FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
United States
Great Lakes Shipping Association elects Thomas
Gierszal President
CLEVELAND, OHIO
APRIL 26, 2010
The United States Great Lakes
Shipping Association, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio (“USGLSA”),
announced today that at the recently held
Association Annual Meeting, Mr. Thomas Gierszal was
named President, succeeding Dennis “Doc” Mahoney.
USGLSA is a trade association
consisting of vessel agents which serve the marine
industry at ports around the Great Lakes.
Born in Erie, Pa., Mr. Gierszal
is a co-owner and Vice President of Operations of
Columbus Shipping and Trading Agency, Inc., with
offices in Westlake, Ohio. He has been associated
with Columbus for 16 years.
He earned a BA in business at
Mercyhurst College, Erie, Pa., where he also was a
member of Kappa Gamma Pi, National Catholic Honor
Society.
Columbus Shipping is a family
operated company which has been in business for over
40 years, with beginnings first as Codan Corp,
stevedores at the Port of Erie, Pa and is now run by
the second generation of the family including Mr.
Gierszal.
Mr. Gierszal is a member of the
Board of Directors of the Propeller Club – Port of
Cleveland and an active sponsor and spokesperson for
international trade and shipping in the Great
Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System.
“We are pleased and honored
that Tom would assume this important leadership
position for our Association,” said Doc Mahoney,
retiring President, who also remains on the USGLSA
Board.
For more information, contact
Stuart H. Theis, USGLSA Executive Director
440/357-9104
theismarine@roadrunner.com
******************
USGLSA publishes announcement regarding new Notice
procedures to notify for pilots for vessel upbound
to Pilot District 3
M E M O R A N D U M
TO: All Vessels headed
to District 3
FROM: United States
Great Lakes Shipping Association
DATE: April 20, 2010
RE: Notifications
required for Pilotage in District 3
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Please be
advised that new procedures have been placed in
effect covering notification requirements for
vessels intending use of District 3 Western Great
Lakes Pilotage services. These procedures have been
reviewed and endorsed by United States Coast Guard
Office of Great Lakes Pilotage.
Previously, notifications may
have been made though District 2, and while such
notification is still encouraged in the interests of
best information, notification directly to the
District 3 Dispatch Office is now mandatory as
follows:
1)
For vessels originating in the Detroit/St.
Clair River (docked or anchored) a 12 hour and a 4
hour call to District 3 Dispatch prior to departure
is required. Then, when the vessel is underway, an
additional advisory call should be made.
2)
For vessels transiting directly to District
3, a call to District 3 Dispatch is required when
passing Detroit.
Failure to follow these steps
may result in delays due to unavailability of pilots
to meet the vessel on a timely basis.
Arrangements for agents to
handle these responsibilities must be clearly
communicated and understood. In absence of such
assistance, it is the responsibility of the vessel
to make the calls.
DISRTICT 3 DISPATCH OFFICE –
715/392-5200
December 15, 2009
USGLSA PARTICIPATING IN FEDERAL RULEMAKING AND
OTHER PROCEEDINGS
In recent months, USGLSA has
participated in several Federal Rulemaking and other
proceedings including the following:
White House Council on
Environmental Quality Ocean Policy Task Force –
October, 2009, regarding broad policy study which
includes the Great Lakes.
U.S. Coast Guard – October,
2009, regarding an invitation for comments on
Pilotage rate making methodology currently
employed.
U.S. Coast Guard – November,
2009, regarding a proposed increase in Pilotage
rates for 2010.
U.S. Coast Guard – November,
2009, regarding proposed rulemaking concerning the
establishment of Ballast water standards for
vessels.
June 15, 2009
USGLSA TO GREAT LAKES
STATE AND FEDERAL LEADERSHIP
“MOVE TO
UNIFORM WATER DISCHARGE STANDARDS”
Recently, the USGLSA contacted
selected U.S. State and Federal leadership in each
Great Lakes State to encourage a harmonization of a
growing body of diversified and often inconsistent
and counter productive State water discharge laws
and regulations. As a best solution, a single
Federal set of standards which would pre-empt the
State initiatives in this area was also proposed.
There is concern that this
regulatory quagmire, which continues to grow, may be
threatening the vitality and efficiency of Great
Lakes maritime commerce.
Letters went to Great Lakes
State Governors as well as the respective States’
Federal Senate leadership and Congressman James
Oberstar, Chairman of the House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure.
Here is representative
text:
June 9, 2009
ADDRESS
Dear Governor______________
The United States Great Lakes
Shipping Association is a trade organization which
consists of members which are local agents serving
large commercial vessels which call at U.S. Great
Lakes ports. I am writing to you today as leader of
the citizens of one of the States bordering on the
Great Lakes with regard to the matter of Federal EPA
regulation and corresponding regulation by your
State Environmental Agencies having jurisdiction
over ballast water and other water discharges from
vessels trading in the Great Lakes.
Based upon the circumstances
described below, we respectfully urge:
1)
THAT YOUR STATE JOIN WITH ALL OTHER GREAT
LAKES STATES IN DEVELOPING A SINGLE, UNIFORM SET OF
VESSEL WATER DISCHARGE STANDARDS FOR THE ENTIRE
GREAT LAKES SYSTEM, THEREBY ELIMINATING THE EXISTING
BURDENSOME REGULATORY QUAGMIRE WHICH CURRENTLY
EXISTS, AND EVEN MORE EFFICIENTLY.
2.
THAT YOU ENCOURAGE YOUR FEDERAL CONGRESSIONAL
LEADERSHIP TO SUPPORT EFFORTS TO CREATE A SINGLE,
UNIFORM SET OF FEDERAL VESSEL WATER DISCHARGE
STANDARDS WHICH WOULD PRE-EMPT STATE INITIATIVES AND
WOULD APPLY IN ALL GREAT LAKES JURISDICTIONS.
In late 2008, the EPA issued an
approximately 165 page set of regulations pertaining
to vessel water discharge. In addition, in
accordance with the law, each State then had the
opportunity to promulgate further
customized regulatory requirements so long as they
were no less stringent than the EPA guidelines. This
took place and became incorporated into the EPA
administrative action.
The result of this process has
been to create a different regulatory landscape for
vessel operators in ports of call in virtually every
State bordering on the Great Lakes. This has
created confusion, expense and a wholly unreasonable
operating environment for this important part of our
national commerce to confront. If this confusion
and inconvenience continues, it will not be
surprising to see vessel traffic, which is the
safest, most efficient and environmentally friendly
mode of transportation, be reduced or abandoned in
the Lakes. The loss of jobs and overall economic
impact in the affected region, including your State,
could be devastating.
To complicate things further,
legal controversies already exist in many Great
Lakes States challenging not only (a) State actions
under the EPA process, but also, (b) separate State
legislation regarding vessel water discharges not
related to the EPA initiative.
The situation calls out for
either uniform multi-State cooperation or Federal
legislation which would pre-empt these currently
inconsistent individual State actions. While the
vessel industry supports sensible regulation which
will protect our Great Lakes, the current situation
is untenable and potentially destructive to our
national economy.
Your attention to these matters
is urgently and respectfully requested.
Very truly yours,
Stuart H. Theis
CC: Sen.__________
Sen.__________
Rep. James L. Oberstar,
Chairman, House Committee on Transportation
and
Infrastructure
January
4, 2008
Here are some
addresses for TWIC enrollment Centers at Lakes
Ports: