Frank Coles Appointed CEO of Wallem Group

By MarEx 2018-09-19 05:10:40

Wallem Group has appointed Frank Coles as its new Chief Executive Officer. Coles will replace outgoing CEO, Simon Doughty, who announced his decision to step down earlier this year. The handover will take place at the end of October. “The opportunity to lead and help grow a prestigious and diversified company like Wallem was something I could not pass up,” said Coles. “With the increased industry focus on efficiency, safety and the environment, providing quality shipping services, crews and technical...

Ferry Burns and Sinks off Sulawesi

By MarEx 2018-09-18 21:38:22

On Friday afternoon, the wooden ferry Fungka Permata V burned and sank off Banggai Laut, a group of islands off Sulawesi, Indonesia. She was carrying about 150 passengers and crewmembers at the time of the sinking. Response officials received notification of the accident at about 1600 hours, and a rescue vessel arrived on site at 1700 with military servicemembers and police officials on board. They rescued 114 passengers and 12 members of the crew, including 28 individuals who sustained injuries. According...

Credit: Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force Facebook page

Japan Conducts Submarine Drill in South China Sea

By MarEx 2018-09-18 21:32:21

Japan has conducted its first peace-time submarine drill in the South China Sea. The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force submarine Kuroshio, commanded by Captain Yasuteru Ueta, along with the helicopter carrier Kaga and two destroyers, Inazuma and Suzutsuki, conducted the drill last Thursday and then made a port call at Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay earlier this week. It was the first call by a Japanese submarine at the strategically important port since World War II. In response to the drill, China...

U.S. Industry Groups Organize to Oppose Tariffs

By MarEx 2018-09-18 19:20:40

The American Petroleum Institute, the American Association of Port Authorities, the National Retail Federation and a wide array of business associations are banding together to voice their opposition to the Trump administration's escalation of tariffs on Chinese goods. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the imposition of 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion in imports from China, including consumer goods like electronics, food, toys and furniture. The tariff rate on this list is set to expand to...

Blue-Ribbon Panel at SUNY Maritime's "Blue Highway" Conference

By SUNY Maritime 2018-09-18 18:55:19

Highways, roads, and bridges in and around the New York metro area are increasingly clogged with bumper-to-bumper commercial truck and commuter traffic. That’s not news to anyone who has driven I-95 along the U.S. East Coast. The congestion increases air pollution— leading to increased health risks—and slows the flow of people, commerce, and goods to a crawl throughout the region. The New York City...

Langley Douglas’ main deck during a previous voyage, with about 18,000–20,000 pounds of squid in the hog pen. (Photo by crewmember)

Twenty-Five Foot Basking Shark Led to Fishing Vessel Capsize

By MarEx 2018-09-18 18:45:17

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has released an investigation report into the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Langley Douglas in September 2017, noting the presence of a 25-foot basking shark in the catch and the captain's subsequent decision making. The 79-foot-long, 143-gross ton vessel developed a port list, capsized and subsequently sank 60 miles east of Cape Charles, Virginia. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescued the five people on board. No injuries or pollution were reported. The Langley Douglas...

U.S. Accuses Russia of Violating Sanctions on N. Korea

By MarEx 2018-09-18 18:38:31

On Monday, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley accused Russia of deliberately flouting U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea's nuclear program, then working to hide its actions. "Russia is actively working to undermine the enforcement of the Security Council’s sanctions on North Korea. Its violations are not one-offs. They are systematic," she alleged in an address to the Council. "Russia has not simply looked the other way as its nationals and entities engage in activities explicitly prohibited...

Greenland Government Agrees to Back Arctic HFO Ban

By MarEx 2018-09-18 18:19:11

Greenland’s Naalakkersuisut (government) has issued a statement saying that is supports a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil by Arctic shipping. The Greenland government’s statement, published on the Naalakkersuisut’s website says (in translation) that: “Naalakkersuisut has agreed to actively work for a ban on HFO in the Arctic, via the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO). The prohibition must cover both navigation and transport of HFO in the Arctic. Naalakkersuisut's position on the case has awaited...

NTSB Releases El Faro Investigation Video

By MarEx 2018-09-18 17:44:44

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a video summarizing the NTSB investigation of the October 1, 2015, sinking of El Faro and the loss of all 33 mariners aboard. The video examines the NTSB’s determination of the cause of the accident and discusses associated recommendations to improve marine safety. It also highlights the three missions undertaken to retrieve the voyage data recorder and document the wreckage, which was found 15,000 feet beneath the ocean's surface. In February,...