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Global sulfur cap brings uncertainty over fuel prices, blendingIt has taken decades to build the fuel supply chain for the 50,000-vessel global merchant fleet. The pending 0.5 percent sulfur cap on marine fuel stands to upset this entrenched structure, with price volatility likely as a result. |
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EPA plans regulatory relief for certain Tier 4 engines, vesselsDespite nine years of advance notice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a three-year deadline extension so marine engine manufacturers and boatbuilders can meet Tier 4 emissions standards for vessels with lightweight and high-powered diesel engines. |
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Navy opts for physical throttles on destroyers after fatal collisionsIn the wake of high-profile collisions involving U.S. Navy destroyers, including a 2017 incident that killed 10 sailors aboard USS John S. McCain, the service is revising bridge training practices and addressing what it sees as an over-reliance on computer touch screens for ship control. |
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Waterways need more investment to stay competitive, USDA saysThe nation has to invest more heavily in locks, dams and river dredging, and aging waterways infrastructure must be restored to full capacity to allow growth in traffic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a recent study, weighing the benefits to commerce and exports. |
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World’s last sail-driven tanker docked in limbo at Hawaii pierThe last remaining sail-driven oil tanker in the world is docked at a state-owned pier in Honolulu, where it faces an uncertain future. |
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Subchapter M glass ‘half full’ amid progress and challengesIn one breath, Tom Allegretti, president and CEO of the American Waterways Operators, describes Subchapter M as “a singular milestone” for an industry striving to improve safety and eliminate spills. |
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Wind in the winches: Towing up the mighty ColumbiaIt was a busy March day aboard Tidewater Transportation’s Captain Bob, catch-up time due to annual lock closures by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Columbia and Snake rivers. |
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New SIT towboat bewitches with hull ‘voodoo,’ z-drivesFirst light was breaking as Capt. Bob Asher maneuvered Karl E. Johnson across the Mississippi River to the Southern Illinois Transfer (SIT) fleet at Ste. Genevieve, Mo. |
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NTSB: Fatal fire started on California dive boat as crew sleptShortly after 0300 on Sept. 2, a crewmember aboard the dive vessel Conception awoke to an unusual sound. He left his bunk on the ship’s upper level and saw the galley, on the main deck below, engulfed in flames. |
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Twenty-four rescued after vehicle carrier capsizes off Georgia coastGolden Ray left the Port of Brunswick, Ga., early on Sept. 8 with thousands of vehicles packed into its hull. Its journey came to an abrupt end after the ship developed a port-side list and ultimately rolled over in St. Simons Sound within sight of the open ocean. |
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Capsizing of Fraser River tug highlights risk of girdingGeorge H. Ledcor was towing a loaded gravel barge up the Fraser River as the vessels approached a bend near Richmond, British Columbia. The tug turned to port, but the barge continued on a straight heading. |
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Barge tow destroys riverside yacht club near CincinnatiA barge tow slammed into an Ohio River yacht club near Cincinnati in a predawn accident, destroying the facility and damaging moored recreational vessels. |
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Crane collapses after faulty weight assessment, injuring threeThe crane barge Atlantic Giant II was rigged and ready to lift an estimated 350-ton counterweight from a salvaged derrick barge in Brownsville, Texas. But when the time came, the weight wouldn’t budge. |
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All-electric tugs and pilot boats: Are they ready for prime time?There are electric ferries and tour boats, along with proposals for fully electric containerships, bunker tankers and barges. |
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Recent cases hold clues for determining liability in Conception fireThe Conception dive boat fire on Sept. 2 that resulted in the deaths of all 33 passengers and one crewmember could expose the vessel’s captain — and the corporate officials whose actions or inactions contributed to the deaths — to serious criminal liability under the Seaman’s Manslaughter Statute. |
A Christmas sea story: Lessons from the past, present and futureI was a senior at the California Maritime Academy and one of only 10 cadets in my class who were chosen to go on a commercial ship for their senior cruise. |
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