Vard Aukra

The U.S. military on Monday released new images it says showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) removing an unexploded limpet mine from a Japanese-owned tanker that was attacked on June 13 in the Gulf of Oman, as Washington blames Tehran for the attack."Iran is responsible for the attack based on video evidence and the resources and proficiency needed to quickly remove the unexploded limpet mine," the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement explaining the still-images.(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Sandra

A BP drilling rig heading to an oilfield in the British North Sea has been forced to turn away twice over the past two days as a Greenpeace vessel protesting climate change tries to hamper its progress.The high-sea chase is the latest step in Greenpeace's nine-day effort to stop the 40,000 tonne Paul Loyd JNR rig from reaching the Vorlich oilfield to start its drilling campaign.The vessel left Cromarty Firth, north of Inverness, Scotland on Friday after police twice removed activists who had climbed and spent several days on one of the rig's legs.

Tip #1. Immediate exam retakes should never be allowed.It is very common practice, especially in eLearning environments, to allow trainees to immediately retake an exam they just failed. Worse, sometimes training is set up to allow the trainee to take the exam repeatedly until they pass.Never do this. It will ensure that your learners are not learning what you want them to learn.For most people, this raises two immediate questions. First, why not allow immediate retakes? And second, what shall we do instead?To answer these two questions, it is important to understand that for any non-trivial training program, exams can never be comprehensive assessments of what a trainee knows.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced $19.6 million in grants to support capital improvements at 28 U.S. small shipyards as a part of its Small Shipyard Grant program. The grants enable small shipyards to modernize equipment and processes to fuel future growth.  “These grants help create jobs in America’s small shipyards, which play a significant role in our country’s maritime sector,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.In 2013, U.S. shipbuilders produced $37.3 billion in gross domestic product. Typically family-owned and employing less than 1,200 workers, small shipyards play a critical role in contributing to our nation’s economy.

Happy 80th birthday Maritime Reporter & Engineering News!  Eighty years is a significant publishing and business accomplishment!Birthdays always cause a look back.  An 80-year review starts in 1939, the close of one very challenging decade, the start of events still reverberating today.  History’s most important history is contained in the last 80 years.Energy dominated every one of those decades.  Consider energy use, say, starting after World War II, from 1950 to 1975.  There was power for everything, from seemingly endless sources of oil, gas and coal, and nuclear power was standing by.Next, recall energy from 1975 to 2000.  Not so happy.