Port Canaveral CEO Supports Executive Order for Cybersecurity Regulations

Port Canaveral CEO Supports Executive Order for Cybersecurity Regulations

Following a new executive order to create cybersecurity regulations for U.S. Ports issued by the Biden administration, Capt. John Murray, the CEO of Port Canaveral expressed his support for the measures, according to a press release.

On Wednesday, Feb. 21., the Biden administration issued multiple cybersecurity directives aimed at shoring up vulnerabilities at US maritime ports that could be exploited by hackers and addressing security risks from Chinese-made cranes, according to CNN.

This new executive order will require U.S. ships and port facilities to report cyberattacks while giving the Coast Guard greater authority to inspect or control ships that present a known or suspected cyber threat.

In addition, the Coast Guard will impose new cybersecurity requirements on the operators of the Chinese-made cranes to mitigate the risk they pose, according to Rear Adm. John Vann, head of the Coast Guard Cyber Command.

Murray hailed the decision and said: “Maritime cybersecurity requires constant and consistent efforts for ports.

“Port Canaveral teams have worked closely with the Coast Guard to ensure our IT and port security practices align with state and federal directives. All measures and protections aimed at securing our port community are welcomed.”

Zero Emissions Target: First LNG Cruise Ship to the U.S.

Anticipating the first LNG-fueled cruise ship to sail out of a U.S. port, Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, Tom Strang, senior vice president of maritime affairs for Carnival Corporation, told Cruise Industry News that the company has worked closely with Port Canaveral, the LNG supplier, the Coast Guard and other stakeholders, paving the way.

“There were little formal rules existing on ship-to-ship bunkering,” he explained, “so together with Shell and Port Canaveral, we have agreed to follow the standardized processes we developed for our bunkering operations in Europe, in Tenerife and Barcelona. Our LNG ships pretty much share the same technical platform enabling us to follow the same processes and procedures.”

Strang noted that crew and officers have been trained in the bunkering operation at CSMART where Carnival built a full-scale mock-up bunkering rig.

In addition, an engineering simulator was built for training purposes, and pilots also travelled to CSMART to learn how the ship will handle.

Explained Strang: “With LNG, the rate of loading of the engines is slightly slower with a gaseous fuel than with conventional fuel, but working with the engine manufacturer, the shipyard and Valmet’s automation engineers, we have been able to negate any major issues.

“Also, if there is an emergency and full power is needed immediately, the engines will switch over to diesel and you get an immediate response.”

In addition, some MGO has to be burnt routinely to keep it moving through the tanks, he added. It is also used as a pilot fuel for the LNG.

Bunkering by barge in Port Canaveral, the process for the Mardi Gras will take about six to eight hours, according to Strang. That is longer than conventional bunkering, and the goal is to find ways to speed up the process, while obviously maintaining safety, he noted.

LNG will take Carnival all the way to IMO’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target as far as the newbuilds are concerned. “We have 21 new ships on order,” Strang said, “and 10 of them are LNG, after the AIDAnova, which entered service late last year.

“The percentage of the fleet with LNG will be high. Later we will also see how we can continue to reduce our carbon emissions by potentially introducing biogas or synthetic gas into the supply chain.”

Noah’s Ark Crashes Into Coast Guard Vessel… You Read That Right

A full-size replica of the Ark of Noah is seen after it crashed into a moored coast guard vessel in Oslo harbour, Norway June 10, 2016. NTB Scanpix/Gorm Kallestad

A 230-foot long replica of Noah’s Ark collided with a Norwegian Coast Guard vessel as it arrived in Oslo, Norway on Friday, causing damage to both ships. 

Media says the wooden replica, built by a Dutch carpenter Johan Huibers after he dreamed of a flood in his home town, was being towed into Oslo harbor when it somehow lost control and crashed into the moored patrol vessel Nornen.

Watching the video its hard to tell exactly what happened, but photos posted by Norwegian media show a big hole in the side of the Ark’s wooden hull. 

A crew member inspects damages on the hull of a full-size replica of the Ark of Noah after it crashed into a moored coast guard vessel in Oslo harbour, Norway June 10, 2016. NTB Scanpix/Hkon Mosvold Larsen

The Ark is now owned by the Ark of Noah Foundation, which was planning on bringing the educational vessel across the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games this summer.

Media reports said there were no animals on board when the collision occurred.

Ark of Noah Foundation

Coast Guard investigating Celebrity Infinity dock collision in Ketchikan

Click above to watch the collision 

The U.S. Coast Guard said it will investigate after the Celebrity Cruises ship Infinity accidentally struck a dock in Ketchikan, Alaska, on June 3. 

There were no injuries and no pollution from the accident, a Coast Guard statement said.

Photos show a 10- to 15-foot scrape along the bow above the waterline.

The Infinity was attempting to dock at the #3 berth at the Ketchikan cruise ship dock. Winds were gusting to 45 miles an hour, the Coast Guard said.

Afternoon shore excursions were canceled and passengers were kept on board for several hours during the investigation, one passenger said.

“Our personnel are working to determine the cause of this accident and will work with local partners to ensure the continued safety of those using the cruise ship docks,”  said Lt. Dianna Robinson, command duty officer at Sector Juneau.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said the Infinity has been repaired and sailed for Vancouver to begin its June 5 cruise.

No Shuttle Damage: NCL Cruise Ship Wake Causes Minor Drama at Intrepid Museum

No Shuttle Damage: NCL Cruise Ship Wake Causes Minor Drama at Intrepid Museum

Updated at 10:58 AM with comment from the U. S. Coast Guard.
Updated at 10:29 AM with comment from Norwegian Cruise Lines.

The wake from a docking cruise ship in New York’s Hudson River jostled the retired submarine Growler at the Intrepid Museum, knocking its gangway into the water, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Sara Romero.  The Norwegian Star, which can carry 2,348 passengers, was pulling into Pier 88 under the guidance of a New York harbor pilot on the bridge.  Norwegian Cruise Lines Public Relations Vice President AnneMarie Mathews  says propulsion and thrusters were used “which created a wake in surrounding waters.”

Norwegian Jewel pictured Not the Norwegian Star.

Describing it as a “minor incident,” Coast Guard Spokesperson Thomas McKenzie said that there were “no damages, no injuries, no collisions and no pollution released.”

There was no damage to the Space Shuttle recently put on display at the museum.

Earlier today @cbsnews reported that the Intrepid Museum was damaged in a ‘collision’ with a Norwegian Cruise Lines Ship.

Luke Sacks, at the Intrepid Museum, sent me this statement…

The initial finding is that a cruise ship thrusting its engines as it attempted to turn into its berth north of the Intrepid pier generated a strong wave that caused the retired submarine Growler to move. There were no injuries. A gangway to the Growler was damaged.  The Intrepid was not affected.

Anne Marie Mathews, Vice President of Public Relations at Norwegian Cruise Line says…

This morning at Pier 88 in New York City, Norwegian Star docked safely and securely without making contact with any other vessel or pier.

The ship was guided by a New York pilot who was on the bridge.  In the process of maneuvering to its docking position, the ship experienced strong current conditions. To keep the ship in its correct docking approach under these conditions, propulsion and thrusters were utilized which created a wake in the surrounding waters.

Coast Guard Medevacs Man From Carnival Cruise Ship

Coast Guard Medevacs Man From Carnival Cruise Ship

It was the Coast Guard to the rescue when a man suffered a stroke on a Carnival cruise ship off the coast of Palm Beach. (Source: Coast Guard)

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — A 71-year-old man was medevaced from a cruise ship Saturday by the Coast Guard, approximately 22 miles east of Palm Beach.

The crew of the Carnival cruise ship Sensation, requested the medevac around 7pm and reported the man was suffering from symptoms of a stroke.

A Coast Guard flight surgeon was briefed on the situation and recommended the man be medevaced immediately.

A crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Miami was launched to hoist the passenger. Once hoisted, the 71-year-old man was taken to Broward General Hospital.

His condition is unknown at this time.

Coast Guard bill expands cruise crime reporting

A provision of the reauthorization bill for the U.S. Coast Guard will require reporting of all alleged crimes on cruise ships, even if investigations have not concluded.

The idea was one of several advocated by retiring U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) , who held several hearings on cruise safety matters as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee.

The provision, labeled Section 321, calls for the Secretary of Transportation to maintain a website that provides a numerical accounting of missing persons and alleged crimes on cruise ships “without regard to the investigative status of the incident.”

It says the figures should be updated quarterly, identify each cruise line by name and include the approximate number of passengers and crew carried by each line during the quarterly period.

The rule also requires the site to be in a “user-friendly format,” that employs off-the-shelf technology.

Cruise crime data is currently published on a U.S. Coast Guard site, based on FBI statistics that do not include cases still under investigation. Rockefeller has argued that the figures underrepresent the number of crimes the agency tracks. Cruise lines have begun independently reporting the number of alleged crimes on their own.

CLIA has argued either figure shows that cruise lines are relatively safer than jurisdictions on land that report crimes. 

The main purpose of the omnibus reauthorization bill is to fund Coast Guard activities for 2015 and 2016.

Coast Guard to propose cruise ship video surveillance rules

By Tom Stieghorst

Nearly four years after passage of a comprehensive cruise safety law, the U.S. Coast Guard is getting ready to propose a rule for three of the trickiest provisions in the legislation.

The proposed rule, expected out in June, will outline how cruise lines can comply with a requirement in the Cruise Vessel Safety and Security Act that they deploy technology for “capturing images of passengers or detecting passengers who have fallen overboard.”

Also addressed in the rule will be how a cruise ship’s video surveillance system should be operated to document crimes on the ship and assist in their later prosecution.

Advocates of the law say the provisions will make passengers feel more secure about taking a cruise.

But the cruise industry has raised red flags about the cost and practicality of applying the law. In one instance, a cruise line told auditors at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that just doubling the time it keeps video footage from 14 to 28 days would cost an extra $21.8 million.

Most of the 15 provisions in the 2010 act, such as peepholes in cabin doors and standard rail heights, had been translated into Coast Guard guidance by June 2011.

The remaining ones involved complex technologies and, in some cases, language in the law that didn’t set a clear benchmark for gauging compliance.

In the case of detecting when persons fall overboard, the law called for compliance “to the extent that such technology is available.”

The Coast Guard asked for input from cruise lines, CLIA and passenger advocacy groups to help formulate its rule.

A recent report by the Miami Herald found that at least 28 passengers went overboard on cruise ships between October 2010 and June 2013. Rapid detection of persons going overboard would clearly enhance safety, but cruise lines say the jury is still out on automated detection systems.

CLIA told the Coast Guard that the technology to capture images of overboard episodes exists, but not the ability to detect them in real time. CLIA said vessel movement, sun glare, salt spray encrustation and weather all make instruments unreliable.

If detectors either fail to report incidents, or report false incidents, that would raise the cost, liability and burden on passengers.

Still, several cruise lines are testing various technologies. One unidentified cruise executive told the GAO that if companies are required to go to the expense of installing detectors, they should not produce inaccurate results that would increase operating costs.

Video surveillance is another area where technology exists, but its application is open for debate. Victim advocacy groups say existing cameras should be monitored continuously for crime, and recorded images should be stored for up to 90 days.

CLIA recommended a risk-based approach that would take into account differences among vessels, cruise lines and itineraries and said video should be stored for a week, nearly matching the average cruise length of 7.2 days.

Coast Guard officials told GAO auditors that when the rule is issued in June, rather than being prescriptive it is likely to be performance-based — outlining what is to be achieved — to allow for some flexibility in implementation.

Carnival to Drydock 32 Ships by 1H 2016

By Greg Trauthwein

(Photo: Carnival)

In the quest meet stringent new emissions regulations, cruise industry major Carnival Corp. earlier this month reached an agreement in principle with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Coast Guard to develop its own advanced emission control technology to be used in waters surrounding U.S. coasts. The plan calls for the cruise major to drydock 32 ships between now and the first half of 2016.

According to the EPA, Carnival will develop and deploy a new exhaust gas cleaning system on up to 32 ships over the next three years to be used in Emission Control Areas (ECA’s), the area around U.S. and Canadian coasts where ships must reduce air pollution emissions.
The new controls to be developed and deployed combine the use of sulfur oxide (SOx) scrubbers with diesel particulate filters, which essentially combines technologies well known in the power plant and automotive sectors, but not previously used together on a marine vessel.
The technology can also provide additional benefits in the reduction of particulate matter and black carbon, and according to the release from the government, will provide an opportunity for ECA compliance at a significant (50% or greater) reduction in cost and may yield emission reductions beyond those required by current requirements.

The ECAs were developed by the U.S. and Canada through an agreement with the International Maritime Organization  (IMO) in order to protect human health and the environment by significantly reducing air pollution from ocean-going vessels. By 2020, ECA limits will reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 320,000 tons, particulate matter (PM) emissions by 90,000 tons, and SOx by 920,000 tons. Each year, the standard will also result in the prevention of tens of thousands of premature deaths while relieving respiratory symptoms for nearly five million people.
 

This announcement follows a growing trend, as in late 2012 U.S. container ship owner TOTE announced its plans to build a series of high-spec ships at NASSCO that incorporated MAN Diesel & Turbo engines capable of burning LNG as fuel.
 

A joint letter from the Coast Guard and the U.S. EPA to Michael Kaczmarck, Carnival’s VP of Shipbuilding, said: “Under the proposed trial program, Carnival will install exhaust gas cleaning systems for engines on 32 vessels that operate in the ECAs, and those systems will help enable the vessels to meet or exceed the sulfur emission levels required within the ECAs. We understand that Carnival will install sufficient exhaust gas cleaning capacity on each of the ships to meet or exceed the 2015 ECA fuel sulfur requirements. Additionally, these exhaust gas cleaning systems will be installed during vessel drydocks on the following schedule: 9 ships in 2014; 16 ships in 2015 and 7 ships in the first half of 2016.”

A Letter from Adolfo Perez - MD, Carnival Cruise Lines UK & Ireland

21 February 2013 Dear Valued Travel Partner, We realise many of you have been following last week's events on the Carnival Triumph and I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with some information. Let me begin by saying that all of us at Carnival deeply regret the hardship our guests had to face during their days on board the ship. Our number one concern was to ensure the safety and welfare of our guests and crew and to get them home as soon as possible. Our shipboard and shore side teams worked tirelessly to take care of them and minimise their discomfort and inconvenience. We also focused on making sure their loved ones had a direct link to our Family Support Centre where they could obtain round the clock information on their family and friends on board. Now that all the guests are safely home, our efforts are firmly focused on the on-going investigation into the root cause of the fire and what measures we can take to ensure this does not happen again. These efforts are taking place in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard and other independent parties. We know, however, that preliminary investigations indicate the cause of the fire was the result of a leak in the fuel return line for the number 6 diesel generator. The safety and security of our guests remains of the utmost importance to all of us here at Carnival. All our ships are safe and secure. All of them meet, and in many areas exceed, all regulatory standards. I promise we will continue to investigate in order to understand what took place and to learn what steps we can take to improve going forward. We know that holidaymakers can choose from a vast variety of options, and that they – and you – expect a fantastic cruise holiday from us. We are very sorry that this time we did not deliver. I really value your support for Carnival Cruise Lines, and in encouraging British holidaymakers to select a cruise on our ships. We hope you will continue to do so in the future, and we will endeavour to do everything we can to make our experiences as memorable and fun as possible for your customers. Thank you again for your support. Yours sincerely, Adolfo M. Pérez Managing Director, UK and Ireland Carnival Cruise Lines © 2013 Carnival Cruise Lines

Coast Guard cites fuel-line leak in Triumph fire

By Tom Stieghorst

A leaking fuel line was cited by Coast Guard officials as the likely cause of the engine-room fire that disabled the propulsion of the Carnival Triumph.

Fuel leaked from the return line of the No. 6 engine and ignited when it hit a hot surface, Lt. Commander Teresa Hatfield said in a telephone news briefing Monday.

According to published reports, Hatfield said the crew put out the fire "immediately" and it was contained to a small area.

Hatfield, who leads the Coast Guard's Marine Casualty Investigation Team in New Orleans, said firefighters "did a very good job."

The Bahamas is leading the investigation of the Carnival fire. The Triumph is registered in the Bahamas.

Hatfield said the Coast Guard expects to finish its onboard work by the end of the week and estimated the investigation would take at least six months.