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Admiralty law

Law of the oceans and their use

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We include updates on Merchant Marine Act of 1920, Flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict, SOLAS Convention, MARPOL 73/78, United States v. The Amistad, Marine salvage, Hague–Visby Rules, Demurrage, Hostis humani generis, Merchant Mariner Credential, United States Maritime Service, Charterparty, Maritime Labour Convention, Ballast Water Management Convention, Rolls of Oléron, Supercargo ... and more.

2025	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Connecticut House of Representatives passes a committee resolution calling for amendments to the Jones Act.
February 2025	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 Governor Jennifer Gonzalez-Colón officially requested a permanent exemption from air cabotage laws for Puerto Rico.
2021	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 Representative Ed Case reintroduces three reform Acts to Congress, continuing efforts to modify the Jones Act.
May 13 2021	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 Senator Mike Lee submits S. Bill 1646, the Open America's Waters Act, to repeal coastwise trade restrictions during the 117th United States Congress.
April 2021	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States The ship engineer was convicted in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California for intentional dumping of oily bilge water and submitting false documentation to conceal the violation.
2020	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States A final rule was issued covering an additional 11 discharge categories, further expanding environmental regulations for military vessels including those from the Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, Military Sealift Command, and Air Force.
2020	MARPOL 73/78 IMO 2020 new emission standards enforced, reducing the global sulphur limit in marine fuels from 3.5% to 0.5%. Over 170 countries signed on to these changes, expecting significant improvements in coastal and port area air quality and potential prevention of over 100,000 early deaths annually.
2020	MARPOL 73/78 MARPOL directive expected to include all of the Republic of Ireland's international waters in the expanded SECA zone.
2020	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 Defense think tank CSBA conducts a study on the maritime industry, warning that without the Jones Act, the shipbuilding industry could face severe impacts, potentially losing the ability to domestically produce auxiliary ships for government use.
December 17 2020	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 U.S. Representative Justin Amash introduces H.R. Bill 8996, the Jones Act Repeal Act, during the 116th United States Congress.
October 26 2020	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States EPA published proposed implementation regulations for the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), with existing EPA discharge permits and Coast Guard regulations remaining in effect until the proposal is finalized.
2019	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 Representative Ed Case (Hawaii) introduces three reform Acts to Congress: H.R. Bill 298, H.R.299, and H.R.300, aimed at addressing shipping competition, rates, and relief.
2019	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that repealing the Jones Act would potentially boost shipbuilding output by over $500 million.
February 2019	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States An oil tanker engineer dumped oily bilge water intentionally, violating marine pollution regulations.
2018	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States Congress repealed the Small Vessels General Permit (sVGP) under the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act, with small vessels subsequently subject to VGP, Coast Guard regulations, and applicable state and local government requirements.
2018	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Northeast United States imported liquefied natural gas from Russia due to a lack of Jones Act-compliant LNG tankers, demonstrating a limitation in domestic maritime shipping capabilities.
2017	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States A final rule was published establishing specific standards for 11 discharge types, significantly advancing the regulation of military vessel environmental impact.
2017	Diplomacy of the Caspian littoral states Astana Summit held at the foreign minister level, which was adjourned due to disagreements on key issues including sea division, pipeline construction, and navigation rights.
September 8 2017	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Jones Act was simultaneously suspended for Hurricane Harvey (which hit Texas) and Hurricane Irma (which hit Florida), and later waived for Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria after two days of debate.
2016	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States EPA estimated approximately 69,000 vessels, both domestic and foreign flagged, were covered by the Vessels General Permit.
2016	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Lexington Institute published a study highlighting the Jones Act's role in national security and border protection, arguing it helps prevent international terrorism.
January 1 2015	MARPOL 73/78 Maritime shipping became legally subject to new MARPOL directives with the expansion of the Sulphur Emission Controlled Areas (SECA) zone, including the North Sea, Scandinavia, and parts of the English Channel.
2014	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States EPA issued the Small Vessels General Permit (sVGP) for smaller commercial vessels, initially limited to ballast water regulations.
2014	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Heritage Foundation releases a report critiquing the Jones Act, arguing that it is an ineffective method of promoting U.S. shipbuilding and claiming it increases shipping and energy costs while stifling competition and industry innovation.
2013	Regulation of ship pollution in the United States EPA issued its most recent Vessels General Permit (VGP) under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), regulating 26 specific types of vessel discharges for large commercial vessels.
March 2013	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a comprehensive study examining the effects of the Jones Act on Puerto Rico's freight rates and economic implications.
November 2 2012	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Secretary of Homeland Security issued a temporary conditional waiver of the Jones Act for shipping petroleum products from the Gulf Coast to New England and Central Atlantic regions for 12 days, following fuel shortages caused by Hurricane Sandy.
June 2012	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 The Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicated that the Jones Act may hinder economic development in Puerto Rico.
January 2012	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano granted a waiver to the Russian ice class marine tanker Renda to conduct an emergency shipment of gasoline from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to Nome.
2011	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study on maritime crew entries into the United States, revealing approximately 5 million maritime crew entries annually, with 80% of seafarer aliens working on passenger ships covered by the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.
2010	Merchant Marine Act of 1920 Senator John McCain champions the Open America's Waters Act and co-sponsors S. 3525 in the 111th United States Congress, seeking to repeal the Jones Act.
November 18 2010	Diplomacy of the Caspian littoral states Baku Summit achieved the signing of the Security and Military Cooperation Agreement between Caspian littoral states.

This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles MARPOL 73/78, Regulation of ship pollution in the United States, Merchant Marine Act of 1920 & Diplomacy of the Caspian littoral states, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Admiralty law

See Also

Hanseatic League

Second Crusade

Freight transport