Page 8. MAINE COASTAL NEWS August 2018 U. S. C G N
Coast Guard Cutter KATHERINE WALKER commander temporarily relieved of duty
BOSTON — Lt. Cmdr. Ian Mulcahy was temporarily relieved from command of the cutter KATHERINE WALKER, in Bay- onne, New Jersey, by Rear Adm. Andrew Tiongson, First Coast Guard District com- mander, due to a loss of confi dence in his ability to command. A commanding offi cer is charged with
the ultimate responsibility of the safety of the crew and the safe navigation of the cutter. Tiongson appointed Lt. Cmdr. John
Singletary to assume temporary command of the cutter until it is decided if the relief will be permanent. Mulcahy was temporarily assigned to
Sector New York. Coast Guard Cutter Katherine Walker is a 175-goot buoy tender homeported in Bay- onne, New Jersey with a crew complement of 24.
Coast Guard Sector Boston holds change of command ceremony
6 July BOSTON — Coast Guard Capt. Eric Dou- cette relieved Capt. Claudia Gelzer as the commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston during a change of command ceremony Friday at Faneuil Hall in Boston. Gelzer assumed the duties as sector
commander of Boston in 2015 where she oversaw the execution of every Coast Guard mission from the New Hampshire and Mas- sachusetts border to Plymouth to include 227 miles of coastline and 200 nautical miles off shore.
“The extraordinary people of Massa-
chusetts and members of Sector Boston proudly defi ned my tour," said Gelzer. "The port partners in Massachusetts and Boston are second to none, they like the Coast Guard, show their importance and bring hope during times of despair." Gelzer, a native of Rye, New York,
joined the Coast Guard in 1991 and will be retiring after 27 years of service. Doucette, a native of Medfi eld, joined
the Coast Guard in 1989. He was previously assigned at the White House serving two ad- ministrations as the Vice President’s Special Advisor for Counterterrorism, Homeland Security and African Aff airs. Rear Adm. Andrew Tiongson, Com-
mander, First Coast Guard District, presided over the ceremony. Doucette will now lead a sector com-
prised of nearly 350 active duty and civil- ian personnel, 120 Reservists and 1,000 Auxiliary members. The sector’s sub-units include four small boat stations, a 110-foot and 87-foot patrol boat, a 65-foot icebreak- ing tug and one aids to navigation team. The change of command ceremony is
a formal ritual conducted before the assem- bled company of the command. It conveys to offi cers and enlisted personnel that although the authority of command is relinquished by one person and assumed by another, it is still maintained without interruption.
Coast Guard rescues 80-year-old in Rhode Island
9 July BOSTON — The Coast Guard rescued an
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panies and individuals to salvage sunken logs from publicly owned submerged lands. Funds (through leasing and log salvage
proceeds) support to municipal harbor planning and public access improvements. The Submerged Lands Program provides hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to improve public docks and wharfs as well as boat ramps to enhance public access to the water.
Abandoned Vessel Program – John Noll, Submerged Lands
Mr. Noll continued his brief with a dis-
cussion of the Abandoned Vessel Program which is overseen under the Submerged Lands system. Abandoned vessels are not only unsightly but can be an environmental risk (oil or chemical), could pose a danger to navigation, and can impede the use of the waterway or submerged land in which the vessels lay. Therefore, a state eff ort is made to both prevent vessels or marine structures from being abandoned and also seeks to remove abandoned vessels. Under Maine statute, Abandoned
Watercraft means: any watercraft that is inoperative and neglected, submerged or partially submerged or that has been left by the owner in coastal waters without intention of removal. This term includes motors, elec- tronic and mechanical equipment and other machinery customarily used in the operation of watercraft. A watercraft designated as “aban-
doned” is subject to removal if it meets the eligibility requirements as set forth under Maine Revised Statute Title 12 § 1866(2), which include the following conditions: A permit under Title 38, Section 9 has
not been granted by the municipal board or commission entrusted with harbor manage- ment for the area. A landowner has not granted permis-
sion to a watercraft owner to abandon a watercraft on that landowner's property. Notice has been given the director (of the Bureau) within 120 days of the date that the municipal board or commission determines, in its opinion, that the watercraft has been abandoned.
3. Coast Guard Update: – CDR Hector Cintron – Deputy Sector Commander, Sector Northern New England RBS/Paddlecraft Safety Initiatives – LCDR Matt Capon - USCG
LCDR Capon discussed the recent focus on paddlecraft safety (kayaks, paddle-
Coast Guard Sector Boston holds change of command ceremony on 6 July. Capt. Eric Dou- cette relieves Capt. Claudia Gelzer.
80-year-old man Monday after he set sail from Cuttyhunk to New Bedford and didn't check-in as expected. Peter Horan's caretaker called watch-
standers at Sector Southeastern New En- gland at about 11:45 a.m. reporting that Horan was missing in his 34-foot cabin cruiser, Best Friends, after he didn't return to New Bedford at noon as planned. Coast Guard aircrews from Air Station
Cape Cod and boat crews from Stations Woods Hole and Menemsha, along with crews from various partner agencies, scoured the Buzzards Bay area searching for Horan and his boat. While monitoring Ch. 16 during the
search, watchstanders overheard a radio hail from a good Samaritan in Rhode Island call- ing the vessel Best Friends. Watchstanders
P S F M
boards, etc.). The First Coast Guard District Commander established a 200-member work-group to better address the risks and mitigation strategies to improve paddlec- raft safety in the First Coast Guard District (which includes Maine and New Hamp- shire). The workgroup consists of Coast Guard as well as retailers, vendors, marine law enforcement agencies and other associ- ated groups seeking to improve waterborne safety. The Coast Guard will be making an enhanced outreach and public aff airs eff ort to bolster paddlecraft safety awareness in- cluding on the water presence. Regulations TWIC Readers– Tom Gentile - USCG
By August 23, 2018, owners and oper-
ators of facilities that handle Certain Dan- gerous Cargoes (CDC) in bulk or receive vessels carrying CDC in bulk and facilities that receive vessels certifi cated to carry more than 1,000 passengers must amend their Facility Security Plans to indicate how they will implement the new TWIC requirements (i.e., Transportation Worker Identifi cation Credential (TWIC) Readers). The Final Rule announcing this require- ment was published in the Federal Register (FR) in August of 2016. The goal of the Final Rule is to ensure that prior to being granted unescorted access to designated secure areas within certain facilities, an individual will have his/her TWIC authenticated, the status of the holder’s credential validated against an up-to-date list maintained by TSA, and the individual's identity confi rmed by comparing his/ her biometric data, (such as fi ngerprint) with a biometric template stored on the credential (as opposed to rely- ing solely on visual facial comparison and validation by a security guard). Last Spring, Sector Northern New
England Prevention and Marine Safety Detachment staff s reached out to applica- ble Facility Security Offi cers to provide advanced notice of the TWIC Reader Rule
highlights and timelines. Over the past year communication has continued to ensure a seamless implementation process. Regulations Consolidated Cruise Ship Security – Tom Gentile - USCG
A Final Rule was released in March
of this year and included the addition of Subpart E—Facility Security: Cruise Ship Terminals to 33 CFR 105. The new rule establishes cruise ship Terminal Screening Programs (TSP) within the Facility Security Plans (FSP) to ensure that prohibited items are not present within the secure areas that have been designated for screened persons, baggage, and personal eff ects, and are not brought onto cruise ships interfacing with the terminal. This subpart lists the following new re- quirements: 105.505 Terminal Screening Program (TSP). 105.510 Screening respon- sibilities of the owner or operator. 105.515 Prohibited Items List (PIL). 105.525 Ter- minal screening operations. 105.530 Qual- ifi cations of screeners. 105.535 Training requirements of screeners. 105.540 Screener participation in drills and exercises. 105.545 Screening equipment. 105.550 Alternative screening. No later than October 15, 2018, cruise
ship terminal owners or operators must sub- mit to the COTP for review and approval, a Terminal Screening Program (TSP) that meets the requirements in § 105.505. No later than April 18, 2019, each cruise
ship terminal owner or operator must be operating in compliance with the approved TSP and this subpart.
Marine Investigations - Rich Yazbek Rail Jumping - The Coast Guard re-
cently pursued civil penalty action against two separate “Rail Jumper” cases involving certifi cated passenger vessels within Sector Northern New England. Rail jumping is an extremely dangerous situation in which pas-
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launched Station Castle Hill after determin- ing the hail was coming from a sailing vessel near the Sakonnet River. The 45-foot response boat crew arrived
on scene and escorted Horan to awaiting family and Emergency Medical Services at Sakonnet Harbor. Crews searched about 425 square miles, almost the size of New York City. Partner agencies who assisted in search-
ing for Horan include: New Bedford Fire Department, New Bedford Harbormaster, New Bedford Police Department, Marion Harbormaster, Mattapoiset Harbormaster, Westport Harbormaster, and Dartmouth Police Department.
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