EPA is proposing regulations to cut air pollution from oceangoing tankers and cargo ships

September 17th, 2009 Environmental group grades cruise shipsANCHORAGE, Alaska — An environmental group released its report card Wednesday on how well cruise ship companies operating in American waters are doing to reduce pollution, and not one received an overall grade of "A." Friends of the Earth graded 10 major cruise ship lines, including some of the biggest names in the business, such as Carnival Cruise Lines. Carnival received a "D-minus." The report issued the highest grade — a "B''— to Holland America Line.

September 16th, 2009 EPA limits pollution from medical incineratorsWASHINGTON — About 50 medical waste incinerators nationwide will have to reduce their air pollution under new regulations announced Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA said that the new rules, which require better monitoring and tighten emissions limits, will reduce toxic pollution from the burning of medical waste by 390,000 pounds annually and likely result in no new incinerators being built.

September 15th, 2009 EPA to place limits on power plant water pollutionWASHINGTON — For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to limit the quantity of toxic metals that coal-fired power plants release into waterways. The agency said Tuesday that equipment required to reduce pollution in the air has increased harmful contaminants in water discharged by power plants, particularly heavy metals such as selenium, cadmium, mercury and lead.

July 27th, 2009 Saudi Arabia orders 3 Airbus tankersPARIS — The Saudi Arabian Air Force has ordered three Airbus tanker aircraft for use in air-to-air refulling missions, Airbus parent company EADS said in a statement Monday. The order comes in addition to the first three A330 tankers that Saudi Arabia ordered in 2008.

July 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of archaeologists has discovered a trove of five Roman-era shipwrecks deep under the sea off a small Mediterranean island near Italy. According to a report in Discovery News, the find of well-preserved ships, made possible by sonar technology and the use of remotely operated vehicles, includes cargo of largely intact clay vases and pots transporting wine, olive oil, fish sauce and other goods.

July 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has suggested that rising levels of smokestack emissions from oceangoing ships will cause an estimated 87,000 deaths worldwide each year by 2012, which is almost one-third higher than previously believed data. The study said that government action to reduce sulfur emissions from shipping fuel (the source of air pollution linked to an increased risk of illness and death) could reduce that toll.

July 1st, 2009 Federal court upholds Calif. ship regulationsSACRAMENTO, Calif.

June 21st, 2009 McCain favors boarding NKorean shipWASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain says the U.S.

June 15th, 2009 High court strikes down Valdez tax on oil tankersWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has struck down as unconstitutional a tax that a city in Alaska imposed on oil tankers using its port. The court ruled 7-2 Monday that the city of Valdez has been unfairly taxing tankers that use its port where they load up with crude oil bound for West Coast refineries.

May 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US Coast Guard has released new rules for US-flagged ships passing through the piracy infested areas, including the Gulf of Aden and Malacca Strait. 'The Coast Guard worked to put together the new directive taking on the recent lessons learned and best practices of mariners,' Coast Guard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Chris O 'Neil said Wednesday.

May 9th, 2009 Despite pirates' threat, attacks on US ships rareBOSTON — A month after Somali pirates vowed revenge on U.S.-flagged ships, there has been no surge of attacks against American boats or their crews. Maritime experts believe it's unlikely pirates will succeed again anytime soon because there are so few U.S.

April 24th, 2009 Petraeus: Shippers should consider armed guardsWASHINGTON — The global shipping industry should consider placing armed guards on its boats to ward off pirates who have become increasingly violent, the U.S. military commander who oversees the African coastline said Friday.

April 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A US military commander has urged the shipping companies to hire armed guards to protect their cargo vessels from Somali pirates. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, in charge of the US Navy's Central Command fleet, said in a CNN interview Monday that shipping companies needed a last line of defence against pirates, including armed guards and barbed wire around the lower parts of the ship.

February 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Commercial ships account for almost half as much particulate pollution as the total amount released by cars, according to a new study. The study estimate that worldwide, ships emit about a million kilos of particulate pollution each year.

January 26th, 2009 PANAJI - In response to renewed pressure from civil society groups to remove the cargo ship which ran aground off the popular Candolim beach eight years ago, the Goa tourism department, which is empowered to remove the vessel, said it could not take any action as the matter was before the court. Speaking to reporters Tuesday evening, the state's director of tourism Swapnil Naik said that while there was no doubt that the beached MV River Princess had to be removed, the government was not in a position to do much as the matter was 'sub judice'.