Category Archives: Merchant Marine

Panel: Chinese Investments to Boost Trade Come as U.S. Commercial Shipping in Decline

Panel: Chinese Investments to Boost Trade Come as U.S. Commercial Shipping in Decline

Chinese sailors watch a People’s LIberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship pull into Djibouti. Xinhua Photo

China, through its ongoing One Belt/One Road Initiative, is increasingly challenging the United States’ ability “to move freely in a business environment and across the oceans,” the retired vice admiral heading one of the nation’s top trade groups said Monday. Read More

On Fire for A Week, Iranian Tanker Sinks in South China Sea

On Fire for A Week, Iranian Tanker Sinks in South China Sea

MT Sanchi burning off the coast of China after a Jan. 6 collision. South Korean Coast Guard Photo

After burning for more than a week in the South China Sea, an Iranian tanker bound for South Korea sank over the weekend, leaving a large oil spill fouling the water, as the next shipment between the countries prepared to set sail.

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Coast Guard Civil Penalties Possible for Operator of Sunken SS El Faro

Coast Guard Civil Penalties Possible for Operator of Sunken SS El Faro

An undated video frame grab showing the stern of the of the sunken freighter El Faro on the seafloor, 15,000-feet deep near the Bahamas. The image was taken by Cable Underwater Recovery Vehicle (CURV) aboard the Military Sealift Command fleet ocean tug USNS Apache (T-ATF 172). US Navy image.

The operator of the SS El Faro container ship that sank during Hurricane Joaquin in 2015 now faces the prospect of a U.S. Coast Guard-initiated civil penalty investigation, according to a Final Action Memo released by the Coast Guard today.

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