Government Update News


MARAD Awards $220 Mln in Port Infrastructure Grants

Oct 15, 2020

More than $220 million in discretionary grant funding has been awarded to improve U.S. port facilities in 16 states and territories through the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L…

FMC: Ocean Shipping Challenges Abound

Oct 12, 2020

Since early Spring 2020, American consumers have received a practical education in supply chain operations. One lesson is that it takes more than simply going online and clicking a “Buy Now” button for goods to show-up on our front porches.…

Opinion: Legislative Loophole Could Keep U.S. Offshore Wind Jones Act Fleet at Dock

Oct 08, 2020

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019, which enforces Jones Act requirements for all offshore renewable energy production. However, the bill's current language has the potential to create a loophole that would leave the U…

Museum Acquires 80-year-old Bottle of Whisky from 'Whisky Galore!' Shipwreck

Oct 04, 2020

The Scottish Maritime Museum has successfully bid for an 80-year-old bottle of whisky salvaged from one of Scotland’s most famous shipwrecks and the inspiration for the Ealing Studio comedy Whisky Galore!The unlabelled bottle of blended whisky from the 1923 SS Politician…

Cruising Pause Has Major Impact on Florida's Economy

Sep 23, 2020

The cruise industry has certainly been among businesses hardest hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19. But the industry-rocking fallout extends well beyond the cruise lines themselves, extending through cities throughout Florida where canceled…

Maritime Risk Symposium 2020: Maritime Resilience in Black Swan Events

Aug 28, 2020

In 2007, scholar Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who holds a doctorate from the University of Paris, wrote a bestselling book titled “Black Swan,” which proposed a theory involving unpredictable events with significant impact. Taleb believed that a black swan event was an outlier with significant impact and…

Shipping Community Beware; Sanctions Scrutiny is Stepping up a Gear

Aug 28, 2020

Earlier this year, The U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the U.S. Coast Guard issued a new advisory to provide those engaged or involved in trade in the maritime industry…

Senegal Port Seeks to Remove Stored Ammonium Nitrate

Aug 20, 2020

The port of Senegal's capital Dakar on Thursday said it had requested the removal of around 2,700 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored in its complex—the same volume of the chemical that caused Beirut's devastating port blast this month…

US' FBI to Help Lebanon Probe Beirut Explosion

Aug 17, 2020

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday confirmed that it will assist authorities in Lebanon investigating the cause of the explosion that devastated Beirut and killed 172 people.'At the request of the Government of Lebanon, the FBI…

Nigeria Convicts First Pirates Under New Maritime Law

Aug 12, 2020

A Nigerian court made the first convictions under a new anti-piracy law, giving hope to the world's shipping fleets that legal reforms will help stem rising attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.The three men fined by the court in Port Harcourt, Nigeria's oil hub…

Container Losses in the Rolling Seas

Aug 06, 2020

Cargoes have come off ships at sea it seems like forever. Some years ago a ship suffered a casualty transiting the English Channel in a storm. Much of its cargo of lumber and other floating items washed ashore on the southwest English coast…

Congress Responds to COVID19 and Other Challenges for the Maritime Industry

Jul 30, 2020

In response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the Congressional Research Service released a report that stated global economic growth has declined by 3% to 6% in 2020 with a partial recovery predicted for 2021. Also, the GDP of the U.S. has fallen by 5% in the first quarter 2020…

Cyprus Names New Shipping Deputy Minister

Jul 28, 2020

Vassilios Demetriades has been appointed as Cyprus' new Shipping Deputy Minister, the country's president Nicos Anastasiades announced as part of a cabinet reshuffle. The seasoned maritime policy expert, known for his extensive work within the…

US Ports Seek COVID-19 Relief

Jul 24, 2020

America’s port authorities are advocating for relief to manage the “extremely negative impacts” on the seaport industry brought on by the coronavirus pandemic as U.S. policymakers begin negotiations on the next COVID-19 aid package.Among the…

Stowage Issues Cited in Ever Smart Container Loss

Jul 22, 2020

A combination of factors including stowage deficiencies likely led to the loss of containers from the U.K.-flagged containership Ever Smart off the coast if Japan in 2017, according to U.K. investigators.On October 30, 2017, the 300-meter, 7…

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