On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009, sponsored by Representative Doris Matsui of California (H.R. 3360). The vote was 416-4. The House also included this…
Statoil (OSE: STL, NYSE: STO) announced that the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) the company entered into as a part of the settlement of the Horton case, has expired as scheduled. On 13 October 2006 the company reached agreements with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)…
Christopher H. Mansuy, Esq., member of Carroll McNulty & Kull LLC (CMK) has been named one of 2010’s The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of maritime law by his peers. Best Lawyers a 25-year-old, highly respected peer-review publication…
Charles Paul Edward Jumet of Fluvanna County, Va., pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 in connection with his role in a conspiracy to pay bribes to Panamanian government officials to secure a maritime contract, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A…
Medina International Holdings, Inc. (Pink Sheets: MIHI), a manufacturer of specialized search and rescue boats, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Harbor Guard Boats, Inc. Harbor Guard Boats, Inc. manufactures fire rescue, rescue and patrol boats…
The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) applauded the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) recently posted directive to field officers establishing an issue management team in the wake of an IRS analysis indicating that a significant number of foreign vessels permitted to work in the U…
The U.S. Ocean Marine insurance industry has been hard hit by the economic crisis at a time when its structure, traditions and culture are facing challenges, according to a new study by Conning Research and Consulting.'The Ocean Marine industry…
The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, known as the Rotterdam Rules, has received its 20th signature just one month after it first opened for signature. Niger became the 20th signatory to the Rotterdam Rules…
A Panamanian company that operated a 40,000-ton oil tanker ship that regularly made calls in multiple ports in Texas pleaded guilty Oct. 21 in federal court in Houston for deliberately concealing pollution discharges from the ship directly into the sea…
Over 70 Greek shipowners supported the Korean Register of Shipping’s (KR) 5th Hellenic Committee meeting held in Athens on October 15. Chaired by Adam Polemis, this important gathering meets annually to discuss KR’s performance and to guide…
Sullivan & Cromwell Partners reported on the October 16 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit which overrules the controversial 2002 decision in Winter Storm Shipping, Ltd v. TPI. Winter Storm Shipping, Ltd v. TPI dealt…
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that a wage claim by a foreign seafarer against his employer for service on a foreign vessel is subject to arbitration. In the instant case, plaintiff Philippine seafarer brought suit against…
Polembros Shipping Ltd., a ship management company headquartered in Greece, pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 in federal court in New Orleans for violating anti-pollution laws, ship safety laws, and making false statements during a U.S. Coast Guard investigation of the M/V Theotokos…
CMA CGM reached agreement on the establishment of a committee comprised of French, European and international banks including certain major financial institutions from Asia and the Republic of Korea. The committee will propose suitable measures…
Ahead of an impending revision of the standard industry shipmanagement agreement, the International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC) has urged shipmanagers to limit their liability to a sum which reflects the growing proportionate gap between ship values and the level of shipmanagement fees…