BLUST STARTS FIRST WEEK AS FMC CHAIRMAN

BLUST STARTS FIRST WEEK AS FMC CHAIRMAN Steven R. Blust has begun his first week as chairman of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission.
   Blust replaces Harold J. Creel Jr. He comes to the agency with 31 years of ocean shipping industry experience. Prior to his Senate confirmation on Aug. 1, Blust stepped down as president and chief executive officer at Tampa Bay International Terminals in Tampa, Fla.
   Blust said he looks forward to working with his fellow commissioners, the FMC staff, and all the various industry interests that regularly interact with the agency. He has familiarized himself with the 1984 Shipping Act, 1998 Ocean Shipping Reform Act, section 19 of the 1920 Merchant Marine Act, Foreign Shipping Practices Act and other statutes administered by the FMC.
   Creel, who has lead the agency for six and a half years, said he would finish out his term as FMC commissioner, ending June 30, 2004.