File Photo: Kim M. Bouchard. Credit: MarineTraffic.com/Duncan Williams By Captain William Doherty - The recent tragic chain of events regarding the financial irresponsibility of the owners of one the largest U.S. coastwise petroleum carriers, Bouchard Transportation Co., and in particular its owner Morton Bouchard III, whereby numerous actions have been forced upon … [Read more...]
Captain Livingstone: All Person Errors
Photo: Shutterstock.com / Zoya_Yakovleva By Captain George Livingstone - There has been a lot of work in the last few decades directed toward accident prevention in marine transportation. We know most accidents are caused by human error, importantly, a series of errors. The much talked about error chain comes to mind, and eliminating single person errors. The theory is that … [Read more...]
Will The Golden Ray Salvage Threaten OPA 90?
Prince William Sound, AK (Mar. 24)-- The Exxon Valdez aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. She spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil, which resulted in the largest oil spill in U.S. history. USCG PHOTO Op-Ed (gCaptain) This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA-90) -- one of the most successful disaster response and … [Read more...]
Captain George Livingstone: Light Years
**Dedicated to those who do business upon great waters** By Captain George Livingstone - My little Scottish mother always used to say ‘You can measure age by how fast the year goes, as well as your increasingly startled reaction to mirrors’. Thanks for the warning Mom, another year is nearly passed and not much happened other than an odd revulsion to mirrors. Of course, … [Read more...]
Proposed Customs and Border Protection Modifications Will Weaken the Jones Act
By Meghan Lapp - The Jones Act, or Merchant Marine Act of 1920, has been the foundation of U.S. maritime commerce for 100 years, requiring coastwise trade, i.e. transport of merchandise between two U.S. points, to be conducted on U.S.-flagged, U.S.-owned, U.S.-built vessels, which must be crewed by a minimum of 75% U.S. citizens and/or permanent U.S. residents. It is … [Read more...]