February 2018 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 7. P S F - D M M Minutes: Forum #112
Date: December 13, 2017 Location: University of Southern
Maine, Abramson Center, 88 Bedford Street, Portland, ME 04101 Personal Notes – The Port Safety Fo-
rum says thank you and good bye to John Henshaw after ten years of dedicated service as the Maine Port Authority’s Executive Director. John’s keen ability to improve safety while bolstering commercial marine enterprise advanced the regional maritime industry during his tenure. John was valued leader of the Port Safety Forum in addition to the Maine Port Authority. Fair winds and following seas. Introductions and Administration: Introductions – The meeting was called
to order at 10:00 by the Port Safety Forum Co-Chair Matt Burns representing the Maine Port Authority with Commander An- drew Meyers as the Co-Chair representing the Coast Guard. A quorum was comprised of 25 individuals. Review and Approval of the September 27, 2017 Port Safety Forum Meeting Min- utes – Hearing no objections to the content of the September 27, 2017 minutes, Mr. Burns accepted the minutes as approved. Port Activities Update:
Pilot Boarding Incident – Brian Downey; Maine Pilotage Commission
Mr. Downey shared the fi ndings of a re-
cent pilot incident which he investigated on behalf of the Maine Pilotage Commission. On July 1, 2017 at approximately 0932, a pilot fell from a pilot ladder while boarding a U.S. naval vessel enroute to Eastport. During the boarding evolution, the pilot boat deployed the pilot on the pilot ladder on the ship’s starboard side. The ladder was in “like new” condition. The ship’s fl are
extended nearly the entire length of the ship including the pilot boarding station, which caused the pilot ladder to hang freely down without contacting the side of the ship. At the point of embarkation, the pilot ladder was approximately two feet from the hull. The pilot climbed onto the ladder when
the pilot’s left leg cramped. The pilot boat captain recognized that the pilot was having trouble on the ladder and quickly brought the boat back to the pilot ladder to attempt to recover the pilot. Although hanging to the ladder with his arms through the rungs (at shoulder/head height) he ultimately could not sustain his grip and fell off of the ladder and into the water. Once in the water, the pilot’s infl atable Type V lifejacket auto- matically deployed upon being submerged, as designed. The pilot was recovered by the pilot boat crew within approximately 2 minutes. The water temperature was 48°F. All safety gear worked as designed and
proved instrumental in the safe recovery of the pilot. The crews of both the U.S. naval vessel and the pilot boat are to be commend- ed as their expert prowess in emergency procedures assured a near textbook man overboard recovery. Right Whale Program
Peter Kelliher, Marine Mammal Vessel Strike and Monitoring Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries Service
Mr. Peter Kelliher of NOAA briefed
the Port Safety Forum on the current status of the Right Whale population and eff orts of the marine community to protect this endangered mammal. Currently the total global population of Right Whales is ap- proximately 450 making the situation dire. Right Whales are more likely to suff er a vessel strike than other large whales. The factors contributing to their vulnerability to
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vessel strikes is not fully clear to scientists but their slow speed, high frequency on the surface of the water, and habitat in the vicin- ity of high vessel traffi c areas contribute to the dilemma. Avoiding ships, is not an in- herent behavioral response for Right Whales raising their susceptibility to ship strikes. To combat this issue, NOAA has instituted Dynamic Management Areas (DMA) which require speed reductions in areas with recent Right Whale sightings as well as mandato- ry speed limits in Seasonal Management Areas (SMA). In the Northeast, there are Seasonal Management Areas in the Traffi c Approaches to Boston off of Cape Cod (March 1- July 31) as well as within Cape Cod Bay and Block Island Sound (January 1 – May 15). Vessels of 65 feet or more must not exceed 10 knots when transiting SMAs or DMAs. The speed reduction requirements are codifi ed in 50 CFR 224.105. There are no current DMAs or SMAs in Maine or New Hampshire. Weather Buoy Update Tom Shyka, NERACOOS
Tom Shyka provided an update on the NERACOOS ocean data buoy system.
The Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NER- ACOOS) spans coastal waters from the Canadian Maritime Provinces to the New York Bight. NERACOOS provides weather and ocean data to fi shing and commercial vessels determining if conditions are safe for passage and to emergency managers issuing storm and coastal fl ood warnings. NERACOOS is also advancing eff orts to improve water quality monitoring, harmful algal bloom predictions and warnings, and coastal fl ooding and erosion forecasting systems. In addition to hourly buoy weather data, other products include forecasting of water levels and ocean forecasts. NERACOOS was recently certifi ed by
NOAA as a Regional Information Coordina- tion Entity. The certifi cation authenticates NERACOOS data as the equivalent of U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System and NOAA.
NERACOOS hosted a “Buoy Cruise”
to Buoy I off of Mount Dessert Island in Au- gust. The event hosted Congressional staff s,
Continued on Page 20.
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