News Releases
Wednesday, July 28, 2010 - OPSAIL 2012 - PLANNING BEGINS
Operation Sail 2012 and the United States Navy Announce
Norfolk and the Port of Hampton Roads to Host Star-Spangled Banner and
War of 1812 Bicentennial Celebrations
WASHINGTON, D.C. -Operation Sail, Inc. (OpSail) and the U.S. Navy announce the participation of five historic U. S. ports in the forthcoming 2012 events that will commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the birth of The Star-Spangled Banner. The ports include New Orleans, Norfolk/Hampton Roads, Baltimore, and Boston. Events in 2012 will also include New York City's Fleet Week.
OpSail and the U. S. Navy will bring tall ships, naval vessels, and the Blue Angels flight demonstration team to each port city, beginning in New Orleans in May 2012 and ending in Boston Harbor on July 4, 2012.
Norfolk and the Port of Hampton Roads will host the OpSail flotilla from June 6-11, 2012, in conjunction with Norfolk's annual Harborfest celebration.
"As home to the largest Naval Base in the world and site where many of the battles of the War of 1812 were fought, Norfolk and the Port of Hampton Roads are particularly honored to host this event that recognizes the history of our U. S. Navy", said Paul D. Fraim, Mayor of Norfolk. "We understand and appreciate the significance of maritime history and events like OpSail that are tremendous opportunities to educate and enlighten our citizens, especially our youth, about our history and the importance of our military forces."
Jose Fuentes, Chairman of Operation Sail 2012, remarked that "The collaborative effort between OpSail, the U.S. Navy and mayors of each of the port cities will prove fruitful to our overall mission. OpSail 2012 will be yet another extraordinary celebration that our nation can add to its long history of proud American commemorations."
"Working in conjunction with OpSail enables the U.S. Navy to showcase the men and women who currently serve our country," said Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, Vice Chief of Naval Operations. "By infusing our fleet with the flotilla of tall ships, along with the rich history of the participant cities, we bring America's historic beginnings into the context of a new millennium."
OpSail has hosted five Fourth of July Parades of Sail in New York Harbor. These have taken place in 1964, in commemoration of the World's Fair; in 1976, the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; in 1986, to mark the centennial of the Statue of Liberty; in 1992, the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's landing in America and on July 4, 2000, in celebration of the new millennium.
Norfolk has hosted several major tall ship events since 1964. The most recent, Sail Virginia 2007, commemorated the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Landing. OpSail 2000 Virginia, which Norfolk organized on behalf of the port of Hampton Roads, took place in celebration of the new millennium. "OpSail 2000 marked the first occasion that the national organization Operation Sail, Inc., partnered with ports outside New York City," said Karen Scherberger, Executive Director of Norfolk Festevents, the local organizing body for the 2012 event. "It was a tremendous honor to be selected by OpSail, Inc. for the 2000 event and to share the national stage with New York and the other selected ports. To be invited twelve years later by OpSail, Inc., and the U. S. Navy to host the 2012 program reconfirms the Port of Virginia's strength and ability to host such events of national and international significance."
OpSail events incorporate stops at key historic ports along the east coast to showcase tall ships and warships from around the world. The OpSail 2012 bicentennial celebration will consist of New Orleans, Norfolk/Hampton Roads, Baltimore, and Boston. The New York event will coincide with Fleet Week. Previous OpSail events contributed to the economy of participating port cities through increased hotel bookings, restaurant reservations, sales and new infrastructure. OpSail events historically attract significant national and international coverage in the media.
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About Operation Sail, Inc.
Operation Sail, Inc. is a non-profit organization established in 1961 with the endorsement of President John F. Kennedy. Backed by a Joint Congressional Resolution, its mission is to advance sail training and promote goodwill among nations. To date, it has held five international sailing events-in 1964, 1976, 1986, 1992 and 2000-each tied to a landmark historical event and each culminating in a traditional Parade of Sail in New York Harbor. For more information, please visit www.opsail.org.
About the United States Navy
The U. S. Navy is the sea-service branch of the U. S. Armed Forces. The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas. The United States Navy - A Global Force For Good, www.navy.mil, www.history.navy.mil
About Norfolk Festevents, Ltd.
Norfolk Festevents, Ltd. is a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to producing city celebrations including premier concerts, festivals, ship visits, and special events for the residents and guests of Hampton Roads. Celebrating its 28th season, Norfolk Festevents has garnered international acclaim for its outstanding quality of programming. Norfolk Festevents is the official event marketing and production agency for the City of Norfolk.
Monday, July 26, 2010 - UPDATE - 24th Annual Golf Tournament - LIMITED GOLF SLOTS
THERE ARE ONLY 42 GOLF SLOTS REMAINING as of 7/26. The tournament is filling up rapidly. There are still SPONSORSHIPS available to support your ship repair foundation!!!
24th Annual Golf Tournament
Applications are still Available ! (Use the application link below)
When: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at Bayville Golf Club
Join us at the beautiful and challenging Bayville Golf Club in Virginia each, a short distance just off Shore Drive where a spacious 268-acre former daily farmland, open to capricious winds and salt air of the nearby Chesapeake Bay.
Bayville Golf Club
4137 First Colony Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Tournament proceeds to benefit the Virginia Ship Repair Foundation an IRS 501(c)(3) Education Foundation and are tax deductible. Your foundation focuses of the ship repair future workforce and incumbent training. This is the organizations primary way to raise funds for this important industry work.
Tournament Schedule
- 10:00-12:30 Registration and Practice Range
- 11:00 a.m. Lunch
- 12:30 p.m. Shotgun Start
- “After Golf” Social – Prizes and Awards Presentation
- Beverage carts, photos, snacks, goody bags, raffles
Sponsorship Packages Available
The specifics of the sponsorship packages will be available on the APPLICATION FORM when it is posted on Monday, June 14th.
Platinum (2 teams included) $5,000
Gold (1 team included) $2,500
Silver (2 players included) $1,500
After Golf Social $750
Beverage Cart $750 SOLD OUT!
Lunch Sponsor $600
Hole Sponsor $500
Longest Drive $400
Closest to Pin $400
Individual Golfers $300
2010 Golf Application is now availabe. All reservations are FIRST-COME FIRST-SERVE, so don't wait to apply. We had a waiting list last year. Sponsorship packages with golfers (Platinum, Gold and Silver) have priority to fill the 144 golfer slots. Only 13 foursomes left as of 7/20 - and will go fast. For specific questions, please contact:
Monday, July 26, 2010 - Ventalation Procedures in Shipyard Employment
OHSA Alliance Developed Resource
The next in the OSHA Alliance series of Safety Alerts, Ventilation Precedures in Shipyard Employment has just been released. Please use this Alert and forward to anyone who might find it useful. Thank you to everyone who provided materials for its development. The Alert series is designed as a quick informational resource to be posted on walls, used in musters, etc. Past Alert topics are: Control of Hazardous Energy – Lockout/Tagout (LO/TO) Procedures in Shipyard Employment; Electrocution and Shock Hazards in Shipyard Employment; and Shipyard Sewage and Hydrogen Sulfide, and can be found http://www.shipbuilders.org/issues/SCAandOSHA/tabid/484/Default.aspx. Monday, July 26, 2010 - SCA Weekly Round-Up ... 7/23/2010
Jones Act and the Gulf Oil Spill News
Rep. Taylor Defends the Jones Act
In a Dear Colleague written this earlier this week, Congressman Gene Taylor (D-MS-4th) defended the Jones Act and clarified that it has not interfered with the clean-up of the Gulf Oil Spill. Congressman Taylor’s letter is available HERE. Rep. Sanchez Clarifies the Importance on the Jones Act on the House Floor
In a one-minute floor speech before the House yesterday, July 22nd, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA-39th) took the opportunity to remind Members of Congress how critical the Jones Act to the American economy and our national defense.
(Ms. LINDA T. SÁNCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Ms. LINDA T. SÁNCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Jones Act.
Enacted after World War I, the Jones Act ensures that America's domestic commerce is carried by U.S. vessels built and repaired in U.S. shipyards, and crewed and owned by U.S. citizens.
The Jones Act ensures a ready merchant marine fleet in time of war. And it prevents our economy from being dominated by foreign interests who don't pay American taxes, hire American workers, or even follow American health, safety, and environmental laws.
I would expect all patriotic Americans to support the Jones Act. In the past we have, but recently some in this body have tried to blame the Jones Act for BP's failure to clean up its own mess. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is no evidence that the Jones Act has interfered with the cleanup in any way.
We are in a recession. It's time to work together to expand American manufacturing and create jobs, not play partisan games. I urge my colleagues to stop posturing and start supporting American families by supporting the Jones Act.
Drilling Moratorium Could be Based on “Zones of Risk”
OFFSHORE DRILLING: Moratorium could be adjusted to account for varying risks – Salazar
E&E News PM (07/20/2010) Noelle Straub, E&E reporter
The Obama administration's temporary ban on new deepwater drilling could be adjusted to account for different types of wells, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said today.
The moratorium, set to last through Nov. 30, could be modified to differentiate between "zones of risk," Salazar told two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees. That could include differences between wells being drilled from production platforms and exploration wells, for which less is known about the conditions, he said.
"That's part of the analysis we currently have under way," Salazar said.
Several Republicans pushed Salazar to rescind the moratorium early, saying it has devastating economic consequences on the Gulf of Mexico region. Two former Interior secretaries, Gale Norton and Dirk Kempthorne, also criticized the moratorium. Norton and Kempthorne served under President George W. Bush.
"You don't ground all of the airplanes because there was one accident," Norton said, adding that companies may move rigs overseas from the Gulf because of the moratorium.
But Salazar said he will only allow new deepwater drilling to resume once he has several important questions answered. Those include assurances that drilling can be done safely and that both containment plans and response equipment are in place.
The Interior Department recently issued a new moratorium to address issues raised about the original ban that was struck down by a federal court. The new moratorium is based not on the water depth of the operations but rather on drilling configurations and technologies.
As for the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Salazar said there is collective responsibility. BP PLC cut corners on the well construction, while Congress and several administrations did not do as much as they could have and were "lulled into a sense of safety."
He also said 445 additional offshore inspectors are needed because it is nearly impossible for the current 60 inspectors to handle 4,000 facilities. "This will not come cheap," he said
Funding for Marine Highways to be Announced Late July
In testimony delivered to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces, MARAD Administration David Matsuda stated that a new program called America’s Marine Highway Grants will be included in a Federal Register before the end of the month. As of now, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 has allocated $7 million for this program.
Friday, July 16, 2010 - New Norfolk Naval Shipyard Commander Named
Soon-to-be admiral to lead Norfolk Naval Shipyard
By Meredith Kruse
The Virginian-Pilot
Meredith Kruse, (757) 446-2164, meredith.kruse@pilotonline.com
Naval Sea Systems Command named a soon-to-be-one-star admiral, Capt. Gregory R. Thomas, as the next commander of Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth on Thursday, two weeks after the previous commander was relieved.
Thomas has commanded Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility since June 2007. In that role, he returned ships and submarines to duty on time and on budget and developed a 25-year modernization plan for the shipyard, the Navy said.
“He’s done a tremendous job out at Pearl. The Navy thinks that he’s the right man to come in here at Norfolk,” said Jeff Cunningham, a spokesman for the shipyard.
The shipyard has not had a flag officer as its commander since 1994, he said.
Its previous commander, Capt. William Kiestler, was removed after a series of events involving critical maintenance work not being performed according to procedure and a loss of awareness about the status of submarine repairs, the Navy has said.
Thomas, a native of Portsmouth, received his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering at the United States Naval Academy in 1982. He later earned a master’s degree and doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He’s held several posts related to shipbuilding and maintenance, including a stint in the Navy’s submarine project office in Newport News.
He is tentatively set to assume command in early September, Cunningham said. PORTSMOUTH
Friday, July 09, 2010 - NAVSEA Safety Journey
On Wednesday, June 30th, Mr. Jim Brice, SEA 04 Safety and Environmental Director, addressed about 85 Safety Professionals from Virgnina Ship Repair Association member companies at the Portsmouth Renaissance Hotel.
The purpose of the briefing was to inform the private sector ship repairers of the safety improvement efforts that are implemented inside the Naval Sea Systems Command and their shipyards. Mr. Brice encouraged companies to study their efforts and join in the improvement efforts.
The NAVSEA Safety Journey Presentaion was well received and received many probing questions for Mr. Brice.
Friday, July 09, 2010 - Virginia Delegation Letter to the SECNAV
On July 1st, Senators Webb and Warner, along with the four Congressmen from Hampton Roads, sent a letter to Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, in support of the Secretary of Defense's efforts to trim wasteful Defense spending, improve use of taxpayers dollars, and make every dollar count.
The letter addresses critical issues that are of great interest to the ship repair industry. Follow the Virginia Delegation letter to SECNAV link to read the entire letter.
Friday, July 09, 2010 - SCA Weekly Round-Up ... 7/9/2010
Dallas' Allegiance Capital's push to help gulf oil spill cleanup may not be so clear
WASHINGTON – When Dallas investment banker Fred McCallister told the Senate last week about his effort to get more foreign ships to clean up oil in the Gulf of Mexico, he blamed a maritime law that protects U.S. ship owners and workers.
In fact, McCallister's effort stalled because BP didn't think the skimmers proposed by his firm, Allegiance Capital Corp., could do the job. Yet he told senators that he hadn't gotten any response to his offer, even though BP's response had come a day earlier. Also left unsaid to the senators or reporters who interviewed him: Allegiance found the vessels with the help of its chairman's brother, Kenneth Mahmood, who served 18 months in prison in Washington state during the 1980s for theft and securities fraud. For full story, click: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/070810dnbusallegiance.1fef79f.htmlUS Government Takes Control Over Gulf Oil Spill Website
This week, the US government launched a new website, http://www.restorethegulf.gov/, that will become the lead in information regarding the Gulf Oil Spill. The website will replace http://deepwaterhorizonresponse.com, though that website will still remain active and link to the new government site. More details on the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to create the site are found in the article below. US to take more control of spill response website
The Associated Press
Sunday, July 4, 2010
By HARRY R. WEBER
HOUSTON - The US government is expected to take over control of the central information website on the Gulf oil spill response that has been run jointly by various agencies and BP for the 2 1/2 months since the rig explosion.
The Department of Homeland Security wants a one-stop shop for information that is completely overseen by the government as it settles into the long-haul of dealing with the response to the disaster. The U.S. Coast Guard falls under Homeland Security's authority.
BP and the federal government are part of a unified command that is working together to try to contain the oil gusher, but the government has been directing BP at every turn.
A DHS spokesman told The Associated Press on Sunday that the joint relationship won't change when the website is given a dot-gov address instead of a dot-com address.
But who can post information to the site would change.
Details are still being worked out.
The spokesman, Sean Smith, said the government wants to be as transparent as possible and increase Americans'
access to information.
BP is helping pay for the current website. The government could still bill BP when it takes over the site.
The http://deepwaterhorizonresponse.com site may still be maintained during the changeover, but ultimately it will be taken down altogether when the government moves the response information to its own website. A BP spokesman did not immediately respond to several requests for comment on the move, which could occur within days.
A frequent critic of the administration's response to the oil spill, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., was skeptical the change would amount to much.
"Given that the government taking over the cleanup hasn't exactly fixed things, it's hard to imagine the government taking over a website making things much better either,"
Issa, a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement e-mailed to the AP.
"In recent weeks, we've heard directly from local officials pleading for less bureaucracy, more resources and expressing an overall frustration with this administration's apparent pre-occupation with the public relations surrounding this catastrophe," he said.
Copyright (c) 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
URL:
Monday, June 21, 2010 - OSHA Severe Violator Enforcement Directive Effective NOW
WASHINGTON – OSHA announced today that the Severe Violators Enforcement Program directive is effective June 18th. The agency announced in April that it was implementing the program to focus on employers who continually disregard their legal obligations to protect their workers.
OSHA’s SVEP focuses enforcement efforts on employers who willfully and repeatedly endanger workers by exposing them to serious hazards. The directive establishes procedures and enforcement actions for the severe violator program, including increased inspections, such as mandatory follow-up inspections of a workplace found in violation and inspections of other worksites of the same company where similar hazards or deficiencies may be present.
The directive explains that the SVEP is intended to focus enforcement efforts on employers who have demonstrated recalcitrance or indifference to their OSH Act obligations by committing willful, repeated or failure-to-abate violations in one or more of the following circumstances: a fatality or catastrophe situation; in industry operations or processes that expose workers to severe occupational hazards; exposing workers to hazards related to the potential releases of highly hazardous chemicals; and all egregious enforcement actions.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov. Thursday, June 17, 2010 - 2035 Commonwealth Transportation Plan - Public Comment Period
2035 VIRGINIA SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
The 45-day review process begins June 16, 2010, and ends July 30, 2010
RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) have developed the 2035 Virginia Surface Transportation Plan, which provides long-term multimodal transportation suggestions for the commonwealth. The draft plan is available for public review and comment beginning June 16, 2010, and concluding July 30, 2010.
The 2035 Virginia Surface Transportation Plan represents the first time VDOT and DRPT have organized multimodal proposals in a single plan.
The plan provides information for potential long-term project development and investment based on the goals identified in VTrans2035, Virginia’s statewide multimodal transportation policy plan. The draft plan includes possible improvements to transit, rail, freight, highway and intelligent transportation systems. Transportation needs identified in the plan are used to help determine highway projects for the Six-Year Improvement Plan.
The 2035 Virginia Surface Transportation Plan, including a summary map and plan report can be found at www.vtrans.org. Comments can be submitted via e-mail to statewideplan@VDOT.Virginia.Gov between June 16, 2010, and July 30, 2010.
Organization Information