DOT Secretary Launches Infrastructure Tour

Washington, D.C.— Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg used a visit to the Port of Tampa, Fla., to kick off a four-day, six-state “Building a Better America Tour.”

Buttigieg promoted the recently signed sweeping health, climate and tax law known as the Inflation Reduction Act, but he also used the tour to focus attention on major infrastructure projects.

Joined by Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg in Tampa, Buttigieg helped local officials celebrate a previously announced $12.6 million grant to build a new berth at the Port Redwing facility to add capacity and reduce emissions.

During his remarks, he also mentioned a grant awarded to Port Miami to expand rail capacity and cargo gate optimization.

Modernization projects connected to several other ports across the country also were among the 166 funded by the more than $2.2 billion announced earlier by the Biden administration from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program.

Buttigieg also had stops scheduled in Oklahoma, Nevada, Minnesota, Ohio and New Hampshire with other DOT officials headed to other states.

Cyber Risk Management

After providing a link to Maritime Cyber Alert 03-22 issued by the Coast Guard Cyber Command, The American Waterways Operators (AWO) encouraged its members to review such information and also consult its Best Practices for Cyber Risk Management for more on developing a comprehensive cybersecurity plan.

According to the link provided by AWO, the alert was issued August 17 after the Coast Guard observed malicious activity connected to a cyber-criminal campaign targeting critical infrastructure in Europe and threatening the U.S. energy sector’s segment in the Marine Transportation System (MTS).

“These threats were discovered via dark-web posts made by the Russian-based cyber-criminal and hacktivist group known as KILLNET,” stated Cyber Alert 03-22.

“KILLNET is one of many hacktivist groups whose malicious cyber activity increased in the wake of the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

A number of mitigation measures were recommended in the alert, such as not hosting internet-facing applications that are not essential to business operations, requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for remote access and hosting all public-facing servers in a segregated, demilitarized zone (DMZ).

For additional information, contact the Coast Guard at maritimecyber@uscg.mil or for immediate assistance call the Coast Guard Cyber Command 24×7 Watch at 202-372-2904.

TSAC Meeting Set

The National Towing Safety Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet September 21 to discuss matters relating to shallow-draft inland navigation, coastal waterway navigation and towing safety.

Open to the public, the meeting is set to begin at 8 a.m. CDT at the San Jacinto College Maritime Technology and Training Center, 3700 Old Highway 146, La Porte, Texas 77571. (www.sanjac.edu/programs-courses/maritime.)

 To ensure comments are received before the meeting, they should be submitted by September 16 via www.regulations.gov, the preferred method.

 For additional information, including inquiries on accommodations due to a disability, contact Matthew Layman at Matthew.D.Layman@uscg.mil or 202-372-1421.

Maritime Security Committee

The National Maritime Security Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet virtually September 13–14 to discuss matters relating to national maritime security, including enhancing the sharing of information among federal, state, local and tribal governments and the maritime industry concerning cybersecurity risks that may cause a transportation security incident.

Open to the public, the virtual meetings are set to begin at 1 p.m. EDT on September 13 and 9 a.m. EDT on September 14.

To ensure comments are received before the virtual meetings, they should be submitted by September 9; www.regulations.gov is the preferred method.

A limited number of virtual lines will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For additional information and requests for special accommodations, contact Ryan Owens at ryan.f.owens@uscg.mil or 202-302-6565 as soon as possible.

Cyber Trends

The Coast Guard “enthusiastically” announced the release of the first annual Cyber Trends and Insights in the Marine Environment (ME) report to continue the tradition of collaborating with owners and operators and provide information about best practices to secure their critical systems.

“This report aims to provide Coast Guard units and their port partners with relevant information to identify and address cyber risks,” the report states.

“The Coast Guard recognizes the criticality of the ME and its inclusion in the wide range of other critical infrastructure sectors that operate within the marine environment.”

Topping off at 51 pages, the full report details Cyber Protection Team missions, mitigation measures and insights into cyber incidents in the Marine Transportation System.

MERPAC To Meet

The National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee is scheduled to conduct a series of meetings September 7–9 in Dania Beach, Fla., to discuss issues relating to personnel in the U.S. Merchant Marine, including the training, qualifications, certification, documentation and fitness of mariners.

Open to the public, the meetings are set to begin at 9 a.m. EDT on all three days.

The sessions will be held at the STAR Center, 2 West Dixie Highway, Dania Beach, FL 33004; additional information can be found at www.star-center.com.

Preregistration is required for in-person access to the meeting for those who do not serve on the committee or represent the Coast Guard.

For additional information, including request for accommodations due to a disability, contact Megan Johns Henry at megan.c.johns@uscg.mil or 202-372-1255.

Vessel Repair Entry Process

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) restored a list of evidence required in Applications for Relief from the assessment of repair duties inadvertently deleted in July when the agency published its final rule streamlining the vessel repair entry process.

CBP published its correction in the August 19 edition of the Federal Register.

For additional information, contact W. Richmond Beevers at 202-325-0084 or wiley.r.beevers@cbp.dhs.gov.