Members will recall that the US, whilst not a State Party to the Ballast Water Management Convention, moved its federal performance standards for ballast water discharges closer to those of the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention following the enactment of its Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) in 2018.
A new law was signed in California on 24th September 2020 for Members trading in California waters, which will bring the following increases in criminal penalties for oil spill related offences from 1st January 2021.
Amendments to MARPOL 73/78 permitting vessels to electronically record discharges, transfers, and other reportable operations required under Annexes I, II, V and VI in Electronic Record Books (ERB) entered into force on 1 October 2020.
Effective immediately vessels scheduled to call at terminals on the Delaware River North of the Ben Franklin Bridge must report their arrival and departure air draft and deep draft to the Pilot’s Association 72 hours before arrival at the pilot station.
This Circular concerns efforts by the United States to enhance the sanction provisions targeting the construction of the NS2 and TurkStream pipeline projects and those who provide vessels and services in connection with either project.
After 40 years at Thomas Miller, including 27 years in the New York and New Jersey offices leading Thomas Miller Americas, Mike Jarrett has retired and is being succeeded by Leo Kirchner. As President/CEO, Leo will direct and manage the full range of operations for Thomas Miller Americas. Leo will also retain his role leading the TT Club’s Americas operations.
While no changes are anticipated in the US enforced Emission Control Areas (ECAs) on or after 1 January, 2020, US regions outside the ECAs will need to ensure compliance with the IMO’s 2020 global 0.5% sulphur cap from 1 January, 2020.
Members were recently notified of a new Shore Leave Policy announced by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office in New York to restrict shore leave to crew members in the New York/ Newark port area. The new policy was to have come into effect on 01.11.19.
The following table lists countries which have imposed bans on vessels fitted with open-loop SOx scrubbers calling at their ports, and on the discharge of washwater from these scrubber systems within their port waters.
On September 1 2019, any vessel larger than 1,100 feet will no longer have open access to the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) absent approval by the newly authorized and independent Board of Pilot Commissioners for Harris County Ports.
Like some other countries, the United States is a federal jurisdiction consisting of a national government and fifty states. Maritime law is almost exclusively federal statutory or judge-made law but state law is also relevant in certain respects.
A US seaman sued his employer/vessel owner for injuries suffered on board a dredge vessel, alleging various claims which included negligence under the US Jones Act
On May 8, 2019, exactly one year after President Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”) and would re-impose the U.S. secondary sanctions against Iran, President Trump issued an Executive Order “Imposing Sanctions with Respect to the Iron, Steel, Aluminum, and Copper Sectors of Iran.”
On 11 March 2019. the US Coast Guard issued a bulletin stating that it has reconsidered its previous interpretation of ‘next scheduled drydocking’ with respect to ballast water management system (BWMS) compliance dates.
