By Capt. George H Livingstone, “Promise Everything, Deliver Nothing” Napoleon Bonaparte There is an ongoing “full court press” regarding the subject of automation in marine transportation. In the last year gCaptain alone has seen many articles on the subject; Rolls-Royce’s automated ships, automated tug boats, etc. Recently there have seen several more, … [Read more...]
Interview with Commodore Jim Scorer, Secretary-General of the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA)
By Gibraltar Shipping Commodore Jim Scorer is Secretary-General of the International Federation of Shipmasters’ Associations (IFSMA). Established in 1974 to uphold International Standards of Professional Competence for Seafarers, IFSMA is a federation with a policy to ensure safe operational practices, preservation from human injury, protection of the marine environment and … [Read more...]
New U.S. Justice Dept. Policy May Affect Community Service Payments in MARPOL Plea Agreements
By H. Allen Black - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a new policy that may curtail the long-standing practice of requiring vessel owners and operators facing charges under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and MARPOL to make “Community Service Payments” to non profit groups such as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as part of their plea … [Read more...]
OMSA: Jones Act Decision is Not Only Disappointing – It is Alarming
Note: Below is editorial by the Offshore Marine Service Association in response to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency's recent decision to withdraw its proposal to modify and revoke letter rulings related to the enforcement of the Jones Act, allowing certain foreign-flagged vessels to continue working in U.S. offshore waters. This interview originally appeared … [Read more...]
U.S. LNG to China, A Balance of Trade
By Ted Michael, Senior LNG Analyst, Genscape The U.S. China Summit ended on a positive note for U.S. LNG exports. While China runs a massive trade import deficit with the U.S., the country has signed major 20-year gas import contracts with Russia, Qatar, and Australia; the U.S. absence has been noted. Chinese LNG Imports Receive a Presidential Push President Trump … [Read more...]
Pilotage: Local Places and Tight Spaces
By Capt. George H Livingstone, One could make the argument that international marine transportation is the singular thread running throughout the world. It is wonderfully complicated, layered and diverse; a fascinating business. Ships have been sailing the ocean trades for thousands of years along with the people who manned them. A Mesolithic (10,000-5,000 … [Read more...]
Maritime During Trump’s First 100 Days: Not Exactly Smooth Sailing, But Infrastructure Still a Focus
By J. Michael Cavanaugh and Eric Lee (Holland & Knight) - With President Donald Trump's 100th day just completed, the trend towards protectionism continues, but Congress has not passed legislation that would convert the president's most protectionist ideals into law. Even so, there are common objectives among the two branches. Both the president and Congress seem … [Read more...]