The procedures and regulations surrounding crew changes have garnered a lot of attention lately as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many countries to enact port restrictions. In Mexico, crew changes are currently allowed in Altamira, Veracruz, Tampico, Guaymas, and Salina Cruz ports. Due to the pandemic, in addition to the standard protocol, crew m...

Today's Safety Sunday Tip is: Don't let a slip be a hospital trip! An accident is defined as an undesired event that leads to an actual loss or injury to a person, property, or equipment. GMC personnel and shipboard crews must be aware of the significance of safety measures and how to apply it routinely at work. Even though accidents can usually be...

Today's Safety Sunday Tip is: Make Wind Safety a Breeze The wind energy industry is the fastest-growing segment of renewable energy production. Both wind turbine installation and turbine maintenance are high-risk tasks, and safety considerations must be the main priority. It's important for our team to know that OSHA has identified the turbine area...

Simply put, safety is a personal matter . We can talk about every possible hazard around us, discuss a dozen ways to reduce the risks, and remind people all day long about using best practices, but at some point, it's vital to remember why we are talking about safety in the first place. And, that would be to make sure we all go home safely every da...

  Today's Safety Sunday Tip: Maintain D efensible Space "Help! Police! Help!" If you've ever heard those startling words being shout out loud, it might raise the hair on the back of your neck. In this day and age, we see more and more violent acts of terrorism, physical destruction of property, and even physical attacks. It is important to con...

The move comes as Mexico's President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, says cartels have infiltrated the maritime industry over the past 15-20 years, inserting their influence over the movement of goods and customs services. The new legislation passes control of ports and customs from civil servants in the Transportation Ministry to the military. New l...

Today's Safety Sunday Tip: STAY ALERT AND DON'T GET HURT" Fatigue is more than simply feeling tired or drowsy. It is mental or physical exhaustion that stops a person from being able to function normally. Fatigue is caused by prolonged periods of physical and/or mental exertion without enough time to rest and recover. Today's blog will aim to educa...

(Houston, Texas) Clyde Loll, Vice President of Compliance and QHSE at Gulf Marine Contractors, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the International Board for Certified Safety Managers (IBFCSM). Established in 1976, the IBFCSM oversees certification process opportunities in healthcare safety, hazard control management, emergency and di...

Today's Safety Sunday tip is: RESPECT UNBREAKABLE SAFETY RULES There are certain things in this world that you simply shouldn't do no matter who or where you are, regardless of the circumstances. I refer to these things as my " unbreakable safety rules " and we should ALL respect them. I'm quite certain that if we collectively lived by these unbrea...

Today's Safety Sunday tip is: ASSESS RISKS Risk assessment is a proactive HSE process tool. The more we understand its purpose and the more times we use it, the better we become at learning how to recognize, evaluate, and control hazards and minimize the likelihood of our employees getting hurt, damaging equipment, or possibly harming the environme...

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019, which enforces Jones Act requirements for all offshore renewable energy production. However, the bill's current language has the potential to create a loophole that would leave the U.S. Jones Act fleet on the sidelines. The Jones Act and its applica...

(Houston, Texas) Gulf Marine Contractors is proud to welcome Charlie Labastida as their new Logistics Manager for North America. Mr. Labastida will oversee and manage all freight-forwarding and international transport for GMC. "We are so excited to have Charlie on board our team," says Clark Buffam, Chief Operations Officer at GMC. "He is known for...

Today's Safety Sunday tip is: WEAR GLOVES At one time or another, everyone has had a minor injury to a finger, hand, or wrist that caused pain or swelling. Most of the time, our body movements do not cause problems, but it's not surprising that symptoms develop from everyday wear and tear, overuse, or an injury. According to the CDC, injuries to th...

  Today's Safety Sunday tip is: THINK  before Lifting! Every day, each of us has to pick up an object physically. It could be as small as a delivery package left on your home's porch, or it could be as large as an awkwardly-shaped piece of equipment in a port yard. Regardless, both of these instances could cause an injury if proper liftin...

Today's Safety Sunday tip is: Guard against SLIPS, TRIPS, and FALLS Not only do slips, trips, and falls cause nearly 700 fatalities per year, but they also cause many dangerous workplace accidents. Slips are a loss of balance caused by too little friction between your feet and the surface where you walk or work. Loss of traction is the leading caus...

Today's Safety tip is: STOP and THINK  Stop and Think about the job and activities you are about to perform. Did you know that the one task that causes the greatest of lost time incidents is "Line of fire/caught between/struck against"? Line of fire means being in direct striking distance of a foreign object that is released. Each day ask...

(Houston, Texas) Gulf Marine Contractors (GMC) is excited to announce the appointment of Patrick Kuys as Chief Commercial Officer in charge of Business Development, Strategy, and Commercial and Public Affairs. "We are very excited Patrick has accepted this challenge to help us ramp up and serve the global marine and offshore market," says Clark Buf...

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) announced revisions to the Ballast Water Management Reporting Form, including the removal of the alternative ballast water management clause and the addition of data collection of recent dry dock dates for vessels.   On July 20th, 2020, the USCG obtained approval from the White House's Office of Management ...

What is a Vessel Agent? A vessel agent (or ship's agent) is a local expert who acts as a representative of ship owners, managers, or charterers and carries out all the necessary duties and obligations required by the vessel's owner or crew.   What Are a Vessel Agent's Primary Responsibilities? As you can imagine, ship owners, managers, and cha...

(Houston, Texas) GMC is proud to welcome Dane Peden as the new Operations Manager for the United States Gulf division.In this position, Mr. Peden will oversee U.S. Gulf marine vessel operations, including port calls and offshore logistics. "Dane is such a valuable addition to our team," says Clark Buffam, Chief Operations Officer of GMC. "His passi...