Casualty News – Professional Mariner

14 Apr

Bridges reopen after Ohio River barge breakaway

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, Tugboats and towing

(PITTSBURGH) — A pair of local bridges reopened Saturday morning after 26 barges broke loose the previous night and floated uncontrolled down the Ohio River, damaging a marina, CNN reported. The bridges, about 2.5 miles apart, were closed after the barges – most of which were loaded with dry cargo – broke free after record-breaking rainfall Friday night, according to…

03 Apr

Barge strike temporarily shuts down Arkansas River bridge

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Uncategorizedbrownwater, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(SALLISAW, Okla.) — The Arkansas River bridge near U.S. Highway 59 and the Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam was temporarily shut down Saturday after a barge struck it, 2 News Oklahoma reported. The bridge is located south of Sallisaw near the Sequoyah/LeFlore County line. Jonathan Teague, director of Sequoyah County Emergency Management, said officials are still determining what caused…

02 Apr

NTSB: Complacency led to Mississippi River bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A towing vessel captain’s complacency led to barges striking the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge last year on the Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. The towing vessel Susan K was transiting with 25 barges downbound on the Mississippi River toward the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge on April 23. The captain intended to maneuver the tow through the western…

02 Apr

MSC ship towed to Mobile after engine room fire

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsMilitary Sealift Command

(MOBILE, Ala.) — A fire broke out Thursday in the engine room of USNS Sgt. William R. Button (T-AK-3012), leaving it stranded off the coast of Dauphin Island in the Gulf of Mexico. Sgt. William R. Button is a Military Sealift Command (MSC) ship. It was conducting routine operations at the time of the fire, MSC spokesman Thomas Van Leunen…

26 Mar

Coast Guard cutter damaged during transit into St. Marys River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Sea Dog (WPB 87373) sustained damage during the crew’s inbound transit from sea to the St. Marys River on Monday. Sea Dog safely moored in Fernandina Beach, Fla., with assistance from additional Coast Guard assets and a commercial towing vessel. There were no injuries to personnel, no damage to other vessels in…

18 Mar

Great Lakes bulker suffers second fire in less than a year

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping

(ASHTABULA, Ohio) — A fire broke out Friday aboard the 81-year-old bulk carrier Cuyahoga, one of the oldest cargo vessels transiting the Great Lakes, while the ship was docked along Lake Erie. The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the captain and crew of the vessel were not injured. According to the Coast Guard, the 664-foot Cuyahoga was undergoing maintenance in…

18 Mar

Coast Guard buoy tender spills fuel off California coast

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(ALAMEDA, Calif.) — The Coast Guard cutter Alder, a 225-foot buoy tender home-ported in San Francisco, accidentally discharged approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel 30 miles offshore of Fort Bragg on Friday morning. Alder was en route to Humboldt Bay when the incident occurred. Members of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Incident Management Division notified interagency stakeholders and are investigating…

13 Mar

Liftboat crew helps rescue two after rig allision in Gulf

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, UncategorizedU.S. Coast Guard

(NEW ORLEANS) — The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced two men Tuesday and searched for another after an allision with a rig at ship shoal 87. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watch standers received a report from the boat Linedout that they were taking on water with two people on board and a third man who fell overboard. Watch standers broadcasted…

05 Mar

Tug’s speed, hydrodynamic forces led to Texas collision

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — A tugboat maneuvering near a transiting tanker in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel was drawn in toward the tanker, leading to a collision, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. The tugboat Mark E. Kuebler and the tanker Nisalah collided in the channel near Ingleside, Texas, on Jan. 22, 2023. The tugboat’s hull was breached by the…

16 Feb

Cargo ship departs Alaska after lithium-ion battery fire

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(JUNEAU, Alaska) — The cargo ship Genius Star XI departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on Sunday en route its intended destination in San Diego, Calif. The vessel’s voyage was delayed for about eight weeks after it experienced a fire in its cargo holds, which included large industrial lithium-ion battery units. The unified command managing the incident has stood down and all…