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Shipbuilders Council of America
20 F Street NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20001
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SCA Weekly Report | January 18 - 22, 2021
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SCA Winter Meeting Registration
The 2021 Virtual SCA Winter Membership Meeting will be held online on February 3-4, 2021. The meeting will feature 3 panels covering the topics of:
- New Vessel Construction
- Ship Repair
- Vessel Owner & Operator
This meeting is free for SCA members to attend.
SCA will hold Board and Committee Meetings on Wednesday, February 3, 2021, and the Winter Meeting General Session on Thursday, February 4, 2021.
A schedule of events can be found HERE.
- To register for the 2020 Virtual Winter Meeting General Session, CLICK HERE
- To register for the open session of the Industry Partners Committee Meeting, CLICK HERE
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Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
Sponsorship opportunities for the 2021 Virtual SCA Winter Membership Meeting are now available! To view available sponsorships, CLICK HERE.
Please reach out to SCA staff with any questions.
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MARAD Announces Availability of 2021 Small Shipyard Grants
Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the availability of $19.6 million in Federal funding to U.S. small shipyards through the Small Shipyard Grant Program.
The Small Shipyard Grant Program supports a variety of projects including capital and related improvements, and equipment upgrades that foster ship construction, repair, and reconfiguration in small shipyards across the United States. The grants also can be used to support maritime training programs that improve technical skills to enhance shipyard worker efficiency and productivity.
The Federal Register notice can be found HERE.
Applications for the grants are due by 5 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 25, 2021. MARAD intends to award grants no later than Monday, April 26, 2021.
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EDA Transfer: Marine Protector Class Patrol Boats to Uruguay, Lebanon, and Ghana
The Navy is proposing the transfer of excess Marine Protector Class Patrol Boats to the following:
Recipient / Quantity
- Uruguay / 3
- Lebanon / 3
- Ghana / 2
Please reach out to Lee Ann Carpenter by January 27, 2021 with any comments or questions about the EDA transfer.
Lee Ann Carpenter
Bureau of Industry & Security
US Department of Commerce
202-679-4918
LeeAnn.Carpenter@bis.doc.gov
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Deputy MARAD Administrator Announced
Lucinda Lessley has been named Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), the Biden Administration announced Thursday among a number of key appointments to its Department of Transportation (DOT) leadership team. Lessley will lead MARAD until an Administrator is nominated by the Biden Administration and confirmed by the Senate. Lessley was most recently a senior investigator for the House Committee on Homeland Security and was previously a policy director for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as well as a legislative director for the office of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings. From 2007 to 2010, she served as a professional staff member on the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Acting SECNAV Harker’s First Message to the Fleet
Thomas W. Harker assumed duties as the Acting Secretary of the Navy Jan. 20, 2021. Previously, he was performing the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Mr. Harker was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Jan. 2, 2018. Harker delivered his first message to the Fleet following the transition to President Biden’s Administration, the text of which can be viewed HERE.
Pentagon to Release Memo on CMMC Reciprocity After Input from Biden Administration
The Defense Department is planning to issue a memo outlining how the maturity levels of its new cyber certification program align with FedRAMP and other standards used by industry. Pentagon acquisition Chief Information Security Officer Katie Arrington said she was waiting for input from new leaders at the DOD before making any decisions on how to proceed on reciprocity for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program.
Biden Calls for Tougher OSHA Covid-19 Enforcement, Signs Order
The Biden administration has ordered OSHA and a sub-agency to determine whether there’s a need for emergency temporary standards protecting workers from on-the-job Covid-19 infections. “I am calling for the enforcement of more stringent worker safety standards,” President Joe Biden said Thursday, adding that the enforcement will help protect workers while Covid-19 vaccinations continue.
To justify an emergency rule, U.S. law requires OSHA to conclude that “employees are exposed to grave danger” by a new hazard. Declaring an emergency need allows the new administration to avoid the lengthy public comment period characteristic of federal rulemaking. If OSHA decides an emergency rule is needed, the regulation should be issued by March 15, according to the executive order Biden on signed Thursday.
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Senate Confirms Austin as DOD Secretary
The House and Senate this week passed a legislative waiver for DOD Secretary Nominee, retired General Lloyd Austin. Austin, who would be the first African American to run the department, had to be granted a waiver from a law requiring a defense secretary to wait seven years after active-duty service before taking the job. The Senate confirmed Austin’s nomination today (Friday, January 22, 2021).
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Austin affirmed the threat assessment of China and committed to updating the National Defense Strategy.
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T&I Committee Organizational Meeting Next Week
The T&I Committee is scheduled to have its organizational meeting on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 (10:00 AM). We’ll learn more about subcommittee members and leadership, and the committee’s priorities at the meeting.
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Pete Buttigieg, Biden’s Nominee to Lead the U.S. Transportation Department, Supports the Jones Act
President Joe Biden’s pick for U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, has expressed his support for the Jones Act and its role in creating jobs and supporting the shipbuilding industrial base in the United States. His statements were made Thursday morning during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing to consider Pete Buttigieg’s nomination as transportation secretary.
“Lastly, I am a big Jones Act supporter, and the state of Washington and the trade we have related to the Jones Act to make sure that we have U.S.-flagged vessels,” said Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
“Yes, I share your support for the Jones Act. It is so important to a maritime industry that creates hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as a shipbuilding industry here in the U.S.,” responded Buttigieg.
“The shipyard industry and the national industrial base is critical to our national and domestic security, and we applaud Department of Transportation Secretary nominee, Pete Buttigieg, for his support of the nearly 650,000 hardworking members of the domestic maritime industry but also his vocal affirmation of the value of the Jones Act,” said Matthew Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA).
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Cashman to Expand Its Fleet with New Hopper Dredge
Earlier this week, Cashman Dredging and Marine Contracting Co. announced the execution of a design contract with IHC America Inc. for a new 6,500 cubic yard trailing suction hopper dredge. The new vessel will complement Cashman Dredging’s current fleet of specialized dredging equipment and will primarily service the coastal protection and navigation maintenance markets when it enters service in 2024. The U.S. is in the midst of a dredge building boom, and Cashman's new TSHD is among several dredges presently planned, on order, or under construction across the U.S. that will help dredging contractors to keep America’s ports and waterways open, safeguard coastal communities and maintain the vital flow of maritime commerce.
EPA Announces $46 Million in Funding to Reduce Engine Emissions
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week the availability of grant funding to implement projects which reduce emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $46 million in Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants, subject to the availability of funds. Under this competition, EPA anticipates awarding between 40 and 70 assistance agreements. More information can be found HERE.
New York Launches Largest Public Investment in Wind Workforce Training
The state of New York announced a new training initiative to develop a workforce for the renewable energy industry which it says is part of the largest public investment in offshore wind workforce development by any state in the U.S. In its first phase, New York’s Offshore Wind Training Institute (OWTI) will train 2,500 workers designed to support the state’s goal of developing 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. The training program complements two offshore wind awards totaling nearly 2,500 megawatts that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in the Governor’s 2021 State of the State address.
Norsepower Completes Installation of Two Tiltable Rotor Sails
Norsepower announced Wednesday that it has installed two 35-meter rotor sails aboard a ro/ro operated by SEA-CARGO, a ship owner in the North Sea market. The installation is the world’s first with a tiltable Flettner rotor, and it greatly reduces the air draft impact of the system. According to Norsepower, the installation on the ro/ro, SC Connector, should achieve a fuel consumption, fuel cost and carbon emissions reduction of up to 25 percent. In good wind conditions, the sailing vessel will maintain her regular service speed by sail alone, the company says.
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If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Paula Zorensky on the SCA staff.
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