June 2016 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 19. P S F U
Minutes: Forum #105 April 13, 2016, University of Maine Hutchinson Center, Belfast
Introductions and Administration: Introductions – The meeting was called
to order at 10:00 by the Port Safety Forum Co-Chair Brian Downey representing the Maine Port Authority with Commander Andrew Myers as the Co-Chair representing the Coast Guard. A quorum was comprised of 21 individuals. Review and Approval of the December 16, 2015 Port Safety Forum Meeting Min- utes – Hearing no amendments or objections to the content of the December 16, 2015 minutes, Mr. Downey accepted the minutes as approved. Passenger Vessel Operations Cruise Ship Outlook – Amy Powers, Direc- tor, CruiseMaine USA Amy Powers (Cruise Maine USA) de-
livered a presentation outlining the current state of the cruise ship industry in the State of Maine. CruiseMaine USA is a port mar- keting coalition serving 12 ports in Maine and two in Atlantic Canada. CruiseMaine works under the umbrella of the Maine Port Authority to represent the cruise ship marketing and community relations eff orts. In 2016 Maine will see a 6% increase in passenger counts (283,000 passenger bed day yield) over 2015, largely as a result of increased cruise ship size and capacity. This year, the State will continue to see robust cruise ship calls from 30 separate ships representing 22 diff erent brands. Among the port calls expected in 2016 will be several ships making their fi rst voyages to Maine: AidaMar; Azamara Quest; Zuiderdam; Oce- ania Sirena; Anthem of the Seas; and Silver Explorer.
September is forecasted to have the
highest number of port calls (98) followed by August (73) and October (62). Maine continues to enjoy continued overall growth in cruise ship tourism with American Cruise Lines homeporting 2 small ships in Portland and its sister company, Pearl Seas homeport- ing Pearl Mist in Portland. The estimated economic impact of the
cruise ship industry in Maine is $47 million in direct spending to the Maine economy (as of 2014). The cruise industry generated 755 jobs and wages totaling $26 million in income for Maine workers; with average wages totaling $34,100 for Maine workers. Special note should be made to Royal
Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas which is among the newest and largest ships afl oat
EL FARO Recorder Continued from Page 10.
“These techniques have been honed
during scientifi c expeditions over many years supported by federal agencies,” said Soule. “This is a tremendous example of the unanticipated use of basic research for society’s benefi t. It also shows how multiple federal agencies – the NTSB, Navy, Coast Guard, NSF – and civilian academic insti- tutions like WHOI and URI can cooperate eff ectively to achieve these results.” The National Deep Submergence Facil-
ity (NDSF), operated by WHOI, is a feder- ally-funded center that operates, maintains, and coordinates the use of three vital deep ocean vehicles. The NDSF is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Offi ce of Naval Research, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The op- eration is managed by WHOI and overseen by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), an organiza- tion of 62 academic institutions and national laboratories involved in marine research.
and will make several Maine port calls in 2016. Built in 2015, the ship’s length is 1,141’ boasting 16 decks and will carry 4,180 passengers. The ship will make its fi rst of eight visits to Portland on 8/28/16 and Bar Harbor on 8/29/16. Rockland welcomes industry veteran
Blount Small Ship Adventure Line as the city’s fi rst ever cruise line to homeport there. The Grande Caribe will run a series of two – Two-Nation Vacation cruises between Rockland and Halifax, NS. This series also includes stops in Eastport and Bar Harbor. Additionally, Rockland will host 33 ship visits from 6 diff erent cruise ships and 5 diff erent brands. The largest ship to visit will be Oceania’s Regatta (650 passengers) and the smallest is American Cruise Line’s Glory (49 passengers).
Mass Rescue Operations (MRO)– Captain Arn Heggers (USCG) Mr. Heggers briefed the Forum regard-
ing high capacity passenger vessel rescue planning. The Coast Guard is currently enhancing a collaborative pre-planning concept to best respond to large cases in- volving mass marine rescue. An MRO is best described as a civil search and rescue activity requiring the need for immediate assistance to a large number of persons in distress (such as a cruise ship or ferry). It is recognized that such events are low-proba- bility but nevertheless, high-consequence, and could exceed the capabilities of any single agency or jurisdiction. Specifi cally, Sector Northern New England is leading a multi-agency initiative to develop an MRO Concept of Operations Plan to guide Coast Guard response operations and coordinate local response to a mass casualty. The ini- tiative will identify local planning require- ments and work toward establishment of local MRO plans to be included in Standard Operating Guides at local jurisdictions. The three driving tenets of the initiative include: Partnership: Identifying & formalizing relationships with response partners (MRO plans, mutual assistance pacts, etc.). In a disaster, seamless cooperation through a Unifi ed Command is important; Planning: Identify risks and MRO scenarios and plan accordingly; Practice: Train all personnel and all partners (preferably utilizing a Uni- fi ed Command structure) and practice the plan.
Here are a few of the more recent prom-
inent MRO themed responses: February 2008: Pacifi c Glacier: 106 evacuees; Janu- ary 2012: Costa Concordia: 4,229 persons
on board; and April 2014: South Korean Ferry Sewol: only 164 of 459 rescued.
Port Activities Update: Casco Bay Bridge Update - Brian Downey Mr. Downey briefed the Forum regard-
ing the contracting of MaineDOT draw- bridge operations on the Casco Bay Bridge. A meeting was held in January among key port stakeholders including the Coast Guard, Portland Pilots, Portland Harbor Commis- sion, Docking Pilots, tug boat operators, and MaineDOT to review the concept of
operations for the bridge operation under a contracted workforce. The bridge will now be managed by Florida Drawbridge Incor- porated (FDI) based in Pompano, Florida. The offi cial hand over of operation was on March 6. Only light maintenance such as greasing and oiling will be performed by FDI. All signifi cant maintenance will remain with MaineDOT.
NOAA Update - LCDR Meghan McGovern Continued on Page 21.
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