A 6,500 teu container ship was attacked by pirates in the northwestern Indian Ocean at approximately 20:15 GMT April 20^th.

The Korean owned Hanjin Tianjin was attacked 250 miles east of the Yemeni island of Socotra while on route from Europe to Singapore.

The Ship has twenty crew members. Fourteen of the crew are from Korea while six are from Indonesia.

L-3 Marine Power Systems will provide control equipment for the U.S. Navy's newest combat ship, the LCS, or Littoral Combat Ship.

L-3 is contracted to supply the Seaframe Control System for fifteen ships. The advanced control system will allow a much smaller crew to operate the vessel and provide increased maneuverability to the shallow draft vessels.

Many of the LCS systems will be integrated into the Seaframe Controls. In addition to propulsion, secondary power and environmental systems will also be automated.

L-3 develops and deploys a large variety of solutions to industries including commercial and military maritime operations.

The Littoral Combat Ship is being built in two variants, one of steel construction the other of aluminum.

This advanced ship is designed to be quickly reconfigured depending on mission requirements. Modular designs and flexible control solutions will allow crews to adapt the vessel according to needs while dockside.

Photo US Navy

According to the US Coast Guard this year's ice breaking operations in the Great Lakes have come to a close.

Operation Taconite, which is named after a type of iron ore, kept shipping lanes open in Lake Superior, the St. Mary's River, the straights of Mackinac, and Northern Lake Huron.

Operation Coal Shovel cleared ice from the St. Lawrence Seaway west to southern Lake Huron, including Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

Eight USCG icebreakers joined Canadian vessels to keep ice risks to a minimum during the three month ice season on the Great Lakes. Aircraft assets aided operational logistics by ice spotting for coast guard and commercial crews.

Direct assistance was provided to 578 commercial vessels. Economic impact of the operations is estimated at 300 million dollars.

The USCG is warning mariners of the threats of loose ice which will persist for another month. The cool spring in the northern U.S. this year means water temperatures will remain dangerously cold into the higher traffic spring season.

Hypothermia is the cause of many more deaths than ice collision, so everyone who spends time on or near the water should know the basics of hypothermia prevention and treatment.

Photo USCG

The Red Hook Cruise Terminal in Brooklyn will add cold ironing capabilities for passenger ships at berth.

Cold Ironing is the practice of using shore generated electrical power to provide energy needs of a ship at berth. Most cruise ships use auxiliary engines powered by diesel fuel to supply power while in port.

New York and the surrounding boroughs have a plan called "PlaNYC" which aims to cut carbon emissions 30% by 2030.

This long sought after goal of shore power at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is the product of an extensive partnership between federal, state, and local governments. The Port Authority of New York, the New York Power Authority, Princess Cruises, and Cunard Line are bearing the majority of the costs for the project.

Shore power capabilities are expected to be completed in 2012 at a cost of approximately 15 million dollars. Twelve million dollars will be paid by the Port Authority of New York, the remaining three million dollars will be provided by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The New York Power Authority has agreed to a reduced and fixed rate per kilowatt hour for a period of five years.

Princess and Cunard will spend around one million dollars per vessel to retrofit cold ironing equipment.

Currently only three ships making port calls in Brooklyn are capable of connecting to shore power. The Queen Mary 2, Caribbean Princess, and Emerald Princess are already taking advantage of shore power and a growing trend towards green cruising.

Initially only one in six port calls at Brooklyn will be able to utilize the new green technology. Brooklyn is the first East Coast port to install cold ironing equipment, but it is expected to grow dramatically in ports and onboard vessels as rising fuel prices and sulfur restrictions make shore power the more attractive option to governments and cruise operators.

Photo US Department of Interior