PHILADELPHIA — Members of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay held a change of command ceremony Thursday at Penn's Landing Caterers here.

Capt. Kathy Moore relieved Capt. Meredith Austin, who served as the sector commander since June 2009. Moore  reported from Coast Guard Sector and Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas, where she served as deputy commander.

As commander of Sector Delaware Bay, Moore is responsible for search and rescue, ports, waterways and coastal security, aids to navigation, maritime law enforcement, pollution response, commercial vessel safety and icebreaking in her area of responsibility.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard, along with other federal, state and local agencies, conducted a joint Multi-Agency Strike Force Operation at Hampton Roads port facilities Monday through Wednesday.

The operation discovered multiple containers that were improperly placarded and had structural deficiencies. Each container was placed on hold until the deficiencies were rectified, and the operation also resulted in one truck driver being taken into custody and arrested for an outstanding warrant. Three trucks were also removed from service after they were deemed unsafe for operation.

Agencies participating in this operation included: the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, National Cargo Bureau, Transportation Security Administration, Virginia International Terminal Port Police, Chesapeake Police Department and the Newport News Police Department.

The partnering agencies inspected intermodal shipping containers and trucks as they left the marine terminals with shipments from both domestic and international locations. Inspections included verifying proper truck and container documentation; structural integrity of shipping containers; licensing; customs and fuel tax compliance and hazardous material markings; packaging and segregation. The operation was coordinated between agencies employing their individual jurisdictions side by side, so shipments could be simultaneously inspected for compliance with all applicable requirements.

The agency members inspected containers at the Norfolk International Terminal and APM Terminals. The focus of the operation was to promote awareness and to verify compliance with federal and state intermodal container, truck, air, rail and hazardous material safety regulations. Similar operations are conducted Coast Guard wide throughout the year.

The Coast Guard employed several mission specific teams and resources throughout the operation, such as: container inspectors, a Vessel Boarding Security Team, a Maritime Security Response Team and the Coast Guard Investigative Service. The joint initiatives also included TSA, DHS and local law enforcement officers from the Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response operations team.

Individual agencies regularly conduct inspections of containers and trucks leaving the Port of Hampton Roads, but this operation is one in a series of similar initiatives conducted in ports nationwide since September 1998 that is designed to reduce the inspection time delay for shippers.

"The teamwork and coordination of the agencies involved in this operation is another example of how our collective enforcement efforts ensure the resiliency and security of the Port of Hampton Roads," said Capt. Mark Ogle, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads.

Click on a photo above to view more detailed caption information and download the photo. You can also view these photos on flickr.

BARNEGAT LIGHT, N.J. ─ Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light here participated in the Barnegat Bay Blitz watershed-wide cleanup Wednesday near Barnegat Lighthouse State Park.

The event, coordinated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, included volunteers from local schools, local business employees, environmental agency personnel, governmental representatives and Coast Guard members who cleaned up areas in Barnegat Bay’s watershed municipalities.

“It is important for us, the local Coast Guard station, to partner with local agencies and individual volunteers to help preserve our maritime environment.  By taking one day of work and dedicating it to cleaning up the environment, we help make it a better place,” said Chief Warrant Officer Jay Greiner, the commanding officer of the station.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew of a Coast Guard cutter, homeported here, returned at 10 a.m. Tuesday, following a 33-day deployment to support the Coast Guard’s 7th District.

The crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Horse deployed March 30 and arrived at Charleston, S.C., assuming the role of the standby search and rescue cutter.

During their patrol, the crew worked as a security detail with the Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Secret Service and local and state agencies for Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to South Carolina Easter weekend.

The crew also responded to two cases, during the latter part of their patrol. The first was a disabled 38-foot sailing vessel, which they took in tow. The crew traveled approximately 130 miles to rendezvous with the boaters and towed them 65 miles toward Tybee, Ga.

Crewmembers were also able to assist good Samaritans in coming to the aid of three people aboard a sinking small boat. Petty Officer 1st Class Lance Wiser and Petty Officer 3rd Class Caitlyn Nottingham provided aid to the good Samaritans, who had the vessel in tow.

“We aren’t the first 87 crew to do a 30-day deployment, and I'm sure we won't be the last,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Stephen B. Atchley, the officer in charge of the Sea Horse. “But the significance of this is the fact that 12 men and women lived for 30 days aboard a platform that was designed for just 2-3 day deployments.”

The Sea Horse is an 87-foot Patrol Boat.

BALTIMORE — Lt. Fran Gower of the Maryland Natural Resources Police highlights the 2011 boating accident statistics to the audience of the 5th Annual Search and Rescue Conference at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Friday. Members from the Coast Guard, MNRP, Maryland State Police and emergency responders from throughout the area gathered together for a daylong conference to discuss ways to improve communication between agencies and establish best practices during search and rescue cases. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan Henise

BALTIMORE — The Coast Guard hosted the 5th annual Search and Rescue Conference, Friday at the Coast Guard Yard to improve cooperation between search and rescue agencies in the upper Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River.

The conference was held as an open forum for agencies to explain their own policies when it comes to handling a distress call and establish the best practices between them. It also included lectures regarding the Coast Guard's SAR organizational structure.

"This annual meeting gives us the opportunity to get to know each other and learn from each other," said Lt. Cmdr. Randall Brown, Sector Baltimore's chief of response. "As first responders, meeting with our state and local partners allows us to discuss ways to improve our response speed, adaptability, and reliability in order to accomplish our common goal of saving lives."

Following the conference, a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, a Maryland State Police Helicopter, a Coast Guard 25-foot Response Boat-small, a vessel from Maryland Natural Resources Police and an Anne Arundel Mobile Command Post were on display and available for tours.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — A 2010 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy here was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to study sustainable energy engineering in Norway during academic year 2012-2013.

Lt. j.g. Joe DiRenzo IV of Suffolk, Va., was granted the scholarship and will pursue a master’s degree in innovative and sustainable energy engineering from the Norwegian Technical University with a concentration in renewable energy generation and utilization. DiRenzo is currently serving as the first lieutenant aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant, a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Port Canaveral, Fla.

DiRenzo selected the program because of its research-oriented curriculum with real-world applications, which he hopes will enhance renewable energy initiatives within the Coast Guard. During his time at the university, DiRenzo will also study at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden where he will focus on using sustainable energy systems for shipboard components as well as studying the feasibility of implementing sustainable energy into the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet.

Upon completing his Fulbright Scholarship, DiRenzo intends to resume his operational career and return to the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet. He plans to merge his renewable energy technical expertise with his maritime operational experience, enabling him to serve the Coast Guard in engineering positions.  

DiRenzo graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 2010 with a degree in mechanical engineering with high honors. This is DiRenzo's second Fulbright Scholarship since graduating from the academy.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, towing industries, passenger vessel industries, and various maritime industrial facilities along the mid-Atlantic coast came ome together April 23-25, for the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Waterways Conference in Norfolk.

Members from the participating agencies focused on the agenda of “Streamlining Cooperation, Knowledge and Assets."

"What makes this conference different is that it provides a forum," said John Goodwater, executive director of the Passenger Vessel Association. "It brings together a broad swatch of maritime agencies and interests to discuss issues and common problems and to discover solutions."

The conference, hosted by the Passenger Vessel Association, includes high ranking officials from the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, and Virginia Department of Transportation as speakers.

The topics discussed include new commercial fishery regulations, issues on navigation in the mid-Atlantic region, lessons learned from hurricane Irene, the way ahead for the Coast Guard, marine casualties, and offshore wind farms.