Washington Waves: Waterway News From D.C.

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle announced he has directed that the management and execution of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP) be immediately transferred from the Corps’ Rock Island District to its Detroit District.

“This transfer will ensure the project progresses in closer coordination with the state of Michigan, which has been a model non-federal sponsor for this project to date,” according to a press release issued by the Corps. That press release also announced that the Corps will soon begin BRIP’s next construction phase.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called Telle’s announcement a “political stunt.” Pritzker, a Democrat, called on President Donald Trump to release the funds, get the project moving again and protect the Great Lakes.

Located near Joliet, Ill., the Brandon Road Lock and Dam has been identified as the critical pinch point where layered technologies could be used to stop invasive carp populations and other nuisance species from moving into the Great Lakes while minimizing impacts to Illinois Waterway users.

Invasive carp pose significant harm to the ecology and economy of the entire Great Lakes region and its $20 billion fishing and boating industries, the Corps said.

The BRIP will be largely implemented within the downstream approach channel to the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Joliet.

Great Lakes Water Quality Survey

The R/V Lake Guardian, the largest research vessel of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), began its annual month-long spring survey of water quality of the Great Lakes.

According to the EPA, the data collected will help assess ecosystem stressors, including invasive species and harmful algal blooms, and the information also will help support management of fisheries and water quality to better protect the Great Lakes so they can be used for drinking water, fishing and recreation.

The R/V Lake Guardian is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which was launched in 2010 to protect and restore the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystem.

Call For Paper: ‘Reset Maritime Landscape’

The Maritime Administration (MarAd) issued a challenge to reset the maritime landscape to advantage the United States, which the agency says faces an environment increasingly defined by others that gives the advantage to foreign systems.

“Participants are invited to answer a single, fundamental question in written format: How can the United States achieve maritime dominance not by competing on terms set by others, but by redefining the system itself?” MarAd stated. “This is not a call for incremental reform.”

The winning author will receive a $1,500 check and be invited to present the submission at the National Maritime Day Celebration in Washington, D.C., before leaders from government, industry and the maritime community.

According to MarAd, the competition is open to students currently enrolled at the nation’s federal and state maritime academies, U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. 18 years of age or older.

Additional rules are outlined in the announcement at maritime.dot.gov.

GAO: Offshore Wind Spurs Shipbuilding

Noting concerns over the state of U.S. commercial shipbuilding, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) told a key House committee that shipbuilding investments have been spurred by offshore wind projects.

GAO’s recent report to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee discusses the extent to which U.S.-flag vessels and domestic mariners were used at selected offshore wind projects and investments in U.S.-built offshore wind vessels, including any use of Maritime Administration financial assistance programs.

Citing information from the American Clean Power Association, GAO said 50 new offshore wind vessels had been delivered, were under construction or were on order at U.S. shipyards.

Constructing all these vessels could generate revenue at almost 20 shipyards across a dozen states, the agency said.

GAO said none of the vessel construction was financed using Maritime Administration assistance programs, adding that vessel owners said that was in part because the application process took too long.

State Department Prepares for IMO Meetings

The Department of State has scheduled two public meetings by teleconference in May and June to prepare for International Maritime Organization (IMO) sessions to be held later in London.

Set to begin at 10 a.m. May 8, the first meeting is to prepare for the 111th session of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee, to be held in the United Kingdom from May 13 to May 22.

Those who plan to participate or request reasonable accommodation may contact Lt. Cmdr. Emily Rowan at 571-608-4937 or Emily.K.Rowan@uscg.mil by April 24.

Set to begin at 10 a.m. June 10, the second meeting is to prepare for the 13th session of the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communication and Search and Rescue (NCSR 13), to be held in the UK from June 22 to June 26.

Those who plan to participate or request reasonable accommodation should contact John Stone at John.M.Stone@uscg.mil (preferred) or 206-815-1355 by May 27.

E-Medical Certificate Guidance

The National Maritime Center issued an update on e-medical certificate guidance concerning delivery, e-signing and troubleshooting common issues.

Medical certificates that do not include a medical waiver are being delivered electronically via email, with new certificates including a QR code as a built-in security feature. Scanning the QR code brings users to a credential verification tool. Mariners should provide a valid email address with their 719K or K/E form. If not, it will be mailed.

Those who have not received e-mailed certificates should allow time for email delivery and check their spam/junk folder before contacting the NMC’s customer service center. Firewalls may block attachments with .pdfs. Using a personal device or email may help with this. A .pdf app like Adobe Acrobat Reader can help open the file.

Certificates are issued as a standard 8.5 inch by 11-inch .pdf document and must be signed to be valid. It is recommended that mariners print and maintain a signed certificate for their use.