The United States’ Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on Friday announced it creating a new bureau to handle its enforcement and compliance activities.

The agency, which is responsible for the regulation of oceanborne international transportation of the U.S., said it is consolidating its investigative and prosecution functions into a newly created Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations, and Compliance (BEIC) effective immediately.

FMC Chairman Daniel B. Maffei said the reorganization “enhances FMC’s capacity to closely scrutinize the conduct of the ocean carrier companies and marine terminal operators to ensure compliance with the law and fairness for American importers and exporters”.

“Robust enforcement of the Shipping Act is absolutely key to the effectiveness of the Federal Maritime Commission. This reorganization has the support of all five Commissioners and creates a structure better suited to meeting the mandate the President and Congress have given this agency to prioritize enforcement,” Maffei said.

In June, President Joe Biden signed into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which, among other things, boosts the FMC’s investigatory authority by allowing it to launch probes of the business practices of ocean common carriers and apply enforcement measures. The Biden Administration said the legislation is designed to improve oversight of ocean shipping, which will help curb inflation and ease export backlogs.

The BEIC is being created after an internal examination of the agency’s enforcement and compliance activities determined a restructuring and merging of enforcement and compliance programs would result in a more efficient, coordinated and responsive operation from initiation to conclusion of an investigation, FMC said.

The newly established bureau will be headed by an attorney in the Senior Executive Service with regulatory, prosecutorial and investigatory experience. The Commission’s Managing Director, Lucille M. Marvin, will also serve as Acting Director until a permanent Director is hired.

The bureau will be divided into three sections: the Office of Enforcement, the Office of Investigations and the Office of Compliance. These offices will each be led by an Office Director. The BEIC Director will supervise and manage the activities of the three offices and will be supported by a Deputy Director who will assist with program management. The BEIC Director will report to the Managing Director.

As part of the reorganization, the Commission is converting the positions of Area Representatives to Investigators, placing them in the Office of Investigations. Additionally, the Commission will increase the number of investigators it has on staff. Investigators will now focus exclusively on enforcement activity and the public outreach function formerly handled by the Area Representative role will be handled by the Commission’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services as part of their broader public assistance work.

Source: https://www.marinelink.com/news/us-federal-maritime-commission-creates-498401

Stena Line’s RoRo passenger vessel MV Stena Hollandica is to implement a new dual-band network for IoT connectivity based on LoRa technology, in collaboration with Semtech Corporation, SkyLab and HeNet.

LoRa, from the words ‘long range’, is a method of radio communication using spread spectrum technology to create low power, low bandwidth connectivity over a wide area. The technology is overseen by a non-profit organisation with more than 500 members and is aimed primarily at supporting M2M and IoT applications.

Using Semtech’s LoRa 2.4GHz gateway reference design, the ship will be installed with a dual-band gateway to provide sub-GHz LoRaWAN standard coverage in the 2.4GHz band, which will be used for asset tracking and condition monitoring at sea.

“As a result of the joint collaboration, we’re offering a unique dual-band network that is perfect for maritime companies, such as Stena Line, to assist with the approximately 28,000 departures yearly while ensuring client/customer satisfaction and safe tracking/monitoring of the millions of tons of cargo on the vessel,” said Remy de Jong Sr, Technical Director, SkyLab.

Source: https://smartmaritimenetwork.com/2022/07/29/stena-line-vessel-to-implement-lora-iot-network/

The U.S. Navy announced it has accepted delivery of the lead ship of its new class of fleet replenishment oilers, USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205), built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego.

T-AO 205’s July 26 delivery follows the completion of Acceptance Trials with the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey to test the readiness and capability of the craft and to validate requirements.

“USNS John Lewis will provide much needed capability to the fleet as the primary fuel pipeline at sea,” said John Lighthammer, program manager, Auxiliary and Special Mission Shipbuilding Program Office. “This is the first of a 20-ship class providing the Sailors and merchant mariners another tool to support at-sea operations.”

The new John Lewis-class T-AOs will be operated by Military Sealift Command to provide diesel fuel and lubricating oil, and small quantities of fresh and frozen provisions, stores, and potable water to Navy ships at sea, and jet fuel for aircraft. The new T-AOs will add capacity to the Navy’s Combat Logistics Force and become the cornerstone of the fuel delivery system.

NASSCO is currently in production on USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206), USNS Earl Warren (T-AO 207), and USNS Robert F. Kennedy (T-AO 208). The future USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209) and USNS Sojourner Truth (T-AO 210) are under contract.

Source: marinelink.com/news/us-navy-takes-delivery-usns-john-lewis-498394

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has delivered the next-generation energy-efficient cruise ship Norwegian Prima to Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), a part of the US-based Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

The vessel has been delivered today, 29 July, at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Venice.

The Norwegian Prima is the first of six vessels in NCL’s Prima-class of cruise ships which will form the backbone of the future NCL fleet.

Deliveries of the six units are scheduled each year between 2022 and 2027.

Weighing more than 142,500 tons and measuring almost 300 metres in length, Prima-class cruise ships can accommodate 3,215 guests.

The Prima-class is based on a prototype project developed by Fincantieri with a focus on energy efficiency, a twofold aim of optimising consumption at sea and reducing environmental impact.

The cruise ships are also compliant with all the most recent regulations on this matter, the shipbuilder said.

Besides NCL, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings operates the Regent Seven Seas Cruises brand, to which Fincantieri will deliver its third luxury cruise ship next year, as well as Oceania Cruises, for which the shipbuilder has in its order book two new-generation cruise ships which will start the Allura-class.

In 2021, the cruise company partnered with Miami-Dade County to make the new Cruise Terminal B and homeporting ships shore power-ready by fall 2023.

As part of its sustainability program, the company also unveiled its long-term climate action strategy and goal to reach carbon neutrality through reducing carbon intensity, identifying and investing in technology including exploring alternative fuels and implementing a voluntary carbon offset program.

Source: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/fincantieri-delivers-ncls-1st-energy-efficient-prima-class-cruise-ship/