Tag Archives: Boating Marine and Maritime

ViewTech to Exhibit Advanced Articulating Video Borescope Inspection Solutions at Offshore Technology Conference

HOUSTON, Texas, May 1, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — After last exhibiting in 2016, ViewTech Borescopes will return to the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) to showcase its latest remote visual inspection technologies from May 4-7 at NRG Park. Highlighting solutions designed to support safer, more efficient inspections in offshore and subsea environments, they will join industry leaders from around the world as they explore innovations shaping the future of energy.

Image caption: Image caption: ViewTech Borescopes invites Offshore Technology Conference attendees to Booth 3303 for live demos of advanced inspection technology.

Attendees are invited to visit ViewTech Borescopes at Booth 3303 to experience live demonstrations of the company’s industry-leading video borescopes. Engineered for durability and precision, these tools enable inspectors to conduct non-destructive testing (NDT) in hard-to-reach areas throughout the oil and gas industry, reducing downtime and eliminating the need for costly equipment disassembly.

“OTC is a key event for connecting with offshore energy professionals who demand reliable, high-performance inspection solutions,” said Zack Wessels, Senior Sales Consultant at ViewTech Borescopes. “Our video borescopes help teams identify issues faster, minimize operational disruptions, and maintain the highest safety standards in challenging environments.”

ViewTech Borescopes’ equipment is widely used across offshore oil and gas platforms, subsea applications, and marine operations. With features such as 3D stereo measurement, high-resolution imaging, annotation and intuitive controls, the company’s solutions empower inspectors to make informed decisions in real time. Paired with the VJ-4, their Borescope Report Maker—Operator Driven Inspections (ODIN)—software streamlines the inspection process and delivers clear, professional reports that support faster, data-driven maintenance decisions.

In addition to product demonstrations, ViewTech representatives will be available to discuss customized inspection programs, rental options, and training services tailored to offshore industry needs.

Read more about the Offshore Technology Conference: https://www.viewtech.com/about-us/tradeshows/offshore-technology-conference-2026/

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

ViewTech offers an exclusive No-Cost, No-Obligation Demo Program. This program allows end-users the opportunity to evaluate a ViewTech video borescope at their own MRO facility on their own aviation equipment, ensuring the technology meets their specific inspection requirements before any financial commitment.

VJ-3 AND VJ-4 VIDEO BORESCOPE

The VJ-3 and VJ-4 mechanical articulating video borescopes are nondestructive visual testing instruments used for the remote visual inspection of machinery, equipment, and components. With diameters as small as 0.85mm, the VJ-3 and VJ-4 facilitate the visual recording and photo documentation of an inspection and components in areas that are otherwise inaccessible or require significant effort and expense to access directly. The VJ-3 and VJ-4 video borescopes consist of two modules integrated into one system: an insertion tube with distally mounted camera/LEDs and the base unit with control panel, LCD monitor, power source, and all necessary circuitry.

ABOUT VIEWTECH BORESCOPES

ViewTech Borescopes, founded as RF System Lab in 2008, is North America’s top seller of video borescopes. Their first product, the VJ borescope, set a new standard for portability, ergonomics, and ease-of-use, with its industry-first mechanical, joystick-controlled articulation.

Learn more: https://www.viewtech.com/

MULTIMEDIA

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Image caption: ViewTech Borescopes invites Offshore Technology Conference attendees to Booth 3303 for live demos of advanced inspection technology.

Logo link: https://www.viewtech.com/wp-content/uploads/view-tech-logo-h-650.png

NEWS SOURCE: ViewTech Borescopes

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (ViewTech Borescopes), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/viewtech-to-exhibit-advanced-articulating-video-borescope-inspection-solutions-at-offshore-technology-conference/

Former DOE NEPA Chief and Save LBI Advocacy President Warns SPEED Act Would ‘Eviscerate’ Environmental Protections and Violate the Constitution

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., March 19, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Bob Stern, Ph.D., President of Save Long Beach Island (LBI) Advocacy and former manager of the Office of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Affairs for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), today issued a sharp warning regarding the Senate’s consideration of the Standardized Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act. While framed as “permitting reform,” Stern argues the bill is a dangerous overreach that threatens the bedrock of American environmental law and constitutional separation of powers.

Image caption: Save Long Beach Island (LBI) Advocacy.

“The SPEED Act does contain some useful deadlines for Agency action but goes way too far and essentially eviscerates the NEPA itself,” Stern said. “This bill ignores the reality that delays are often caused by poor Agency implementation and a failure to fully disclose environmental impacts. In many cases, it isn’t the NEPA vehicle that needs fixing, but rather the ‘nut’ behind the wheel.”

FLAWED IMPLEMENTATION, NOT FLAWED LAW

Only a few agencies have a problem with the National Environmental Policy Act. Stern highlighted the extensive litigation facing the nation’s current offshore wind program as a primary example of implementation failure. He noted that the Department of the Interior (DOI) currently awards lease areas — the most important environmental decision — with virtually no environmental impact information, locking developers into flawed locations and inevitably leading to downstream litigation when environmental problems are brought to light years later in environmental impact statements (EIS), other statutory reviews, and comments by informed stakeholders.

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE REQUIREMENTS

“The bill limits the scope of environmental reviews to the ‘immediate’ and ‘proximate’ effects of a project, dismissing impacts that are caused by the project but separated geographically and timewise,” explained Thomas Stavola Jr. Esq., attorney on behalf of Save Long Beach Island Advocacy. “It also would eliminate the current requirement for an assessment of cumulative impacts. While this may make a consultant’s life easier, it conflicts with well-established case law and the full disclosure requirements of the Act.”

Stavola further noted that “a decision-maker considering such limited information would not be operating in the “real world” and, therefore prone to making flawed decisions, creating more opportunity for litigation and delay.

CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL RED FLAGS

In an extensive markup sent to Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich, Save LBI Advocacy identified many provisions in the House-passed version of the SPEED Act that are counterproductive, legally indefensible, and in need of major revision:

Citizen Rights: The bill would limit the rights of affected parties to seek relief in Court, which conflicts with the standing prerequisites mandated by Article III of the Constitution. It also conflicts with and violates the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), which holds that a person adversely affected or aggrieved by an agency action is entitled to judicial review.

Restrictions on the Courts: The proposed restrictions on vacatur and injunctive relief improperly constrain judicial power and contradict the APA’s clear mandate to “set aside” or vacate unlawful agency actions. By dictating deference to agency judgement of impact, the bill undermines the court’s ability to equitably weigh harms to the parties involved.

Conflicts with SCOTUS Precedent: The requirement for “substantial deference” to agencies violates the recent U.S. Supreme Court Chevron deference reversal ruling, which now demands that courts exercise independent judgment in interpreting statutes.

Separation of Powers: Provisions that make a court’s remand power contingent on developer consent constitute an unconstitutional impingement on Article III judicial authority.

CONCLUSIONS

“This is not good law,” Stern concluded. “In its present form, the bill creates confusion and does not foster wise decision-making. It would eviscerate NEPA, which has been a bedrock of national environmental policy for over 50 years, and stands in direct conflict with other law and the Constitution itself. Most importantly, the bill does not address the root causes of many delays, which can be fixed with more informed and cooperative applicant and agency staff work.

A CALL FOR CAUTION

Save LBI Advocacy is calling on the Senators Whitehouse and Heinrich to exercise extreme caution in proceeding with the SPEED Act to be sure they are: (1) addressing the root causes of delay and not creating more chaos and confusion, which will serve no one, and (2) not removing environmental protections that have served us well for over a half-century. To that end, Save LBI Advocacy is asking them to consider its markup of the bill, which can still achieve significant permitting reform while preserving the Act.

ABOUT SAVE LONG BEACH ISLAND ADVOCACY, INC.

Save LBI Advocacy is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting the shore and ocean environment through rigorous advocacy, ensuring lawful environmental review for offshore industrial development. For more information, please visit https://www.savelbi.org/save-lbi-advocacy.

MULTIMEDIA

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NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/former-doe-nepa-chief-and-save-lbi-advocacy-president-warns-speed-act-would-eviscerate-environmental-protections-and-violate-the-constitution/

Save LBI Petitions Feds to Rescind Improper 11th-Hour Prior Administration Amendment to Offshore Wind Leases, Impeding their Cancellation

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., Oct. 28, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save Long Beach Island, Inc. (Save LBI), a grassroots organization dedicated to sound energy policies and preserving our shore and ocean environment, has petitioned the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) to rescind amendments to offshore wind leases approved during the final days of the Biden Administration.

Image caption: Save LBI Petitions Feds to Rescind Improper 11th-Hour Prior Administration Amendment to Offshore Wind Leases.

“In what appears to have been a calculated last-ditch effort to push a faltering offshore wind agenda, the DOI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) changed offshore wind leases to effectively create roadblocks that make it more difficult to cancel existing leases,” said Bob Stern, a Ph.D. scientist and president of Save LBI, which has more than 10,000 supporters. “Without any public notice — or comment — new language was inserted into many leases in late December 2024 and January 2025, and the leases were then buried on an obscure government website.”

According to the petition filed on October 20, 2025 and signed by Save LBI and Rhode Island’s Green Oceans, the amended language effectively says an offshore wind lease on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) must first be suspended for 5 years before it can be cancelled, and that in the event of cancellation, compensation must be provided to the developer. (The petition is available at savelbi.org: https://www.savelbi.org/_files/ugd/a85a2b_2349c820b1384769a9b64411cf701a5e.pdf.)

“There is a huge problem with BOEM’s amended lease-cancellation language: it violates the renewable energy section of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) enacted by Congress in 2005, which does not contain a 5-year suspension prerequisite for cancellation, nor a compensation stipulation,” Stern explained. “That language applies specifically to oil and gas leases.”

The Save LBI petition states: “If Congress intended to include these limitations and protections in the renewable energy portion of OCSLA, such language would have been incorporated into the statute and regulations, but it was not.”

Save LBI has asked the DOI to immediately rescind the new lease language.

The organizations have also asked DOI to remove prior oil and gas lease cancellation criteria language in the leases that should have been updated in 2016 to “harmonize” with the federal regulations issued then that properly cover the cancellation of renewable energy leases.

“The unfortunate reality is that BOEM’s 11th-hour move to rewrite those leases was one of many egregious actions taken by an Administration determined to push these projects at all costs, regardless of their multifaceted harms and absence of benefit,” said Save LBI attorney Thomas Stavola, adding that Save LBI has challenged those actions in court.

In August, Save LBI formally petitioned the DOI to cancel the leases for the beleaguered Atlantic Shores South and North offshore wind projects and rescind existing permit approvals, citing a series of devastating environmental, social, and economic consequences. (See press release at savelbi.org: https://www.savelbi.org/_files/ugd/a85a2b_7605d6bd935448bdb13b23b7d2491192.pdf.) Plans for those projects call for erecting 357 thousand-foot-tall wind turbines less than 9 miles off the coast of Long Beach Island, Brigantine, and Atlantic City, closer to shore than any large offshore wind project in the world.

“We remain committed to canceling the Atlantic Shores leases,” Stern said. “The many harmful impacts of the Atlantic Shores projects are caused by their uniquely bad location. Location is the most critical factor in the entire decision-making process, yet it received little attention when those sites were approved without full and proper vetting or public input.”

The Department of the Interior has said it intends to propose new rules governing offshore wind lease and project approval. “Save LBI looks forward to offering our expertise to help shape those rules to provide for proper estimation of marine mammal impact, consolidation of leasing and project decisions, and assured turbine removal upon ceasing operation, among other issues,” Stern concluded.

ABOUT SAVE LBI

Save LBI is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that has been active in ongoing litigation and other efforts to protect the coastal and marine environment from the senseless industrialization of our oceans. The organization is led by Beach Haven, N.J. resident Bob Stern, a Ph.D. scientist with experience in environmental planning and environmental law. He is a former manager of the U.S. Department of Energy office responsible for overseeing environmental protection related to energy projects and the Bureau of Air Quality Planning within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). For more information on Save LBI and its efforts, please visit SaveLBI.org.

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

For more information click here: https://www.savelbi.org

ABOUT GREEN OCEANS

Details are available here: https://www.green-oceans.org/our-story.

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NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/save-lbi-petitions-feds-to-rescind-improper-11th-hour-prior-administration-amendment-to-offshore-wind-leases-impeding-their-cancellation/

New Jersey’s Save LBI Calls for Accountability on Offshore Wind Decommissioning, Urges U.S. Dept. of Interior to Reverse Previously Approved Deferrals

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., Oct. 16, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save Long Beach Island, Inc. (Save LBI), a grass-roots organization dedicated to sound energy policies and preserving our shore and ocean environment, today urged the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) to end the egregious practice of letting operators of offshore wind farms postpone providing financial assurance earmarked for the future decommissioning and removal of turbines and related infrastructure.

Image caption: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI).

The organization, which is backed by more than 10,000 supporters, also urged the agency to take two specific actions: 1) Invalidate previous financial assurance deferrals granted to offshore wind projects, compelling developers to provide that assurance soon after turbine operation begins, and 2) mandate that all future renewable energy approvals comply with strict regulations under the Code of Federal Requirements (CFR).

In a letter to DOI Secretary Doug Burgum, Save LBI said the practice of deferring financial responsibility “appears to be pervasive” and cited specific instances where the DOI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) authorized the owners of Rhode Island’s Revolution Wind and Massachusetts’ Vineyard Wind projects to postpone payments for 15 years, giving the developers excessive leeway in establishing funding necessary to cover the substantial costs of decommissioning the planned 127 wind turbines off the coast of New England.

Citing one of many examples, the letter — signed by Save LBI attorney Thomas Stavola and Bob Stern, Ph.D scientist and president of the organization — says BOEM authorized a deferral for Revolution Wind on the basis that “providing the full amount of its decommissioning financial assurance prior to receiving any revenue under its power purchase agreements (PPAs) would be an unnecessary and unreasonable financial burden on the company.” However, such revenues are received by the company well before the 15-year deferral given.

A Lack of Accountability

BOEM’s approval of Revolution’s “departure request” ignores CFR requirements, which state, “Any departure approved under this section and its rationale must…be consistent with subsection 8(p) of the OCS Lands Act…[and] protect the environment and the public health and safety to the same degree as if there was no approved departure from this part…”

Calling the approvals “patently absurd,” Stavola said “BOEM abdicated its responsibility to the American people by relying heavily on the ‘financial strength’ of the project instead of upholding its duty to protect the environment, public health, and safety.”

BOEM’s action in the case of Revolution Wind undermines CFR criteria in a number of ways, including:

Increasing risk to federal taxpayers, as delineated by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Foreclosing the possibility of using funds set aside for turbine decommissioning to address unforeseen events — such as Vineyard Wind’s blade failure in the summer of 2024.
Heightening the risk that an offshore wind developer will be incapable of meeting financial assurance obligations 15 years down the road, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
Elevating the possibility of littering the ocean with abandoned offshore wind infrastructure, which could potentially occur after only 10 to 15 years of operation — well before the structure’s official life expectancy. Long-term risks include the potential for derelict turbines, foundations, cables, substations to become hazards for marine wildlife, while leakage of lubricants, hydraulic fluids, and other pollutants contaminates the marine environment.
Precluding a key enforcement tool. Without financial assurance, the mechanism that would compel full-site restoration is removed. CFR decommissioning requirements for offshore wind projects include the removal of all facilities, projects, cables, pipelines, obstructions, and clearing the seafloor of all obstructions created by activities authorized under the lease. What’s more, if developers become financially insolvent, regulators lose leverage to enforce compliance.
Creating navigational/safety hazards. Abandoned turbines would pose hazards to vessels, fisheries, and navigation, as well as military and commercial radars.
Degrading the marine environment in perpetuity. Abandoned turbines will harm marine habitats and interfere with the migration of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

“Beyond the many negatives created by not holding offshore wind developers accountable, there are other fundamental problems,” Stern noted. “It’s not clear what decommissioning means in the context of prior BOEM deferrals or whether the amount of financial assurance specified is up to the task.”

The Save LBI leader stressed the importance of explicitly defining what ‘decommissioning’ means and specifying the level of financial commitment required to fully remediate a site that is no longer active. “Decommissioning could range from merely removing turbine blades to removing the entire turbine tower along with the blades and a subsection of the foundation. We don’t know whether the amount of financial assurance includes onshore storage, processing, and ultimate disposal of materials.”

According to Save LBI estimates, the latter decommissioning effort could cost twice as much as the $325.4 million BOEM assigned to Revolution Wind. The Burgum letter states: “We would suggest that this subject requires major surgery in your upcoming Outer-Continental Shelf rule revisions, and that you consider the following elements in such a revision: a) that turbine removal down to a section of the foundation be required in all cases, b) that a preliminary turbine removal plan and cost be included in the Construction and Operations Plan, c) that BOEM prescribe methods of calculating the cost of turbine removal, including onshore processing and disposal, and, d) that financial assurance begin one year after commencement of operation and be provided for the full cost amount no later than 10 years after commencement of operation.

About Save LBI

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

For more information click here: https://www.savelbi.org

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/new-jerseys-save-lbi-calls-for-accountability-on-offshore-wind-decommissioning-urges-u-s-dept-of-interior-to-reverse-previously-approved-deferrals/

New Jersey’s Save LBI Unveils Plan to Secure Reliable and Affordable Electricity, Urges Lawmakers to Act on Escalating Energy Crisis and Reconsider Offshore Wind Development

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., Aug. 26, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save Long Beach Island, Inc. (Save LBI), a grass-roots organization with more than 10,000 supporters dedicated to sound energy policies and preserving our shore and ocean environment, today urged the New Jersey Legislature to put politics aside and enact meaningful laws that address the mounting energy crisis and reconsider the role of offshore wind development.

Image caption: Save Long Beach Island, Inc. (Save LBI).

The organization is proposing a multifaceted plan that would:

Reduce the cost of importing electricity from PJM Interconnection by restoring affordable in-state baseload and high-demand “peaking” capacity.
Shield NJ ratepayers from high costs associated with the significant energy demands of AI data centers.
Reconsider the role of offshore wind development, a failed experiment that depends on billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to deliver intermittent power while destroying the environment and disrupting local shore communities.
Demonstrate leadership on greenhouse-gas reduction by increasing in-state nuclear capacity and deploying other carbon reducing measures that could be used worldwide — without mandating artificial renewable-energy quotas.

A Path to Energy Stability

“Delivering reliable, affordable energy is vital to New Jersey residents and businesses and should be the responsibility of all of the State’s elected representatives,” said Save LBI president Bob Stern. “Even before electricity rates jumped 20% in June, New Jersey rates were already among the highest in the nation at 33% above the national average. [*note 1] And two-thirds of that increase is tied to surging data-center demand across the PJM grid system [*note 2] on which the State now heavily relies.”

The State’s reliance on out-of-state power stems from the misguided belief that reliable, in-state “baseload” power could be shut down and replaced by intermittent offshore wind energy that is costly as well as damaging to the environment and local shore communities. Today, New Jersey imports more than 25% of its power (about 5,000 megawatts) [*note 3] from PJM at premium rates. By 2030, demand is projected to rise by another 1,200 megawatts — driven largely by new data centers that require steady baseload power [*note 4] — which will lead to even higher costs and potential supply shortages. [*note 5] (For more background on the impact of current energy policy, see “The Rising Cost of Electricity in New Jersey” on SaveLBI.org.)

“Save LBI is calling on the legislature to assert leadership over the NJ Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), regardless of who occupies the Governor’s office,” Stern said. “It is the responsibility of our elected representatives — not regulators — to set energy policy.”

Save LBI’s energy plan includes five distinct actions:

Expand nuclear power. New Jersey’s nuclear facilities in Salem and Hope Creek now supply more than 20 percent of the state’s electricity and are critical to maintaining baseload reliability — the ability to generate a continuous supply of electricity across NJ. Several thousand megawatts of capacity could be added to these sites, as well as at the shuttered Oyster Creek Power Station in Lacey Township, by deploying Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and using existing transmission infrastructure. [*note 3] Under recent licensing streamlining procedures, the SMRs could come online in the 2029 to 2032 time frame.
Deploy natural gas to ensure a reliable supply of energy. Modern combined-cycle and peaking units can deliver thousands of megawatts of reliable power and could be operational within three years.
Reconsider Offshore Wind. In recent years, the industry has faced significant public opposition, escalating costs, and widespread cancellations. Offshore wind projects are heavily dependent on taxpayer subsidies, unable to meet baseload demand, interfere with the accuracy of radar used for national defense and navigation, harm coastal tourism, and pose a serious threat to marine mammals, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, to name a few of the many negatives. Offshore wind is also the most expensive source of energy:
- The cost per unit (1 megawatt-hour) for offshore wind of power delivered, including grid backup and interconnection costs, is about $300, which is two to almost four times higher than nuclear ($141/MWh for large reactors, $101/MWh for small modular reactors) or combined-cycle gas ($78/MWh). [*note 6]
- The 20-year cost to New Jersey ratepayers for the current 11,000 MW offshore wind plan is staggering: $101 billion — adding roughly $11,000 per household, $95,000 per commercial user, and $796,000 per industrial user. [*note 7] And these are conservative estimates that reflect outdated, lower pricing and exclude the cost of grid backup.
- On a percentage basis, the Atlantic Shores South project (off the coast of Long Beach Island, Brigantine, and Atlantic City) alone would increase bills by 11% for residential users, 13% for commercial users, and 15% for industrial users. [*note 8]
- New Jersey’s full 11,000-megawatt plan would raise average bills by 33 percent in 2035 and 89% in 2045. [*note 9] Again, these estimates are conservative and do not factor in transmission and grid backup costs.
- State taxpayers have already spent nearly $1 billion to build the unused Paulsboro Offshore Wind Manufacturing Facility and the New Jersey Wind Port staging area in Lower Alloways Creek. Billions more may be needed for turbine removal since current rules do not obligate developers to bear that cost. The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced plans to revise leasing and permitting rules — rules that should stipulate turbine removal.
Make data centers pay their fair share. AI/data center demand is a major driver of PJM price increases. Without corrective measures, costs will continue to be unfairly shifted to households. The Legislature should direct BPU to ensure data centers cover the full cost of their demand, including transmission upgrades.
Assume a global leadership position. Climate change is a global challenge. New Jersey alone cannot make a measurable impact, but it can lead by funding a comprehensive study of greenhouse-gas reduction and climate-preparedness strategies that can be deployed worldwide, and then demonstrating and exporting the most promising solutions.

Given the status and history of offshore wind in New Jersey, the Legislature should consider rescinding the Offshore Wind Economic Development Act (OWEDA), which mandates artificial renewable energy goals, or — at a minimum — prohibit new offshore wind procurements until federal rules are revised and a plan for the removal of wind turbines is assured. (Notably, New Hampshire has already cancelled its offshore wind program.)

“All energy sources have their pluses and negatives,” concluded Stern, who served as a manager at the U.S. Department of Energy at a time when the country was looking to reduce its dependency on foreign oil. “Selecting the best mix requires consideration of many factors, including availability, reliability, cost, longevity, and long-term environmental and social impact. Whenever you base policy on just one factor — especially something like climate change that the State can’t meaningfully influence — you run into trouble.”

About Save LBI

For more information on Save LBI and its efforts, click here: https://www.savelbi.org.

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

REFERENCES

U.S. Energy Information Administration: Electric Power Monthly, July 2025, https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/
Regional Plan Association (RPA): What’s happening with electric rates in New Jersey? August 2025, https://rpa.org/news/lab/whats-happening-with-electricity-rates-in-new-jersey
Whitestrand LLC – Wanted: A New Jersey Energy Policy that Works and is Affordable, August 2025, https://whitestrandllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Propsed_NJEnergyPolicyReport.pdf
PSE&G 2025 Load Forecast Adjustments, December 2024, https://www.pjm.com/-/media/DotCom/planning/res-adeq/load-forecast/pseg-documentation.pdf and PJM 2025 Long-Term Load Forecast Report, January 2025, https://www.pjm.com/-/media/DotCom/library/reports-notices/load-forecast/2025-load-report.pdf
Tariff Revision for Reliability Resource Initiative by PJM Interconnection LLC (FERC docket ER 25-712-000), December 13, 2024, https://www.lawofrenewableenergy.com/2024/12/articles/energy-policy/ferc/pjm-files-reliability-resource-initiative-at-ferc-requesting-expansion-of-transition-cycle-2-for-reliability-resources/
Whitestrand LLC: A Comparison of the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of Various Generating Sources, January, 2025, https://whitestrandllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/LCOE_Study.pdf
Whitestrand LLC: Impact of New Jersey Offshore Wind Program on State Electric Rates, November 2023, https://whitestrandllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ImpactOfOffshoreWindOnElectricRatesLBT10.pdf
Whitestrand LLC: Economic Analysis of the Atlantic Shores, South Offshore South Wind Project, August 2024, https://whitestrandllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/EconomicAnalyisisOf-TheASSouthProject.pdf
Whitestrand LLC: Analysis of the New Jersey Energy Master Plan, May, 2025, https://whitestrandllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AnalysisOfNJerseyEMP.pdf

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/new-jerseys-save-lbi-unveils-plan-to-secure-reliable-and-affordable-electricity-urges-lawmakers-to-act-on-escalating-energy-crisis-and-reconsider-offshore-wind-development/

New Jersey’s Save LBI Applauds Federal Offshore Energy Process Reform, Calls for Early Public Engagement and Major Rule Revisions

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., Aug. 21, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save Long Beach Island, Inc. (Save LBI), a grass-roots organization with more than 10,000 supporters dedicated to sound energy policies and preserving our shore and ocean environment, today praised the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Douglas Burgum for announcing a long overdue overhaul of the federal rules governing offshore renewable energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Photo caption: Visual simulation of what the Atlantic Shores South project would look from Holgate on Long Beach Island, NJ. Source: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

The group, which has long raised concerns about a flawed decision-making process that has resulted in unbalanced and environmentally damaging offshore projects, welcomed the Department’s August 7 announcement as a critical step toward restoring transparency, accountability, and alignment with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).

“This reform effort is a clear response to concerns we raised in our July 2025 petition calling for cancellation of the Atlantic Shores South and North lease areas off the coast of Long Beach Island, Brigantine, and Atlantic City,” said Dr. Bob Stern, president of Save LBI. (The petition is available at https://www.savelbi.org/communications.) “We thank Secretary Burgum for his leadership in reexamining a regulatory framework that has failed both communities and the environment.”

In a letter of August 11, 2025, Stern urged the DOI to create an early opportunity for stakeholder engagement — before the draft rules are written — through mechanisms such as an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM). This would allow community advocates, scientists, industry, and local governments to offer innovative solutions while the new regulations are still being shaped, instead of after draft regulatory language is published.

Image caption: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI) logo.

The organization highlighted several key reforms it believes must be included in the new rules:

Flip the Wind Energy Area Designation Process: Define off-limits zones for wind development upfront based on clear criteria, such as distance from shorelines, military radar, and whale migration corridors.
End Segmented Decision-Making: Require integrated project proposals linking location and project design, evaluated through a single regional environmental impact statement treating all proposals in a region as alternatives, to enable fair, transparent, legally required comparisons.
Strengthen Marine Mammal Protections: Establish rigorous, standardized methods for calculating potential harm, developed jointly with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Mandate Turbine Removal: Require enforceable removal plans and financial assurances to prevent abandoned offshore structures.

“Flawed siting decisions and a dismissive approval process have fueled public outcry,” Stern concluded. “If this rulemaking is to succeed, the process must be transparent, science-based, and responsive to the communities most affected.”

Save LBI pledged to contribute policy expertise and constructive solutions throughout the reform effort.

About Save LBI:

For more information on Save LBI and its efforts, click here: https://www.savelbi.org.

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

MULTIMEDIA:

PHOTO LINK for media: https://www.send2press.com/300dpi/25-0722-s2p-savelbiboem-300dpi.jpg

PHOTO CAPTION: Visual simulation of what the Atlantic Shores South project would look from Holgate on Long Beach Island, NJ. Source: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

LOGO link: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0821-s2p-savelbi-logo-300dpi.jpg

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/new-jerseys-save-lbi-applauds-federal-offshore-energy-process-reform-calls-for-early-public-engagement-and-major-rule-revisions/

New Jersey’s Save LBI Petitions Trump Administration to Rescind Permits and Cancel Leases for Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Projects

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., Aug. 5, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI), a grass-roots organization with more than 10,000 supporters dedicated to sound energy policies and preserving our shore and ocean environment, has formally petitioned the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to cancel the leases for the Atlantic Shores South and North offshore wind projects and rescind existing permit approvals.

Image caption: Atlantic Shores South (blue/orange) and North (outline) lease areas off the coast of Atlantic City and Long Beach Island, NJ. Source: NOAA Fisheries.

Save LBI has long opposed both Atlantic Shores projects, which portend a number of devastating environmental, social, and economic consequences for New Jersey coastal communities. Project plans call for erecting 357 thousand-foot-tall wind turbines less than 9 miles off the coast of Atlantic City and Long Beach Island, closer to shore than any large offshore wind project in the world.

To name but a few of the many adverse impacts, these projects would:

Degrade the island’s pristine shore environment and lifeblood tourism economy.
Obstruct migration of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, whose population has dwindled to around 370, all but guaranteeing its extinction.
Disturb the behavior of the bottlenose dolphin and significantly reduce its population.
Compromise national security by impairing the early warning air-defense radar system at Gibbsboro, NJ.
Degrade the pristine air quality at nearby Brigantine National Wilderness Area, which is afforded special federal protections under the Wilderness Act and Clean Air Act.
Destroy now submerged archeological sites dating back to the Ice Age, which could shed light on the first humans to come to North America.
Substantially increase the already spiraling cost of electricity throughout New Jersey.

FLAWED FROM THE START

Save LBI has contended throughout the approval process and in subsequent litigation that the permits issued to the Atlantic Shores South (OCS-A 0499) and North (OCS-A 0549) projects are seriously flawed. The actual impacts of these projects were misrepresented, systematically underestimated, and not fully disclosed.

“The root cause of the many harmful impacts of the Atlantic Shores projects is their uniquely bad location,” explained Save LBI president and co-founder Bob Stern. “Location is the most critical factor in the entire decision-making process, yet it received little attention many years ago when a DEP-led task force approved those sites without full and proper vetting or public input.”

The record shows that many of the negative consequences Save LBI and others have been publicly denouncing for years were not even considered. “Project modifications cannot cure the uniquely bad siting of these projects, which is why the Atlantic Shores South and North lease areas must be cancelled,” Stern concluded.

The Save LBI petition also reminds DOI Secretary Douglas Burgum of the urgent need to:

Implement the Offshore Wind Directive issued by President Trump on January 20, 2025.
Address the concerns expressed by candidate Trump raised at a public event in Wildwood, NJ last year.
Rescind permit approval under the Endangered Species Act to help prevent extinction of the endangered right whale.
Expedite lease cancellation to prevent further whale injuries when the next migration season begins in December.

Image caption: Visual simulation of what the Atlantic Shores South project would look from Holgate on Long Beach Island, NJ. Source: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

The Save LBI petition (available at https://www.savelbi.org/communications) reviews the official criteria for lease cancellation and illustrates how the criteria are met, and how 11 of the 12 legal requirements for such leases are not met. Finally, the petition summarizes more than two decades of incorrect assumptions, mistakes, and process failures in selecting and approving the lease areas. Save LBI believes that these lease areas should not have been approved in the first place, and that if that process is ever started again there is no rational way these leases would be deemed acceptable.

About Save LBI

Save LBI is a not-for profit, non-partisan organization that has been active in ongoing litigation and other efforts to protect the coastal and marine environment from the senseless industrialization of our oceans. The organization is led by Beach Haven, N.J. resident Bob Stern, a Ph.D. scientist with experience in environmental planning and environmental law. He is a former manager of the U.S. Department of Energy office responsible for overseeing environmental protection related to energy projects and the Bureau of Air Quality Planning within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). For more information on Save LBI and its efforts, please visit SaveLBI.org.

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

For more information click here: https://www.savelbi.org

Link (Save LBI Lease Cancellation Petition): https://www.savelbi.org/communications

IMAGE LINKS FOR MEDIA:

IMAGE 1: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0805-s2p-slbi-fisheries-300dpi.jpg

IMAGE CAPTION 1: Atlantic Shores South (blue/orange) and North (outline) lease areas off the coast of Atlantic City and Long Beach Island, NJ. Source: NOAA Fisheries.

IMAGE 2: https://www.send2press.com/300dpi/25-0722-s2p-savelbiboem-300dpi.jpg

IMAGE CAPTION 2: Visual simulation of what the Atlantic Shores South project would look from Holgate on Long Beach Island, NJ. Source: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/new-jerseys-save-lbi-petitions-trump-administration-to-rescind-permits-and-cancel-leases-for-atlantic-shores-offshore-wind-projects/

New Jersey’s Save LBI Urges Large Environmental Groups to Reconsider Support of Offshore Wind & Consider Alternatives for Reducing Greenhouse Gas

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., July 22, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI), a grass-roots environmental organization dedicated to protecting our ocean and shore communities, is urging the country’s large environmental organizations to take a step back and critically examine their support of offshore wind energy.

PHOTO CAPTION: Visual simulation of what the Atlantic Shores South project would look from Holgate on Long Beach Island, NJ. Source: BOEM.

In a letter to key executives at The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Sierra Club, and more than a dozen other national environmental organizations, Save LBI President and Ph.D. scientist Bob Stern challenged the stance that the benefits of offshore wind energy outweigh the environmental impacts, asserting that relying on massive fields of offshore turbines to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is inefficient, environmentally destructive, and the most expensive option on a cost-per-ton-to-remove basis.

“Our membership, like yours, would like to see progress made on the climate change problem, but at the same time we are bitterly opposed to the [Atlantic Shores] offshore wind project we know you support,” wrote Stern, a former manager of the U.S. Department of Energy office overseeing environmental protection related to energy programs and projects. “We bring our concerns not to create more discord but… to ask you to take the time to consider these concerns, with a goal perhaps of moving beyond offshore wind and looking at better ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Like many in and around the Long Beach Island (LBI) community, I was stunned when I learned of the Atlantic Shores plan to develop an industrial complex of 1,000-foot-tall turbines starting less than 9 miles off the coast of Atlantic City and LBI, directly in the historic migration path of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, closer to shore than any similar project on Earth, and near the Brigantine Natural Wilderness Area and Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, both of which are afforded special federal protection under the Wilderness Act and Clean Air Act. It is, frankly, astounding that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) would 1) approve a lease area for commercial wind-energy development adjacent to the shoreline line of a thriving beach community let alone a sensitive nature preserve and 2) grant (without full and proper vetting) the approvals needed to construct the first 200 of a planned 357 super-sized wind turbines that would extend the full length of the island.”

Stern urged the environmental leaders to read Save LBI’s new report, “The Benefits and Risks of an Offshore Wind Project,” which cites independent research exposing a series of irreparable environmental, economic, and social consequences that were either ignored or obfuscated in official project documentation from offshore wind developers and government agencies. The report details many negative impacts of offshore wind, reveals how claims of reductions in GHG emissions are oversimplified and misleading, and presents data showing that offshore wind projects cannot stop or reduce sea level rise — only delay whatever is coming by a matter of days. The document also exposes the hypocrisy in Environmental Impact Statements for the Atlantic Shores (New Jersey), Vineyard Wind (Massachusetts), and Revolution Wind (Rhode Island) projects, all of which concede that the impact of these projects on climate change is “negligible.”

Environmental repercussions outlined in the report include:

Harming and killing marine mammals at unprecedented numbers.
Creating significant underwater noise from large turbine operation that interferes with historic whale-migration patterns, all but guaranteeing extinction of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Disturbing the behavior of the bottlenose dolphin and reducing its population.
Putting air quality in the Brigantine Wilderness Area at risk of “significant deterioration.”
Creating significant noise onshore, which during atmospheric inversions would produce indoor noise levels linked to sleep loss and other health issues.

Additional negative impacts include:

Compromising national security by impairing the accuracy of NORAD early-warning air defense radar systems.
Further increases in the already spiraling cost of electricity, as documented in a 2024 Whitestrand Consulting study showing that the suspended Atlantic Shores South alone would increase electric rates throughout New Jersey, hiking residential rates by 11%, commercial rates by 13%, and industrial rates by 15% to pay for the massive government subsidies awarded to build the project.
The absence of a legal or regulatory requirement to remove the towers, blades, and turbine foundations at the end of a wind turbine’s useful life, and no dedicated funding source for such an operation, potentially leaving navigation risks, the loss of fishing grounds, visual blight, and ocean/shore contamination for generations to come.
Destroying ancient archeological sites dating back to the Ice Age, which could shed light on the first humans to come to North America.

An Executive Summary and the full 23-page Save LBI report, “The Benefits and Risks of an Offshore Wind Project,” are available at savelbi.org. Click here to download: https://www.savelbi.org/benefits-risks

“We are certainly not climate-change deniers, nor are we aligned with any political Party,” Stern concluded. “We are in favor of using common sense practices and well-grounded science to select sources of clean energy that are both reliable and responsible. There are significant opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are far less expensive and environmentally damaging than offshore wind. We welcome the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue or perhaps collaborate with you to fund new studies to achieve that goal.”

About Save LBI

Save LBI is a not-for profit, non-partisan organization based on New Jersey’s Long Beach Island that has been active in ongoing litigation and other efforts to protect the coastal and marine environment from the senseless industrialization of our oceans. The organization is led by Beach Haven, N.J. resident Bob Stern, a Ph.D. scientist with experience in environmental planning and environmental law. He is a former manager of the U.S. Department of Energy office responsible for overseeing environmental protection related to energy projects and the Bureau of Air Quality Planning within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). For more information on Save LBI and its efforts, please visit SaveLBI.org.

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

For more information click here: https://www.savelbi.org

MULTIMEDIA:

PHOTO LINK for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0722-s2p-savelbiboem-300dpi.jpg

PHOTO CAPTION: Visual simulation of what the Atlantic Shores South project would look from Holgate on Long Beach Island, NJ. Source: BOEM.

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/new-jerseys-save-lbi-urges-large-environmental-groups-to-reconsider-support-of-offshore-wind-consider-alternatives-for-reducing-greenhouse-gas/

Oil Seismic Explorations and Their Impact on the Loligo Squid in the South Atlantic

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, July 21, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — In recent years, there has been a concerning decline in catches of Loligo gahi squid in the waters around the Falkland Islands, says Fundacion Agustina Lerena. This species, essential to Spanish fishing (particularly for Galician vessel owners), represents a key resource whose collapse is having serious economic consequences. Beyond the already high costs of operating in the Falklands, there is growing uncertainty about the root causes of this decline. Various hypotheses have been suggested: overfishing, climate change, and, increasingly, the possible impact of offshore seismic explorations linked to the oil industry.

Fundacion Agustina Lerena asks: Are We Facing ‘Environmental Fraud’?

These explorations, which involve the use of seismic waves to detect underground oil deposits, could be affecting the larval and juvenile stages of squid, altering their biological cycle. In 2024, the situation was so critical that authorities decided not to open the second fishing season for Loligo in the Falklands due to the low biomass available, marking the lowest catch volume since 2016. This measure did not affect other species, reinforcing the hypothesis of a specific impact on Loligo.

In this context, interviewed by SeafoodMediaGroup-FIS, Dr. César Lerena ( https://www.cesarlerena.com.ar/ ) —expert on South Atlantic resources and president of the Agustina Lerena Foundation and the Latin American Fisheries Study Center (CESPEL)— has led a critical review of the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) conducted by consulting firms such as Serman y Asociados for companies like Shell and Equinor. The conclusion is clear: these studies, for the most part, fail to adequately ensure that seismic activities do not negatively impact species like the Loligo squid.

One of the main concerns is that these EIAs are financed by the very companies that benefit from them, compromising their independence. In Argentina, INIDEP (the main technical body for fisheries issues) has not had a leading role or the necessary resources to guide these studies. Furthermore, the resulting reports lack in situ evaluations, rely on outdated references, show methodological deficiencies, and fail to include prevention, mitigation, or compensation measures. In essence, they are seen as theoretical and superficial, designed more to fulfill bureaucratic requirements than to truly protect the marine ecosystem.

Internationally, similar concerns have been raised regarding seismic exploration. In countries such as Norway, South Africa, Mexico, and Namibia, environmental studies have been criticized for lacking scientific rigor and for ignoring cumulative effects on vulnerable species. The practice of hiring “tailored” consulting firms that produce predictable and accommodating reports has been documented in several jurisdictions. Some of these cases have even reached the courts, reflecting growing concern about the validity and usefulness of such studies.

In terms of direct impact on marine species, the effects of seismic waves are varied and severe: behavioral changes, disorientation, stress, reduced feeding and reproductive capacity. Specifically for Loligo squid, it has been demonstrated that they are especially sensitive to acoustic vibrations due to their nervous system and sensory organs (such as the statocyst). These disturbances can alter their distribution, reduce their feeding efficiency, interfere with spawning, and cause them to abandon breeding areas. The sustained decline in squid catches in the Falklands since seismic prospecting began in the region coincides with these observed changes, reinforcing the hypothesis of a causal link.

In addition to Loligo, other species such as hake, cod, and tuna have also shown adverse responses to seismic surveys: auditory organ damage, larval mortality, and changes in migratory patterns. Documented cases in Norway, the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and Australia have reported reductions of up to 80% in some catches following seismic activities. Drops of up to 60% have also been observed in zooplankton, which forms the base of the marine food chain.

Dr. Lerena warns of a possible scenario of environmental fraud if oil exploration licenses continue to be approved without rigorous evaluations. He notes that in many cases, studies are conducted after the licensing of exploration areas, without first considering the presence of fishery resources, their migratory cycles, or the impact on coastal communities. This is not only a technical omission but also an ethical and legal failure. Precautionary measures are scarce or nonexistent, and although countries like Norway have begun to implement economic compensation for affected fishermen, these are considered insufficient.

From a responsible management perspective, the Agustina Lerena Foundation proposes a model of continuous and adaptive environmental assessment. Impact studies should not be a one-time “snapshot” but a dynamic process allowing real-time monitoring and corrective action. This is especially important for migratory species whose distribution and behavior vary in response to multiple factors. Harmonization between oil development and fishing activity is possible, but it requires political will, scientific resources, and an integrated approach.

The Norwegian model, which includes compensation and coordination between industries, can serve as a reference. Though imperfect, it provides a starting point for understanding that no productive activity should be developed at the expense of another — especially when dealing with natural resources that support regional economies, employment, and food sovereignty.

In this regard, the Agustina Lerena Foundation does not oppose offshore oil activity, but demands that it be carried out under strict sustainability standards. The organization has already begun working to ensure that all companies operating in the Southwest Atlantic respect existing environmental laws, both national and international. This includes not only monitoring submitted EIAs but also promoting corrective and legal action when necessary.

In conclusion, the drop in Loligo gahi squid catches in the Falklands should be viewed as a warning sign. Oil seismic explorations must not continue without serious evaluation of their impacts. Urgent measures are needed: strengthening INIDEP’s role, conducting a thorough review of existing studies, implementing real-time monitoring, applying the precautionary principle, and designing compensation and restoration mechanisms. Only then can a true balance between energy development and marine ecosystem conservation be achieved — for the benefit of all stakeholders involved.

MORE INFORMATION:

Learn more about Dr. César Lerena and Fundacion Agustina Lerena at:

Web: https://cesarlerena.com.ar/

Email: cesarlerena@gmail.com

The full article can be found here: https://www.seafood.media/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=20&id=135218&l=e&special=0&ndb=0

NEWS SOURCE: Fundacion Agustina Lerena

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Fundacion Agustina Lerena), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/oil-seismic-explorations-and-their-impact-on-the-loligo-squid-in-the-south-atlantic/

New Book ‘Rigged: The Misadventures of a Classic Wooden Sailboat’ Chronicles a Lifetime of Maritime Mishaps and Family Memories

VICTORIA, B.C., July 2, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Tony Cond, a retired Royal Canadian Navy Marine Systems Engineer and lifelong sailor, shares a collection of personal stories in his new book, “Rigged: The Misadventures of a Classic Wooden Sailboat” (ISBN: 978-1779622808), released June 2025 through Tellwell Publishing. The book captures decades of misadventures, quiet triumphs, and family traditions centered around a classic 1947 wooden boat named Rufus.

Image caption: Cover, “Rigged: The Misadventures of a Classic Wooden Sailboat,” by Tony Cond.

Born in southern Ontario and raised on the waters of the Muskoka Lakes, Cond’s lifelong connection to sailing began with summers spent navigating the challenges of boat ownership. “Rigged” follows the often humorous, sometimes frustrating, and always meaningful relationship between a family and their boat — a vessel that would ultimately weave itself into the identity of those who cared for it.

Set in Ontario and British Columbia, “Rigged” speaks to readers beyond the sailing community. It’s a story for anyone who has wrestled with a passion project, weathered its surprises, and found the experience shaped who they are. With a blend of dry humour and thoughtful reflection, Cond invites readers to share in the lessons and laughs of a life spent on — and sometimes under — the water.

Tony Cond lives in Victoria, B.C., with his wife Debbie. When not consulting in the marine sector, he enjoys sailing, restoring classic vehicles, and gardening.

“Rigged: The Misadventures of a Classic Wooden Sailboat” is now available through major online book retailers.

BOOK SUMMARY:

Author: Tony Cond

Email: authorpress@tellwell.ca

Buy Link: https://a.co/d/bAlkesT

Genre: Memoir

Released: June 2025

PAPERBACK ISBN-13: 9781779622808

Publisher: Tellwell (https://tellwell.ca)

NEWS SOURCE: Tellwell Publishing

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Tellwell Publishing), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/new-book-rigged-the-misadventures-of-a-classic-wooden-sailboat-chronicles-a-lifetime-of-maritime-mishaps-and-family-memories/

Save LBI Petitions Federal Agencies to Create a Safe Migration Corridor from Georgia to Maine to Save the North Atlantic Right Whale from Extinction

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., April 8, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save LBI, the non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting our oceans from the destructive impacts of offshore wind projects, has filed a petition urging the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)/National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Department of the Interior (DOI)/Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to create a safe migration corridor from Maine to Georgia that will allow the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW) to survive as a species.

Image caption: The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Credit: Save LBI (generated with AI tools).

With a population that has dwindled to 340, the magnificent right whale is perilously close to extinction and faces a new, greater and ominous threat from numerous proposed offshore wind-turbine complexes up and down the East Coast.

Save LBI’s 234-page petition seeks to establish a migratory corridor as a critical habitat that would provide a vital “missing link” between critical habitats the NMFS designated in 1994, and later expanded, to protect the right whale’s feeding grounds off the coast of Maine (and New England) and its calving grounds off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. No habitat protections currently exist between these areas in the far north and south, putting the whale’s survival at great risk.

Central to the petition is the call to prohibit offshore wind development within the proposed protected zone and to establish a buffer that would allow noise from any nearby wind turbines to dissipate and drop below levels known to disturb the whales.

“Restricting the development of offshore wind projects in the migration path of the North Atlantic right whale is crucial to preventing its extinction,” explained Bob Stern, president and co-founder of Save LBI. “Our petition defines the whale’s primary historic migration corridor and presents calculations showing how operational noise from the numerous proposed offshore wind turbine complexes will at a minimum seriously impair and potentially block its annual migration. Without a protected migration corridor and a prohibition on wind complexes in its path, the North Atlantic right whale will not survive.”

Save LBI data reveals that nearly 80 percent of NARW deaths between 2000 and 2020 occurred within the proposed critical habitat migration corridor — even though vessel speed-restriction zones have been in place since 2008.

“Sadly, all efforts to date have not reversed the decline of the right whale,” emphasized Stern, an experienced Ph.D. engineer who managed the U.S. Department of Energy office overseeing environment protection related to energy programs. “The threat is real. The Atlantic Shores South and North projects less than 9 miles off the coast of southern New Jersey, and others like it, are sited directly in the whale’s migratory path, which will accelerate and ultimately seal its extinction unless we act.” (For more on the Atlantic Shores projects and Save LBI’s actions related to those projects, click here: https://www.savelbi.org/press-releases.)

The Save LBI petition also seeks new federal rules that would:

Cancel wind-energy lease areas within the corridor consistent with the designation of a critical migration habitat.
Reinitiate Endangered Species Act [Section 7(a)(2)] consultations where, based on regulation criteria, the designated habitat “may be affected” by a wind project.
Establish a dedicated general taxpayer fund to defray potential costs associated with any new restrictions from the critical habitat designation that would otherwise be borne by specific industries, including shipping and fishing enterprises.

Pending the outcome of a rulemaking decision, the Save LBI petition further aims to preserve the proposed migration corridor in the interim by:

Pausing all activities associated with placing wind turbines in the designated area.
Suspending high-resolution geophysical surveying during the NARW migration season.
Reinitiating Endangered Species Act [Section 7(a)] consultations based on “new information revealing effects not previously considered”— in this case, as shown in the petition, major systemic underestimates in the NARW “take number” estimates used to approve Atlantic Shores South and other projects that use the same methods to calculate the number of incidental NARW deaths or injuries likely to occur during construction and operation of an offshore wind-turbine complex.

NARW: A National Treasure

The North Atlantic right whale, also known as the “urban whale,” is one of the largest and longest living animals on earth. This storied creature spends most of its life within 50 miles of the Atlantic coast as it moves gracefully between feeding grounds to the north and calving areas in the south, returning to the same locations annually thanks to its uncanny sense of navigation. Marine mammal migration is one of the great wonders of the world — especially when it involves a rare species such as the NARW — and public fascination is high, which explains the popularity of “whale watching” tours and town festivals up and down the East Coast as well as a preponderance of academic studies devoted to whales. Given a tiny population, every right whale saved is a step toward recovery, and every one lost, a step toward extinction — which is why Save LBI’s well-tailored legal protections are so important.

The Struggle for Survival

“For centuries, humans have failed the North Atlantic right whale — first through near-eradication from whaling and, more recently, through narratives that downplay the risk of offshore wind projects,” said lead researcher and Save LBI board member Denise Boccia.

“The National Marine Fisheries Service and BOEM have approved projects based on flawed and unsupported assumptions that significantly underestimate impacts, while major environmental organizations that protest similar impacts from oil and gas development remain silent or supportive, apparently mistakenly believing offshore wind offers discernible climate benefits. It does not,” Boccia continued. “University researchers who once voiced concern now appear content to pursue grant-funded projects. As a result, the responsibility to act falls to us, and to other groups and people who care about the many resources and natural treasures the ocean has to offer — including the endangered North Atlantic right whale.”

“Save LBI believes its petition provides a sensible approach to protecting the right whale from extinction, while restricting wind turbines from places where they obviously do not belong. Because the proposed migration corridor is relatively close to shore, the turbine prohibitions would also protect shore tourism industries, and avoid interference with our land-based air-defense radar systems. If we as a society want to save the North Atlantic right whale species from extinction, the migratory critical habitat designation is crucial,” Stern concluded.

“Readers are encouraged to express their support for the NARW migratory corridor petition to The White House, the Department of Commerce, and Department of the Interior.”

Contact information is listed below:

:: The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
whitehouse.gov/contact

:: Douglas Burgum, Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW, MS-4106
Washington D.C. 20240
(202) 208-3100
x.com/interior
facebook.com/USInterior
Email: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

:: Howard Lutnick, Secretary
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington D.C. 20230
x.com/commercegov
facebook.com/Commercegov/
Email: PublicAffairs@doc.gov

About Save LBI
Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI) is an organization of citizens and businesses on and off the Island working together to protect the ocean and Long Beach Island and neighboring communities from the destructive impact of the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind projects and potentially other offshore wind projects. As a not-for-profit, non-partisan entity, we do not endorse any political candidates but vigorously pursue policies and actions that protect the Island and New Jersey communities. The organization is led by Beach Haven resident Bob Stern, a Ph.D. engineer with experience in environmental law who previously managed the U.S. Department of Energy’s office overseeing environment protection related to energy programs and projects. Visit SaveLBI.org for more information.

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

For more information click here: https://www.savelbi.org

MULTIMEDIA:

IMAGE link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0407-s2p-savelbi-whale-300dpi.jpg

Image caption: The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Credit: Save LBI (generated with AI tools).

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/save-lbi-petitions-federal-agencies-to-create-a-safe-migration-corridor-from-georgia-to-maine-to-save-the-north-atlantic-right-whale-from-extinction/

Save LBI Encouraged by Collapse of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Projects, Presses on with Litigation to Ensure Permanent Victory

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., Feb. 11, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI), the non-partisan watchdog group formed in 2021 to protect the ocean and New Jersey Shore communities from the destructive impacts of offshore wind, announced today that, while it is gratified by the collapse of the controversial Atlantic Shores South projects, the organization will remain vigilant and continue the fight to ensure that these projects and the Atlantic Shores North project are canceled and never return.

Image caption: Visual simulation of Atlantic Shores South project from Holgate, New Jersey. Source: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

The controversial Atlantic Shores South plan to erect 200 wind turbines as close as 8.7 miles off the coast of southern Long Beach Island (LBI), Brigantine, and Atlantic City, began unraveling on January 30 when Shell New Energies, which owns 50 percent of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, announced that it would write off a billion-dollar loss and step away from the projects. The announcement came just 17 days after Save LBI filed a comprehensive federal lawsuit against the projects alleging noncompliance with five laws. Four days later, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) refused to award significant additional rate subsidies that Atlantic Shores had requested to fund the projects.

“This is a major victory for shore values, communities, and common sense,” said Bob Stern, president and co-founder of Save LBI in a letter thanking supporters. “But there is also unfinished business here to ensure that these projects, or similar ones, never reappear, and that the flawed Federal and State processes and impact-assessment methods that carried such a costly and damaging project this far are fundamentally changed.”

Stern identified several areas in which Save LBI will continue its fight to permanently end Atlantic Shores South and Atlantic Shores North, including the passage of federal legislation to remove investment tax credits and other incentives for offshore wind under the Inflation Reduction Act and the cancellation of the two wind lease areas. “We have written to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary [Douglas] Burgum suggesting that, and will be filing a formal petition asking for cancellation,” Stern said. “Our recent federal lawsuit provides ample justification for such cancellation.”

Save LBI will also seek to overturn prior project approvals through its ongoing litigation — which if granted, would set a precedent for other cases — and continue its longstanding campaign to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale by filing a petition with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a safe migration corridor along the East Coast. That petition, which asks NOAA to designate the corridor as critical habitat, will demonstrate that the Atlantic Shores projects and other offshore wind projects in these sensitive areas would seriously impede or block whale migration.“ We will ask that all wind projects be excluded from that critical habitat corridor,” Stern said.

Finally, Stern welcomed the new Administration’s review of the leasing and permitting practices for all offshore wind projects and urged everyone involved with Atlantic Shores South to “reflect on how a project with virtually no benefit, high cost, and significant environmental damage proceeded so far. Our work on this over the last few years showed that the entire process of site selection and project review was fundamentally flawed.

“We will continue our efforts to inform the public, the media, and our elected representatives as to the true costs and impacts of these projects, suggest improvements for the leasing, environmental review, and financing practices used, and offer constructive energy supply options to keep the lights on,” Stern concluded.

About Save LBI:

The organization is led by Beach Haven resident Bob Stern, a Ph.D. engineer with experience in environmental law who previously managed the U.S. Department of Energy’s office overseeing environment protection related to energy programs and projects. Visit SaveLBI.org for more information.

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

For more information click here: https://www.savelbi.org/

LINKS:

Save LBI Sues U.S. Agencies and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, Challenging Federal Approvals Greenlighting Marine Ecosystem Devastation, Including Risks to Critically Endangered Whales

Click here (PDF): https://www.savelbi.org/_files/ugd/a85a2b_ea578a317854424389201d397b96325e.pdf

Save LBI Letter to Supporters

Click here: https://www.savelbi.org/

Save LBI to Petition the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to Provide Safe Migration Corridor for Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale

Click here (PDF): https://www.savelbi.org/_files/ugd/a85a2b_82a935ca190b42a5b2a7a322f5169f56.pdf

MULTIMEDIA:

Image link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0113-s2p-savelbi-300dpi.jpg

PHOTO CAPTION: Visual simulation of Atlantic Shores South project from Holgate, New Jersey. Source: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/save-lbi-encouraged-by-collapse-of-atlantic-shores-offshore-wind-projects-presses-on-with-litigation-to-ensure-permanent-victory/

New Jersey’s Save LBI Coalition Sues U.S. Agencies and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, Challenging Federal Approvals Greenlighting Marine Ecosystem Devastation, Including Risks to Critically Endangered Whales

LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J., Jan. 13, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Save Long Beach Island (LBI), an organization that has been actively litigating issues surrounding marine mammal, human health, economic, and other impacts connected to offshore wind industrialization off New Jersey since 2022, has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Department of Interior, and the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind project for violations of a number of federal environmental statutes.

Photo caption: Visual simulation of Atlantic Shores South project from Holgate, New Jersey. Source: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

“This lawsuit serves as the first of its kind, launching a wide-ranging challenge against Atlantic Shores’ federal approvals, based on violations of environmental statutes such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, and the Clean Air Act,” said Thomas Stavola, Jr., Esq., the attorney representing Save LBI. “We believe we have organized a compelling case that will demonstrate that these federal agencies were derelict in their respective duties to take critical information into account, and moreover, made arbitrary assumptions that entirely failed to disclose and consider the injurious impacts of the Atlantic Shores South project.”

Bob Stern, Ph.D., the primary plaintiff and president of Save LBI, further explained, “For example, the agencies assume, incorrectly, that no North Atlantic right whales will suffer injury or death as a result of the Atlantic Shores South project. The evidence contradicts that assumption. In fact, our review and independent mathematical analyses shows a systemic underestimation of impact, and clearly indicate that the noise caused by pile driving, and, soon after, perpetual operational noise, will injure and kill high numbers of marine mammals — and, yes, injure and kill a number of North Atlantic right whales, a critically endangered animal that cannot afford to suffer any deaths given their numbers are now less than 340 total.”

The lawsuit ultimately seeks to have all federal approvals rescinded and the Atlantic Shores South project halted — stopping construction and preventing devastation to marine mammal life in the NJ/NY Bight regional waters. Eight other co-plaintiffs have joined Save LBI in this action, many of whom will be severely economically impacted due to the egregious harm to the marine ecosystem and the aesthetic, recreational blight imposed on the Jersey Shore via the circa 200 1,000-foot-plus high monstrosities slated to be constructed starting less than 9 miles east of Long Beach Island.

These inexcusable damages by the Atlantic Shores South project are not limited to marine mammal devastation, but also include significant impacts to tourism, shore economies, statewide energy bills, national defense, vessel navigation, and home values — all of which have been swept under the rug by much of the mainstream media, many elected officials, the Atlantic Shores company, and the federal agencies in their inexplicable haste to approve a project still in search of a clear purpose and need.

“We hope this lawsuit will serve as the vehicle to finally illuminate the damage being wrought here and to impose significant pressure on Atlantic Shores to withdraw, as their obfuscation of the project’s true effects are indefensible. The agencies simply cannot objectively argue that their approvals were made in accordance with the best science,” concluded Bob Stern.

This lawsuit was filed in federal court in the United States for the District of New Jersey on January 10, 2025.

About Save LBI

Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI) is an organization of citizens and businesses on and off the Island working together to protect the ocean and Long Beach Island and neighboring communities from the destructive impact of the Atlantic Shores project and potentially other offshore wind projects. As a not-for-profit, non-partisan entity, we do not endorse any political candidates but vigorously pursue policies and actions that protect the Island and New Jersey communities. The organization is led by Beach Haven resident Bob Stern, a Ph.D. engineer with experience in environmental law who previously managed the U.S. Department of Energy’s office overseeing environment protection related to energy programs and projects. Visit SaveLBI.org for more information and to make a donation.

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact

For more information click here: https://www.savelbi.org

MULTIMEDIA:

Image link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0113-s2p-savelbi-300dpi.jpg

Photo caption: Visual simulation of Atlantic Shores South project from Holgate, New Jersey. Source: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/new-jerseys-save-lbi-coalition-sues-u-s-agencies-and-atlantic-shores-offshore-wind-challenging-federal-approvals-greenlighting-marine-ecosystem-devastation-including-risks-to-critically-endangere/

Scuba Dive into the Legendary 8th Annual Ice Hole Festival at Lake Okoboji, Iowa

LAKE OKOBOJI, Iowa, Jan. 9, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — International Scuba proudly announces the highly anticipated 8th Annual Ice Hole Festival. Bringing scuba divers and enthusiasts together to assess their ice diving skills. From January 30 to February 2, 2025, the lake will be transformed – featuring events for both instructors and certified divers.

Image caption: Ice Hole Festival Participants.

Legendary in the scuba diving community. Over the years, it has drawn certified divers from Canada, Mexico, Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Illinois, and California. What began as a whimsical idea on a Texan’s bucket list has evolved into a thrilling annual gathering of adventurous scuba divers from across the continent.

As Richard Thomas, Owner of International Scuba in Dallas, TX explains, “The Ice Hole Festival aims to bring together scuba divers eager to expand their skill set and foster collaborative relationships with Scuba Dive centers throughout North America.”

The festival has become a platform for scuba shops to sponsor Ice Diving Instructors, establishing themselves as stakeholders with yearly benefits.

PADI has generously stepped up as our headline sponsor providing unparalleled access to ice training for both Instructors and divers. Our other generous sponsors are Avelo, Fourth Element, PADI, and Waikiki Dive Center. PADI will be primary the certification delivered on-site. However, all shops and agencies are welcome to participate and use our ice diving logistics.

For inquiries, contact the shop at 972-416-8400. International Scuba offers scuba diving certifications for all experience levels.

IMAGE LINK for media: https://internationalscuba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC03878.jpg

NEWS SOURCE: International Scuba

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (International Scuba), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/scuba-dive-into-the-legendary-8th-annual-ice-hole-festival-at-lake-okoboji-iowa/

New Jersey’s Save LBI Coalition Demands Full Disclosure of Structural and Safety Data for Atlantic Shores South Wind Turbines

BEACH HAVEN, N.J., Nov. 21, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Amid numerous recent instances of wind-turbine failures in the U.S. and around the world, the New Jersey citizen’s group Save LBI today called for an immediate and full public disclosure of all data related to the design, manufacture, maintenance, and failure rates for the components of the 200 wind turbines Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind plans to erect off the coast of southern Long Beach Island (LBI), Brigantine, and Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is also calling on the NJ Board of Public Utilities (NJ BPU) not to make any project-enabling new subsidy award unless and until that information is provided.

Photo Caption: Vineyard Wind turbine-blade failure off Nantucket, MA in July (top); Vestas turbine collapse in August, one of three failures in six months at the Ameren wind farm in Schuyler County, MO.

The Vestas V236-15.0 MW turbine contracted for use by the Atlantic Shores South project is an unproven, first-of-its-kind design that stands 1,048 feet tall — three times the height of the Statue of Liberty — making it one of the tallest wind turbines in the world. It has three massive blades, each longer than a football field, which translates into 600 spinning behemoths in the Atlantic Shores South (OCS-A 0499) project area, the closest of which would be only 8.7 miles from shore, closer than anywhere else in the world.

Atlantic Shores should provide full, up-front disclosure on a number of issues, including:

Technical details and Material Safety Data Sheets on all materials used in turbine manufacture.
A discussion of the hazards associated with each material, including epoxies used for bonding.
Failure rates and the potential consequences of turbine blade and other component failures impacting the marine environment, local food chain, and human life.
Protocols for mitigating the environmental impact of turbine failures.
Data on the structural integrity of the wind turbines (including the blades, towers, and other key components) as to their ability to withstand hurricanes, nor’easters, or other major storm events. (Project approvals have been granted even though a study by the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC) commissioned by the NJ Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has yet to be completed.)

In the wake of the blade failure at the Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Nantucket in July, Dr. Robert Stern, president of Save LBI, sent two letters to Atlantic Shores CEO Joris Veldhoven inviting Atlantic Shores to participate in a panel discussion at the LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences. Both were ignored, revealing a shocking level of arrogance and disrespect for a community that is justifiably concerned.

A Call for Transparency Amid the Rush to Build Ever-Larger Wind Turbines

Save LBI’s call for corporate and State Agency transparency follows a string of at least eight catastrophic offshore and onshore wind-turbine failures between April and November of 2024. The failures spanned three different turbine suppliers — Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, and GE Vernova — and involved not only collapsing blades but entire turbine structures toppling over [*notes 1-8]. Half of these failures involved Vestas turbines, causing great concern over the integrity of the colossal blades and supporting structures Atlantic Shores is planning to locate near New Jersey beaches [*note 9].

According to a 2023 report in Maintworld, a magazine for maintenance and asset management professionals, “turbine failures are on the uptick across the world…The instances are part of a rash of full collapses. A recent report says production issues may be to blame for the mysterious increase in failures [*note 10].”

In a May 2023 report entitled “Vertical Limit: When is bigger not better in offshore wind’s race to scale?” GCube Insurance, an underwriter for renewable energy projects, reviewed 10 years of claims data and found “offshore wind’s risk landscape has significantly shifted, as manufacturers push to develop bigger machines…Over the past five years, the race to scale turbine technologies has seen the leap from 8 megawatt (MW) to 18 MW turbines occurring in a fraction of the time it took to go from 3 MW to 8 MW. While this is a fantastic technological achievement, such rapid commercialization of ‘prototypical’ technologies is now leading to a concerning number of losses, and subsequently piling financial pressure on manufacturers, the supply chain, and the insurance market, according to GCube.” [*note 11]

Save LBI’s demand for accountability also comes amid revelations of a quality-control-data falsification scheme at a blade manufacturing facility in Canada [*note 12], and concern that such misrepresentations could be an industry-wide problem. “Our sources indicate that [falsifying data] is a widespread practice in the industry,” according to a Radio Gaspésie report [*note 13].

NJ: The De Facto Test-Bed for Super-Sized Wind Turbines

Atlantic Shores will be among the first to deploy the “super-sized” Vestas V236-15.0 MW wind turbine, which has never been tested in the harsh marine environment it will inhabit. Instead, testing was done on a land-based prototype turbine at the Østerild National test center in Denmark. New Jersey will, in effect, become a real-world Guinea pig for these newly designed gargantuan turbines.

In a series of videos on vestas.com, company executives boast how Vestas is “…leading the way into this new super-sized segment of wind turbines” and “…entering into some unprecedented territory on many of the manufacturing processes that we employ for building the blade [emphasis added]. We need to scale up renewables fast and the V236 15.0 megawatt is there to do just that. [*note 14].”

The structural integrity of the new “super-sized” blades is of particular concern to Save LBI and local communities because they are primarily made of a fiberglass composite similar to the material used in the GE Vernova Haliade-X blade [*note 15], which spontaneously collapsed while undergoing testing at the Vineyard Wind project. The blade failure sent countless shards of fiberglass and pieces of foam into the ocean, causing beach closures during the height of tourist season and putting marine life and the local food chain at risk.

“The Vineyard Wind disaster and the many others like it are wake-up calls that raise serious concerns about the structural integrity of wind turbines and the long-term impact of such failures on the environment — the effects of which are still being felt in Nantucket four months later [*note 16],” Dr. Stern said. “Even some proponents of offshore wind are now questioning whether the obvious risks are worth the purported benefits. Is this what those of us who live in the shadow of Atlantic Shores South have to look forward to?”

“It’s past time for NJ BPU staff and Atlantic Shores to directly engage and disclose the full impact of this ominous offshore wind project to the local communities that will be directly affected by it before any further work or decision-making proceeds,” he concluded.

About Save LBI

Contact: https://www.savelbi.org/contact.

For more information click here: https://www.savelbi.org/.

References

Note: If a link doesn’t work, copy and paste the URL into a browser.

Halkirk 2 wind facility shut down after [Vestas] turbine breaks, Nov. 9, 2024, https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/halkirk-2-wind-facility-shut-down-after-turbine-breaks-1.7104801
Blade broken off Siemens Gamesa turbine at Swedish wind farm, Nov. 7, 2024, https://energywatch.com/EnergyNews/Renewables/article17617839.ece
[Vestas] Wind turbine collapses in Schuler County [Missouri], third incident in six months, Oct. 31, 2024, https://khqa.com/news/local/wind-turbine-collapses-in-schuyler-county-third-incident-in-six-months
https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/third-vestas-turbine-collapse-forces-us-wind-farm-offline/2-1-1733379
[Vestas] Wind Turbine collapses in Schuyler County, Missouri, Aug. 27, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQHl5hTV5a0
Second GE Vern ova turbine blade reportedly fails at UK’s Dogger Bank wind farm, Aug. 23, 2024, https://www.offshore-mag.com/renewable-energy/article/55135538/second-ge-vernova-turbine-blade-reportedly-fails-at-uks-dogger-bank-wind-farm
Vineyard Wind incident was not first time a GE Vernova wind turbine came apart, Reuters, July 18, 2024 https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/vineyard-wind-incident-was-not-first-time-ge-vernova-wind-turbine-came-apart-2024-07-18/
Dogger Bank Makes Statement on Site Incident [GE Vernova blade], May 10, 2024, https://nawindpower.com/dogger-bank-makes-statement-on-site-incident
All northeastern [Vestas] wind turbines taken offline after 1 collapses in Schuyler County [on April 26], May 3, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sUCoZJ1Asc
Energy analyst Philip Totaro on Vestas failures at the Ameren wind farm in Missouri, Nov. 2024, LinkedIn post: “The High Prairie hashtag#windenergy project in Schuyler County, Missouri suffers the third wind turbine collapse in six months. The project, owned by Ameren, has 163 units of Vestas V120 2.2-MW on 92 meter towers and 12 units of Vestas V112 3.45-MW on 94 meter towers. The causes of the previous collapses have not been publicly released.”
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/philiptotaro_another-turbine-collapses-in-schuyler-county-activity-7257949289107120128-br3K?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Why do wind turbines break down more often? Jan. 31, 2023, https://www.maintworld.com/Asset-Management/Why-do-wind-turbines-break-down-more-often
Ever-Growing Offshore Wind Turbines Bring Unsustainable Market Risks – GCube, May 4, 2023, https://www.offshorewind.biz/2023/05/04/ever-growing-offshore-wind-turbines-bring-unsustainable-market-risks-gcube/
https://gcube-insurance.com/Insights/Reports/Vertical-Limit
Canada station reports “falsification scheme” at turbine plant, Nov. 12, https://www.mvtimes.com/2024/11/12/canada-station-reports-falsification-scheme-turbine-plant/
Possible falsification of data at LM Wind Power, Oct. 24, 2024, https://www.radiogaspesie.ca/nouvelles/actualite/falsification-possible-de-donnees-chez-lm-wind-power/
Official documentation for the Vestas V236-15.0 MW wind turbine to be used in Atlantic Shores South project, com/en/energy-solutions/offshore-wind-turbines/V236-15MW
Official documentation for the GE Vernova Haliade-X offshore wind turbine used in the Massachusetts Vineyard Wind project, com/wind-power/offshore-wind/haliade-x-offshore-turbine
GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind Provide Update on Incident and Response Action Plan, Oct. 23, 2024, com/press-releases/2024/10/23/ge-vernova-and-vineyard-wind-provide-update-on-incident-and-response-action-plan

MULTIMEDIA:

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NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/new-jerseys-save-lbi-coalition-demands-full-disclosure-of-structural-and-safety-data-for-atlantic-shores-south-wind-turbines/

NJ Coalition Slams Feds for Ignoring Key Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Development

Save LBI Calls Out Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for Flouting the National Environmental Policy Act and Misleading the Public

BEACH HAVEN, N.J., Oct. 25, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The New Jersey citizens group Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI) today rebuked the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for issuing a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that blatantly ignores critical environmental impacts for offshore wind development in six lease areas off the coast of New Jersey and New York in a region known as the New York Bight. The area lies to the north of the controversial Atlantic Shores South project (OCS-A 0499) off the southern coast of New Jersey, which received federal approval in July.

Image caption: Map showing the six offshore-wind lease areas in the New York Bight region off the coast of New Jersey and New York. Source: BOEM.

BOEM’s Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Final PEIS) flouts the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and masquerades as a “comprehensive” environmental review as it fails to address the most significant environmental decisions: the location of a wind project and the number and size of the wind turbines to be placed in the project area — decisions BOEM quietly covets for itself and the developer to make, according to Save LBI, the grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the New Jersey shore environment.

The 600-plus-page EIS, which is intended to justify BOEM’s selection of lease areas in the New York Bight region, remarkably only addresses technical mitigating measures, such as spotting whales at long distances, which unfortunately is largely ineffective and not environmentally significant.

“BOEM will now proceed to prepare EIS’s for projects within the New York Bight area without offering any real, environmentally different alternatives — only a choice to approve or disapprove the proposed developer’s project,” said Bob Stern, president and co-founder of Save LBI. “The real travesty here is that the outcome is already largely pre-determined since BOEM provides no criteria in those documents that would lead to disapproval of a project.”

In so doing, BOEM sidesteps the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), enacted by Congress in 1970 to compel government agencies to seriously consider environmental impact when they make their most important and environmentally impactful decisions and to look at alternative means of accomplishing their goals through the process of preparing an EIS and allowing for public input.

Even more egregious, at no point in the flawed BOEM NEPA review process is the public allowed to inject its views and concerns regarding the most crucial environmental decisions of location and project size. “The BOEM process not only flouts NEPA’s intent but misleads and insults the public by following the ineffective and inefficient past process of pursuing only a single developer proposal, regardless of the potential environmental impact, and rendering the public’s input meaningless. It is situations like this that led to the passage of NEPA in the first place.”

Save LBI will be challenging the BOEM NEPA review process in court. The legality of that process will be determined by a judge, but from the standpoint of making sound decisions informed by the public, this is not a process to embrace.

About Save LBI:

Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI) is an organization of citizens and businesses on and off Long Beach Island (LBI), New Jersey working together to protect the ocean and the Island and neighboring communities from the destructive impacts of offshore wind projects. As a not-for-profit, non-partisan entity, we do not endorse any political candidates but vigorously pursue policies and actions that protect the Island and surrounding communities. The coalition is led by Beach Haven resident Dr. Bob Stern, a Ph.D. engineer with experience in environmental law who previously managed the U.S. Department of Energy’s office overseeing environment protection related to energy programs and projects.

Visit SaveLBI.org for more information and to make a donation. Click here: https://www.savelbi.org/

IMAGE LINK:

New York Bight

Click here: https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/images/lease_areas_image.png

Photo Caption: Map showing the six offshore-wind lease areas in the New York Bight region off the coast of New Jersey and New York. Source: BOEM.

NEWS SOURCE: Save Long Beach Island (Save LBI)

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/nj-coalition-slams-feds-for-ignoring-key-environmental-impacts-of-offshore-wind-development/

FMTC Safety Accelerates US Market Expansion with M&A Safety Services becoming part of the family

HOUMA, La. /ScoopCloud/ -- FMTC Safety, a leading provider of comprehensive safety training solutions, is pleased to announce its acquisition of M&A Safety Services, a respected safety training company with two training locations in Louisiana: Lafayette and Houma. The acquisition enhances FMTC's course capability in the Offshore, Wind, Maritime, and Industry sectors and solidifies its position as the largest player in the USA safety training market.

Management

Bryan Aucoin of M&A will serve as the CEO of the USA Operations for FMTC Safety. M&A's Travis Martin will act as the COO and Don Romero as the CCO. Bryan Aucoin, CEO M&A Safety Services: "By becoming part of the FMTC family, we now have an opportunity to compete on a global scale, and our team will be an important part of the future growth initiatives for the USA Operations." Kaylab Verdin, FMTC's current center manager will lead the integration of both companies in the USA.

Team

Employees from both organizations will be retained, ensuring a smooth integration and preserving the exceptional service levels that clients have come to expect. "We are excited to join forces with FMTC and combine our expertise to deliver the best safety training services in the industry," said Bryan Aucoin, CEO of M&A Safety Services. "Our shared vision and commitment to excellence will ensure a seamless transition and continued success," added Kaylab Verdin, Center Manager of FMTC Houma. In order to leverage the strength of both brands, both FMTC Safety and M&A Safety Services brand names will be utilized in the market.

Continuous expansion

FMTC Safety is actively exploring opportunities to open additional training centers across the United States. This expansion may be realized through partnerships with esteemed institutions such as colleges, universities, and other educational entities, further strengthening the company's commitment to providing accessible and comprehensive safety training across the country. Additionally, FMTC Safety will be introducing new training programs, particularly in the renewables sector, such as Global Wind Organization (GWO) courses, and will start offering courses for the maritime industry (STCW) shortly.

About FMTC Safety:

FMTC Safety was founded in 2014 and has a market leading position throughout Europe. They have played an important role in the global market since expanding its operations in recent years into France, Belgium and Saudi Arabia. With the acquisition of M&A, FMTC will now operate 13 training centers/offices as well as a strong digital platform that includes advanced learning solutions for its clients. FMTC operates locations in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, and USA.

FMTC's unique selling point is its client-based approach. The client always decides when they want to train and where the training will take place. In January, Benelux investor Smile Invest acquired a majority stake in FMTC.

About M&A Safety Services:

M&A Safety Services was founded in 2016 by Bryan Aucoin, Travis Martin, and Don Romero and has established itself as a leader for safety and survival training in the Gulf Coast region. M&A is currently headquartered in New Iberia, LA and has full-service training centers located in Youngsville and Gray, Louisiana. M&A is committed to lead the training industry and believes that absolute customer service is essential to our success, and we recognize that our customers are in complete control. Our role is to provide quality training and excellent customer service at a value that maximizes their safety investment.

For more information, please visit: https://fmtcsafety.com/us/training-location-fmtc-houma/

FMTC Safety, a leading provider of comprehensive safety training solutions, is pleased to announce its acquisition of M&A Safety Services, a respected safety training company with two training locations in Louisiana: Lafayette and Houma. The acquisition enhances FMTC's course capability in the Offshore, Wind, Maritime, and Industry sectors and solidifies its position as the largest player in the USA safety training market.

Related link: https://fmtcsafety.com/

Enthusiasm Filled the Lake as Scuba Divers Came Together for International Scuba’s 6th Annual Ice Hole Festival on Feb 6, 2023, at Lake Okoboji, IA

LAKE OKOBOJI, Iowa /ScoopCloud/ -- Scuba divers from Canada, Mexico, and the USA joined International Scuba's 6th Annual Ice Hole Festival. The week started off with pro level scuba diving training. There were several people to help gear up. As soon as you are out of the water, our hospitality team takes over, with a cup of hot soup, drinks and more food. All while other divers help take your kit off.

Once you are warmed up you rotate into a support position. This is the secret that brings everyone together. The amount of coordinated teamwork is nonnegotiable, and everyone takes their job seriously.

Instructors and even a course director got their certifications on site. International Scuba showed how training agencies can work well together with PADI and SSI both sharing the hole to create new ice diving professionals. With our new instructors and the group's experience, they had things running smoothly all week.

PADI, one of our title sponsors has stepped up big for several years. On loan for the weekend is Charles Dupont, ice diving expert and PADI Rep for much of Canada. SSI also showed up to represent. Mark R Scott III has been a large portion of our program. It took a year to fully embrace this PADI and SSI effort, but it works, and all of us are winners for it. Fourth Element was our first sponsor and a serious asset to the Ice Hole Festival. International Scuba also welcomed Boji Divers. They conducted most of the salvage on the lake by cutting the hole. Cutting ice is no easy chore.

"Our mission was to create ice divers from the top down, and I believe this festival has a very strong group of Instructors and Course Directors, ready to take us forward every year," says Rich Thomas, Owner and Operator of International Scuba.

Next year's event is already in the books. Save the date: February 8 through 11, 2024. Lake Okoboji, Iowa.

Dive Shops: reach out to receive promotional materials. Early bird shops will benefit with links to sign up in our ice hole shop locater, posters, and a minimum of one industry wide press release.

If you are interested in getting involved with shops that want to build scuba, visit International Scuba here: https://internationalscuba.com/. Or call 972-416-8400.

Scuba divers from Canada, Mexico, and the USA joined International Scuba's 6th Annual Ice Hole Festival. The week started off with pro level scuba diving training. There were several people to help gear up. As soon as you are out of the water, our hospitality team takes over, with a cup of hot soup, drinks and more food. All while other divers help take your kit off.

Related link: https://internationalscuba.com/

Introducing Flushmaster: The World’s First Portable Automatic Outboard Engine Flushing System for Single and Multi-Engine Boats

SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla. /ScoopCloud/ -- Seamule, LLC, a trailblazer in solutions simplifying life around the water, proudly presents its groundbreaking new product - Flushmaster - the world's first portable outboard engine flushing system. Engineered to streamline the process of flushing outboard engines after use, this innovative system not only promotes engine longevity but also saves significant time and water.

Housed in a portable marine-grade waterproof box, the Flushmaster system sequentially flushes each engine, utilizing the full force of your water pressure for optimal flushing. Compatible with one to four outboard engines, a boater simply connects the device's outlet hoses to their outboards' flushing ports, presses ON, then START, and the Flushmaster handles the rest.

With the Flushmaster system controlling the water supply, there is no need to touch the water source valve after installation. Portable and versatile, the system can easily accompany you to the marina or can be permanently installed near your boat. Flushmaster is a game-changer for boat owners, simplifying engine maintenance and extending the life of their boats.

"We are thrilled to bring Flushmaster to market, a true plug-and-play and easy-to-use solution to flushing boat engines," said Cayman Ellis, President of Flushmaster. "Our cutting-edge technology streamlines the engine flushing process, saving our customers time and water while ensuring their boats remain well-maintained for years to come."

You can see Flushmaster in action in this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/sDNyLgxTPTs

The Flushmaster outboard flushing system is now available for purchase. For more information, visit https://seamule.com/pages/flushmaster-landing-page-1 or contact Seamule at (855) 732-6853 or sales@seamule.com

About Seamule:

Seamule is all about moving things around the water, as easily as possible. Whether you are floating in the pool, heading to the beach, or going boating - Seamule has a product for you. Our newest product, the Flushmaster, simplifies the process of flushing your outboard boat engines. Connect your hoses, push a button, and walk away! Learn more: https://seamule.com/

"Let the mule do the work!"

Seamule, LLC, a trailblazer in solutions simplifying life around the water, proudly presents its groundbreaking new product - Flushmaster - the world's first portable outboard engine flushing system. Engineered to streamline the process of flushing outboard engines after use, this innovative system not only promotes engine longevity but also saves significant time and water.

Related link: https://seamule.com/

Media Advisory: Safety training experience and experts available to discuss safety in Offshore, Wind, Maritime, and Industrial industries at FMTC Safety in Houma, Louisiana

HOUMA, La. /ScoopCloud/ -- FMTC, Fire and Medical Training Center, in Houma Louisiana, is inviting reporters to experience a variety of safety training courses for the Oil, Gas, Wind, and Offshore industries on October 20, 2022 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in honor of October's National Fire Safety Month. Reporters will get a chance to experience the real dangers of working and living at sea: how to escape from a sinking helicopter, how to approach a fire on a platform, and much more.

Here is a video impression of what to expect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTXkSzZza38

Safety experts

In addition, several safety experts will be available on request, such as Winona "Bebe" Mahler McElroy, the founder of On-Site Training & Instruction in 1989. She was the first woman firefighter in Houma. FMTC Center Manager, Kaylab Verdin, who has more than 15 years of experience in the offshore and safety industry will also be available to discuss safety topics.

The following safety training courses will be offered to participate in:

OSHA Fire Training

The OSHA Fire Watch Incipient Fire training is designed to teach personnel to properly perform fire watch duties, which include controlling workplace ignition sources (smoking, burning, welding).

OPITO HUET Helicopter Training

The OPITO HUET training is designed to inform about the security aspects on board a helicopter and the potential hazards and emergencies that can occur during transport. Various emergencies such as an emergency landing on the water will be rehearsed in the FMTC's training pool using the training helicopter.

GWO Sea Survival Course

The GWO Sea Survival Training is especially intended for people working in the Offshore Wind Industry. The theory is practiced during various exercises in the swimming pool to become well prepared for risky situations such as being alone in water or with multiple survivors.

GWO Working at Heights

The GWO Working at Heights will teach about the risks associated with working at heights. Several necessary safety skills will be learned such as how to secure yourself and your colleagues in threatening situations high up in wind turbines.

Statistics safety incidents at work

The latest safety incidents statistics come from 2020. In that year, there were 2.7 million non-fatal workplace safety incidents reported and there were 4.764 recorded fatal workplace safety incidents according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About FMTC Safety:

FMTC Safety is the safety training center for Offshore training, Wind training, Maritime training, and Industry training offering certified training according to international standards. The company's goal is to smartly and sustainably enhance safety in the workplace with respect for people, the planet, and the environment. FMTC's unique selling point is its client-based approach. The client always decides when they want to train and where the training will take place. At this moment, FMTC has 8 training locations around the world. Five locations are in The Netherlands, one in Dunkirk, France, one in Houma, Lousiana, USA, and one in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia.

For more information, please visit: https://fmtcsafety.com

FMTC, Fire and Medical Training Center, in Houma Louisiana, is inviting reporters to experience a variety of safety training courses for the Oil, Gas, Wind, and Offshore industries on October 20, 2022 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. in honor of October's National Fire Safety Month. Reporters will get a chance to experience the real dangers of working and living at sea: how to escape from a sinking helicopter, how to approach a fire on a platform, and much more.

Related link: https://fmtcsafety.com/

Son Of Canada’s Youngest Master Mariner Shares His Father’s Thrilling Adventures in Debut Novel

CARBONEAR, Newfoundland /ScoopCloud/ -- The life and adventures of one of Canada's unknown heroes is brought to life in Philip Earle's debut novel, "I'll Go the Length of Meself: The Story of Newfoundland's Daring Rascal, Captain Guy Earle, North America's Youngest Master Mariner" (ISBN: 978-0228869597).

As a boy sailing the North Atlantic on his father's schooners, Captain Guy Earle became a brilliant navigator and coastal captain at 16, and then, after falsifying his age by three years to successfully write the exam, he became a master mariner at 18 - the youngest registered master mariner in history. Retold by his son, Philip Earle, the novel explores Captain Guy's daring adventures, his seafaring life, and touches on the lives the dear Captain helped in his decades on the water.

"Many people who knew my father asked me to write Guy's story. But my main motivation was because I found my father to be the most incredible man I have ever known," says author Philip Earle when asked why he wrote the book. "When I was a boy, I thought everybody's father must be like Superman, but the longer I have lived, it is obvious to me that no one was like Skipper Guy."

Released in March 2022, "I'll Go the Length of Meself" is already receiving rave reviews. IndieReader celebrates the novel as "not only a touching tribute to Skipper Guy Earle, but also a warm, nostalgic look back at an entire culture and its character and values," with Kirkus Reviews describing it as "an intriguing account of a Newfoundland mariner's impressive life."

PHILIP EARLE hopes to showcase his father's legacy as a great mariner, businessman, humanitarian and exhibitionist, along with many other attributes. "There will never be another Guy Earle, there couldn't be. This is his story, and I'm proud to share it."

To learn more, visit http://gothelength.com/.

"I'll Go the Length of Meself: The Story of Newfoundland's Daring Rascal, Captain Guy Earle, North America's Youngest Master Mariner" is now out through Tellwell Publishing (RRP $27) and available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo and more.

BOOK SUMMARY:

Author: Phil Earle

Genre: BIOGRAPHY

Released: MARCH 2022

PAPERBACK ISBN-13: 9780228869597

HARDCOVER ISBN-13: 9780228869603

EBOOK ISBN-13: 9780228869610

Publisher: Tellwell Talent ( https://tellwell.ca/ ).

The life and adventures of one of Canada's unknown heroes is brought to life in Philip Earle's debut novel, "I'll Go the Length of Meself: The Story of Newfoundland's Daring Rascal, Captain Guy Earle, North America's Youngest Master Mariner" (ISBN: 978-0228869597).

Related link: http://gothelength.com/

FMTC Safety Continues Expansion with On-Site Training & Instruction Acquisition

HOUMA, La. /ScoopCloud/ -- FMTC Safety is continuing its global expansion in the Offshore, Wind, Maritime, and Industry sectors by acquiring Houma-based On-Site Training & Instruction. With this acquisition, the Houma location now offers certified OPITO training, a safety training for Oil, Gas, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workers. Later this year, the company will obtain the certified STCW accreditation and offer various STCW training courses, safety training for seafarers which will make FMTC Safety the first and only one-stop-shop for workplace safety courses in the USA.

Besides Houma, FMTC has five locations in The Netherlands, one in Dunkirk, France, and one in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia. FMTC offers compliant training according to domestic and international accrediting standards such as GWO, STCW, OSHA, OPITO, and customized training for all sectors.

International certification, same family business:

The acquisition of On-Site Training & Instruction by FMTC Safety originates from a solid 3-year partnership between the two companies. The partnership in Houma was FMTC's first international experience and turned FMTC from a national Dutch company into a global company. Acquiring the Houma location is seen as the start of expanding further in the USA.

By combining the strengths of both companies, the Houma location is now able to offer training in accordance with the OSHA standards, and the newest international standards. In addition, the facilities have been improved, and courses can now be booked online at any given moment the client prefers. In addition, FMTC guarantees that courses always take place, even with just one trainee. Besides these modernizations of the Houma-based company, the course additions, and the new name, the company is still run by the same trusted employees.

Kaylab Verdin, Center Manager FMTC Houma: "We are delighted that FMTC decided to invest in our company in Houma. FMTC understands our unique company culture. We now work under the FMTC banner, but we are still the same devoted family business. And even though Winona 'Bebe' Mahler McElroy, the founder of On-Site, has now retired, her son Alfred Fox is still as involved as always as we continue to help our clients to the safest work environments with our dedicated team."

First woman founder and CEO:

Winona "Bebe" Mahler McElroy founded On-Site in 1989. She was the first woman founder and CEO in the male-dominated safety industry. Breaking through tradition and stereotypes, Winona McElroy became the first woman firefighter in Houma. She was known for taking every possible safety training she could, which eventually led to her being asked to teach a Hazmat training, a course for dealing with dangerous substances. Soon many other companies caught on and asked her to be their safety instructor as well.

"At that time, I was driving around Houma with a 10 lb. extinguisher in my jeep and I was getting paid by teaching hundreds of men working with hazardous material. As a woman, when I proactively started offering safety courses to companies, many thought I was just a sales representative. They were all amazed that I was the one teaching the courses and it was my company. This is how I got started and founded On-Site Training & Instruction in the late eighties. I am happy that On-Site is in such good hands with FMTC and they continue to bring safety to the workplace!"

About FMTC Safety:

FMTC Safety is the safety training center for Offshore training, Wind training, Maritime training, and Industry training offering certified training according to international standards. The company's goal is to smartly and sustainably enhance safety in the workplace with respect for people, the planet, and the environment. FMTC's unique selling point is its client-based approach. The client always decides when they want to train and where the training will take place. At this moment, FMTC has 9 training locations around the world. Two locations are in The Netherlands, one in Dunkirk, France, one in Houma, Louisiana, USA, and one in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

For more information, please visit: https://fmtcsafety.com

RELATED LINKS:

https://fmtcsafety.com/us/courses/stcw-basic-safety-training/

FMTC Safety is continuing its global expansion in the Offshore, Wind, Maritime, and Industry sectors by acquiring Houma-based On-Site Training & Instruction. With this acquisition, the Houma location now offers certified OPITO training, a safety training for Oil, Gas, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workers.

Related link: https://fmtcsafety.com/

World Yacht Group Unveils Project Artemis – A Green-built and Environmentally Friendly Yacht That Has It All

MIAMI, Fla. /ScoopCloud/ -- World Yacht Group, a global yachting firm dedicated to charters, sales, management and new yacht constructions, announces its most recent and best new construction yacht to date - Project Artemis. This eco-friendly, green-built yacht is 150-foot of pure elegance and promises to impress.

Project Artemis, combines a modern and sleek design with a straight bow - a semi-explorer concept. It features a hybrid propulsion system that allows a max range of 5,000 nautical miles. And, while only using the generators as the power source and with a 330kwh battery bank, it can navigate for 3.5h at 7kn (range of 24nm) in full electric mode, creating zero emissions. Its top speed is 16kn.

Designed by renowned naval architects, Karatas Yacht Design, in Istanbul, Turkey and built by Arkin Pruva Yachts in Antalya, Turkey, Project Artemis is the culmination of years of feedback provided by buyers and charter clients.

"It's something special," Joan Plana Palao, co-founder and CEO, World Yacht Group, says. "The number of features for its size is quite amazing. It's innovative perfection."

Some key features include: six double staterooms including two full beam masters, massive deck areas, a 360-foot walk around bridge deck, hydraulic balcony on main salon, beach club lounge, dedicated gym room, full size pool on the main deck, oversize Jacuzzi on the sun deck and much more.

The A/V systems, designed by LA-based, No-Static Pro Audio, are state-of the-art and include a retractable TV on the sundeck for open air cinema nights. And, the interior concept is designed by Istanbul-based CA Architects and Buju Design.

Project Artemis boasts interior light tones and natural materials such as oak wood, marble, timber and bronze and hand-selected furniture from top designers such as Natuzzi, B&B, Minoti, Casamilano and others. Buyers can choose different furniture and make other changes if necessary.

And while many other yachts are running at more than a two-year build time, Project Artemis is completing its build at 20-22 months. The total price is 17,200,000 Euros (approximately $18.9 million US).

For more information and full specs, visit: https://worldyachtgroup.com/yachts-for-sale/project-artemis/

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/world_yacht_group

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/worldyachtgroup

Twitter: https://twitter.com/worldyachtgroup

MULTIMEDIA:

Photo link for media: https://worldyachtgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/large_3369811.jpg

Photo Caption: Project Artemis by World Yacht Group.

World Yacht Group, a global yachting firm dedicated to charters, sales, management and new yacht constructions, announces its most recent and best new construction yacht to date - Project Artemis. This eco-friendly, green-built yacht is 150-foot of pure elegance and promises to impress.

Related link: https://worldyachtgroup.com/

Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival Returns to Mesquite

MESQUITE, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- Looking forward to spring fishing? Who isn't? Fortunately for those of us still stuck in winter, the 5th annual Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival is headed to Mesquite on February 26-27, 2022.

Unique to the Texas Fly & Brew is a focus on microbrewery beer. With their paid admission, festival attendees 21 years and older receive tasting tickets to sample a variety of locally handcrafted brews. Breweries selected to participate in this year's event include Four Corners Brewing Co, Hop & Sting, and Tupps. All of the participating breweries will have personnel on hand to explain what sets microbrewed beer apart, why and how certain ingredients yield different flavors, and how to brew and taste different types of beer.

New to the 2022 Texas Fly & Brew is a series of advanced courses for experienced anglers. "We're well-known as a safe space for complete novices--those folks who have never picked up a fly rod in their lives," says Fly & Brew Director Beau Beasley. "Our event draws scores of children, and we have about six times the national average for women's participation, compared to other fishing events. This year, we're stepping up our game to draw experienced anglers, too, with unique, highly specialized courses taught by regional and national experts."

"Advanced Tactics for Fishing Tailwaters" with author and guide Pat Dorsey focuses on how to correctly fish below dams and in cold water rivers.

Full-time saltwater guide Captain Gary Dubiel, owner of Spec Fever Guide Service and a national pro-staffer for Temple Fork Outfitters, offers his unique "How to Locate and Land Monster Redfish ,"a class specifically designed for those who hope to land the redfish of a lifetime.

Interested in fly tying? Fiber Flies Dubbing owner Jim Bensinger will teach a "Beginner Fly Tying" class as well as a "How to Tie Wet Flies" class for intermediate to advanced fly tyers. No gear? No problem: All vises and materials will be provided by Norvise, which is sponsoring Bensinger's classes.

In cooperation with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation's Take Me Fishing Program, professional guide Karlie Roland will offer a women-only "Becoming an Independent Angler" to help women hone their angling skills and meet their outdoor goals. Don't miss the "Breakfast Meet & Greet" with Karlie and other female anglers, which is open to the public but limited to the first 50 women who sign up online.

The Texas Fly & Brew has partnered with Chris Johnson, owner of Living Waters Fly Shop, to offer a variety of classes specific to the Lone Star State.

HERE ARE A FEW COURSES AVAILABLE TO ALL GENERAL ADMISSION ATTENDEES:

"A Man, a Fly Rod & a Kayak," taught by experienced fly fishing guide Jerry Hamon, owner of River Crossing Fly Fishing Guide Service, is for all who hope to fish safely from a kayak. Don't have a kayak yet but looking for pointers on what to buy? Hamon will cover kayak purchasing as well.

At the "Women's Panel: Ask an Expert" class, Dana Williams, former president of Texas Women Fly Fishers, will answer questions from the audience. Cybil Jones of Dagon Apparel Company will discuss how the right clothing will keep you on the water longer and make your fishing experience more enjoyable. Other guest speakers may participate.

New Mexico-based Ron Kless, competitive angler and a Hardy pro-staffer, will be presenting "Euro Nymphing: The Do's & Don'ts."

Looking for just the right kayak? Check out regional pro-staffers from Dallas-based Mariner-Sails.

"This is our 5th annual Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival, but actually anglers and vendors come from across the entire country," says Beasley. "Mesquite has done all it can to make us feel welcome and we look forward to partnering with them again. The spacious Mesquite Convention Center provides more room for vendors and sponsors and even allows specialty food trucks. A wide variety of specialty fly tyers will also be participating."

The Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival was honored to receive several first-place awards in various categories from the 2022 meeting of the Texas Festival & Events Association.

"Our strong showing is thanks in large part to support from Mesquite, our amazing event team, and our excellent social media manager, Cece Liekar of The League Lady," says Beasley. "I accepted the awards on behalf of the Texas Fly & Brew team, but it was definitely a group labor of love to hold the first in-person fly-fishing event in the country since the pandemic. We had a very strong turnout in February 2021, and we expect to set a new record for vendors and attendance in 2022."

Major sponsors of the 5th Annual Texas Fly & Brew include the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, Gangler's North Seal River Lodge, City of Mesquite, Temple Fork Outfitters, Trout Unlimited, Norvise and Fly Tyer.

For more information, visit https://txflyfishingfestival.org/ or call 703-402-8338.

VIDEO (YouTube): https://youtu.be/jzVEhgchv1M

Looking forward to spring fishing? Who isn't? Fortunately for those of us still stuck in winter, the 5th annual Texas Fly Fishing & Brew Festival is headed to Mesquite on February 26-27, 2022.

Related link: https://txflyfishingfestival.org/

EPIC Acquires Oversea Insurance Agency – Continues Expansion of its Specialty Offerings

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- Edgewood Partners Insurance Center d.b.a. EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants (EPIC) announced today that it has acquired Oversea Insurance Agency trading as Oversea Yacht Insurance (Oversea). Oversea is based in San Diego, CA and Ft Lauderdale, FL.

Founded in 1978, Oversea Yacht Insurance is in its fourth generation as an insurance agency with three specializing in recreational and commercial marine insurance. Oversea represents unique policy offerings with the premier carriers in the insurance industry, providing value and comprehensive boat insurance coverage to yachts ranging from 30 feet to 300 feet, both domestically and internationally.

Oversea Principals Scott Jarvie and John M. Jarvie, II will remain actively involved in the overall organization and contribute their expertise and guidance in this highly niche practice. John Jarvie will serve as Managing Principal of the Yachting Practice.

"After 45 years in the marine insurance business, we are excited about the opportunities ahead with EPIC as this will enable us to expand our capabilities and offerings to clients. By further collaborating with EPIC and the EPIC Select team who are focused on high-net-worth individuals, there will be added benefit to all," said Scott Jarvie, President, Oversea Yacht Insurance. "I look forward to seeing John continue to lead the practice, as we build our collaboration with EPIC."

Adam Meyerowitz, President, EPIC Midwest & Southeast Regions, said, "We are fortunate to have aligned with the Jarvie team and their organization to provide this specialized expertise adding to our experienced and knowledgeable professionals."

About EPIC Brokers & Consultants

EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants has more than 2,600 team members operating from more than 80 offices across the U.S., providing Property and Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs, and Private Client solutions to EPIC clients. For more information on EPIC, visit: https://epicbrokers.com/.

About Oversea Yacht Insurance

Oversea Yacht Insurance is a family run fourth generation insurance agency with three of those as marine insurance specialty agency with offices in San Diego and Fort Lauderdale. The Oversea team has over 150 years of combined marine insurance experience. They are a fast-growing agency dedicated to offering competitive and unique policy options with the top carriers in its industry, and its seasoned agents work diligently to service clients every need. For more information on Oversea, visit: https://www.overseainsurance.com/.

Edgewood Partners Insurance Center d.b.a. EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants (EPIC) announced today that it has acquired Oversea Insurance Agency trading as Oversea Yacht Insurance (Oversea). Oversea is based in San Diego, CA and Ft Lauderdale, FL.

Related link: https://www.epicbrokers.com/

Seattle company developing wave-powered marine platform for ocean science applications

SEATTLE, Wash. /ScoopCloud/ -- Oscilla Power, Inc. [OPI] is proud to announce the receipt of a $200k Phase I SBIR grant award from the US Department of Energy to develop a wave energy powered platform for ocean sensing and monitoring systems. This award will help to develop technology that enables offshore instrumentation payloads to be powered by renewable energy from the surrounding ocean waves.

During this work OPI will collaborate with CODAR Ocean Sensors, an expert in high-frequency (HF) radar monitoring, to develop a wave-powered instrumentation platform for an offshore HF radar package. Such a system has the potential to greatly expand the range of existing shore-based environmental monitoring.

During this 9-month project, OPI will work with researchers at ECU's Coastal Studies Institute and Oregon State University to develop the marine platform using state-of-the-art optimization algorithms inspired by nature.

There are currently over 8,000 ocean monitoring platforms deployed world-wide, yet the global oceanographic monitoring system market is still considered to be in its infancy. Existing buoys and sensor platforms either utilize solar panels or disposable batteries, both of which need regular servicing visits. By harnessing energy from ocean waves, these servicing visits can be reduced to near zero, along with the associated waste and carbon emissions.

According to Balky Nair, President of Oscilla Power, "This is a great opportunity for OPI to showcase our technology and create a paradigm shift in the in the way ocean instrumentation will be powered in the future."

If this early work is successful, OPI plans to continue to work with project partners to progress into a full ocean demonstration in 2023. While the marine platform will be developed specifically for CODAR during the project, this R&D will lay the groundwork for a variety of ocean sensor systems.

About Oscilla Power Inc.:

Oscilla Power Inc. is developing advanced technology to extract energy from ocean waves. In addition to the work described here, they are currently completing the construction of the Triton-C prototype, a 100kW wave energy converter that is expected to be tested in Hawaii next year.

Learn more at: https://www.oscillapower.com/

Oscilla Power, Inc. [OPI] is proud to announce the receipt of a $200k Phase I SBIR grant award from the US Department of Energy to develop a wave energy powered platform for ocean sensing and monitoring systems.

Related link: https://oscillapower.com/

Pompano Beach to Test SEAHIVE Shoreline Protection System at Wahoo Bay

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. /ScoopCloud/ -- Scientists, government officials and citizens concerned about climate change and sea level rise will soon have a new source of data when Wahoo Bay in Pompano Beach launches. This underwater marine park will become a global incubator for the ocean's ecosystem and will test the SEAHIVE™ marine and estuarine shoreline protection system, a research project funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) in collaboration with FDOT.

The team at Wahoo Bay collaborated with scientists and engineers from the University of Miami's College of Engineering and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science with the hope that green engineering solutions will prove to be superior to traditional measures such as the controversial U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' proposal to wall-off Miami against water.

"There are a variety of potential solutions being discussed to combat sea level rise and protect areas like South Florida from the impacts of flooding, erosion and wave attack," explained Rob Wyre, Chairman of Shipwreck Park. "However, many of the options can be detrimental to the overall ecosystem. Wahoo Bay will play a critical role in helping scientists and government officials test the SEAHIVE system, while the park itself will create an environment for local, national and international scientific experiments and collaboration."

The SEAHIVE™ configuration for Wahoo Bay combines a modular concrete structure with adequate complexity and material composition with mangroves. The projection is that the system will not only reduce flooding and erosion in the area but will be hospitable to sea life, creating an eco-laboratory for Wahoo Bay visitors.

"We are very excited to be collaborating with the team at Wahoo Bay, said Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, an assistant professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Miami who is part of the SEAHIVE™ development team. "They were very enthusiastic about implementing our research in Pompano Beach, and our discussions with Rob Wyre led to the idea of utilizing red mangroves in the design, resonating our ideas towards a 'green-gray' approach. Wahoo Bay will be an important test for the SEAHIVE system and will provide invaluable data as we search for the most viable solutions to preserve coastal areas."

Wahoo Bay is a Shipwreck Park initiative that will be run by the City of Pompano Beach's Parks and Recreation Department and supported by community volunteers.

This educational initiative is expected to begin construction this September and will cost more than $1 million to complete. Additional funding is required, donations can be made at https://wahoobay.org/donations-page/.

MULTIMEDIA:

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0813s2p-wahoo-bay-300dpi.jpg

*Caption: Rendering of Wahoo Bay.

Scientists, government officials and citizens concerned about climate change and sea level rise will soon have a new source of data when Wahoo Bay in Pompano Beach launches. This underwater marine park will become a global incubator for the ocean's ecosystem and will test the SEAHIVE™ marine and estuarine shoreline protection system, a research project funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) in collaboration with FDOT.

Related link: https://wahoobay.org/

Full Spectrum Operations (FSO) Awarded NOAA NMITS Blanket Purchase Agreement

FAIRFAX, Va. /ScoopCloud/ -- Full Spectrum Operations, LLC (FSO), an SBA-approved, Mentor-Protégé Joint Venture (JV) between American Communications Solutions LLC (ACS), and By Light Professional IT Services LLC (By Light), has been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Mission IT Services (NMITS), a small business set-aside agreement with a 10-year lifespan valued at $2.1 billion.

The BPA utilizes General Services Administration's (GSA) IT Schedule 70 and is administered by a joint effort from the NOAALink Program Office and Acquisition and Grants Office's (AGO) Corporate Services Acquisition Division.

NMITS enables NOAA to procure mission and mission support information technology (IT) services and tools across a wide range of support areas, to include enterprise services, system and application administration, cloud migration, data and voice network services, information assurance and cybersecurity.

"As a Veteran Owned Small Business, FSO is honored to have the opportunity to provide the full scope of enterprise IT services, applications, enterprise and cloud computing, data and voice network services, cybersecurity and information assurance capabilities to support the NOAA mission," said John M. Schleifer, Managing Member of FSO and President and CEO of ACS.

According to Bob Stanton, By Light Vice President, "NOAA NMITS will leverage the skills and capabilities ACS and By Light have refined in our Software Development Center, our Satellite Operations team, and Cyberspace Operations team, among others. We look forward to addressing the many complex requirements that NOAA will require to drive their mission for the next 10 years."

About Full Spectrum Operations (FSO):

FSO is a CVE-verified, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) based in Fairfax Station, VA, that provides information technology, cybersecurity, engineering, and operational support services to customers in the Federal Government. FSO is an SBA-approved, Mentor-Protégé JV between ACS (Protégé), and By Light (Mentor), a large business.

About American Communications Solutions (ACS):

ACS, the Managing Partner of FSO, is a CVE-verified SDVOSB currently providing IT, cybersecurity, engineering, software development, and operational and training support services to customers in the Federal Government.

About By Light Professional IT Services LLC:

By Light, headquartered in McLean, VA, is an ISO 9001, 20000-1, and 27001 registered and CMMI Level 3 rated IT service provider specializing in innovative end-to-end software and systems development, security, administration, and management for complex projects and enterprise programs. Founded by industry professionals with extensive knowledge of Federal Government service, By Light's technical solutions integrate commercial best practices to meet the needs of government. For more information, visit http://www.bylight.com/.

Full Spectrum Operations, LLC (FSO), an SBA-approved, Mentor-Protégé Joint Venture (JV) between American Communications Solutions LLC (ACS), and By Light Professional IT Services LLC (By Light), has been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Mission IT Services.

Windstar Cruises Will Require Covid-19 Vaccination to Sail

SEATTLE, Wash. /ScoopCloud/ -- Until further notice, Windstar Cruises will require proof of a current COVID-19 vaccination for all guests sailing aboard Windstar's yachts. The cruise line arrived at the decision in the best health and wellness interests of its guests, crew, and the places the yachts visit. Many Windstar destinations and some airlines have announced or are considering vaccine mandates, providing further support for the new Windstar policy. Windstar is a leader in small-ship cruising with six, boutique all-suite and sailing yachts (carrying fewer than 350 guests each) that access the smaller ports, waterways, and destinations the large cruise ships cannot.

"Looking at the science behind the virus, we see consistent recommendations for wearing masks, social distancing, testing, and enhanced cleaning. In response, Windstar developed a new Beyond Ordinary Care program, which is a multi-layered strategy with key hospital-grade elements: HEPA filters and UV-C germicidal irradiation to filter and disinfect the air, plus backpack sprayers to sanitize all surfaces throughout our yachts," said Xanterra and Windstar Cruises CEO Andrew Todd.

"Vaccination is another layer of safety for all of us, and it's the responsible course of action as our yachts resume cruising and our guests travel the world," said Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises.

Current government and news reports about increased vaccine availability in the United States and abroad give Windstar confidence that guests who wish to sail with the line will have time to be vaccinated before travel. Crew members will be required to be vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available to them. This Windstar standard is subject to change as CDC guidelines change. Windstar will periodically review this and all other COVID-19 policies for updates as the pandemic evolves.

Windstar will restart operations in June 2021 in a phased manner, with initial cruises at a reduced guest occupancy, some modified itineraries, and with enhanced health and safety protocols. To provide guests with greater flexibility, Windstar has moved the final payment date from 120 days to 60 days prior to cruise departure.

The timeline for resumption of operations is:

Star Breeze - June 19, 2021 - Caribbean
Wind Star - June 19, 2021 - Mediterranean
Wind Spirit - July 15, 2021 - Tahiti
Wind Surf - August 8, 2021 - Mediterranean
Star Legend - Sept 4, 2021 - Northern Europe
Star Pride - November 3, 2021 - Caribbean

At the cruise terminal prior to embarkation, guests will be required to provide proof of a completed current vaccine course (one or two shots, depending on the brand) finished at least 14 days prior to the guest's embarkation date. Negative COVID-19 test results will also be required prior to embarkation.

For updated information, reservations, and itineraries, visit http://www.windstarcruises.com/.

Editor's note: Find downloadable images here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ngv8gihjkgimihc/AABlIB61TD1TZbPb35z8u_PRa?dl=0

Sarah Scoltock, Director of Public Relations, Windstar Cruises / sarah.scoltock@windstarcruises.com

Sally Spaulding, Account Director, Percepture / sspaulding@percepture.com

About Windstar Cruises

Windstar Cruises operates a fleet of six boutique all-suite and sailing yachts carrying 148-342 guests. Small ship cruises sail throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, Asia, Alaska and British Columbia, Canada and New England, Tahiti and the South Pacific, Mexico and U.S. Coastal and Australia. Windstar launched the $250 Million Star Plus Initiative to transform the three Star Class ships with new suites, restaurants, and a world-class spa and fitness center. The award-winning line is known for immersive experiences, destination authenticity, port-intensive itineraries, exceptional service, and an innovative culinary program. Windstar Cruises is part of the Xanterra Travel Collection, a group of global hospitality and travel companies, one of which traces its history back over a hundred years of operating our country's iconic national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier, Death Valley, and many others. Xanterra Travel Collection is owned by The Anschutz Corporation, the ultimate owner of the Broadmoor, Sea Island, and entertainment giant AEG, Anschutz Entertainment Group.

Until further notice, Windstar Cruises will require proof of a current COVID-19 vaccination for all guests sailing aboard Windstar's yachts. The cruise line arrived at the decision in the best health and wellness interests of its guests, crew, and the places the yachts visit. Many Windstar destinations and some airlines have announced or are considering vaccine mandates, providing further support for the new Windstar policy.

Related link: https://www.windstarcruises.com/

ViewTech Borescopes Acquires New Clients Replacing Outdated Visual Inspection Scopes

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. /ScoopCloud/ -- Whether an inspection application requires a small diameter borescope to enter a narrow access port or one that can articulate as it navigates through lengthy piping, ViewTech Borescopes VJ-3 video borescopes are utilized and relied upon throughout every industry. North America's lineup of top-selling articulating video borescopes caught the attention of two of their newest clients, a manufacturer of oceanographic measurement equipment and a global energy supplier.

A Production Engineer for an oceanographic equipment manufacturing company sought a new visual inspection tool to assist with product design. It was essential the borescope feature brighter lighting and an improved image quality than their current borescope was equipped with. Through ViewTech Borescopes no-cost, no-obligation demo offer, their Washington based facility was able to trial a VJ-3 2.8mm x 1.0-meter video borescope.

With hands-on experience utilizing the VJ-3, the ViewTech borescope documented areas not visually accessible during previous remote visual inspections (RVI). The decision to purchase was easy to quantify by their engineering team.

Another of ViewTech's newest clients, a global energy supplier, was not able to complete necessary inspections. With their current borescope too large to access chiller tubes, it was critical they purchase an inspection tool specifically for this application. After researching new borescopes for sale, they immediately considered ViewTech's VJ-3 video borescope. The video borescope requirements their Operations & Maintenance Supervisor deemed crucial were: 360-degree articulation, more than 20 feet of insertion tube, and a diameter smaller than half of one inch. The borescope experts at ViewTech recommended they trial a VJ-3 Dual Camera. While many borescopes use side view attachments or interchangeable viewing angle tips, with the ViewTech Dual Camera borescope, simply pushing a button toggles between front-view and side-view cameras. After their free demo VJ-3 Dual Camera was onsite and chiller tube inspections complete, the ViewTech video borescope was purchased by their O&M Supervisor.

VJ-3 Video Borescope

The VJ-3 mechanical articulating video borescope is a NDT instrument used for the RVI of machinery, equipment, and components. The VJ-3 facilitates the visual recording and photo documentation of inspection and components in areas that are otherwise inaccessible or require great effort and expense to access directly. The VJ-3 video borescope consists of two modules integrated into one system: an insertion tube with distally mounted camera/LEDs, and the base unit with a control panel, LCD monitor, power source, and all necessary circuitry.

About ViewTech Borescopes

ViewTech Borescopes, founded as RF System Lab in 2008, is North America's #1 seller of video borescopes. Their first product, the VJ borescope, set a new standard for portability, ergonomics, and ease-of-use, with its industry-first mechanical, joystick-controlled articulation.

For more information on VJ-3 Video Borescope: https://www.viewtech.com/

MULTIMEDIA:

*VIDEO (YouTube): https://youtu.be/nMzKWtANhjQ

Whether an inspection application requires a small diameter borescope to enter a narrow access port or one that can articulate as it navigates through lengthy piping, ViewTech Borescopes VJ-3 video borescopes are utilized and relied upon throughout every industry.

Related link: https://www.ViewTech.com

Carbon Monoxide Super-Meter for Inspectors and Scuba

LOS ANGELES, Calif., /ScoopCloud/ -- Forensics Detectors, a gas detection expert company residing in Los Angeles, California, has introduced its highly sensitive 0.1ppm carbon monoxide "super-meter," an innovation that has been designed to help users prevent low-level carbon monoxide poisoning and detect very small carbon monoxide leaks.

The Carbon Monoxide super-meter has been specifically designed to measure the smallest amount of carbon monoxide, where other carbon monoxide detectors and meters would simply not have the lower-level detection sensitivity. The carbon monoxide super-meter was designed for Scuba Divers, HVAC Inspectors and Air Quality Inspectors using superior sensing technology made with nanotechnology graphene electrochemical sensor technology to ensure maximum sensitivity down to 0.1ppm.

An important application for low-level carbon monoxide is heater and furnace inspection. Heater exchangers are found in all furnaces in homes and businesses. Most furnaces are gas burning and produce carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide produced in a furnace is designed so that it is contained within the walls of its heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is the metal wall or tubing that is heated up when the burners are ignited. Carbon monoxide is released in the home when a heat exchanger forms small cracks or pin-holes due to thermal stress and corrosion.

The exhaust of the heater's combustion can enter the heated air stream and then accumulate in the living areas. Carbon Monoxide can also enter into vehicle cabins due to exhaust leaks, manifold cracks or poor vehicle cabin, trunk or panel seals. Over time, these leaks typically increase that may quickly lead to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide accumulation.

Another major problem is found with scuba diving. Carbon monoxide can enter a diver's air cylinder if the air compressor intake valve is placed too close to the engine exhaust or if the lubricating oil in a malfunctioning compressor becomes hot enough to partially combust, producing carbon monoxide that then resides in the diver gas bottle. If inhaled during diving, symptoms include nausea, headache, weakness, clumsiness, and confusion. Carbon monoxide affects are amplified as a diver's depth is increased. For example, a value of 5 ppm would have roughly the same effect as 25 ppm at the surface due to depth increasing the partial pressure of the inhaled carbon monoxide. Therefore, a small amount of carbon monoxide in a diver's cylinder can be amplified multiple times at depth, and as such, be extremely dangerous.

With these challenges in mind, Forensics Detectors created the carbon monoxide "super-meter" that detects carbon monoxide with 0.1ppm resolution. The super-meter is small, battery-powered and has a loud 85dB alarm that will buzz, vibrate and flash LEDs when the CO level has exceeded the adjustable alarm threshold. For real-life robustness and operation, the super-meter is also waterproof and passes a 20 foot shock drop test.

"Typical home wall mounted carbon monoxide detectors are made to alarm between 60 to 240 minutes when carbon monoxide exceeds 70ppm. This is simply too high for homeowners to be warned when their heat exchange fails. Other CO meters have a lower detection range of about 1, 2 or 3 ppm," says Dr. Koz, Chief Engineer at Forensics Detectors. "We wanted to give scuba divers, vehicle drivers, home occupants and HVAC technicians a new tool to detect carbon monoxide accumulation as soon and as low as possible, down to 0.1ppm with a real-time digital display that can handle the everyday knocks and rough handling while on the go. This is a game changing product at an affordable price point."

About Forensics Detectors

Forensics Detectors was established in 2017 by Dr. Koz to offer consumers affordable and innovative gas detectors, meters and analyzers. Dr. Koz is a world-renown expert in toxic gas detection and continues to be inspired to develop innovative products for public health and environmental well-being. The company is located in California on the lovely Palos Verdes Peninsula where the company designs, develops, manufactures and sources products that meet Dr. Koz's strict technical requirements. The company can be found across social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Watch a YouTube video on the carbon monoxide super-meter: https://youtu.be/y4ULX5ZKnd8

Twitter: https://twitter.com/COForensics

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forensicsdetectors/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/DrKoz-Forensics-Detectors/100023151221336

Website: https://www.forensicsdetectors.com/

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sarah Kong
of Forensics Detectors
+1-310-344-5441
sarah@forensicsdetectors.com

Forensics Detectors, a gas detection expert company residing in Los Angeles, California, has introduced its highly sensitive 0.1ppm carbon monoxide "super-meter," an innovation that has been designed to help users prevent low-level carbon monoxide poisoning and detect very small carbon monoxide leaks.

Related link: https://www.forensicsdetectors.com/

Northwest Navigation Company’s Motor Vessel David B Alaska Cruises Unaffected by Canada’s Cruise Ship Ban

BELLINGHAM, Wash. /ScoopCloud/ -- Northwest Navigation Co., which operates the small cruise boat, M/V David B in Alaska, is unaffected by Canada's recent extended cruise ship ban for the summer of 2021. The company will still be offering multi-day cruises this summer, as are a number of small US-flagged Alaska boutique cruises, yacht charters, and niche market adventure cruises that specialize in remote wilderness small group tours.

Canada's ban on cruise ships with over 100 passengers may force major cruise lines that are registered in countries outside of the United States to cancel their Alaska sailings due to laws that require those ships to stop in countries outside the United States. As one of several small US-flagged vessels that operate with 12 or fewer passengers, the David B is unaffected by Canada's ban and will be able to continue regularly scheduled operations in southeast Alaska.

"Most people are not aware that there is a class of small American boats which run tours in Alaska," says Christine Smith who's the co-owner, chef, and naturalist aboard the David B. "Boats like ours are unique, for example, we have a maximum of just eight passengers. Some of our closest competitors carry only 10 or 12. The boats are big enough that we've always given people plenty of space. There's never been a good name for our niche, but some people call us a micro-cruise, boutique cruise, small boat or small ship cruise. We offer light impact eco-tours that are more on the adventure side of Alaska cruises. We focus on being in nature and visit wilderness locations for our anchorages, hikes, and kayaking excursions."

If Canada continues with its ban on cruise ships, Alaska's economy will be adversely affected. A recent article in the Washington Post noted that only 48 passengers cruised Alaska in 2020. "We operated last summer too, but because of our small size I don't think our passengers were even included in the tally," Christine said. "We're a very niche market. You really have to look to find boats like ours. But for the people who do find us this year, they'll see a quieter Alaska, even if the large cruise ships find a way around Canada's ban."

For more information about Northwest Navigation visit: https://northwestnavigation.com/

About Northwest Navigation Co.:

Northwest Navigation Co. is based in Bellingham, Washington and owns and operates the Motor Vessel David B. Since 2006 Northwest Navigation has offered multi-day, small boat tours in Alaska and Washington state. The David B is an historic 65-foot boat originally built for Alaska's salmon fishing industry in 1929. Jeffrey and Christine Smith started Northwest Navigation in 1998 with the purchase and restoration of the David B.

Vessel Image 72dpi: https://northwestnavigation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/David-B-Image-72-dpi-scaled.jpg

Logo 72dpi: https://tinyurl.com/nwnav-logo

MEDIA CONTACT
Sarah Kirkish
Office Manager/Reservations Specialist
360-474-7218
sarah@northwestnavigation.com

Northwest Navigation Co., which operates the small cruise boat, M/V David B in Alaska, is unaffected by Canada's recent extended cruise ship ban for the summer of 2021. The company will still be offering multi-day cruises this summer.

Related link: https://northwestnavigation.com/

Stitchin’ Heaven Announces New Line of Quilting Getaways Beginning in 2021

QUITMAN, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- Stitchin' Heaven announces Land Ahoy Quilting Cruises, five luxury quilting getaways in cities around the United States. Land Ahoy Quilting Cruises are the most recent addition to Stitchin' Heaven Travel's line of quilting-focused vacation packages.

Stitchin' Heaven Travel scheduled getaways to five major U.S. cities: Orlando, Nashville, Fort Worth, Las Vegas and San Diego. Vacationers can expect to stay six days and seven nights in a luxury hotel, with quilting workshops and field trips throughout. Each destination will boast two instructors teaching workshops to help complete two quilts.

Stitchin' Heaven Travel made a name for themselves offering quilting-themed cruises to Alaska, Mexico and the Caribbean. When COVID-19 forced the closure of all ocean liners, Stitchin' Heaven had to cancel all their cruises through the middle of 2021. When global restrictions began to loosen, customers began emailing Stitchin' Heaven Travel to ask when cruises would resume.

Deb Luttrell, founder and CEO of Stitchin' heaven, was confronted with a problem: on the one hand, Stitchin' Heaven was fielding dozens of emails asking about cruises; on the other, major ocean liners were predicting cruises would resume May 2021. The solution she devised was Land Ahoy Quilting Cruises.

Stitchin' Heaven travel understood that ensuring their guests' safety was the most important part of planning these getaways. They researched each location and venue to find places that not only lived up to Stitchin' Heaven Travel's reputation for quality but were also safe.

"We personally visited each of the hotels," says Erin Troyer, manager of Stitchin' Heaven Travel. "We made sure hotels followed enhanced sanitation protocols, and that the ballrooms had enough space to comfortably social distance."

"We're very confident that this will be a safe, healthy experience," says Troyer. "Except for the chocolate and cookies, of course."

For more information, visit the Land Ahoy Quilting Cruise webpage at https://stitchinheaven.com/pages/land-ahoy or email Erin Troyer at erin@stitchinheaven.com.

SCHEDULE

Orlando - Feb. 14-21

Join Nancy Mahoney and Sandra Coffey in The Happiest Place on Earth. Guests will stay at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Resort within walking distance to Disney Springs and featuring shuttles to all four major parks. Programs include Spruced Goose and Button Holes.

Nashville - Mar. 14-21

Featuring Janet Tanner and Barbara Black, the Nashville getaway will be steeped in American history. Guests will stay at the Sheraton Music City. Programs include Remember Me and Parlor Music, two civil war-style quilts that will be accompanied excursions to learn about the Battle of Franklin and the American Civil War.

Fort Worth - Apr. 14-21

Instructors include Leigh Headington and Tina Lueders. Visitors will stay at the Embassy Suites in downtown Fort Worth. Programs include The Wave and Hollow Star. This week will focus on America's veterans and will feature a Quilts of Valor presentation Friday.

Las Vegas - May 14-21

Instructors include Michelle Hiatt and Jackie Kunkel. Participants will stay at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa. Programs include Summer Star and Breeze. Visitors will both be able to see the Vegas strip and relax in the hotel's on-premise spa.

San Diego - June 14-21

Tiffany Hayes and Daniela Stout will be providing instruction. Participants will stay at the Hilton in San Diego's Mission Valley, minutes away from the famous San Diego Zoo. Programs include Rustic Tiling and Hanging Gardens.

Learn more about Stitchin' Heaven at: https://stitchinheaven.com/

*IMAGE links for media:
[1] https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-1103s2p-laq-cruises-300dpi.jpg
Caption: Land Ahoy Quilt Cruises.

[2] https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-1103s2p-stitchen-logo-300dpi.jpg
Caption: Stitchin' Heaven logo.

Stitchin' Heaven announces Land Ahoy Quilting Cruises, five luxury quilting getaways in cities around the United States. Land Ahoy Quilting Cruises are the most recent addition to Stitchin' Heaven Travel's line of quilting-focused vacation packages.

Related link: https://stitchinheaven.com/

Seattle Company, Oscilla Power, Developing Breakthrough Approach to Recharging Underwater Vehicles

SEATTLE, Wash. /ScoopCloud/ -- Oscilla Power, Inc. is proud to announce the receipt of a $200k grant from the US DOE to further develop technology that enables autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to recharge themselves using ocean waves. In this Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) project, Oscilla Power will collaborate with Lockheed Martin, through their Rotary and Mission Systems group, to explore how this capability can be incorporated into their AUV and UUV systems.

AUVs are now seeing significant use across a wide range of marine applications and the AUV market is projected to grow rapidly at a compound annual growth rate of 20.8% to over $1.6 Billion by 2025. However, the capability of an AUV is limited by its battery capacity. An NREL report noted that there were a number of key advantages in increasing the amount of power available, particularly the ability for longer duration missions. Oscilla's technology offers the ability for the vehicle to recharge its batteries using only the environment, potentially enabling unlimited range and duration.

According to Balky Nair, President of Oscilla Power, "The development of a capability that can be integrated into commercial AUVs to provide enough power to recharge the on-board batteries could be potentially game-changing for ocean science and military operations."

Solar panels have been used previously for AUV recharging, however, this approach suffered from very low power and constrained operations to daytime only. A significant advantage of using waves for this purpose is that ocean waves are more than 100 times more energy dense than solar, allowing for much higher power to be produced. AUV's spend the majority of their time working at depth so higher power is advantageous to minimize surfacing and recharging time.

Oscilla expect to demonstrate a fully working laboratory prototype early next year. If successful, Oscilla plans to work with Lockheed Martin to progress to a full ocean demonstration shortly afterwards, with the ultimate objective of transitioning the technology to commercial and military platforms.

About Oscilla Power, Inc.:

Oscilla Power, Inc. is focused on developing advanced technology to extract energy from ocean waves.

Learn more at: https://oscillapower.com/

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0803s2p-oscilla-power-300dpi.jpg

Oscilla Power, Inc. is proud to announce the receipt of a $200k grant from the US DOE to further develop technology that enables autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to recharge themselves using ocean waves. In this Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) project, Oscilla Power will collaborate with Lockheed Martin, through their Rotary and Mission Systems group.

Related link: https://oscillapower.com/

Windstar Cruises Retrofits Fleet with HEPA filters and UV-C Light – Partners with University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Center

SEATTLE, Wash. /ScoopCloud/ -- To address health concerns brought on by the pandemic, Windstar Cruises has committed to a holistic Beyond Ordinary Care program and will retrofit its fleet of six yachts with hospital-grade HEPA filters, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and will employ a safe sanitization formula used in health care settings. A new partnership with the epidemiology department at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Center provides ongoing guidance.

"We are taking extensive measures and making multi-million-dollar investments to operate our yachts more safely in this new environment," said Windstar Cruises CEO Andrew Todd. "Building upon Windstar's 180 degrees from ordinary service, the Beyond Ordinary Care program implements a layered system of science-led best practices aimed at keeping everyone aboard healthy."

For additional guidance on combatting illnesses, Windstar connected with the epidemiology department at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Center, known for its work and expertise in infectious disease epidemiology. The collaboration aims to implement appropriate layers of protection to create a safe experience for guests on Windstar's yachts.

"Windstar's holistic approach has multiple layers of safety at hospital grade standards, and when combined with responsible hygiene practices from guests, it's the safest environment achievable with tech and science as we know it today," said Dr. Michelle Barron, Medical Director of Infection Prevention at University of Colorado Hospital and Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Center. "When you're sailing on a Windstar yacht, your biggest worry should be how to avoid a sunburn, not getting COVID-19."

Windstar is making significant investments and major operational adjustments to meet the requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and global governmental and public health guidance. Enhanced cleaning protocols on board include crew dedicated to frequent cleaning with special attention to high touch points and public areas. Going further, the Beyond Ordinary Care program employs proven technology and the highest-standard cleaning methods in combination with each other, as follows:

1. Install high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to filter the air on board
Current CDC Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities recommend HEPA filtration for recirculated air from patient isolation rooms in hospitals. These filters are being installed in the HVAC systems on all Windstar yachts.

2. Add yet another layer to sanitize/disinfect the HEPA-filtered air with UV-C light for germicidal irradiation
Once air has moved through the HEPA filtration system, there is an opportunity to "zap" the air with UV-C light (also called germicidal irradiation) before the air recirculates on the ship. When air passes the UV-C light, microbes such as bacteria and viruses not trapped in the HEPA filter will be destroyed. Germicidal irradiation is a solution that has been proven to kill coronaviruses.

3. Use EvaClean with PurTab for disinfecting surfaces via sprayers
In addition to an elevated frequency of cleaning, sanitizing provides another layer of safety. This EPA-approved powerful sanitizer utilizes a safe and effective formula for disinfecting all types of hard and soft surfaces throughout the ship including guest rooms, crew spaces, and all public spaces. It has been used for everything from lower-level sanitization required for food-contact surfaces to powerful infection control used in health care settings.

CEO Todd stressed that the cruise line, working with health experts and following the guidelines of the CDC, has carefully chosen cleaning and sanitation methods that have been shown to be effective against coronaviruses, as well as many other illness-causing microorganisms. These systems, in combination with an abundance of other prevention and mitigation steps, and diligence on behalf of guests, give Todd and Windstar Cruises confidence to sail the Windstar fleet in this challenging environment.

"Windstar operates small yachts that visit ports and waterways that large cruise ships simply can't access," said Todd. "There are major advantages to smaller ships besides less tonnage and passengers. Let's face it, cleaning and purifying a 342-passenger ship is logistically easier than a 5,000 passenger 'city at sea.'"

As part of the multi-layered approach, new pre-trip protocols for guests include a pre-departure questionnaire, and a request to wear masks when traveling to and from the ships. Each guest will receive a health screening prior to embarkation. Staggered arrival and departure times at check-in and disembarkation in ports will reinforce proper social distancing between guests.

Once on board, guests will find personalized service by dining staff in all venues, expanded dining times and seating arranged to provide more space between diners. The popular outdoor, top-deck BBQ will still be held with crew on hand to serve guests. Additional al fresco restaurants and complimentary room service (main restaurant dinner menu available via room service) increase dining options for all. Main dining venues will operate at 65 percent capacity, while specialty venues will operate at 60 percent. Crew, who will also be COVID-19 (PCR) tested before joining their assignment, will wear masks and instead of the usual embrace or handshake, look for the new "Windstar Wave" hand signal - a W made with one's index fingers and thumbs. Temperature measurements will be required twice daily for crew.

Safety standards established on board will carry over to shore-side experiences. Tenders, motor coaches and smaller boats will operate at 50 percent capacity and will be cleaned between each use. Windstar will also expand medical staff on board, as well as increase crew training in cleaning practices, social distancing, and emergency response protocols. As more becomes known about the COVID-19 virus, Windstar's policies will evolve. Information will be shared with crew and training ongoing.

Windstar operates a fleet of six small yachts carrying from 148 to 342 guests and is known for visiting small ports and hidden harbors around the world. Ports will be continually evaluated for safety and changes made as necessary. The 148-guest Wind Spirit will be its first yacht to resume sailing on September 10, 2020 in Tahiti. Other Windstar yachts will start cruising in the Mediterranean in October and the Caribbean in November, while other ships will come online in 2021 following scheduled major renovations.

For updated information, reservations, and itineraries, visit https://www.windstarcruises.com/.

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0714s2p-windstar-yachts-300dpi.jpg
*Photo caption: Windstar Cruises' two yacht styles at sea.

Media Contact:
Sarah Scoltock, Windstar Cruises / sarah.scoltock@windstarcruises.com

To address health concerns brought on by the pandemic, Windstar Cruises has committed to a holistic Beyond Ordinary Care program and will retrofit its fleet of six yachts with hospital-grade HEPA filters, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and will employ a safe sanitization formula used in health care settings.

Related link: https://www.windstarcruises.com/