Miami Shipping Law

There are some recent reports that keep those of us dependent on the Port of Miami's ("POM") success happy. The first report comes courtesy of the Maritime Executive, which confirms that POM has been working hard to bring back transshipment to Miami, in concert with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP"). The second report comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration  ("MARAD"), which today released a study on shipping patterns, which identifies POM as a "major U.S. port" targeted for modernization and with that, federal dollars to be allocated for infrastructure projects.    First Report   Prior to 9-11, transshipment made up over 22% of the cargo trade at Port Miami. However due to CBP’s increased inspections of transshipment goods in our post 9-11 world, those transshipment cargoes are going through Panama, Freeport, and Kingston. resulting in cargo delays and added expenses.  A specific examp

I have been taking the time to re-acquaint myself with poetry that inspired me as a much younger adult. Upon re-acquainting myself with these poems, I thought readers to this blog might be interested in them as many of them have a salty flavor. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and will inspire you. The first that comes to mind is "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley, which you will find in full below: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. William Ernest He

As reported late last week in various news sources including the Maritime Executive, a Spanish court found the crew of the M/T PRESTIGE and the Spanish Merchant Navy not guilty of criminal responsibility of the sinking of the oil tanker on November 13, 2002. It was Spain's worst ever environmental disaster. The PRESTIGE sank off Spain’s northwestern coast and polluted thousands of miles of coastline and beaches in Spain, France and Portugal - prompting Spain to close its fishing grounds for about six months. The tanker was transporting about 77,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil on board. Picture taken from www.crcco.com   Initially, the ship’s master Apostolos Mangouras requested a place of refuge for the tanker, which had a crack in its hull. But Spanish, French and Portuguese authorities denied the ship sanctuary. The Spanish authorities instructed the captain to take his ship further out to sea. After a storm damaged one of its fuel tanks, the ship drifted for days.

Carnival Corp. is shaking up its management team in an effort to rebuild its business after a deadly accident and several other mishaps drove passengers away. Effective December 1, 2013, Howard Frank will be stepping down from his current roles as vice chairman and chief operating officer at Carnival Corp. to take on the role of special advisor to the CEO and chairman, while continuing to represent the industry in his leadership role as chairman of CLIA.   Alan Buckelew, president and CEO of Princess Cruises, will take over as chief operations officer of Carnival Corp. & PLC on December 1st. This follows Carnival's decision in June to name a new CEO. Board member Arnold Donald took over as head of the company, replacing Micky Arison, who had been CEO since 1979 and is the son of one of the company's co-founders. Today, Carnival's 10 brands annually welcome over 10 million guests on more than 100 ships supported by over 90,000 employees generating more than