by Klaus Luhta | Nov 3, 2011 | maritime economics, maritime news, maritime politics
As of late I have been reading about the iconic, noble statesman, Winston Churchill. To say Churchill was an influential figure in world history is an absurd understatement. Rarely does a single man shape world events so significantly. One of the great things about...
by Klaus Luhta | Oct 19, 2011 | maritime news, maritime politics
The best thing we can say about the current Maritime Administration (MARAd) leadership is that it provides bloggers with plenty of material. Word went out last week that Rear Admiral Philip Greene would be stepping down from his role as Superintendent of the U.S....
by Klaus Luhta | Oct 15, 2011 | maritime news, maritime piracy, maritime private security
There are a few human reactions you can assume to be fairly consistent. Greed, fear, and denial top my list. Somali piracy is pure greed while the reaction by the international community to piracy is a varying combination of denial and fear. At some point the...
by Klaus Luhta | Sep 30, 2011 | maritime news, maritime politics
I spent this past week at the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland participating in the tripartite committee that crafted guidelines for the medical examination of seafarers. While it is often easy to get lost in the weeds when creating these...
by Klaus Luhta | Sep 27, 2011 | maritime news, maritime politics
Almost two weeks ago the Deputy Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAd), Orlando Gotay, resigned amid speculation that MARAd is in the throes of crisis. The resignation came a day after the Journal of Commerce published an article citing industry...
by Klaus Luhta | Sep 26, 2011 | maritime news
The United States Coast Guard published a Notice for Proposed Rule Making in August, 2011 requesting public comment on, among other things, proposed regulations which will require implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) aboard towing vessels. For towing...
by Klaus Luhta | Sep 24, 2011 | maritime disasters, maritime news
When an accident occurs aboard a merchant cargo vessel in U.S. waters the first responders after emergency medical personnel are usually the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The USCG conducts an investigation, interviews crew members and witnesses. Formal statements are...
by Klaus Luhta | Sep 24, 2011 | maritime economics, maritime news, maritime politics
The Transport Workers Identification Card. Some call it ineffective. Some call it expensive. Some call it a means of restricting labor’s access to work. None dare call it a government boondoggle for fear of swift retribution (except, perhaps, Dr. John Carnter,...
by Klaus Luhta | Aug 26, 2011 | maritime economics, maritime news, maritime piracy, maritime private security
The worst sort of enemy to fight against is one who has nothing to lose. We have seen that repeatedly with terrorists who strap themselves with explosives and sacrifice their lives for the cause of Allah. Of course, terrorists generally are motivated by ideology. ...
