Maritime Press International

Lloyd’s List – TWIC ‘Identity card is US’ maritime hobgoblin’
I am certain that there are no shortage of TWIC card ‘victims’ out there, so I thought that you would all enjoy this commentary by Dr. John A.C. Cartner published this week in Lloyd’s List. First a little about the author:
Dr. John A. C. Cartner practices maritime law domestically and internationally. He is designated as Proctor in Admiralty by the Maritime Law Association of the U.S.. He is a member of the Canadian Maritime Law Association and other such associations internationally. He is a licensed (U.S.) and experienced shipmaster and is a chartered engineer (U.K.) in naval architecture. – Link
He is a graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy and is the lead author of The International Law of the Shipmaster and you can find his website here (See a video interview here.). So his is clearly a voice of authority. With that said, here is a truly unvarnished view of the

Tuesday 15 February 2011, 17:25 by John AC Cartner

The identity card for US transportation workers has been an expensive disaster in technical and civil liberty terms, and has brought no discernible security benefits
FOR a US seafarer, a Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or “TWIC Card” or just “TWIC”, is a necessary accoutrement. It gives the warm feeling that things are under control.The TWIC was imposed by the Department of Homeland Security, overseeing the Transportation Security Administration. These are the blank faces of the organs of state security that seafarers encounter.
The TWIC is an obscenely expensive, delusional and nakedly bizarre failure. It wastes billions of unaffordable dollars, and it does not demonstrably increase the security of ports, vessels or people. It should be abolished now.
Other existing and proven methods can readily be used. Those methods are run by people knowledgeable about maritime. The TWIC is all about misguided bureaucrats, technology, lobbyists and money searching for a mission.
There is full fallacy in the TWIC exercise. In philosophy it is called the foundational fallacy. One cannot rely on arguments coming from a complex foundation of facts or events. The argument must fail. Why? One cannot account for every variation in the future from the time the foundation was laid. Fatal errors unavoidably creep in and persist.
The TWIC, which is supposed to be perfected to keep theoretical terrorists from theoretical ports, will always fail.
The TSA crowd knows nothing about the industry. It administers cosy contracts with equally unknowing contractors.
Thus it came to pass that the TSA became the Monty Python of seaports. Existing and proven systems would have worked with minimal tinkering. The professional US Coast Guard should run all port security programmes. Never mind easily done record searches or common sense. But Congress listened to the lobbyists: we dullard wharf rats cannot possibly understand technology.
As American lecturer, essayist and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, pointed out, that the hobgoblin of little minds lies in dull and mindless routine. The TWIC is a maritime hobgoblin reified in the TSA.
The leading contractor for the TWIC was defence aeroplane manufacturer Lockheed-Martin. The aim was not to help in anti-terrorism but to bring another $1bn in revenue by selling a bill of goods for things unproven.
Lockheed understood the foundational fallacy — if a computer can do it, it will be effective and therefore good, and therefore solves the problem — with sufficient funds.
Then the geeks designing TWIC ignored federal guidelines for identification cards. The initial system was so cumbersome that it took a PhD in computer science to obtain a password for the website to register.
The inevitable cost excesses came. A tactic of every defence contractor is to buy in at low cost and then make up the losses by change orders. Lockheed held the government hostage for work done.
Then the reports of civil liberties abuses arose. Government auditing arms found TWIC a near-disaster. Recently came the strident shouting of TSA Administrator John Pistole, the FBI hack who proclaimed “We will not back down!” when the public protested at airport genital gropings. We await that tactic in ports with interest.
Clearly, neither the empress nor her king has clothes when Mr Pistole and the speechifying Secretary Janet Napolitano say all is well with the TWIC.
The technology for a TWIC card reader cannot be produced and will not be for years. Every credit card company has secure card readers. They deal in the real world of commerce, not the fear-mongering world of TSA Cassandras. They also accept reasonable risks of fraud. Why cannot the TSA and its contractor bedfellows produce a reader that works?
The security response to the need is not rocket science. The TSA clearly needs brains and not more defence technology to hide its bovine mooing and ovine bleating.
Other abuses came. If a name did not fit a form devised in 1898, the TSA made one up. Hyphens? Un-American. Two middle initials? Un-American. All this was for the enlightenment of a gate guard at 0300 hrs in the driving rain to read, vet and compare to other credentials. No match. You do not come in. TSA idiocy.
The pressure was put on. Assaults by contractor clerks were reported when applicants pointed out that the card was false identification when not conforming to credentials. Criminal complaints have been said to have been diverted for “national security”. A DHS spokesman reportedly said: “If that is your name, you do not get a TWIC.” A DHS mouthpiece telling a certificated seafarer his livelihood is endangered because of a wrong form of his name on a TWIC card? Unbridled hubris.
Then there is biometry, the supposed keystone. No one can define, measure, put it on a card or read it electronically accurately all the time to compare to the outdated databases run by the security weenies. No one has figured out how to make it comply with the international objectives for seafarer identification.
The TWIC is useless outside the US. In the US, reports are legion of airport TSA automatons rejecting it. One report says it is unacceptable for entering US Coast Guard headquarters in Washington.
The problem is not port security, it is the TWIC programme. It was and is a failure. It promises but gives nothing except false security, press releases and only attracts ridicule. One should not sleep better at night knowing John Pistole is on watch. – Lloyd’s List (Republished with permission of the author)

As bad as the US TWIC program is, it is nothing compared to the mess that is the UN’s version of the seafarer ID, as defined in the International Labour Organisation’s Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised) 2003. But more on that later.

by J. Baxter
MPI staff writer
November 9, 2010


NEW YORK, NY. - Have you ever dreamed of a career aboard a commercial fishing or patrol vessel? Does the thought of enjoying a nautical related career seem perfect for you? Well, now is the time to pursue the profession of your dreams. Several sectors in the marine industry are expanding, creating many new job opportunities for boat captains and supporting staff.

All American Marine (AAM), located in Bellingham, Washington is a leading manufacturer of several different types of boats, including high speed passenger ferries, work vessels and fishing boats. They have been in business since 1987 and suffered through the slow economic downturn of the last few years, but this year business started to improve dramatically.

AAM’s President, Matt Mullet, reports that they had a backlog of orders for new vessels at the beginning of 2010 and have already had several new orders this year. They now have plenty of work to keep them busy all the way through 2011. It seems that the fishing sector is starting to rebound. Consumers are beginning to have extra money in their budget to buy fresh fish again even though the prices for fish are going up. Capital construction funds are also beginning to mature, increasing the interest in new types of fishing vessels to meet the consumers’ demand.

Another marine sector that Mullet has noticed taking off this year is passenger vessel service. With more and more cars on the road, traffic congestion is at an all time high. People are looking for alternate methods of transportation to get where they need to go. For communities served by rivers and canals, commuting by boat is a much more relaxing and scenic option. AAM has received several orders for these types of boats from new owners who would like to start up new passenger vessel services.

AAM also has a line of vessels built for survey and research. Oceanographic survey and research remained unaffected by the recent economic recession, but Mullet is projecting that the demand for these types of vessels – and the jobs that go along with them – will increase to deal with supporting offshore oil fields and wind farms.

Another boating manufacturer, Bollinger Shipyard, has 12 different facilities on the coastline between Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana. Their company builds military patrol boats, as well as vessels that support offshore oil field industries. They had a tough year in 2009 but things have been completely different in 2010. They are now running at a backlog with orders for several tank barges and next generation tugboats.

Each of these new boats will require well-trained staff to operate them. Now is the time to begin training for a new career in the marine industry so you can be among them! SeaSchool has been training students to excel in maritime careers since 1977, so you can trust them to provide all the education you’ll need to get started. They offer over 40 different US Coast Guard approved courses, and are experts at helping you understand everything you need to know about the Coast Guard’s licensing & regulation requirements and commercial vessel operations.

Director of Sea School’s New York office, Felicia Navarro, has reported a sharp increase in the number of new students registering in their entry level captains classes. Sea School will ensure that all their students are ready and well trained by the time these new boat orders are delivered. Navarro encourages anyone interested to register as soon as possible because their classes are filling up more quickly than she has ever seen before.

You can find out more about Sea School by visiting their website at www.seaschool.com, or by giving them a call at 1.800.435.3393 to request a brochure.

By T. Tomalin, Outdoors Editor
MPI.
Monday, November 8, 2010

TAMPA — For decades, recreational anglers and commercial fishermen have fought over the dwindling fish stocks in the Gulf of Mexico.

It has always been "us against them" as far as the sport fishermen were concerned. But now a controversial proposal by federal fishery managers has driven a wedge into the normally unified recreational ranks.

"It is the old strategy of divide and conquer," said Ted Forsgren, executive director of the Florida Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, which represents thousands of the state's recreational fishermen. "They are trying to split us up so they can give away more of a public resource to private individuals. It is irresponsible."

Most of Florida's commercial fisheries lie in federal waters, which begin 9 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The major stocks — grouper and snapper — are managed by the Tampa-based Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, which includes representatives from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

For years, the fish limits have been split between the commercial and recreational sectors, with the percentages varying from species to species. But under the new "sector separation" proposal, recreational anglers would be subdivided into two categories — "for hire" charter boats and private recreational boats.

In the fishing world, where seasonal closures are a hot topic, the sector separation issue has been a real sleeper.

But today, hundreds of fired-up fishermen are expected to gather at Tampa's Crown Plaza Hotel to voice their concerns over a proposal many feel will limit their access to sport fish in local waters.

"This is an obscene power grab," said Dennis O'Hern, executive director of the St. Petersburg-based Fishing Rights Alliance. "It does nothing to solve any fishery problems. … It merely enriches a few at the expense of many."

Madeira Beach's Mark Hubbard, whose family has operated a fleet of party boats in local waters for more than 50 years, would stand to benefit if the new allocation system goes into effect. But Hubbard, and others like him, still oppose the plan.

"In the long run, this will not be good for anglers," said the operator of Hubbard's Marina on John's Pass. "If they split us up, we will lose our voice. This is a slippery slope."

Hubbard and other sport fishermen fear sector separation is the precursor to an individual quota or "catch share" program for recreational anglers, similar to what is already in use for many commercial fisheries.

"Before you know it, you will have to buy a tag for every fish you catch," Hubbard said. "It is just not right."

Bob Zales II, president of the National Association of Charterboat Operators, runs several boats in Panama City — an area known for its red snapper, a tightly regulated species that some say prompted the move toward sector separation.

Red snapper season has grown shorter in recent years. Federal officials shut down fishing once they determine that recreational anglers have filled their allotted quota. This year the fishery, once open year-round, lasted less than two months.

"It is hard to make a living when you can only fish a couple of months out of the year," said Gary Jarvis, a Destin charter boat captain and one of the primary proponents behind the sector separation movement. "Our customers are recreational anglers, too. They just don't have boats so they hire somebody to take them out. The argument that we are trying to steal fish is just not true. These are recreational fish going to recreational anglers."

Jarvis said that if the fish caught on charter boats are counted separately, federal fishery managers are more likely to get an accurate picture of what is actually caught.

"We are professionals, and because of our financial motivation, we will take data collection to another level," Jarvis added. "There have been attempts to make the recreational sector more accountable, but they haven't worked. Under this plan, we will be responsible for our own landings."

Jeff Barger, regional fisheries project coordinator for the Environmental Defense Fund, another leading proponent of sector separation, said the federal fishery managers need to adopt another approach or many charter boats would go out of business.

"You just can't keep cutting the number of days people can fish," he said. "That is no way to run a business.

"We need better records, more accountability," he added. "The data is horrible and it is costing us fishing days. All the (charter boats) want is their own sector so they can be responsible for their own catch."



Legislation to Improve Federal Marine Fisheries Management System Picks Up Support in the HouseCongressional Sportsmen’s Caucus weighs in for a federal fisheries fix.


WASHINGTON, DC –Support is growing for legislation to address the crisis in federal marine fisheries management as a House version of the Fishery Conservation Transition Act was introduced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Dan Boren (D-Okla.); Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.); Mike Ross (D-Ark.); and Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), along with other Members of Congress. H.R. 6316, which mirrors legislation introduced in the Senate by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), has the backing of a broad coalition of recreational angling, boating and industry groups that see a critical need to give federal marine fisheries managers the time, resources and direction necessary to address chronic deficiencies in data collection and science that have plagued federal fisheries management.

The Fisheries Conservation Transition Act (FCTA) is hailed by American Sportfishing Association (ASA), The Billfish Foundation (TBF), Center for Coastal Conservation (Center), Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) as a decisive fix for dramatic lapses in fisheries data and science that are occurring in some federal fisheries.

“Those lapses have been highlighted in the South Atlantic red snapper fishery where management failures may ultimately result in a closure of all bottom fishing in a 5,000-square-mile area because of the lack of adequate, timely data,” said ASA President and CEO Mike Nussman. “Similarly sweeping and faulty decisions are imminent with other fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. The total bottom fishing closure tied to South Atlantic red snapper is the first in what will likely be a series of fisheries train wrecks unless Congress takes action.”

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus -- the largest bi-partisan, bi-cameral caucus in the U.S. Congress with nearly 300 members representing all 50 states -- lent its powerful voice to calls for legislation that will safeguard the strong conservation standards of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) while addressing fundamental flaws within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries).

“Flaws in marine fisheries management are causing a crisis of faith in the recreational fishing community that is jeopardizing essential conservation initiatives in our fisheries,” said Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Coastal Conservation. “In the absence of this legislation that gives NOAA Fisheries the guidance, time and resources to implement the Magnuson-Stevens Act the way Congress intended, we are faced with a looming fisheries management train wreck that will result in important fisheries closed unnecessarily along with severe economic impacts.

“We applaud the vision and leadership of Mr. Boren and the other co-sponsors of FCTA. The bill is a commonsense approach to marine conservation that ends overfishing; saves American jobs, and ensures management decisions are based on sound science,” Angers said.

FCTA has five key areas that will steer NOAA Fisheries back towards the true intentions of the overfishing amendments made to MSA in 2006. (See “2010 FCTA Fact Sheet” for more details.)



Clarifying MSA regarding management of multi-species fisheries by mandating specific conservation and science-based actions that would be taken, in part, to allow fishing for healthy stocks;

Allowing reasonable time to transition to a new management framework that will allow for the rebuilding of stocks undergoing overfishing based on scientific data;


Refining MSA economic assistance programs to insure funding is directed to those most affected by closures after carrying out a full examination of who would be affected by closures;


Requiring NOAA Fisheries to review alternative fishery management measures to enhance the sustainability of an overfished stock and carry out more frequent stock assessments;


Directing the agency, along with the National Academy of Science, to conduct a long-needed study on the problems surrounding the management of multi-species fishery complexes and the suitability of attempting to manage all stocks in such a fishery for maximum yield.


The Fishery Conservation Transition Act, S. 3594, is co-sponsored by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.). The House version, H.R. 6316, was introduced before Congress recessed this week. Other original co-sponsors of H.R. 6316: the bi-partisan leaders of the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife: Chairwoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) and Ranking Member Henry Brown (R-S.C.); along with Reps. Rodney Alexander (R-La.); Rob Wittman (R-Va.), and Don Young (R-Alaska).

USCG INVESTIGATES FATIGUE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH CREW CHANGE.


Could fatigue be the reason for maritime accidents in the OSV industry? We have come to understand that current regulations do nothing to cover how long a person has been up before arriving to their ship. It’s possible that a crewman could be driving for 12 -13 hours just getting to his or her ship; sign aboard on the Watchkeeping log as fit for duty when they’re not.

Current, regulations state that a person in watch-standing capacity shall have at least 6 hours sleep in the past 24 hours immediately preceding that watch. Now this varies based on whether they are on a 3 watch system or not.

Some companies are taking a person who has been awake and driving for 12-13 hours and putting them on watch immediately upon arriving aboard ship for the next 12 hours. Common sense and safety go right out the window and this is clearly a dangerous practice. This puts crews and ship in a very dangerous position having someone who is fatigued, fighting to stay awake performing critical navigational choices sometimes nearly alone.

Mr. Luke B. Harden (Luke.B.Harden@uscg.mil) is employed as USCGs Division Chief of the Mariner Credentialing Program Policy; he has told us that he will get this topic of concern to the appropriate people for determination of how to handle the accident potential created by allowing this practice to go on. We expect to hear from him soon.

We’ve attached the Marine Safety Manual regarding watch-standing excerpt to this story.


By Manni Costa
Maritime Press International

By Manni Costa
Maritime Press staff writer


Effective 6/30/2010 the Coast Guard has gone back on their word of NO user fees for Radar Observer and Commercial Assistance Towing endorsements.

Their new policy, implemented without notice, and contrary to their promise made in the Federal Register, now includes an evaluation fee of $50 in addition to the issuance fee of $45 for a total of $95.

A well-known school is asking for a reconsideration of this liberal view, to be followed by a formal appeal if necessary, but in the meantime if the applicant needs the endorsement, advise that $95 will be required.

FederalRegisterNOFEES.pdf

Stain of blame: Halliburton is implicated in the oil rig disaster
By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

More information about what might have gone wrong in BP's oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has come to light, and the latest finding has brought a familiar name back into the news: Halliburton, a company once led by former Vice President Dick Cheney.

While it must be doing something right to keep prospering, the company has been challenged on several fronts -- allegations involving bribes to Nigerian officials, trading with Iran and doing inferior work for the U.S. military. We can now add to the list an opinion about its involvement in the BP oil well explosion, which killed 11 workers and led to the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

It is a troubling revelation. In trying to deflect blame, BP and Halliburton have been pointing fingers at each other. Now, an independent finger is pointing accusingly. While both companies are implicated, the news is worse for Halliburton.

Fred H. Bartlit Jr., the lead investigator for the presidential commission looking into the blowout, has sent a letter to the commissioners which alleges that the type of cement mix Halliburton was providing to seal the well had failed several tests for stability.

Investigators conducted an experiment with cement and other materials similar to those used in the stricken well and they proved unstable. They then asked for data on Halliburton's own testing -- and it turns out that only one of four tests conducted by the company indicated that this variety of foam cement slurry would be stable.

In short, the investigators have been led to believe that "Halliburton and BP both had results in March showing that a very similar foam slurry design to the one actually pumped at the ... well would be unstable, but neither acted upon that data." Further, "Halliburton (and perhaps BP) should have considered redesigning the foam slurry before pumping it at the ... well."

The letter did not identify a failure with cement as the sole cause of the accident (the blowout preventer failed, too). Indeed, the letter took pains to say that "cementing failures are not uncommon even in the best of circumstances." But it offers more food for thought as the inquiry proceeds.

It also provides a timely reminder to any voters who may be seduced by the siren call of letting big corporations have their own way without proper government oversight or regulation. Red tape is more bearable than a black stain upon the sea.

By Manni Costa
Maritime Press International


With the federal government's decision to put an early end to the ban on deepwater drilling, schools are expecting a major influx of students ready to reenter the OSV industry. One school did more than sit tight during the ban, instead taking it as an opportunity to re-invent itself and to come back stronger than ever.

For Mobile, Alabama's Sea School, the largest school in the field approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, the lifting of the ban came as no surprise, especially given the school's well-established connection with oil industry news and trends. Although it remained viable and maintained enrollment levels close to those in effect before the ban, Sea School did not take a breather while the ban was in place.

Instead, the school used the pause in activity to strengthen its faculty and improve its offerings in important ways that offer immediate benefit to its students and to the industry.

During the ban, Sea School was successful in recruiting some of the best instructor talent in the country and has made significant additions to its towing and steersman instruction staff. As a result, the school has added a Designated Examiner (DE) to the faculty, enabling it to respond to the growing demand for assistance in successfully completing the students' Towing Officers Assessment Record (TOAR).

At the same time, the school has benefited from the donation of a shipment of medium diesel power plants and diesel generators. This equipment, along with the additional instructors, puts Sea School in a position to implement advanced QMED training in a manner that leapfrogs the imperfect combination of "book learning" and on-the-job training that has prevailed in the past. This new capacity answers a long-standing industry desire for better training for engine room staff and arms this next generation of sailors with a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge that makes them substantially more valuable as crew members.

According to Danny Ward of Crew-boat Recruiters Inc., one of Sea School's clients, the school's Mobile campus "has never looked better." Ward praised Sea School's training as unsurpassed, and noted an environment in which students are well taken care of and their educational needs successfully addressed. Students at Sea School can avail themselves of an education that simply could not be obtained previously.

Sea School was able to find a silver lining in the drilling ban. The school is firmly positioned at the forefront of career training in the industry. New equipment and new faculty have raised the bar on first-class training. We expect OSVs to be better-manned, and our oceans to be a little safer, as a result of the improvements they have made and continue to make.

As the news spreads, they’re are seeing demand for their offerings increase exponentially and seats are filling up fast. Their class sizes are limited, but you can reserve your spot by calling 1-800-237-8663 (800-BEST-ONE) and finding out how to get the best education in the industry.

10/26/2010
By Brett Clanton

After being delayed by the BP oil spill this summer, Brazil's state-owned oil company is finally closing in on the launch of a major offshore oil and gas project in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, its biggest ever in the U.S.

Petrobras earlier this month moved a giant oil-extracting vessel into place at its Cascade and Chinook fields and is doing final hook-up and testing of equipment, company officials said. First production is scheduled to begin by year-end.

The progress on the massive project is another sign that major oil companies are returning to work in the deep-water Gulf after setbacks caused by the BP spill this year. This week, Chevron Corp. said it is in the process of filing what could be the first deep-water drilling permit application to federal regulators after the lifting on Oct. 12 of an offshore drilling ban.

Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell and others said they are also preparing deep-water drilling applications.

The Petrobras project is also notable because it is among the first to go forward in an emerging area of the Gulf, known as the Lower Tertiary trend, which is thought to hold vast untapped oil reserves.

And it is the first in the Gulf to use a tanker-like ship rather than a fixed platform to pump oil and natural gas from wells in 8,000 feet of water and thousands more feet below the seafloor.

As such, it could serve as a template for future oil and gas production in the deepest waters of the U.S. offshore region, where there is little existing infrastructure and extreme weather poses constant threats.

"It will be watched very closely, no question about it," said Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University.

Technical challenges

As oil companies have pushed into deeper waters in search of oil, they've encountered greater technical challenges and been faced with ever-bigger investment decisions.

Last week, for instance, San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron approved a $7.5 billion project to build a massive offshore platform to handle production beginning in 2014 from the Jack and St. Malo deep-water fields in the U.S. Gulf.

But Petrobras, with its Cascade and Chinook project, has exported a ship technology commonly used in Brazil, which the company says reduces costs of developing deep-water fields, allows for greater flexibility in project design and offers more safeguards for protecting offshore facilities in bad weather.

In the case of Cascade and Chinook, the massive vessel has the capacity to produce 80,000 barrels of oil per day, a mark company officials have said they hope to hit within two years.

Arrived on site

The new FPSO arrived on site in mid-October, said Sophie Gates, a Petrobras spokeswoman in Houston. As of Tuesday, crews were still connecting the subsea system to the vessel and testing topside assemblies on the ship that include crude-processing systems.

In February, Petrobras said the vessel was en route from a Singapore shipyard to the Gulf, with first production slated for midyear. But after the April 20 blowout at BP's Macondo well, which unleashed the worst oil spill in U.S. history, the project was pushed back, along with many others.

During 2009 and 2010, daily domestic crude oil production rose, but it is expected to fall next year to 5.4 million barrels a day, including a 170,000 barrel-per-day decline in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Effect of moratorium

Although the Interior Department lifted the six-month deep-water drilling moratorium nearly two months ahead of schedule, industry officials fear approval of new permits will be slow as regulators try to make sense of new rules.

Petrobras officials said in September the moratorium caused the company to delay drilling additional wells at the Cascade and Chinook fields but should not affect its year-end forecast for start of production from wells drilled before the ban.

In January, Petrobras exercised an option to acquire the remaining 50 percent of the Cascade field held by Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp.

Devon said last year it would sell its international and Gulf of Mexico assets to reduce debt and refocus on North American onshore gas fields. In Chinook, Petrobras has a 66.7 percent stake, and France's Total holds the remaining 33.3 percent. Petrobras is the operator of both fields.

By Bill Baxter
Maritime Press International


As of July 12, 2010, USCG Withdraws Mariner License test Questions from public view. I another attempt to hoard our tax dollars we’ve already spent, recently the USCG removed what once was paid for with our money paid to govt. taxes. Is this just another case of Obama-nomics?

It seems that the USCG is forcing tax payers to pay yet again, this time to private companies who have been collecting the old USCG questions over the years. Now if a candidate for license as Master, Mate or Engineer wants to study to get themselves aligned with material there are going to be tested on. They first MUST BUY these old test questions from one of a few publishers offering them at a high rate of return. Hope they are up to date enough to pass the test administered by the USCG.

Seems our tax dollars are being spent so fast, that little things we’ve come to know once are our right, now have to come from private industry at another cost. Where will it all end?

You can buy questions from companies such as Freelance Software at Hawsepipe.net for $80 a pop and Capt. Joseph S. Murphy and LapWare.org for only $125 for the first month and $75.00 a month thereafter. These companies are getting off selling these once free questions. Contact D.C. STALFORT at National Maritime Center if you disagree with how your money gets spent.

Sincerely,
D.C. STALFORT
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard

By Manni Costa
Maritime Press International


Sea School, The Law School of the Sea, proudly announces an exciting addition to its prestigious catalog of courses. Now, from the comfort of home, anyone can realize the dream of becoming a small vessel Captain with Sea School's new United States Coast Guard (USCG) approved online Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) course.

Sea School was founded in 1977 by Capt. Ron Wahl, whose vision led to the development of a bricks-and-mortar educational facility in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. The school has grown into an all-encompassing Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) approved training institute with over 45 USCG course approvals. Sea School is acknowledged by the USCG as a top-rated training facility.

During the 56-hour interactive online course, students will study the same subjects as those attending the physical Sea School. The course covers practical aspects of boating including Rules of the Road, Radio Operation, Survival Techniques, Distress Signaling, Boating Terminology, Boat Equipment, Use of Flares, Use of Life Jackets, Techniques of Seamanship, Anchoring, Aids to Navigation, Boat Registration, Navigation, Knot Tying, Firefighting and more.

In tough economic times, many people are looking for ways to improve their job skills, ensure job security or earn extra income on the side. Getting OUPV training is a tax-deductible way to add a new set of skills to one's resume. The sea and Sea School's online course of study enable the ambitious to meet their goal, whether that is collecting seafood products or running a charter-fishing service.

Capt. Ron Wahl was committed to graduating qualified Captains and to making it as easy as possible for students to get training they needed. This USCG approved online course truly brings the classroom to the student. According to Fred Montoya of the American Professional Captains Association, Sea School offers the highest quality online course on the market. Fred Montoya says he has "...seen them all and they don't compare."

Capt. Ron Wahl is no longer with us, but while alive he surrounded himself with talented people, all of whom learned his ways. These people share Capt. Wahl's values and eagerness to help make other people's dreams come true. Armed with his lesson plan, Sea School continues to carry on Capt. Wahl's tradition of service and excellence, knowing he is watching and expecting only the best from the school and its graduates.