Legal matters of maritime concern in Hawaii, Oceania, and beyond.
Marinelog.com reports the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard is urging Coast Guard boarding officials and regulators to be more professional in their dealings with the maritime community. The official pronouncement is here.
The Commandant reports:
UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE RECEIVED REPORTS FROM HIGHLY RESPECTED
PROFESSIONALS RECOUNTING COAST GUARD BOARDINGS, INSPECTIONS, AND
INVESTIGATIONS NOT DISPLAYING…
Per the Garden Island, charges were dropped against a Superferry protestor
Remarking on the state of port security in the U.S. following 9/11, the Secretary of Homeland Security recently said that major advances in port security have been made, making special mention of TWIC’s, security plans, increased CBP presence and port security grants. Asserting that naysayers expressing concerns about port security show their "intellectual laziness," the…
The Coast Guard announced a new policy imposing security restrictions on vessels arriving from certain Indonesian ports deemed to have inadequate security measures in place. These restrictions impose certain security measures to be used when the vessels visit U.S. ports. The Indonesian ports listed below do have the requisite security measures in place:
PT Terminal…
Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff provided testimony to the House of Representatives about the proposed budget for fiscal year 2009. Questioning at the hearing seemed to focus on transition of administrations, surveillance programs and the port grant programs.
Relating to the Coast Guard, the budget request attempts to stanch the trend of worsening readiness of Coast…
Hat tip to International Trade Law news for its post on the proposed rule requiring information on cargo shipments. Uncle Sam says:
An importer, or person causing goods to arrive within the limits of a port in the U.S. would be required under the proposed rule to submit an Importers Security Filing within 24 hours…
The U.S. Coast Guard Commandant spoke to the National Press Club last week. This video is a pretty good snapshort of some issues facing the service today, including Deepwater procurement program, shortfall in marine inspectors and right-sizing (read: increasing) the size of the Coast Guard. During the question/answer phase, he discusses Katrina, increased presence in…
Maritimeterrorism.com published a 20 minute video on the state of port security, particularly emphasizing the Newark Port Authority, here.
Great overview of security challenges vexing America’s ports, noting TWIC implementation, physical security issues and other vulnerabilities.
Department of Homeland Security published its new guidelines governing identification required of American citizens returning from abroad. Abandoning the oral declaration rule, the new rules require:
…
The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General just issued a report on "Major Management Challenges".
Among the challenges facing the Department are disaster response, border security, transportation security, financial management, and acquisition management. FEMA and Katrina get some attention. The Coast Guard and Deepwater do too.
