Maritime

Today Rep. Michelle Steel (CA-48) announced the introduction of the Stopping Hazardous Incidents in the Pacific Act of 2021 (SHIP Act), legislation that will ban cargo ships from idling or anchoring in the coastal waters of Southern California. This legislation was authored following the devastating oil spill that has affected the Orange County coastline for more than a week. Reports continue to show that this spill, the largest in the region in more than three decades, may have occurred due to an anchor or chain of a vessel hitting the pipeline and dragging it along the seafloor. The pipe “may also have been struck several other times by other ships’ anchors,” according to the latest reporting.

Typhoon Kompasu has resulted in the worst container shipping traffic jam in months, one that now stretches throughout Southeast Asia and may take weeks to unravel.