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. Merchant...
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...
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 sorts of documents...
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 displeasure with the way MARAd...
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 vessels these systems will be known as...
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 recorded, although when aboard the vessel...
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, Esq. See Identity Card...
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. In...
