Bollinger Shipyards, based in Lockport, has recently been awarded a $255 million contract for building six fast-response cutters to replace part of the USCG’s aging fleet.Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who is the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, stated that she had included the funding for the cutters in the FY 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.According to Landrieu, in addition to updating aging vessels, the contract will keep 1,200 employees in...

According to a three-year survey by the World Shipping Council (WSC), there were approximately 733 shipping containers lost at sea per year in 2011, 2012 and 2013. This figure does not include catastrophic events. The WSC defines a catastrophic loss as one in which 50 or more containers go overboard in a single incident. If including catastrophic losses, the average number of shipping containers lost at sea per year is 2,683 for the three years.Two huge losses in the shipping industry greatly...

Piracy is a real and serious threat in multiple areas around the world. Mariners traveling abroad are urged to use extreme caution when entering known pirate waters. Read on for more information about the best safety practices when traversing dangerous pirate waters.Avoid Pirate Waters if PossibleThe best and most effective safety measures are, of course, to avoid areas that are known for episodes of pirate attacks. Areas of piracy include areas around South East Asia and the Indian sub...

Currently, Coast Guard regulations do not have a requirement for vessels containing permanent ballast water to install onboard ballast water treatment systems (BWTS).Overview on Ballast Water ManagementSince steel-hulled vessels were introduced over a century ago, water has been used as a ballast to stabilize vessels at sea.The way this works is that ballast water is pumped in to establish and maintain safe operating conditions throughout the length of a voyage. The process lessens stress on...