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USCG and NAMEPA sign a Memorandum of Understanding
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) will jointly educate the public regarding the harmful effects of plastic pollution. Click here to read this Memorandum of Understanding signed on 10 January 2012 by the USCG and NAMEPA.
PHOTOS: Click here to see photographs of the signing ceremony.
VIDEO: Click here to see the video of the signing ceremony.
Another Hazardous Cargo, Another 22 Seafarers Lost at Sea
Video
Clay Maitland discusses the effect of the worldwide economic downturn on shipping and the environment. He brings 40 years experience to this 17-minute discussion. December, 2011.
Clay Maitland in China
"Wrecks of the World" Art Contest for Grades K-12
Calling all artists! Kids in grades K-12 are invited to participate in an international art contest sponsored by Immersion Learning, The JASON Project, and the North American Marine Environmental Protection Association (NAMEPA). The theme of the contest is "Wrecks of the World," and entries are due by March 1, 2012. The winning entries will be published in a calendar. See below! Click here to learn more and join the art contest! (Note that artwork will not be accepted for upload until January 2012)
Kids’ Calendar Drawings
Click here to see the 2012 calendar drawings showing the importance of clean seas.
Anti-Piracy Campaign – Act Now!
On October 9, 2009, a British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, were sailing their small sailboat from the Seychelles to Tanzania when they were abducted by Somali pirates.
"The Chandlers would be held for the next 388 days. In the past few years, loosely organized gangs of Somali pirates, kitted out with Fiberglas skiffs, rusty Kalashnikovs and flip-flops, have waylaid hundreds of ships — yachts, fishing boats, freighters, gigantic oil tankers, creaky old Indian dhows, essentially anything that floats — and then extracted ransom in exchange for their return. As a result, the worldwide shipping industry now spends billions of dollars on higher insurance premiums, armed guards and extra fuel to detour thousands of miles away from the Gulf of Aden, a congested shipping lane just off Somalia's coast leading to the Red Sea. Navies from more than two dozen countries patrol Somalia's coast, burning around a million dollars of fuel per day. And yet 2011 is on track to be another banner year for piracy, with more than 20 ships already seized, hundreds of seamen in captivity and the average ransom now fetching upward of $5 million, a fortune anywhere but especially in a country with no government and an economy that has been decimated by decades of war."
(Jeffrey Gentleman, New York Times Magazine, October 9, 2011)
But the Chandlers were the lucky ones; they were released and are back at home planning their next sailing adventure—to another part of the world. 64 seafarers have been killed by these same pirates, and over 400 seafarers are being held hostage by armed gangs of Somali pirates, in appalling conditions, subject to physical and psychological abuse. Their ships have been hijacked at sea and they are being held for ransoms of millions of dollars. The human cost to seafarers and their families is enormous.
This affects YOU. Piracy is beginning to strangle key supply routes. 90% of the world's food, fuel, raw materials and manufactured goods is delivered by sea. Nearly half of the world's seaborne oil supply passes through the pirate-infested parts of the western and northern Indian Ocean.
But the world's politicians don't seem to realize the severity of the crisis. World trade is under threat. Piracy costs the global economy $7-12bn a year. Yet even when caught red handed by naval forces, 80% of pirates are released to attack again.
You can help stop this hostage-taking and help restore the freedom of the seas. Please add your voice to our worldwide call for government action. More robust laws, stronger enforcement and firmer political resolve are needed to stop these pirates.
Just two clicks sends our SOS letter, in your name, directly to your chosen Head of Government.
Thank you for your support,
Carleen Lyden-Kluss
Co-Founder and Executive Director
NAMEPA (North American Marine Environment Protection Association)
NAMEPA joins Dr. Bob Ballard and the E/V Nautilus (Exploration Vessel--the only one in the world with that designation) on an archaeological expedition to the eastern Mediterranean
NAMEPA Founding Chairman Clay Maitland and Co-Founder/Executive Director Carleen Lyden-Kluss , during August, 2011, were on the Nautilus off the coast of southern Turkey near Bodrun. So far, the expedition has discovered 15 ancient shipwrecks.
Observed Clay: "What is wonderful about this trip are the discoveries of wrecks that date back centuries. What is discouraging is to see the marine debris amidst the amphora. This affirms NAMEPA's commitment to fighting marine debris."
To follow the Nautilus, and expedition leader Dr. Robert Ballard, go to www.nautiluslive.org.
PHOTOS: Click the photos below to see them larger in a new window. All three images were taken on board the E/V Nautilus. The photo on deck of the yellow vehicle is the "ROV Hercules". The water shot is "Launching Hercules". The silver vehicle is the "ROV Argos".
Entrepreneurs Of The Year
Two of our members received the 2011 Pacific Northwest Award in the Transportation and Logistics category at Ernst & Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year" program. John Graham, Chairman of Global Diving & Salvage, Inc., said, "Tim Beaver [CEO] and I are truly honored to have received this award. The real credit goes to the men and women at Global. Their hard work and dedication have made Global the largest diving contractor on the West Coast. They have taken to heart our message of hard work, safety and satisfaction in a job done well. We work in a hostile environment which makes our occupation challenging; their focus and diligence are tested every day."
Other Recent News
Windward Islands foundation cleans up litter in 2010 and 2011. Read their 8-page report of a successful campaign. | Click here to see the photos.
Marine Debris Litter poster “Do You Know Where Your Litter Is? Right Where You Left It”
A Maritime First: APL "cold-irons" ships in Oakland to clean air. May, 2011
Italy urged to set up own marine environment protection body May, 2011
Lloyd's List Article Applauding NAMEPA's Corporate Risk Mgmt Seminar: "Risk Being Different"October 26, 2010 - (.doc file, 31KB)
Join the international maritime community in urging leaders to help stamp out piracy. Send your signed petition today, and help meet the goal of 500,000 signatures. Remember, your signed petition counts! Download your copy of the petition here.
Press Release: NAMEPA and Philips Publishing announce GreenPacific Conference, September 21-22, 2010 (.pdf file, 31KB)
OLDER NEWS ITEMS in our archives
Events:
Click here to see a list of upcoming events.
NAMEPA Newsletters
NAMEPA distributes a newsletter to member firms and interested individuals on our latest events and activities. These newsletters are then archived here, where they can be individually accessed and downloaded.
- Are we losing the war on pollution? Student drawing contest winners. Beach cleanup. Analysis of corporate risk and responsibility in the marine industry. Photo gallery. - Fall 2011 (.pdf file, 1.2MB)
- Risk Management, Oil Spills, and Prevention - June 2011 (.pdf file, 1.0MB)
- Connecting The Dots: Companies cannot ignore their shareholders - March 2011 (.pdf file, 3.2MB)
- Greenhouse Gases and MEPC 61: Still up in the air - October 2010 (.pdf file, 2.3MB)
- Risk Management: The New Corporate Social Responsibility - July 2010 (.pdf file, 546KB)
- The Namepa Perspective: Collaborative Solutions To Environmental Problems - March 2010 (.pdf file, 575KB)
- 2009 World Maritime Day Parallel Event in New York an Unparalleled Success - Winter 2009 (.pdf file, 1513KB)
- Environmental Stewardship—Ready or not, here it comes! - Summer 2009 (.pdf file, 699KB)
- Eyes Wide Open: Are We Ready for the EPA's New Incidental Discharge Requirements? - March 2009 (.pdf file, 4.2MB)
- US World Maritime Day Observance Indicator of Change: Results-Oriented Focus a Success - November 2008 (.pdf file, 4.0MB)
- National Maritime Day: Real Dialogue + Heightened Awareness = A Good Start - June 2008 (.pdf file, 2.6MB)
- NAMEPA and the Environmental Imperative - March 2008 (.pdf file, 2.98MB)
- Industry-Led Marine Environment Intitiatve Launched At World Maritime Day Observance In New York - December 2007 (.pdf file, 6MB)