Curtas do Bryant´s

National Commission – staff working papers

The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling posted two new staff working papers. The first, Stopping the Spill, discusses efforts to contain and control the blowout of the Macondo well. It concludes that the oil and gas industry was unprepared to respond to a deepwater well blowout on April 20 and that the federal government was unprepared to provide meaningful supervision and oversight of the response to an oil spill of this nature and magnitude. The second, Response/Clean-Up Technology, discusses advances in oil spill response and clean-up technology and continuing research and development efforts in this regard. (11/22/10).

MARAD – funding for ballast water treatment technology testing

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) issued a news release stating that it is providing $4 million funding and technical expertise to help upgrade the Great Ships Initiative (GSI) ballast water treatment technology testing facility in Duluth-Superior Harbor. (11/22/10).

IMO – preview of MSC session

The IMO issued a news release previewing the upcoming session of the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), scheduled to be held in London on 24 November through 3 December. Topics on the agenda include mandatory fire test procedures; improvements to life boat hooks; piracy and armed robbery against ships; and implementation of the Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system. (11/22/10).

Arabian Sea – response to pirate attack on Chinese ship

The US Navy issued a news release stating that the USS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1) and the USS Winston Churchill (DDG 81) assisted in the response to a suspected pirate attack on the Chinese cargo ship Tai An Kou on November 20 in the North Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman. After the initial response by US Navy forces, the operation was transferred to the Chinese Navy frigate Xuzhou (FFG-530). (11/21/10). Fonte: Dennis Bryant.