Southeast navigation manager hosts NOAA and Commerce leadership in Charleston
Kyle Ward and Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet (Navy, ret.)
talk NOAA products and services while on a boat tour in
Charleston Harbor.
Southeast
navigation manager,
Kyle Ward, had a very busy couple of weeks, hosting two VIPs in Charleston, South Carolina. On October 22, Kyle joined Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet (Navy, ret.) and leadership from the Charleston Branch Pilots Association for a boat tour around Charleston Harbor. Rear Adm. Gallaudet saw the Charleston Harbor PORTS® installation, gained a better understanding about how NOAA products and services promote the safe and efficient flow of maritime commerce, and learned about plans to increase the port’s capacity, including
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' harbor dredging project and the South Carolina Ports Authority’s new terminal - the only container terminal under construction on the Atlantic coast. The following week, on October 30, Kyle participated in a round table discussion with Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, before joining him on another boat tour of Charleston Harbor. During his visit, Secretary Ross learned about the history of Coast Survey and navigation services, the need for increased accuracy in our data and charting products, and about how mariners use our data in portable pilot units (PPUs). Other round table participants included James Morris from
NCCOS, Nicolas Schmidt from
OCM, and Sarah Satshaw from
OR&R. Brent Ache from
CO-OPS also joined the boat tour with Secretary Ross. For more information contact
Kyle.Ward@noaa.gov.
Navigation response team uses MIST kit to survey sanctuary
Manta team members lower the multibeam sonar into the
water before the first survey begins.
Credit: Erin Diurba
Coast Survey’s
navigation response team (NRT) stationed in Galveston, Texas, including team members
Erin Diurba,
Michael Bloom,
Wess Rowland, and
Eli Smith (from NRT1-Stennis), teamed up with
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) and the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to conduct two survey cruises on board FGBNMS Research Vessel
Manta in mid-October. The team conducted survey operations using NOAA’s mobile integrated survey team (MIST) equipment, including a mulitbeam echo sounder that Coast Survey shipped to Galveston and installed on the vessel. The
Manta is equipped with a custom pole mount system on which the sonar was mounted. This mapping effort contributes to the collection of critical data to guide BOEM and NOAA decision-making and provides baseline imagery for future exploration and characterization efforts. For more information contact
Erin.Diurba@noaa.gov.
Gulf coast navigation managers attend harbor safety committee meeting
Tim Osborn and Erin Diurba tour the tow boat simulator
while attending the Lone Star Harbor Safety Committee
meeting.
Recently,
Alan Bunn, NOAA’s newly retired western Gulf coast navigation manager,
Erin Diurba, acting western Gulf coast navigation manager, and
Tim Osborn, central Gulf coast navigation manager, attended the Lone Star Harbor Safety Committee (HSC) meeting at the San Jacinto Maritime College in La Porte, Texas. The HSC provides a public forum to address marine transportation system issues with particular emphasis on navigation safety-related matters involving the ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City, and Freeport including the associated waterways of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and offshore lightering zones. At the meeting, concerns were raised to NOAA about the inadequacy of chart products available to users, and many suggestions were made on how to better these products. The navigation managers also received requests to survey various areas including the existing anchorages in Galveston to assist with an ongoing anchorage expansion effort. The managers were given a tour of the tow boat simulator by Captain Steven J. Huttman, the senior vice president of G&H Towing Company. He demonstrated the difficulties his boat operators face when completing emergency maneuvers outside of channels without depth soundings. For more information contact
Erin.Diurba@noaa.gov.
Navigation Response Teams
NRT 1 - Deployed to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, per U.S. Coast Guard response for Hurricane Florence damage.
NRT 2 - Troubleshooting survey systems and data processing from hurricanes Florence and Michael responses.
NRT 3 - Testing new throttle, processing Columbia River survey.
NRT 4 - Surveying in Galveston Bay (weather permitting) and data processing.
NRT 5 - Processing Hudson River survey and assisting NRT1 at Camp Lejeune.
Bay Hydro II - Alongside for repairs, processing Delaware River survey, and assisting with Camp Lejeune survey.
Staff Updates
Rachel Medley, Navigation Services Division's Customer Affairs Branch (CAB) chief, on detail as deputy director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries for the next few months, has accepted the position of Director of Expeditions and Exploration in the Office of Exploration and Research (OER). Rachel's start date at OER will be December 10.
Tim Osborn (left) and Alan Bunn (right) attend the Lone Star
Harbor Saftey Committee meeting. The NOAA Corps flag was
signed by Alan's many colleagues in the south Texas
maritime and port community who attended the meeting.
Long-time western Gulf coast navigation manager and one of the original plank holders,
CDR Alan Bunn, (NOAA ret.) retired on October 31 after a combined total of over 43 years of federal service. Over the years he has done great work supporting his region, responding to numerous hurricanes (Katrina and Rita to name a few), and even surviving Hurricane Ike. We all thank Alan for his contribution to the mission of Coast Survey and wish him fair winds and following seas.
Captain Jim Crocker, chief of the Navigation Services Division,
flew down to Galveston, Texas, to meet with personnel from
NRT4 and partners. He took a quick moment to congratulate
Erin on her new temporary duty assignment.
Until a permanent replacement for Alan is brought on,
Erin Diurba has graciously agreed to step in as the acting western Gulf coast navigation manager. Many of you likely know Erin from her role as a member of NRT 4 home ported in Galveston, Texas.
Awards
Congratulations to
Dr. Shachek Pe’eri, MCD Chart Standards Group chief, who was recently awarded the NOAA Administrator’s Award for establishing an internationally approved training program to certify NOAA nautical cartographers, making NOAA an expert in the global cartographic community.
Congratulations to
Lucy Hick who was selected as a NOS Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Award recipient. She is honored for exceptional leadership, dedication, and imagination with respect to building a diverse and inclusive workforce through education and opportunities.
