Regulation

Following publishing our article about IMO member Sarosh Zaiwalla's suggestion for a UN Naval Task Force, the ISRR reached out to Mr. Zaiwalla to express our support for his proposal. Mr. Zaiwalla was kind enough to share some further thoughts with us.

IMO member Sarosh Zaiwalla of Comoros  is advocating for a UN Navy Task Force that would monitor piracy incidents along the Somali coast.

A study into whether Canadian and Mexican ports have an "unfair advantage" over US ports, which could potentially lead to a "full-scale trade spat," has industry experts suggesting that a review of domestic maritime policy would be a more effective study.

Francis Nolan, Chair of The Maritime Law Association of the US's Standing Committee on Maritime Finance and US Member of the Comite Maritime Internationale Subcommittee, recently wrote an editorial about the complications that can arise when a foreclosed ship is re-registered with a new flag state. The article, along with a link to the original source, is posted in its entirety as follows.

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom has agreed to "revise its UK Tonnage Tax Manual to at least partly restore the pre-2009 interpretation" to its policies.

The ISRR staff has learned of a letter written by the United States’ Government Accountability Office (GAO) stating its intentions to review the Jones Act “in terms of its effect on both the Puerto Rican economy and the broader U.S. economy.”

In the latest development to United States maritime policy, Congressman Steve Cohen has re-proposed the American Coastal Waters and Shorelines Protection Act – a bill that would require offshore vessels drilling in U.S. waters to be nationally flagged.

The Australian Government has announced major reforms to its maritime sector with the goal of strengthening the industry to the level of a global shipping power.

The reform package entails four key components:

The maritime community has been discussing the use of armed guards aboard vessels in response to the continued issue of piracy within the Gulf of Aden and other high risk areas.

German flag state costs, and government responsibility for those costs, have been a critical discussion point as German shipowners and government officials plan to meet at the national maritime conference in Wilhelmshaven next week.