Jacksonville Marine
Transportation Exchange, Inc.
Post Office Box 3171
Jacksonville, Florida 32206-3171
(904) 634-1599
JMTX Harbor Safety Ops Committee
Wednesday December 12, 2012 at 1300
FDLE CONFERENCE CENTER
921 N. Davis St
Meeting Minutes
Captain Mike Getchell opened the meeting at 1305 by welcoming those attending and then asked that we go
around the room and make introductions
Opening Remarks
Capt. Tom Allan welcomed meeting participants.
Customs and Border Protection Report
Mr. Tom Steffanello addressed the expiration of the current CES
(Container Examination Station) contract coming in May 2013.
New bidders will have 60 days to submit applications. CBP team
headed up by Mr. Steffanello will review the apps. During this
process, the public will have an opportunity to submit comments
concerning the need for a CES. Ms. Maureen Blanchard discussed
the topic of Centers for Excellence and Expertise. CEEs were
established in 2011 to expand partnerships by expanding
participation in the Trusted Trade Partners program. Their
purpose is to convey Industry-based knowledge to CBP. At
present, these centers are located in a few ports and cover only a
limited number of topics. In 2013 CBP plans expansion into other
ports and industry products. Questions concerning CEEs can
directed to Maureen @ 904 360 5036.
US Army Corps of Engineers Report
Mr. Jose Bilbao, introduced himself as our new Port manager
replacing Mr. Gavin Jackson. Given the fiscal realities, Gavin has
been reassigned to other duties. Mr. Bilbao reported that the Mile
Point re-design is on track with a scheduled may 2013
completion. Designs are ongoing and all permits should be in hand
by January 2013. He reported that the maintenance dredge
project involving the area from West Channel to Talleyrand was
scheduled to begin Feb 2013. He also provided a timeline for the
Harbor Deepening project: Eco-modeling estimated completion
December 2012. Economic modeling is on-going with a deepest
draft benefit statement due January 2013. The draft GERR is
still on track for completion April 2013.
USCG Report
LCDR Rob Butts lead off the USCG report with a discussion
regarding Uninspected Passenger Vessel Operations. LCDR
Butts commended the maritime community with letting the Sector
know about a pontoon passenger vessel operation on the ICW. The
Making Jacksonville the Port of Choice.
USCG’s investigation revealed that the operator was not certed for
carrying passengers.
He also reported on TWIC Renewal challenges such as lengthy
hold-times experienced by callers. This issue is being resolved.
The TSA website is being updated with current information needed
for applicants seeking renewal. TSA recommends applicants
submit their applications 4 months prior to expiration.
Facility’s Certificates of Adequacy will have to be updated soon.
As of January 1, 2013, those items that vessels were permitted to
throw over the side, will be allowed no more. As such, facilities
will be required to accept all garbage from vessels and update their
capacity to receive such on their COAs. A pamphlet was provided
and is available from the Sector that outlined the rules and
enforcement criteria.
LT Megan Trivett reported that with the end of Hurricane Season
the port was now in Condition 5. She stated that with the end of the
season comes the opportunity to make improvements to the Port’s
Heavy Weather Plan with incorporating some Lessons Learned.
Mr. Al Sandrik, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the
National Weather Service said that his attendance at these
meetings has gone a long way in understanding Port Ops and the
implications of their warnings have on such. With that, he was able
to convince the NWS to modify their Break Points along the
Florida coast at the NOAA Hurricane Conference. Beginning next
year, the new Break Points for our area will be St Aug/
PonteVedra/Fernandina. These changes may prove to have huge
beneficial economic impacts, as well as in our preparations. LT
Trivett finished with informing the group that the Port Heavy
Weather Calls are recorded and available for those not able to get
in on the teleconference calls.
Mr. Doug Campbell with the Sector’s MTSR Unit provided a PPT
presentation with the NY/NJ MTSRU’s efforts to prep for and
recover from Super Storm Sandy. The port had significant damage
with ATONS damaged or missing, floating/sunk containers in the
waterway, shoaling, spills, Pilot Station destroyed, USACE facility
damaged and the VTS not operational. Within 72 hours fuel barges
started moving AFTER the USACE’s NTRs completed their
channel assessments. Deep draft traffic resumed after 96 hours.
SE NOS Navigation Manager’s Update
Mr. Kyle Ward provided a PPT presentation of NOAA’s response
to Hurricane Sandy indicating the challenges NOAA faced in
responding to a major storm. However, NOAA’s NRTs should be
lauded for their efforts. As reported above in the USCG report, the
NRTs were able to provide channel assessments within 24 hrs after
the storm’s passage, allowing limited fuel deliveries to resume 72
hrs after the storm. NOAA conducted 20 square nautical miles of
surveys and opened NY-NJ Ports 5 days after Sandy struck.
Normal high tides in the area are 4 ft and Sandy came ashore 14 ft
above sea level. Kyle worked with the Marine Transportation
System-Recovery Unit (MTSRU) throughout the assessment and
restoration of the navigable waterways. KUDOS TO NOAA’S
NRTs!!!
FSCJ OSHA Training Center
Mr. Jamey Suber with FSCJ’s Military & Gov’t Programs
Contracting provided an overview of the degrees and certificates
the college offers. The courses offered by the Military Public
Safety and Security division center on Security and Tactical
Training and Seaport Security. They also run the Fire Academy
of the South. The school has started and OSHA Train-the–Trainer
course that will be maritime specific. He stressed that the school
would be very flexible and mobile if needed. Most importantly,
Mr. Suber put out a call for Instructors for this course. The
minimum requirements are 5 years experience in the Occupational
Safety Field. 5-10 Instructors are needed.
Right Whale Update
Mr. Jim McLaughlin, NOAA’s Right Whale Shipping Industry
Liaison, reminded us that the NARW season has started. He
announced the roll-out of a new mapping site for Right Whales,
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/mm/rightwhales/RightWhalesSouth.ht
m. The map site has about a one-day delay in posting sightings and
can give a good overview of activity in an area. His big news
involved tagging. Beginning with the next season, NOAA SERO
was confident we would have a tagging protocol in place. Given
the fiscal realities of the federal government, NOAA would be
looking for a Port sponsor to cover the cost of 1-2 tags. Last, Mr.
McLaughlin announced that NOAA enforcement would be
stepping up for speed rules violations.
Waterway Notes
Capt. Mike Getchell announced that a new facility would be
breaking ground soon on the old Nichols Creek property on the
West Channel. Peeples Industries would be putting in a
combination export/import terminal. They would export wood
pellets destined for European power plants and import construction
aggregate. Capt Getchell also spoke of a meeting held with the
local fishing community to discuss rights conveyed by submerged
land leases. The takeaway from the meeting was that the local
fishing community would identify their fishing “hot spots”.
Getchell, in turn, would attempt to supply facility contact
information so that the two parties could discuss permissions for
access.
Old Business/ New Business
None
Adjourn
1505
Submitted,
Capt. Mike Getchell/JMTX Harbor Safety Chair