uscg – Page 7 – Pacific Maritime Magazine

01 Jul

New Members Sought for National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee

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This week, the Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing announced two vacancies on the National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee. The committee, according to Mayte Medina, chief of the Office of Merchant Mariner Credentialing, offers guidance to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security through the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on issues related to U.S. Merchant Marine personnel such as “training, qualifications, certification, documentation and fitness of mariners.” The advisory committee needs one member to represent the public and another member who is a deck officer that has a Merchant Mariner Credential with an endorsement as Master of…

28 Jun

USCG Cutter Steadfast Returns to Oregon from Narcotics Patrol

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After 55 days patrolling the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Steadfast returned to its Astoria, Oregon, homeport on June 18. The crew of the 210-foot, 54-year-old Reliance Class cutter patrolled over 11,000 miles providing law enforcement and search-and-rescue operations off Central America coastal waters from Mexico to Costa Rica, according to the USCG. During its counter drug patrol, crew members partnered with Mexican law enforcement to “locate, track, and interdict fast-moving drug smuggling vessels,” work that resulted in 2,747 kilograms of cocaine seized by Mexican authorities. The estimated value of that haul is $109…

24 Jun

New Commander to Lead U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu

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Capt. Aja Kirksey has assumed command from Capt. Arex Avanni as commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. The change was made official at a June 21 change of command ceremony presided over by Rear Adm. Michael Day, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Fourteenth District. Kirksey previously served as chief of the agency’s Enlisted Advancement, Panels, and Separations Branch of the Personnel Service Center. Her assignments included work as the enforcement division chief for Sector San Diego overseeing all Coast Guard law enforcement operations for the region. She was also on the Contingency Planning staff and was assistant chief…

14 Jun

U.S., Canada Coast Guards Meet, Talk Joint Mission

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newscan-us, ccg, uscg

The U.S. and Canadian coast guards reaffirmed their commitment to enforcement in the Arctic Ocean on June 7-8 when Rear Admiral Nathan Moore, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard 17th District, and Neil O’Rourke, assistant commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard Arctic Region convened in Yellowknife and Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada. The leaders and their staffs discussed partnering on matters related to the Canada-U.S. trans-boundary waters of the Beaufort Sea part of the Arctic Ocean, including coordinating search and rescue missions, managing waterways and responding to marine environmental issues. “The two regional leaders signed the newly revised Beaufort Sea…

10 Jun

Change of Command at USCG Base Ketchikan in Alaska

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Today, June 10, a new commander is set to take over command of the U.S. Coast Guard Base Ketchikan in Alaska. Cmdr. Timothy E. Boettner takes command of Base Ketchikan from Cmdr. Arthur M. Dehnz in a change-of-command ceremony scheduled for Friday. In his new role, Boettner will be tasked with overseeing the USCG’s operational missions in Alaska. The base, according to the USCG, “provides personnel, administrative, logistics, medical, procurement, contracting, industrial, and electronics support for units throughout Alaska, with a primary focus on Southeast Alaska.” Boettner comes from the Project Residence Office Gulf Coast, where he was the systems…

03 Jun

U.S., Japan Coast Guards Extend Joint Agreement

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsjcg, uscg

The U.S. and Japanese Coast Guards are set to work more closely together in the Indo-Pacific under a recent expansion of cooperative agreements and the creation of a new joint operation. At a mid-May ceremony in Tokyo, USCG Pacific Area Commander Vice Adm. Michael McAllister, and Vice Adm. Yoshio Seguchi, the Japan Coast Guard vice commandant for operations, were present for the document signing. “We rely on our partners, allies, and like-minded nations to achieve our shared missions,” McAllister said. “I am looking forward to many more decades of partnership and collaborative operations in the Indo-Pacific.” While a memorandum of…

03 Jun

USCG, Navy, Hawaii First Responders Complete SAREX

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newshawaii, sarex, uscg

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and local and regional first responders in late May conducted a pair of search and rescue exercises in Hawaii. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu organizes the annual exercise to review alert and response procedures and improve coordination on search and rescue events. The exercises began in Hilo, Hawaii with asset open houses at Hilo International Airport and the Port of Hilo, and included mock searches for a kayaker at Hilo Bayfront Beach Park and a second open-water exercise off Kawaihae. Participants in this year's SAREXs in Hawaii also included members of Coast Guard Sector Honolulu…

27 May

USCG Asks Mariners to Practice Safety in Advance of Memorial Day Weekend

Karen Robes MeeksNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsboatingsafety, uscg

Leading into Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial launch of recreational boating season, U.S. Coast Guard officials along the West Coast are asking mariners to be mindful of boating safety. "Boating continues to be a relatively safe activity, but education is key,” Coast Guard District 11 Recreational Boating Safety Specialist Doug Leavell stated. He is encouraging anyone who has not attended a boating education course through the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the U.S. Power Squadron or other organizations. “Before you share the waterways, learn your responsibilities toward others on the water. Learn before you go out,” Leavell said. This year, there’s been…

20 May

USCG To Conduct Missions in Alaska This Summer

Pacific Maritime MagazineNews, News Briefs, PMM Online Newsalaska, uscg

From June through August, the U.S. Coast Guard be involved in search and rescue, vessel safety, defending Alaska’s marine resources and other mission goals, according to the USCG. This week, members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Teams and Sector Juneau began conducting summer missions in Petersburg and Wrangell, Alaska including inspections in Petersburg, and offering commercial fishing and charter boat exams. The USCG said it plans to keep a regular presence on the water and board vessels with a pair of 29-foot response boat crews. With the upcoming departure of Coast Guard cutter Anacapa and the…

10 May

USCG Cutter Cuttyhunk Decommissioned

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One of the U.S. Coast Guard’s remaining 110-foot Island-class patrol vessels, the cutter Cuttyhunk, was decommissioned Thursday, May 5 in a ceremony at Air Station Port Angeles in Washington. Cuttyhunk was among the 37 110-foot Island-class patrol boats in service. A fleet of 154-foot Sentinel-class cutters will replace the Island-class vessels, according to the USCG. The Cuttyhunk was commissioned in 1988 to support various USCG operations, including search and rescue, drug and fisheries enforcement and maritime homeland security. During its 34-year tenure, the vessel’s crew has accomplished more than 1,000 operations ranging from responding to search and rescue calls in…