to the list, please do so soon. The World Marine Surveying Organisation meets in London An inaugural meeting of Marine Surveying organisations took place at the Marine Society on Wednesday 10th December 2008. The meeting was attended by fourteen organisations who between them represent four thousand marine surveyors in ninety five countries. The meeting was initiated by the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS) and the Society of Consulting Marine Engineers and Ship Surveyors (SCMS) following a discussion document issued in November 2007 by the Australian Institute of Marine Surveyors (AIMS). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the formation of an organisation to provide marine surveyors with a collective voice to IMO, Governments and the marine industry world-wide. A Working Group was appointed to look at Aims and Objectives, standards of education, definitions of membership and make recommendations to the member organisations on the way ahead. The organisation has initially been titled: “Alliance of Marine Surveying Organisations (AMSO)”. An independent Chairman Mr Brian Williamson was appointed until the working Group report back to the organisations, with the secretariat provided by the International Institute of Marine Surveying. Organisations and their headquarter country attending the meeting: SAMS – USA, SIMSA – Sweden, IAIMS – Indonesia, YDSA – UK, SCMS – UK, BACS – UK, MSABC – Canada, IIMS – UK, NAMSGlobal – USA, NIVRE – Netherlands, BAMTES – Belgium, HMTCA – Greece, UPEM – France, AIPAM – Italy Details of the attending organisations, the representatives, their areas of expertise, numbers of members etc are available from the IIMS Secretariat. More information is available through the AMSO Secretariat at [email protected] or Tel: +44 (0) 239 258 8000 Fax: +44 (0)239 258 8002. Supplied by IIMS Secretariat. Courtesy FLASHLIGHT, a free monthly e-newsletter circulated to more than 5,000 people involved in marine surveying around the world. It is circulated to anybody who wishes to receive a copy. It is a collation of articles relevant to our profession taken from various publications together with contributions from readers. Letters, opinions and articles relating to our profession are welcomed for the newsletter. [email protected] Recession May Drive More Adult Students to Take Online Courses Reprint of paper by Steve Kolowich Economic storms historically have prompted more adults to seek shelter in the classroom. But this time around, two-year colleges and private for-profit institutions are especially optimistic about attracting more students-and many of those older students will probably take courses online, according to one of the authors of a recent survey. The 2008 Sloan Survey of Online Learning, released in November before the extent of the recession was clear, found that while all types of colleges anticipate enrollment bumps because of high unemployment, two-year and private for-profit institutions expect to increase their rolls more than others since they “tend to offer programs that have traditionally been tailored to serve working adults.” And as the economic forecast has grown increasingly pessimistic, these expectations are more likely to play out, according to I. Elaine Allen, an associate professor at Babson College, one of the report’s authors. “A lot of people want to increase their skill levels or get that degree they didn’t have,” Ms. Allen told The Chronicle this week. The threat of losing their jobs, she said, “can be as big a motivator as the actuality.” Ms. Allen also expects the number of students enrolled in online courses, which two-year and private for-profit colleges have embraced, to rise during the recession. Back in November, the Sloan survey asserted that the high cost of gasoline might compel more people to learn from home. Although gas prices have since fallen, Ms. Allen said she still expects the struggling economy to push more students into online courses for other reasons. “If you don’t have a job, lowering your gas costs is not your primary motivation for going back to school online,” she said. “Time-wise, you have the flexibility of logging online and taking the course whenever you want. We also see that most of the online learners are older, and there are family issues.” With online programs, she said, “you don’t have to leave your house. If you have a family, that’s going to make things much easier for you.” If the recession does move more adults into cyberclassrooms, it will accelerate a trend that has been happening since the Sloan Consortium began publishing its online-education reports, in 2003. As of 2007-the most recently analyzed data-more than a fifth of all students enrolled in higher education were taking at least one online course. The survey defined that as courses where “at least 80 percent of the course content is delivered online.” According to the survey data, two-year colleges and large public universities have been the most enthusiastic about adding Web-based courses and programs to their curricula. But Ms. Allen said public institutions were “not anticipating huge growth anymore online.” Two-year colleges and for-profit institutions, on the other hand, have not yet met their maximum potential in online enrollments, she said. Both public universities and two-year colleges did agree that online courses were “critical” to their long-term strategies, while baccalaureate institutions generally refrained from ascribing them such dramatic importance. Still, 58 percent of all colleges surveyed agreed that online courses were strategically critical. That figure has remained roughly consistent over the last four years, leading the authors of the report to conclude that the perceived strategic importance of the Web may have peaked. At the same time, they note that 70 percent of colleges report that competition for the growing pool of students interested in online learning is increasing. “This competition may be leading schools to increase their geographic reach and to concentrate on nondegree, nontraditional students,” the authors wrote. “For the first time, [schools] are seeing students choose another college for its online program,” said Ms. Allen. Courtesy Chronicle (a teachers resource). Janet Peck, NAMS-CMS explains the difference between on-line classes, and distance-learning classes There is a significant difference between on-line classes, and distance-learning classes. The difference lies in the delivery and whether or not there is interaction between students and between students and faculty. In essence, the difference lies in course delivery. Those seeking face-to-face peer interaction, through which critical thinking skills can be fostered should consider online. These typically are based on asynchronous classes, while distance-learning classes are for those who like to go it alone. Ultimately, it comes down to personal learning styles. Some individuals enjoy the regularity of the classroom, while others enjoy the convenience and flexibility of distance learning. Another important consideration in class delivery is asynchronous classes vs. synchronous. There is a difference and it comes down to: Asynchronous communication is that which does not happen in real-time. In other words, people can communicate asynchronously without needing to have a common time available in their calendar. E-mail is an excellent example of asynchronous communication, as are electronic bulletin boards. I can send you a message at noon, and you will get that message without having to be logged in at the exact time I send it. You can read the message any time after it is sent and send a response anytime you want (an inherent advantage to asynchronous communication – more on that later). Synchronous communication differs in that for two (or more) people to communicate synchronously, they have to be in the same place (physically or virtually) at the same time, hard to do for working surveyors. Electronic chat is a good example here – you and I must sit at our respective computers *at the same time* if we are to exchange greetings in a chat room. There are the obvious advantages of each communication mode with respect to teaching and learning, but you have to decide which meets your needs. Other On-line Training Courses: www.mbiedu.org Asynchronous online classes Online courses are asynchronous and include Expert Witness, Maritime Security and cargo courses, to register go to www.mbiedu.org and register to access the campus or call Janet Peck at 843-628-4340 SUNY Maritime College Along with WestLawn/ABYC Asynchronous online classes, graduate and professional classes. The classes are available online, arrangements for attending classes can be made through Margaret Poppiti at SUNY, email [email protected], phone 718. 409-5988. Additionally, many of the SUNY Campuses offer degree programs online through the SUNY Learning Network. Please keep in mind that students earn degrees from a SUNY campus. To view a list of classes at any of the SUNY online campuses go tohttp://sln.suny.edu IIMS Diplomas in Marine Surveying – By Distance Learning (different than online) The International Institute of Marine Surveying is accepting applications for Marine Surveying diplomas in: Yacht & Small Craft, Cargo, Engineering and Marine Industry. These diplomas are the only recognized Marine Surveying qualifications fully endorsed and approved by IIMS. Specialist course modules include: GRP/FRP Vessels, Wood Vessels, Steel Vessels and Aluminum & Ferro Craft, Engine Surveys, ISM, Sea Trials, Valuations , Marine Engineering Surveys, Rigging and Sails plus many more… Three ways to register:
Last enrolment date – 31 March 2009 Appraisal Courses from the American Society of Appraisers National USPAP Audio Course – 15 hours SE100AC You can meet your mandatory 15-hour USPAP requirement by taking ASA’s audio USPAP course. This program is available now for download. Audio program is on MP3 and materials are in Adobe PDF. Course materials are also available on CD and includes USPAP book and student manual, see below. This course is accepted by ASA for accreditation as well as re-accreditation purposes. Students successfully completing the course and exam will be granted 15 ASA re-accreditation credits; however, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the licensing authority in your state to make certain that the USPAP home study has been approved and will be accepted for credit. Note: This exam requires a proctor. ASA Distance Education Audio courses are available online or can be ordered from:
The University of Missouri-Columbia, Machinery and Equipment Valuation Course addresses the industry and methods of the particular discipline and provides access to students who are unable to participate in a regular classroom setting. This course is a requisite to achieve a designation with the American Society of Appraisers. http://mudirect.missouri.edu/degprog/specialized/_appraisal.shtm Association of Ship Brokers & Agents (U.S.A.), Inc. Offers several online courses which would be of interest to surveyors and include Maritime Law, Chartering, Commercial Trade Transactions and agency courses. To view classes go to:http://www.asba.org/Learning/courseslaw.html. Massachusetts Maritime Academy offers FREE Online Education Programs Massachusetts Maritime Academy was recently awarded a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s “Seafarer’s Environmental Education Fund” to develop and launch the Academy’s first online courses. The grant allows the program to initially be offered FREE to students, representing a savings of over $3000 for each student when compared with a traditional 15-credit course cost.
Contact: Kristine Esdale, Media Specialist Massachusetts Maritime Academy 508-830-5019 /[email protected] / http://www.maritime.edu/cmt United States Power Squadrons is the world’s largest private, nonprofit boating organization. Its members are boating families who contribute to their communities by promoting safe boating on the water and in the classroom. Courses include: Boating Safety, Onboard Weather Forecasting, How to Use a Chart, GPS Usage for Navigation, and Seamanship with many more in the offering. NOTE: To find more classes Google: Maritime online education Containership owners are now prepared to leave their very large vessels idle as market conditions continue to worsen. Latest figures from AXS-Alphaliner show that the number of boxships at anchor has increased significantly over the past few weeks, with total unemployed capacity put at 165 vessels of 430,000 teu by Christmas Eve. AXS-Alphaliner reports that six very large containerships have joined the pool of out-of-work tonnage, while others of that size will soon be in a similar position as lines prepare to withdraw more services. Another 19 ships in the 5,000 teu-7,500 teu range were also at anchor, along with 22 in the 3,000 teu-5,000 teu bracket. But the biggest casualties of the slump were ships of 1,000 teu-2,000 teu capacity, with almost sixty now unemployed. AXS-Alphaliner calculates the amount of idle tonnage at equivalent to 3.5% of the total cellular fleet, the same in percentage terms as that reached during the last downturn of 2002, when the fleet was much smaller. (Lloyd’s List, 12/30/2008.) Courtesy AIMU Weekly Bulletin. IMO Publishes New IMDG Code (2008 Edition) A new edition of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, the standard guide to all aspects of handling dangerous goods and marine pollutants in sea transport, has been published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in hard copy, as a download and as an internet subscription. The new edition includes the changes in Amendment 34-08, adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in May 2008. Although the information in the Code is directed primarily at the mariner, its provisions are essential for a whole range of industries and services. Manufacturers, packers, shippers, feeder services such as road and rail, and port authorities will find reliable advice on terminology, packing, labeling, classification, stowage, segregation, and emergency response action. The new amendments to the Code are mandatory as from 1 January 2010 but may be applied by Administrations voluntarily from 1 January 2009. The many detailed changes introduced by Amendment 34-08 include: in the Dangerous Goods List, there are 12 new UN numbers going up to 3481, with explosives going up to 0508; there are also 5 UN numbers which were previously not listed in the IMDG Code because they were not regulated under it; appropriate training for shore-side staff involved with dangerous goods is now mandatory instead of just recommended, and may be audited by the competent authority. Persons not yet trained may only operate under the direct supervision of a trained person; and additional changes concerning marine pollutants, IMO tank instructions, excepted quantities, limited quantities and radioactive materials of class 7. (Thacher Proffitt & Wood.) Courtesy AIMU Weekly Bulletin. UN Adopts Rotterdam Cargo Loss Rules Early The general assembly of the United Nations has formally adopted the Rotterdam Rules, a new international convention governing the loss and damage of ocean cargo that still has to be ratified by 20 countries before it enters into force. Although officially known as the Convention on Contracts for the International Carrying of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, the rules will officially take on their new name following a signing ceremony in the Netherlands port in September next year. The Rotterdam Rules are intended to replace the Hamburg and Hague-Visby compensation regimes, stretching back several decades, which are thought to be out of date in the modern logistics supply chain that can no longer be segmented into clear modal stages for cargo loss and damage. (Lloyd’s List, 12/18/2008.) Courtesy AIMU Weekly Bulletin. Survey Shows Fewer Hassles In USA Ports U.S. authorities appear to have replaced their hard-line approach to seafarers with a new ‘fair treatment’ policy to respect Maritime professionals, according to shipowners and marine insurers. Research by the international owners’ organisation BIMCO has revealed a marked decrease in the number of seafarers complaining of problems during ship inspections in US ports. A survey of seafarers on a selected group of more than 200 ships compared each respondent’s latest US ship inspection with their most recent nonUS ship inspection and found that 95% considered their last inspection in the US to have been professional and respectful’. More than three quarters of the seafarers who had visited the US since February this year had noted an improvement in the attitude of US Coast Guard personnel. In contrast, almost one third of the respondents said they had experienced unprofessional or disrespectful inspections somewhere in the world within the past 24 months. BIMCO said the survey reflects a directive sent out to all US Coast Guard districts by USCG commander Admiral Thad Allen in February, 2007 following complaints about the way in which some inspections were being carried out. The directive referred to the professionalism of ships’ crews generally and urged USCG from any action that could be interpreted as ‘haughtiness, rudeness or insult’. John Lyras, chairman of the London P&I Club, said heavy-handed boarding’ by U. S. government agency representative. These had distracted crew from safety-critical duties, potentially affecting the well-being of ships, he warned. ‘I am not aware of such a case actually resulting in an accident, but these sorts of stories have not been isolated and have been of concern to both the shipping and P&I insurance industries he added. Those conscious of specific cases have hesitated to bring them to the attention of senior officials for fear of the shipowners concerned being penalised in some manner. However, Mr Lyras said the USCG directive had sent a clear signal that harassment of seafarers will not be tolerated. This forthright recognition that improvements can be made and that partnership is the way forward is immensely reassuring and it deserves publicity and positive response, he added. Courtesy of FLASHLIGHT [email protected] USCG – Salvage And Marine Firefighting Planning Requirements The US Coast Guard promulgated its final rule amending the vessel response plan salvage and firefighting requirements for tank vessels that carry Groups I-IV oils as cargo or cargo residue. These revisions clarify the salvage and marine firefighting services that must be identified in vessel oil spill response plans and set new response time requirements for each of the required salvage and marine firefighting services. The changes, which are scheduled to come into effect on January 30, 2009, are intended to ensure that appropriate salvage and marine firefighting resources are identified and available for responding to incidents up to and including the worst case discharge scenario. The holder of a vessel response plan (VRP) has until June 1, 2010 to prepare and submit a revised VRP that is compliant with the salvage and marine firefighting requirements. Note: These new regulations specifically apply only to tank vessels. The regulations requiring non-tank vessels to prepare and submit oil spill response plans remain a work in progress, even though the statute mandating the non-tank vessel response plans (NTVRPs) was enacted in 2004. Owners and operators of non-tank vessels operating in US waters would be well served by preparing now for inclusion of salvage and marine firefighting provisions in their NTVRPs. 73 Fed. Reg. 80617 <http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-30604.pdf> Courtesy Haight’s Maritime Newsletter from the law firm of HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP http://www.hklaw.com Implementation Of Long Range Identification And Tracking Syste The U.S. Coast Guard announced that operation of the International Maritime Organization -mandated Long Range Identification and Tracking System began Dec. 31, 2008. The U.S. Coast Guard also begins operating the U.S. National Data Center on that date. The U.S. National Data Center will be responsible for the collection, dissemination and management of all LRIT data submitted by U.S.-flagged vessels subject to LRIT regulations. The U.S. National Data Center also will collect foreign-flagged vessel LRIT information from other data centers. Beginning Jan. 1, 2009, the Coast Guard will examine foreign and U.S. flagged vessels subject to LRIT regulations to determine the status of compliance. More information regarding LRIT may be found at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/lrit/default.htm. (www.piersystem.com12/23/2008) Courtesy AIMU Weekly Bulletin. The US Coast Guard issued a press release http://www.uscgnewengland.com/go/doc/778/246649 reminding the maritime community that, effective February 1, 2009, the COSPAS-SARSAT satellites will no longer monitor the 121.5/243 MHz signal transmitted by older Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs). Mariners are strongly encouraged to replace them with the newer 406 MHz EPIRBs, which offer greatly improved performance. (12/31/08). Courtesy Haight’s Maritime Newsletter from the law firm of HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP http://www.hklaw.com New U.S. Rules Regarding 28 Separate Discharges From Vessels The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice announcing the Vessel General Permit (VGP) program as part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA). A federal court previously ruled that the long-standing exemption from the NPDES permitting requirement was invalid and directed that the exemption be vacated as of December 19, 2008. The VGP program has been developed in response to that ruling. The program addresses 28 separate discharges from ships including, but are not limited to, ballast water discharges, deck washdown and runoff, bilge water, gray water, seawater cooling overboard discharge, controllable pitch propeller hydraulic fluid, and hull husbandry. Covered vessels (basically commercial vessels, foreign and domestic, of 79 ft in length and greater) operating on navigable waters of the United States have to adopt best management practices for each of these waste streams. In addition, covered vessels of 300 gross tons and greater will have to submit Notices of Intent (NOIs) relating to these discharges. The EPA also released its 163-page VGP permit and a 126-page Fact Sheet and a 180-page Economic Analysis. Finally, it released the State and Tribal Certifications related to the VGP program. The EPA also issued a news release stating that the program affects approximately 61,000 domestic vessels and 8,000 foreign vessels. Note: Subsequent to the signing of this notice, the federal court granted a motion to delay implementation of the VGP program until February 6, 2009. This is a work in progress and there are certain to be further developments. 73 Fed. Reg. 79473 (December 29, 2008). Courtesy Haight’s Maritime Newsletter from the law firm of HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP http://www.hklaw.com This piece was forwarded to Bow Wave by K. K. Chadha, the Hong Kong-based freelance writer. Swedish Police Containerise Drunks At Remote Resort – Police in Sweden’s northern Varmland coped with drunken New Year’s revellers by putting them in a customised shipping container until they sobered up, reports The Local, Sweden’sEnglish language news portal. The container is equipped with ventilation, a simple drainage system (a hole in the floor) and furnished with fireproof mattresses and an inspection window. The box was used last summer by the local recreation club in Branas in northern Varmland to hold inebriated rally-cross enthusiasts during the European championship week. The container is set in a fenced-off area at a garage owned by the National Road Administration five kilometres from the ski hill. “We are probably the first in Sweden to do this,” said Peter Akerstrom of the Varmland police detachment. “People go there to have fun. It is probably not quite as fun to wake up in a detention container.” Police say they make use of the box until the Branas alpine area closes after Easter. Contact KK at: [email protected] Courtesy BOW WAVE, which is published each week to over 15 000 Readers in the transport, insurance, shipping and finance industries. The American Institute of Marine Underwriters has extensive educational materials and classes available to those in the industry. Browse their Home Page at http://www.aimu.org/index.htm or their extensive course offerings at:http://www.aimu.org/schedule.html ‘Hatch Covers – Operation, Testing and Maintenance’ by Mike Wall, NAMS-CMS. (ISBN 13: 978 1 85609 344 6 ISBN 10: 1 85609 327 1) Cost GBP50. Published by Witherby Seamanship International, 4 Dunlop Square, Deans Estate,Livingston EH54 8SB, United Kingdom. Email: [email protected], website www.witherbyseamanship.com. Described as ‘the authoritive textbook on hatch covers’ by other reputable authors. Mr. Wall publishes the E-zine Flashlight, is a frequent contributor to NAMS News, and has spoken at several NAMSGlobal conferences. The Fifth Edition Regulations Handbook for Uninspected Towing Vessels is now available, and contains applicable revisions and additions to regulations through the end of October 2006. The UTV Regulations Handbook combines the regulations found in ten Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) books and puts them into one easy to read topical resource. Contact Rushing Marine Service http://www.rushingmarine.com The US Coast Guard issued a video release (http://www.uscgnewyork.com/go/doc/802/249211) showing the ditching of US Airways flight 1459 in the Hudson River on January 15. The 10-minute clip starts one minute prior to the ditching. Everything is quiet. Then, all hell breaks loose. Immediately after the ditching, passengers calmly walk out onto the wings to await rescue by the ferry boats, which are quick to arrive as the plane drifts along the Manhattan shore. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) issued a news item (click here) noting that commuter ferries, tugs, and other commercial vessels responded promptly and professionally following the ditching. (1/16/09). Courtesy Haight’s Maritime Newsletter from the law firm of HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP http://www.hklaw.com NOAA Charts and Coast Pilot Publications – http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/dole.htm
U.S. Coast Guard Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circulars – http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-m/nvic/index00.htm |
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