HCC MARINE EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTER

10 Sand Island Access Road (Right after drawbridge)

Attendance: 30 Members

1. Hurricane Preparedness Drill

Leighton Ah Cook Branch Chief of Hawaii State Civil Defense provided an overview of the multi-agency Hurricane preparedness functional exercise held in Honolulu on June 2-4 2009. The scenario focused on the impacts of a category 5 Hurricane on Honolulu Harbor and the surrounding community. The exercise examined how to maintain/recover port functions. The final report on what was learned and further recommendations to be implemented will be released on July 21, 2009.

2. Update on neighbor islands security zones – Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard gave a presentation explaining the neighbor islands security zones.

3. Critique of the Recent Canoe Club Meeting that was Held on the Star of Honolulu

On May 23, the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, HOST facilitated a midday cruise on the Star of Honolulu for canoe club representatives, USCG, waterway operators and Hawaii Pilots.

Total of 18 attendees – 12 from canoe clubs, 6 from USCG, Sause Brothers Towing,
Hawaii Pilots Association, HOST and Star of Honolulu

Objectives:

· Awareness

· Waterway safety for all users together – safety first!

· Respect for multiple waterway user interactions, sometimes simultaneously

Cruised from noon to 1400

Opportunity to go topside, observe operations from perspective of ship’s crew:

· Passing of tug/tow at Honolulu Harbor entrance buoy

· Change of course due to standup paddler at Diamond Head buoy

· Shutdown of ship’s engines, observing time/distance to stop

Over great buffet lunch, held informal discussions and questions/answers from
USCG, towing industry representatives, Hawaii Pilots, Star of Honolulu:

· USCG and State interactions/jurisdictions

· How tugs/barges operate together (mobility, turning, etc.)

· How State agencies work together (would have liked a State representative to attend!)

· Rules of the Road highlights pertaining to proper lookout, collision avoidance, narrow channel navigation

· When harbor pilots can see canoes from the bridge of large ships; inability to communicate with canoes

· Useful tips for canoes to make themselves more visible

· Sound signals

· Dangerous harbor areas where ships cannot readily see canoes – Kawaihae, Kahului and Nawiliwili breakwaters, Honolulu entrance channel

Objectives met, great venue!

Challenges for future events:

· When to schedule

· Broader notification

· Full agency representation (State agencies)

4. Other HOST Business: Capt. Compagnoni presenting U.S. Coast Guard Certificates of Merit to Brad Rimell and Robin Bond.

BRAD RIMELL

The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard takes great pleasure in presenting the United States Coast Guard Certificate of Merit to Mr. Brad Rimell. Mr. Rimell is a founding member of the Hawaii and American Samoa Area Maritime Security (AMS) Committee. In late 2004, he was elected as the first Commercial Vessels At-Large member of the Executive Subcommittee. In 2005, he was elected as the first non-Coast Guard Committee Chair and served as such until October 2008. While at the helm of the AMS Committee, Mr. Rimell led several significant efforts to make this island state a safer place. He superbly managed the AMS Committee’s participation in the high-profile 2006 ‘A Kele full-scale homeland security exercise, playing a key role as Liaison Officer in the Incident Command. This particular event was the largest response exercise ever conducted in the State of Hawaii and was among the first exercises in the nation to use an improvised nuclear device terrorism scenario. As a direct result of this exercise, Mr. Rimell and the AMS Committee helped to create Incident Action Plans to organize and guide future multi-agency responses to various maritime security threat scenarios. Mr. Rimell was also instrumental in garnering the support of subject matter experts and constructing a team of workgroups to develop the comprehensive five-year revision of the AMS Plan, as required by the Maritime Transportation Security Act. Mr. Rimell also led the committee in articulating the complexity of the maritime operations in Hawaii which resulted in a change to the State’s standing to a Group 2 port under the Port Security Grant Program, and receipt of $9 million in federal funds over the 2008 and 2009 grant sessions. As Chair, Mr. Rimell directed efforts to utilize these funds to establish a holistic port security posture addressing critical vulnerabilities in Hawaii’s maritime transportation system. Mr. Rimell’s work ethic and enthusiasm quickly earned genuine commitment from all levels of federal, state, county and industry organizations involved in the AMS Committee. His exceptional leadership played an integral role in solidifying productive working relationships with over 70 government agencies and private entities throughout the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. Under his leadership, industry and government agency representatives alike worked together to identify and mitigate maritime security threats and improve overall response readiness. Mr. Rimell’s actions are heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.

ROBIN BOND

The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard takes great pleasure in presenting the United States Coast Guard Certificate of Merit to Mr. Robin Bond. Mr. Bond has served as co-Chair of the Hawaii Ocean Safety Team since October of 2000. The Hawaii Ocean Safety Team (HOST) is the Harbor Safety Committee for the Hawaiian Islands-promoting stewardship of Hawaii waters and enhancing ocean safety for all users. Mr. Bond has guided HOST in developing a broad representation of waterway users to include various recreational boaters, paddling clubs, snorkeling and diving groups, the Hawaii Pilots Association, large and small commercial vessel operations from tug and barge operators to deep draft cargo and passenger vessels, and commercial fishing associations. In addition Mr. Bond has also ensured the collaboration of state and federal government agencies including the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Hawaii state agencies. Keen to reduce the risk of death or injury to residents and visitors on Hawaii’s waters, Mr. Bond shepherded safe operating practices for a variety of activities, including passenger vessel dive operations, explosives handling and deconflicting radio communications between islands. Mr. Bond’s personal diligence and patience to overcome red-tape resulted in the formal designation of HOST as a non-profit organization and allowed it to receive funding through the Combined Federal Campaign. His extraordinary skill in bringing stakeholders together has been demonstrated on numerous occasions including facilitating the Coast Guard’s discussions with the community during the establishment of security zones in Hawaii’s harbors and around large passenger vessels. A great example of the effort to increase understanding by various waterways users was an introduction to the ‘view from the Bridge’ of a major vessel to members from Hawaii’s canoe paddling clubs. Introducing the perspective from the bridge of a vessel, 40 to 60 feet above the waterline to canoe paddlers, transformed their appreciation of the need to be well aware of deep draft channel traffic. Under Mr. Bond’s leadership, HOST has maintained a steadfast focus on ocean safety and environmental stewardship and has been an invaluable partner and extraordinary friend to the Coast Guard. Mr. Bond’s actions are heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.

Pictures are available on the “What’s New” section of this website.

June 18, 2009 Membership Meeting

HCC MARINE EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTER

10 Sand Island Access Road (Right after drawbridge)

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