South East Shipping News

Field cut for US Marshall appointment for South Florida

Three finalists in race for South Florida U.S. Marshal, Pesquera out

    

 

By Linda Trischitta, Sun Sentinel

 

4:54 p.m. EDT, July 28, 2011

The group of nine applicants who aspire to become President Obama's choice for U.S. Marshal in South Florida has been narrowed to three finalists with local ties: James S. Higgins, Eben Morales and Amos Rojas Jr.

 

U.S. Marshal deputies secure federal court proceedings, pursue fugitives, transport prisoners and protect witnesses, among other duties. The chief's job pays $155,500.

 

Higgins is assistant country attaché for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at the U.S. Consulate in Vancouver, Canada and former ATF supervisory special agent in Miami.

 

Rojas is special agent in charge with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in Miami.

 

The Southern District Conference, part of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission, screened the applicants. The commission will submit the three finalists' names to U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio before Obama's selection, which is subject to Senate confirmation.

 

The winner of the job will replace acting U.S. Marshal Neil DeSousa who will resume duties as chief deputy U.S. Marshal after the new hire is made.

 

Other applicants were: Gwendolyn V. Boyd, criminal justice professor, Broward College and former police chief in North Miami and Miramar; Darin D. Cooper, inspector and criminal investigator, deputy U.S. Marshal, Orlando; and Hector M. Pesquera, assistant director of safety and security, Port of Miami and former Broward Sheriff's Lt. Colonel and former special agent in charge, FBI Miami and San Juan.

 

Also, Michael Roy, assistant director of public safety, Florida International University, Miami, formerly with Miami-Dade P.D.; David L. Say Jr., deputy, U.S. Marshals Service, West Palm Beach; and John F. Timoney, senior vice president, Andrews International security firm and former police chief in New York, Philadelphia and Miami.

 

According to Kendall Coffey, a commission member, two candidates withdrew their applications: G. Wayne Tilman, senior level unit chief, FBI, Winchester, Va., and Chadwick E. Wagner, chief of police in Hollywood.

 

Forecasters see no change in hurricane outlook -- 4 majors, 8-10 hurricanes

Forecasts for 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Largely Unchanged

July 28, 2011

 

Storm Don's current track

 

Forecasters at Weather Services International stuck with their earlier prediction that the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season would bring 15 tropical storms, with eight of those growing into hurricanes.

 

Four of those were expected to strengthen into “major” hurricanes of Category 3 or higher on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale, with top winds of at least 110 miles per hour, the private forecaster said.

 

WSI’s July update was unchanged from its April, May and June forecasts for the Atlantic-Caribbean storm season that runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

 

There have been three tropical storms but no hurricanes so far this season in the Atlantic basin, where activity is highest from August to October.

 

Several other forecasting groups have also predicted a busier-than-average hurricane season this year. The long-term average for the Atlantic-Caribbean season is 11 or 12 tropical storms, with six or seven hurricanes and two or three major hurricanes.

 

The latest predictions for the 2011 tropical storm/hurricane season are as follows:                                                                                                                  

 

                        Number of storms   Hurricanes      Major Hurricanes

NOAA                         12-18              6-10                            3-6

CSU                            16                   9                                  5

AccuWeather             15                    8                                  4

Opportunity for Bahamas carriers: Discovery ferry quits, puts ship on the block

Discovery Cruise Line calls it quits

Published: July 28, 2011 at 12:15 PM

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 28 (UPI) -- A cruise line that serves Florida and the Bahamas, Discovery Cruise Line, said it was shuttering the business, citing a difficult economy.

Discovery spokeswoman Roberta Backus said the last day of operation would be Sept. 6, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Thursday.

The company contributed $1.7 million to the annual revenue at Florida's Port Everglades. Although the port takes in $45.7 million in revenues, it is still a serious loss to have Discovery Cruise line fold, port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said.

"We hate to lose that, especially in this economy," Kennedy said.

Analysts speculate that a rise in gambling options at tribal resorts and a consumer shift of preferences to multiple-day cruises took business from Discovery, which operated its ship, the Discovery Sun, as a day cruiser.

Discovery Cruise said in May it would put its ship in dry dock Sept. 7. The newspaper said soon after that it could be found for sale in an Internet listing.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2011/07/28/Discovery-Cruise-Line-calls-it-quits/UPI-97761311869758/#ixzz1TVOA60cI

Tropical storm likely north of Cancun

Hurricane center says gulf storm will likely become tropical cyclone

By the CNN Wire Staff

July 27, 2011 2:56 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: The National Hurricane Center says a tropical storm could develop
• Shell is evacuating some people from oil operations in the southwestern Gulf
• A hurricane hunter plane is to investigate the weather system

(CNN) -- Oil companies with off-shore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico are taking precautions amid threatening storm forecasts for the area around Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, including the chance of a tropical cyclone.

Satellite images show that a tropical depression or tropical storm could be forming about 90 miles north of Cancun, Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said in a Wednesday afternoon forecast.

The weather service said people in the northeastern part of the peninsula and in the central and western Gulf "should monitor the progress of this system as it moves west-northwest near 15 mph."

The system has a "near 100%" chance of becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours. An Air Force Reserve "hurricane hunter" plane was to investigate the system later on Wednesday.

Tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes are all types of tropical cyclones.

The Shell company has begun securing current well operations in the extreme southwestern Gulf of Mexico and evacuated some people Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Our total expected evacuated personnel is approximately 70 people," the company said. "These personnel are not essential to core producing and drilling operations and will not be able to perform their normal work functions during the passing storm conditions. Production is not expected to be affected at this time."

Dole reefer ship down, Maersk steps in with only 100 reefer slots

 

  Dole gets onboard Expreso service

 
 
 

 

Dole charters space from Maersk for Texas service as own ship goes into dry dock

Dole will charter space onboard Maersk's Expreso service while its ship, the Vliet Trader, is in dry dock, according to the American Shipper website.

 The world's largest producer of fresh fruit and vegetables will reportedly book around 100 slots a week for bananas and other tropical fruit. 

 

Such an arrangement with a shipping line would allow Dole to continue to move produce between Freeport, TX, and Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

 

 

This from USCG - Homeport page may be compromised.

To Homeport Users,

On July 11, 2011, U.S. Coast Guard personnel were notified by a contractor with the Department of Homeland Security that the U.S. Coast Guard's HOMEPORT system may have been compromised by an intentional cyber intrusion on or about July 6, 2011.  HOMEPORT is a public-facing application for maritime security created to provide information and services to the maritime community and the public via the internet.  

U.S. Coast Guard Information Technology (IT) analysts were able to confirm the intrusion by July 12, 2011 and the HOMEPORT site was pulled offline on July 13, 2011 for further analysis.

We believe the intrusion was orchestrated by a group whose standard process is to extract data and post it publically as a political statement.  They do not target specific information, nor does the group use it in any way other than to release it publically.

Information that may have been obtained in the intrusion includes the following: name, rank/grade, employment class, position/job title, job code, city/state, sector name, grade level, Administrative Target Unit (ATU) and/or Coast Guard District/Department ID.  [ATU could be the Coast Guard District or unit where one is stationed.]  As of this correspondence, we have not seen this information posted on the Internet and we continue to monitor the situation. 

The U. S. Coast Guard brought HOMEPORT back on line on July 18, 2011.  Prior to redeploying HOMEPORT, the U. S. Coast Guard mitigated all known vulnerabilities and actively took steps to prevent reoccurrence.

Your HOMEPORT password was reset.  If you have not already done so, create a new password by clicking the forgotten password option in HOMEPORT.  Make sure it is sufficiently different from your old password so that it cannot be guessed by someone who knew your old password.  If you used your HOMEPORT password for other password protected sites or programs, we recommend, as a precaution, that you reset those passwords as well. 

While it is highly unlikely based on our forensic analysis that sensitive personal information such as social security numbers was obtained by the intruders, you should continue to adhere to good online security practices.

One of the vulnerabilities you may experience due to the data compromise could include receiving emails from individuals who claim to be from the U.S. Coast Guard attempting to get or asking to verify personal or non-public information about you.  This is called phishing and the U.S. Coast Guard would never send such an email to you.  Do not answer the email.

We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this matter may cause you.  We are dedicated to protecting the information you provide us and hope that we retain your trust and confidence.

Please forward any suspicious emails that appear to be related to the HOMEPORT cyber intrusion to LT Connie Williamson at 202-372-1310 or connie.l.williamson@uscg.mil.   


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Tampa board backs Wainio with rail and container terminal expansions

Port of Tampa set for major spending spree

Katerina Kerr | Tue, 26 Jul 2011

$11 million set aside to expand box terminal and improve rail connections

The Board of Commissioners of the Florida, US, port of Tampa has agreed to spend US$11.8 million to expand the container terminal and inland rail connections.

The board approved entering into a joint participation agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation, to invest more than $2 million in a $6 million project for railroad construction and related improvements at Hooker’s Point, the location of the container terminal.

It also approved spending $2.3 million for remediation of the former Tampa Scrap site, around 7ha of land that will be available to serve port development needs and possibly support growth of the container terminal.

The container terminal was expanded in 2010, from 10ha to 16ha and an additional 200 metres of berth length was recently completed.

“In support of crucial, ongoing maintenance dredging of port berths, the board approved a one-year contract worth more than $7.5 million with Orion Dredging Services,” said Tampa Port Authority.

“Such navigational improvements are extremely important, allowing public and private port berths to continue to be operable at authorised depths.”

Between January and March, the port recorded throughput of 15,107teu, a 49% increase compared with the same period in 2010.

Cosgrove now Crowley's Marine OPs for Caribbean

Crowley Names Cosgrove VP, Marine Ops

(Press Release)

Monday, July 25, 2011

Crowley Maritime announced that Cole Cosgrove has assumed the role of vice president of marine operations for Crowley's liner services groups. Cosgrove will continue to work out of the company's Jacksonville office while reporting to John Hourihan, senior vice president and general manager, Latin America services, and John Douglass, senior vice president and general manager, Puerto Rico and Caribbean services. In his new position, Cosgrove is responsible for the marine operations of Crowley's Puerto Rico and Caribbean services fleet of four vessels serving the Bahamas, the Eastern Caribbean and the Caribbean Basin as well as the Central American fleet of eight to 10 vessels serving the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Management of these vessels involves everything from operations, to vessel crewing and training, to identifying and implementing new technologies for improved overall performance. Cosgrove held a similar role in 2002 for the Puerto Rico and Caribbean services team.
Cosgrove, who most recently held the role of vice president of the Safety, Security, Quality and Environmental (SSQE) department, has replaced Michael Hopkins, who in retirement has transitioned into a part-time role as a consultant for Crowley.
"Cole helps set the standard for teamwork and commitment at Crowley and we are proud to work with him," said Hourihan. "His vast experience in marine operations, safety and quality make him an ideal fit for the job. And his dedication and perseverance are impressive attributes that are valuable assets in those who lead Crowley."
Cosgrove joined Crowley in 1987 as a port captain in the ship operations group overseeing Crowley's U.S. and foreign-flag vessels and crews. Since that time, he has served the company in positions of increasing responsibility including senior port captain, manager of chartering operations and director of contract operations. In 2005, Cosgrove was named a general manager and formed the ship management group to oversee third-party vessel operations. He was promoted to vice president of marine personnel in 2008 and was named vice president of SSQE in 2009.
He holds a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, and is a licensed Master, Unlimited Tonnage, any ocean. He received the company's highest honor, the Thomas Crowley Trophy, in 2001.

Tropical Shipping Raises the Stakes with new ship for Bahamas loop

Tropical Shipping set to christen new $14-million Tropic Express

• Anne Dichele

This story is contributed by a member of the Treasure Coast community and is neither endorsed nor affiliated with TCPalm.com

WEST PALM BEACH — RIVIERA BEACH, FLA. — Tropical Shipping, a leader in ocean-freight shipping to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, announced it will celebrate the christening and launch of the new Tropic Express, a 348-foot-long vessel that will be deployed in the company’s Bahamas trade.

“We’re very excited about the christening of our newest vessel,” said Mike Pellicci, president of Tropical Shipping. “Launching the Tropic Express is a proud moment for Tropical. Even in today’s tough economic climate, we continue to move forward and invest in our business, with the goal of finding new and more efficient ways to better serve our customers.”

The new ship will officially launch on August 15th before a gathering of several hundred invited guests and Tropical employees at the Port of Palm Beach. Tropical’s most tenured female employee, Janet Carey , will be the Godmother and have the honor of christening the state-of-the-art vessel, which will become the fifteenth ship in Tropical’s fleet.

According to Pellicci, the Tropic Express is a 368 teu shallow draft container vessel that will transport both dry and refrigerated containers, between Florida and the Bahamas, with a service speed of 12.5 knots. Roughly the size of a football field, the vessel is equipped with two 45 ton cranes and also has a ramp to transport out of gauge, oversized and heavy cargo, typically used in construction projects.

The $14-million Tropic Express was built by CSC Chongqing Dongfeng Shipbuilding Corporation, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders. In December 2008, Tropical Shipping contracted with the shipbuilder to have the vessel built. Launched in the Yangtze River in December 2010, the “Tropic Express” was delivered in June to the Port of Palm Beach for the August christening.

When the ship arrived, it also carried 225 new refrigerated containers, bringing the total number of containers in the Tropical fleet to well over 11,000 units.

“For almost a half century now, Tropical Shipping has kept a steady eye on the needs of our customers,” Pellicci said. “Everything we do, from streamlining operations to expanding capabilities and now launching a new vessel, has been to improve our service levels for the benefit of our customers. Tropical is committed to improving our services through innovation and investments in order to remain a leading and extremely reliable ocean-freight shipping service to the Bahamas and Caribbean.”

About Tropical Shipping

Tropical Shipping has delivered reliable and comprehensive cargo transportation services to the Bahamas and the Caribbean for more than 48 years. Based in Riviera Beach, Florida, in the Port of Palm Beach, the company transports everything imaginable and handles a full range of services, from pick up and secure storage to cargo insurance and documentation. Tropical Shipping services include Dry, Refrigerated, Less-than- Container Load, Consolidation, Cargo transfer, Inland Transportation, Insurance, and Project Cargo services, as well as a National Pickup Service in North America. The company operates convenient cargo receiving locations in Miami, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Fleet manager Fort Lauderdale

South Florida Petroleum marketer seeks experienced Director of Fleet Maintenance.  Duties include scheduling and overseeing all fleet repairs and maintenance via 3^rd party vendors.  Must have DOT regulatory exp., computer skills, and excellent communication skills.  Fleet consists of 100+ trucks and 50+ petroleum trailers, operating in and around Florida.  Company offers competitive salary and benefits.  Please forward resume to dcarlton@portconsolidated.com.