Saturday, December 16, 2023

U.S. Coast Guard Under Pressure From Congress Over Abuse Investigations

Operation Fouled Anchor and the Culture of Respect Report are getting attention in the House and Senate

Service-wide inquiry into misconduct in the force that dates back to 2015. It was first released to the public last week

The U.S. Coast Guard is coming under increasing pressure from the Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee, which wants to get hold of the agency's past email correspondence about a long-hidden investigation into sexual assault at the Coast Guard Academy. Subpoenas may be coming soon, according to chairman Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with requests for past leaders to testify.

On Tuesday, four survivors of sexual assault at USCGA told the subcommittee about their experiences. The testimony spanned decades, and beyond the tragedy of the victims' trauma, it laid out a theme of administrative failure: assault allegations dismissed out of hand, charges against perpetrators dropped or reduced, patterns of abuse noted and shelved. (Of the 102 cases of assault or rape at USCGA identified by Operation Fouled Anchor, five were reported to law enforcement, according to Blumenthal.)

"I have repeatedly witnessed senior leaders dismiss substantiated reports of harassment, assault, abuse and retaliation in order to shield their fellow officer and friends from any form of discipline," said Lt. Melissa McCafferty (ret'd). "There exists a corrosive pattern of sexual assault, harassment, abuse, bullying, intimidation and retaliation."

At the hearing, Sen. Blumenthal and Ranking Member Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) both expressed frustration at the pace of the Coast Guard's response, and not just its response to servicemember allegations like McCafferty's. If the USCG does not start to satisfy the Senate's requests for evidence - like emails from the era of Operation Fouled Anchor - it may expect to see subpoenas soon, Sen. Blumenthal said.

“It is not that hard to go into emails, do searches and start producing some of these documents,” Sen. Johnson added. “What were those communications that resulted in this three-and-a-half-year cover-up?”

Johnson also called for "naming and shaming" those responsible. "It's pretty obvious what has to be done," he said. "You can only talk about improving culture for so long before you actually start doing it, and the only way to do it is accountability."

More scrutiny may be coming from the House Oversight Committee, which said Friday that it will open a probe into "mishandling of serious misconduct," as well as the "withholding of internal investigations" by Coast Guard leadership. Oversight Chair Rep. Jim Comer (R-KY) said in a statement that his inquiry will be looking at the so-called Culture of Respect report, a service-wide inquiry into misconduct in the force that dates back to 2015. It was first released to the public last week

Congress Members Renew Call for Bill Requiring US Ships for Energy Exports

With the US leading LNG exports, the push was renewed for the bill to require U.S.-built ships for a portion of the trade (Freeport LNG)

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives is renewing their calls for legislation first proposed nearly a decade ago to require portions of U.S. energy exports to be transported on vessels built in the U.S. They argue the bill which has failed to gain traction in the Congress in the past would be good for the U.S. economy, the shipbuilding, shipping, and energy industries, and national security.

The current version of the bill, known as the “Energizing American Shipbuilding Act,” would require U.S.-built vessels to be used in an increasing portion of the energy exports. It would require U.S.-built ships to transport 15 percent of total seaborne LNG exports by 2043. It would also require 10 percent of total seaborne crude oil exports to travel by 2035 on U.S.-built ships.

The push comes as the U.S. continues to increase its LNG exports and competes with Qatar and Australia as the world’s largest exporter. The United States exported more LNG than any other country in the first half of 2023, according to a September 2023 report from the U.S. Energy Information Agency. They cited data showing that U.S. LNG exports averaged 11.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) during the first half of the year, up four percent from 2022 and above the 10.6 Bcf/d from Australia and 10.4 Bcf/d from Qatar. The restoration of exports from Freeport LNG contributed to the growth and the strong global demand is contributing to efforts to increase capacity at Freeport LNG as well as other projects along the Gulf Coast.

“There is a global energy demand and if the United States does not step up to the plate, our adversaries will fill the void,” said Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi. “This bill would support American shipbuilding and pay dividends for the Magnolia State (Mississippi).”

Senators Wicker and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania introduced one version of the bill. In the House of Representatives, Congressmen John Garamendi of California and Rob Wittman of Virginia introduced companion legislation.

According to the sponsors, this legislation would increase the United States exports of LNG and crude oil on American-built, flagged, and crewed vessels, and, subsequently, it would expand the domestic shipbuilding industrial base. They argue if enacted, the bill is expected to spur the construction of dozens of ships, supporting thousands of good-paying jobs in American shipyards, while also boosting domestic vessel component manufacturing and maritime industries.

“While I support the long-term transition to a global economy powered by clean energy, I believe strongly that any continued U.S. exports of petroleum and natural gas should be on American-built vessels,” said representative Garamendi. “American shipyards and mariners are ready for the job, and our bipartisan bill ensures they are no longer expected to compete against heavily subsidized foreign shipyards in Korea, China, and elsewhere.”

The sponsors justify the move by citing 1995 legislation that required that all crude oil exported from Alaska’s North Slope be transported on U.S.-flagged vessels. They say that the bill was good for the U.S. industry and the new effort would have a similar positive impact. The bill does not address issues ranging from the cost differential of building ships in the U.S. to the lack of shipyard capacity and the lack of U.S. sailors which for example led tanker operator OSG to recently call for providing more American mariners by making it possible for foreigners to work on U.S. ships. OSG’s proposal has been resounding criticized by the unions and others in the industry.

Garamendi and Wicker have been proposing versions of this legislation since at least 2016. They originally called for a requirement that 30 percent of American LNG and crude oil exports to be carried on U.S.-flagged vessels after 2025, but later changed it to require U.S.-built vessels. In 2018, they reintroduced the proposal changing it to 10 percent of American crude exports after 2032, and 15 percent of American LNG exports after 2040. The following year, they tried to have the requirement added to the ongoing trade negotiations with China.

West Coast Groundfish Fisheries May See Large-Scale Climate Effects

Sablefish, often sold as "black cod," is valued for its flavor and fetches a high price (NOAA file image)

As their counterparts in Alaska have already learned, U.S. West Coast fishermen will find that climate change alters the location and composition of fish stocks as the water warms, according to NOAA Fisheries.

The changes in Alaska are already extreme. Snow crab stocks have collapsed, cod and pollock have appeared farther north, sockeye salmon stocks are soaring, and chinook and chum salmon have been hit hard.

As times go on, West Coast groundfish fisheries may also shift, according to NOAA. Recent research published in Science Advances shows that high-value sablefish may move further offshore, where the water is deeper and the transit times to and from port are longer for fishermen. According to NOAA, the shift could force fishing communities to transition their efforts to other target species, or accept higher costs to pursue sablefish.

"Availability of the most economically valuable, primary target species is highly likely to decline coastwide in response to warming and reduced oxygen concentrations," advised the authors. "Availability of the most abundant, secondary target species will potentially increase."

The study examined four commercial species of groundfish - sablefish, Dover sole, shortspine thornyhead and longspine thornyhead. Taken together, they account for about half of the bottom-trawl groundfish earnings on the Pacific Coast. The latest climate models predict that waters will warm and oxygen levels will decline off the West Coast, and this will affect the population of each species differently.

Longspine thornyhead is expected to stay in its current habitat range, but sablefish and shortspine thornyhead will likely move far offshore. As the U.S. continental shelf drops off quickly on the West Coast, this will put these groundfish species in deeper water, where they will be harder to get. If they decide to resettle below 700 fathoms, regulations would have to change to allow fishermen to trawl the bottom at greater depths.

“This may not be good news for the fisheries, but it hopefully provides some foresight into how distributions may shift and gives fisheries and managers time to consider how to adapt to these changes," said Owen Liu, a research scientist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle.

The changes will also affect environmental-impact and economic impact analyses for floating offshore wind projects, which are in planning stages off Northern California and Southern Oregon. The anchors of a floating wind farm will make bottom trawling impossible within the project's bounds.

"Projections of species’ future distributions will be important in the decision-making process for where these new sectors are permitted and sited to minimize future conflict," wrote the authors.

Pilot Project Will Test Modular Carbon Capture System Aboard Crowley Vessel

Crowley containership — Crowley's containership K-Storm will be used for the pilot test of the carbon capture system (Crowley file photo)

An advanced pilot project is getting underway to test a second-generation carbon capture and storage technology designed for easy installation and operation aboard ships. The project will be testing technology developed by U.S.-based Carbon Ridge aboard a containership operated by Crowley and with the support of the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Started in 2021, Carbon Ridge has developed a new carbon capture system that it highlights as working with multiple marine fuels and being easy to install. It requires minimal fabrication and alternations to the ship, mounting adjacent to the vessel's existing exhaust funnel. Exhaust gas is routed into the process skid where the CO2 and exhaust gas are separated in a process of absorption and then routed through compression and liquefaction to yield a CO2-rich solvent that can be stored and offloaded from the vessel. The clean exhaust flows back into the funnel.

The companies and MARAD executed a cooperative agreement for the pilot program to operate, measure, and optimize the technology’s effectiveness in actual maritime environments at port and ultimately at sea. The collaboration includes the engineering, manufacturing, and integration of a small-capacity version of Carbon Ridge’s full-scale carbon capture system. Crowley’s engineering services group, which provides vessel design and engineering, project management, and waterfront engineering services, will lead the integration of the pilot system.

“The advancement of the pilot project represents a milestone in the emerging technology for carbon capture,” said Chase Dwyer, CEO of Carbon Ridge. “With its potential for significant emissions reductions through retrofitting or during new building, ship owners and operators have the opportunity to future-proof their vessels for incoming regulations, as well as reach internal goals for decarbonization and reduced emissions impacts.”

Illustration of the planned CCS installation on Crowley's containership (Crowley)

The system will be installed on the Storm (11,164 dwt) container vessel built in 2006 and currently operated by Crowley between the U.S. and the Caribbean basin. The vessel is 459 feet (140 meters) in length with a capacity of 974 TEU with 170 Reefers. The vessel is powered by a diesel engine built by MAK.

The carbon capture installation will be housed in two 40-foot container units on the vessel’s main deck. In addition, there will be an additional 20-foot ISO-certified tank for storing the captured liquid CO2.

According to Carbon Ridge, the pilot project is expected to capture one metric ton per day from the vessel’s main engine. The first phase of the pilot will complete onshore testing and in 2024 they expect to install the pilot unit aboard the Crowley vessel.

Carbon Ridge’s modular onboard carbon capture and storage solution has drawn interest from the maritime community. In 2022, the company raised $6 million in funding to continue development of the technology and to proceed to the onboard pilot. Crowley, along with Berge Bulk, were among the companies participating in the financing.

Singapore Calls for Proposals for Methanol Bunker Network by 2025

Laura Maersk completed the first ship-to-containership methanol bunkering at Singapore in July (MPA)

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is taking steps to further build out the infrastructure required to support the widespread adoption of methanol as a marine fuel. Today they released a call for proposals for the implementation of end-to-end methanol bunkering solutions following the launch of the port’s first dedicated methanol bunker vessel and efforts to develop the protocols for the new fuel.

In launching the effort to obtain proposals for the bunkering operations, the MPA cites the expected delivery of newly-built methanol-capable vessels in the coming years. The container segment has been moving forward aggressively with orders for dual-fuel methanol-capable vessels. While LNG remains the most favored option, experts have predicted that methanol will overtake other options due to its increasing availability and the planned production of green methanol, as well as the relative ease in handling the fuel versus LNG or ammonia.

The MPA highlights that its call for proposals comes after the recent completion of the world’s first ship-to-containership methanol bunkering operation on July 27, 2023, in Singapore for the Laura Maersk. While Singapore has long been a hub for Asia and the largest bunkering port, Maersk however has selected a route for its first new methanol dual-fuel containership that does not include Singapore. X-Press Feeders also announced plans for its first feeder network with its currently under-construction methanol-capable vessels focusing on Scandinavia and the Baltic.

To ensure a resilient supply of methanol to meet the international bunkering needs in the Port of Singapore, the MPA is inviting interested parties to submit proposals for the supply of methanol as a marine bunker fuel.

The effort focuses on the methanol supply sources, the model for a methanol bunkering operation at a commercial scale in Singapore, and the alternatives for the physical transfer of methanol. Proposals are due by the end of February 2024, and the MPA reports it will assess the viability of various solutions received, which will also inform and shape the development of MPA’s methanol bunkering licensing framework.

The is also working with industry partners to study methanol supplies, infrastructure requirements such as terminal facilities and methanol-carrying bunker tankers, seafarers training, and bunkering standards, as part of the broader effort to operationalize methanol bunkering and supply methanol at scale in the Port of Singapore.

The goal is to have a commercial-scale methanol bunkering infrastructure in place by 2025 to support the emerging fleet of vessels and to maintain Singapore’s role as a leader in bunkering.

Singapore’s First Dedicated Methanol Bunker Ship is Commissioned

Singapore has received its first dedicated methanol bunker vessel, the MT Maple. According to officials at the port, it marks a milestone in the development of the alternative energy sector and will help to accelerate the deployment of methanol as a marine fuel expanding on Singapore’s role as the world’s largest bunker port.

The 4,000 dwt Maple was built by Japan’s Sasaki Shipbuilding as part of an argument signed 14 months ago in Japan involving Global Energy Trading and its subsidiary Stellar Ship Management Services. Bureau Veritas participated in the project and classed the vessel.

The ship’s cargo tanks are specifically coated with inorganic zinc silicates specifically chosen to support the operation as a methanol bunker vessel. They highlighted that the vessel is an IMO Type 2 chemical and oil tanker equipped with twin-screw propulsion, a flow boom, and a mass flow metering system, and is compliant with the current Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) licensing requirements for oil product bunker tankers.

A dedicated team from Stellar supervised the construction of the bunker vessel. Stellar is a ship manager for oil and chemical tankers, including managing and crewing the fleet of 20 tankers owned by the Global Energy Group.

Global Energy, which is licensed in Singapore and the UAE as a bunker supplier offers a full range of marine fuels. The vessel will go into service in early 2024 operated by Global Energy and is part of the company’s efforts to expand its offering with dedicated capabilities in biofuel and methanol. A sister vessel, the MT Kara was launched at Sasaki Shipbuilding last month and is scheduled for delivery in March 2024.

“The delivery of Singapore’s first dedicated methanol bunkering vessel is an important step to support the adoption of alternative low-carbon fuels by shipping,” said David Barrow, Vice-President South Asia and Pacific, Marine & Offshore for Bureau Veritas. “By enabling the delivery of methanol to vessels calling at Singapore, the new vessel will contribute to developing the industry’s supply and bunkering capabilities, which are essential in order to scale up those fuels and ensure their availability.”

The delivery of this new bunker comes at a critical time as Singapore looks to play a leading role in the emerging alternative fuel markets. Maersk announced it will be introducing the first of its 18 large methanol dual-fuel containerships in February 2024, but the initial routing skips Singapore on the trips between Asia and Europe.

Last year, Singapore however was one of the ports that participated in the fueling of the Laura Maersk on her maiden voyage from Asia to Europe, becoming the first containership operating on methanol. The Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore reports that it has undertaken a working group to introduce a new bunkering procedure for the safe handling and delivery of methanol as a marine fuel to ships refueling in the port of Singapore.

Louisiana Approves First Offshore Wind Farms with Vestas and Mitsubishi

Louisiana entered agreements for two near-shore wind farms to be developed by subsidiaries of Mitsubishi and Vetas (Energy)
PUBLISHED DEC 13, 2023 7:57 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

Louisiana’s Department of Natural Resources approved the state’s first offshore wind operating agreements during its December board meeting opening up the potential for wind farms to be developed in the state’s waters. The two projects, which involved subsidiaries of Mitsubishi and Vestas, come as the federal lease auctions for the Gulf of Mexico have also begun but so far drew limited interest.
The board approved a 6,162-acre property agreement for Diamond Offshore Wind, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, involving a site off the coast of Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. The second, larger parcel involves a 59,653-acre agreement for Cajun Wind, a subsidiary of Vestas, off the coast of Cameron Parish.
No details were offered on the potential size of the wind farms or timing, with the New Orleans newspaper The Times-Picayune quoting sources saying the projects were unlikely to be large wind farms, but would have the advantages of being near-shore projects. They however would mark a fundamental change for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.
“For generations, the state of Louisiana has been a leader in energy production and offshore wind energy is the next chapter in that great history as we expand our options for clean energy production and open new avenues for the development of our state economy,” said Governor John Bell Edwards.
State Secretary Tom Harris explained, “These being the first wind energy operating agreements for the state, we were breaking new trails in negotiating these agreements.” The state passed legislation clarifying and codifying rules on leasing state offshore areas for wind energy, Harris notes, explaining that the two agreements had different payment structures to the state as they worked to develop the industry.
Diamond Offshore Wind covers a smaller area and pays more in up-front costs and rental fees per acre, with an agreement for $308,101 up-front on the 6,100 acres and 1.5 percent of gross revenues in energy royalty over the life of the agreement. Cajun Wind has a lower per-acre fee for up-front and rental payments but a higher energy royalty over the length of the agreement. Cajun Wind pays $357,923 on its 59,000-acre agreement and 2.2 percent in a royalty.
Last year, energy service company Entergy and Diamond Offshore Wind agreed to work together on the evaluation and potential early development of wind power generation in the Gulf of Mexico. Diamond cites its parent company's experience operating wind farms and its plans for wind farms in New England, including exploring the potential for floating wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine. Vestas has been a developer of large wind farms in Europe, but in the United States so far has only been a supplier and manufacturer of its large wind turbines.
“Wind energy projects off Louisiana’s coast will benefit from having transportation, fabrication, and engineering expertise that has long supported our traditional offshore industry already in place,” predicted Edwards. “And our existing ports and offshore support companies will benefit from new customers and new opportunities to work and grow jobs.”
Four months ago, in August the federal government conducted the first Gulf Coast offshore lease auctions for the wind sector. The Department of the Interior offered three different lease areas, including two parcels off Galveston, Texas, and one parcel off Lake Charles, Louisiana. RWE successfully bid for the Lake Charles site, paying $5.6 million for an area with 1.2 gigawatts of estimated wind potential, but said it was still very much an exploratory, long-term development. Neither of the Texas parcels drew bids.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management at the end of October released a tentative proposal for comment before offering four more Gulf of Mexico parcels in its next auction. Three of the sites are in Texas and one would be 82 miles off the coast of Louisiana. BOEM expects to finalize the details for those auctions in 2024.

BOEM Moves Forward with More U.S. Offshore Wind Auctions and Projects

U.S. continues to move forward with plans for more offshore wind farm development

The U.S. continues to push forward for the development of its offshore wind energy industry with steps for the next lease auction and moving toward approval of another project while at the same time, efforts are being accelerated to identify more opportunities for offshore wind farms in Maryland and the Central Atlantic region.

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released details for the next proposed offshore lease auction which is likely to proceed in 2024. They are starting a public comment period for a proposed auction that would offer two parcels in the Central Atlantic. The two areas include one approximately 26 nautical miles from the Delaware Bay that would serve Maryland and Delaware potentially. The second is 35 nautical miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to serve Virginia.

BOEM however followed through with its earlier comments and withheld a third proposed site 23.5 nautical miles from Ocean City, Maryland. In July 2023, BOEM said the area needed more study and today they said it is excluded from the proposed upcoming auction due to the “significant cost and mitigation that would be required,” for the proposed lease area. They said however that consideration would continue for this third parcel to be part of an auction as soon as 2025.

In a separate announcement, they reported that the site known as B-1 was “at this time not viable.” However, in a partnership with the Departments of Defense, Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Cost Guard, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Maryland’s governor and senators, the Department of Interior said they have agreed to work together to evaluate additional areas off Maryland.

BOEM reports it has identified a similar size and wind energy generation capacity site off Maryland. The agencies and state will work jointly to complete the evaluation of the area. It could be part of a lease sale as early as 2025.

An environmental review was also completed for Ørsted’s proposed Sunrise Wind project that would be located south of Martha’s Vineyard and east of Montauk, New York. BOEM, however, is recommending that the project be reduced in size from the proposed 94 wind turbines to a maximum of 84 with the potential for 924 MW. The decision to scale back the project was based on the geotechnical feasibility of the project and to reduce the impact on habitat while meeting the needs of neighboring states. BOEM will make the revised plan available for comment and expects to make a decision on the project early next year.

BOEM’s actions, however, might be moot as Sunrise Wind is one of the projects analysts expect Ørsted to walk away from due to financial pressures. In October, New York turned down an application from Ørsted to reset the power purchase agreement for the project but opened the door for the project to be rebid in 2024. It is unclear how the decision to lower the number of wind turbines would impact the project.

Ørsted CEO Americas David Hardy told Reuters in October, “Sunrise Wind's viability and therefore ability to be constructed are extremely challenged without this adjustment."

BOEM highlights that it has approved six commercial-scale wind farms and has held four auctions. They are continuing to push forward toward the target of 30 MW of offshore wind energy generation by 2030. Despite the financial pressures that emerged in 2023, the U.S.’s first two large offshore wind farms are both ready to generate power while several others are moving forward with construction.

Report: Frontex Gave Migrant Boat Positions to Notorious Libyan Militia

The Tareq Bin Zayed Brigade's interceptor vessel (David Lohmueller / Sea-Watch.org / Lighthouse Reports)

According to a new report by a European consortium of newspapers and non-profit journalists, the EU border agency Frontex appears to be handing the locations of migrant vessels in the Central Mediterranean to a group of suspected war criminals based out of Benghazi, known as the Tareq Bin Zayed Brigade (TBZ).

TBZ is led by Saddam Haftar, the son of Libyan warlord and former Virginia resident Khalifa Haftar. According to Amnesty International, the militia is made up of tribal fighters and soldiers who formerly served under Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Based on interviews with dozens of Libyan residents, Amnesty has accused TBZ of a "catalog of horrors, including unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearance, rape and other sexual violence, and forced displacement, with no fear of consequences." It also has covert ties to Russia's Wagner mercenary group, according to EU documents reviewed by the Lighthouse's reporting partners.

Lighthouse has discovered that TBZ operates a maritime migrant retrieval vessel, also named TBZ, which operates off the coasts of Libya and Malta. Libya is a leading transit country for migrants who wish to travel to Italy illegally, and overloaded migrant boats depart Libyan shores regularly. These migrants are not desired by the EU, and Lighthouse has uncovered evidence that EU border agency Frontex is enabling "pullback" operations by passing mid-voyage boat coordinates to TBZ.

Frontex regularly provides Libyan authorities with boat coordinates, and in at least one case from August 2023, the agency recorded that the data had been passed on to TBZ. In another instance, a Frontex plane issued a mayday call about a refugee boat in distress, which was picked up and answered by the TBZ. No other ship or agency intervened, even though there were merchant vessels nearby, and it took six hours for TBZ to arrive.

"Frontex knows that this situation is more of a kidnapping than a rescue. You only have to imagine pirates announcing that they will deal with a distress case," international law expert Nora Markard told Lighthouse.

Migrants are a lucrative opportunity for Libyan militia groups, as the refugees can be held for ransom or sold to smugglers. Though the migrants are destitute, their families will often fund a ransom, and the payouts can be in the four figures per abductee. Often the migrants are held by the militia until a human smuggler buys the right to take over their custody. Either outcome generates illicit income for the militia at the expense of the migrant, and some migrants make the round trip from Libyan prison to boat to prison several times.

“The smugglers would come knocking on the doors of a detention center and ask if they’ve detained any migrants recently. The militia would tell them that they detained five guys from Syria, and the smuggler offers $1,000 a head for their release," an expert on Libyan militias told Malta Today. "Then, either these Syrians have the money to pay back the smuggler and buy a trip to Europe, or they don’t have the money and they get extorted. It becomes an extortion business that gets really ugly."

TBZ is also involved in the human trafficking business and gets a cut of the take from the front end of illicit maritime migration, according to experts on Libyan militias and to migrants who have encountered the group. “They [boat operators] have a contract and don’t leave before TBZ’s approval, and the TBZ gets a share of the profit," said one migrant, speaking to Malta Today.

In addition to the alleged involvement by Frontex, Lighthouse Reports recorded a tip-off from a pilot with a Maltese accent to the TBZ militia, and the militia's boat arrived at the scene a few hours later to capture the migrants. The Maltese military did not deny involvement, the group said.

Video: Carnival Vista and USCG Rescue 12 Crew from Capsized Cargo Ship

Carnival cruise rescue — Carnival cruise ship found a raft and recovered six crewmembers after their vessel capsized (Carnival Cruise Line)

One of Carnival Cruise Line’s cruise ships, the Carnival Vista (133,500 gross tons), rescued six crewmembers from a small cargo ship lost overnight, December 13, approximately 30 miles north of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The US Coast Guard also became involved in the search and later found six additional crewmembers floating in the ocean.

According to the report, an onboard monitoring system received an emergency alert while the cruise ship was sailing toward the port of Amber Cove on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The Carnival Vista, which has a capacity for approximately 4,000 passengers, departed from Port Canaveral, Florida on Sunday, December 10, on a six-day cruise,

The officers of the cruise ship under the direction of Captain Paolo Severini altered the ship’s course after receiving the emergency alert. They also coordinated with Carnival’s Fleet Operations Center in Miami and the local Coast Guard.

Carnival Vista's officers spotted a raft when they reached the area of the emergency signal (Carnival Cruise Line)

Reaching the area of the alert, the ship’s officers spotted a life raft. The cruise ship stopped and recovered the raft with six crewmembers aboard from the cargo ship. They learned that six other crewmembers were missing and alerted the Dominican Republic Navy.

The Dominican Republic requested assistance from the U.S. Coast and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Operation Turks and Caicos was launched in the search for the remaining crew members. Carnival reports that the Carnival Vista was released to return to its route. The cruise ship arrived today in Amber Cove as scheduled.

The Jayhawk aircrew arrived on scene near the sunken vessel’s onboard emergency position indicating radio beacon's last reported location. The crew initiated search patterns and was able to locate all six of the missing crewmembers hanging on to debris from the sunken vessel which the Coast Guard identified as the Two Brothers. The aircrew deployed a rescue swimmer and hoisted all six of the survivors onto the helicopter. They were transferred to emergency medical services in Puerto Plata.

#BREAKING A @USCG OPBAT MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescued six people, Wed., after their vessel sank about 30 miles north of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

The survivors were transferred to EMS ashore.

More here: https://t.co/Zbn78f2o4m @ArmadaRepDom @EmbajadaUSAenRD pic.twitter.com/qYF9RMW4xN
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) December 14, 2023

“The weather conditions were less than ideal,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeb Slick, the mission’s copilot. “Our crew’s outstanding work ethic and dedication to training led to the successful rescue of these survivors.”

The 12 survivors are all reported to be in good condition in the Dominican Republic.

Rescue Swimmer Awarded Aviation's Highest Honor for Daring SAR Response

The U.S. Coast has awarded the military's highest aviation honor to a rescue swimmer who helped save six people in a severe storm off the West Coast two years ago.

On the afternoon of June 19, 2021, Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay received a VHF distress call from the crew of the yacht Barlovento, a classic 80-foot schooner with a storied pedigree. In a severe storm off the Oregon-California border, the wooden vessel was disabled and taking on water. One of the six crewmembers had sustained injuries to her head and arm. The situation was urgent, as the conditions on scene were rough, with winds of 60 miles an hour and seas of 20 feet.

Watchstanders launched a fixed-wing aircraft out of Air Station Sacramento to provide overwatch and a Sector Humboldt Bay Dolphin helicopter crew. The Dolphin crew arrived on scene and deployed their rescue swimmer, Petty Officer 3rd Class Spencer Manson. The yacht's motion and the running seas were too severe to land Manson on deck, so the crew picked an unusual course of action: they dropped him in the water downwind of the Barlovento, knowing that the yacht would blow past him at speed. It did, making nine knots, and Manson grabbed hold of a trailing line in the water. In a scene ready-made for Hollywood, he pulled himself hand over hand against the current and climbed aboard the yacht from the stern. The motion slammed him into the water multiple times.

Once aboard, Manson got the injured crewmember prepared for hoisting. It was still not possible to hoist someone off the deck of the pitching yacht, so both the rescue swimmer and the victim had to jump into the water. Once clear of the Barlovento, Manson helped the victim into a rescue basket, and the aircrew hoisted her up and flew her to shore.

Manson returned to the Barlovento and helped safely hoist three more people, using a "sliding-deployment technique" of his own devising that let him hang off the boat to help the survivors into the water for retrieval. Another aircrew and rescue swimmer flew out to get the last two survivors. The Barlovento was left to drift in the storm.

For his actions that day, the Coast Guard has awarded Manson the Distinguished Flying Cross Award. This recognition is the highest honor in aviation and is awarded to Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard personnel who distinguish themselves for heroism or achievement in flight.

One death is too many but eight in seven days is ridiculous.

After Eight Deaths, InterManager Calls for Confined-Space Rethink

A PROBLEM ON LAND A WORSE PROBLEM AT SEA

Confined space tank — File image courtesy MAIB

After a series of eight confined-space fatalities in a week, InterManager has called for a new focus on reducing the risk of this perennial and deadly hazard.

Confined-space entry has been risky as long as shipping has had confined spaces, and there are many reasons. The first is intrinsic to the ship itself: when steel rusts, it consumes the oxygen in the air around it, and if the space has no means of air circulation it can become dangerously anoxic. The risk is undetectable to personnel until they enter the compartment and find that they cannot breathe (unless they test with an oxygen sensor). The undetectability is what makes confined space accidents so tragic: all too often, a second or third crewmember will see an unconscious shipmate in a hold, enter it to help them, and suffer the same fate.

Many cargoes can create confined-space hazards, either through oxygen depletion (coal cargoes), air displacement (Freon refrigerants), or emit hazardous fumes (petroleum, ferrosilicon, silicomanganese).

The risk is commonplace and resistant to mitigation; after decades of advocacy and warnings from regulators, it remains a persistent cause of death in shipping. Over the past week alone, three seafarers and five shore workers were killed in confined space accidents worldwide, bringing the total to 31 for the year.

“One death is too many but eight in seven days is ridiculous. This is an industry-wide issue which everyone in the shipping community must work together to resolve. We have crew members and shore workers placed under unrealistic time pressures to conduct high-risk tasks such as tank cleaning, and we have confusing instructions which vary from ship to ship as to what procedures and protocols must be followed," said InterManager Secretary General Capt. Kuba Szymanski.

Since 1996, a recorded total of 310 personnel lost their lives in shipboard confined spaces, according to InterManager. The association has lobbied IMO to revise its rules for confined space entry aboard ships, given the persistent hazard to seafarers.

“It’s not enough to blame the seafarers and offer additional training. Accident investigations must delve deeper into why people make the decisions they do and examine what external pressures impact those decisions," Szymanski said. "No one should lose their life doing their job."

He added that it is time for naval architects to come up with solutions to "design out" as much of the risk as possible. The association hopes that rethinking design in order to factor in the human element will help prevent casualties.

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