Publication > Professional Mariner – Page 71

30 Sep

Six rescued after tugboat catches fire, burns off Florida coast

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

Six mariners escaped into a life raft and were later rescued by a good Samaritan after their tugboat caught fire and burned off the Florida coast. The 3,000-hp Thomas Dann was towing a barge when it burst into flames at about 1700 on July 22. The accident occurred in open water roughly seven miles east of Marineland, Fla., a community…

30 Sep

Tanker breached, anchor line snags sailboats in NH grounding

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

A loaded tanker left the shipping channel and struck a ledge before running into three unmanned sailboats moored at a yacht club near Portsmouth, N.H. The 477-foot tanker Chem Venus was downbound in the Piscataqua River when its bow struck Goat Island Ledge at about 1550 on June 29. As the tanker backed off the charted shoal, its anchor line…

30 Sep

NTSB: Captains failed to ‘properly determine risk’ of Gulf collision

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

Federal investigators cited the actions of both operators in a collision between a lift boat and crew boat in the Gulf of Mexico. The 121-foot crew boat Diamond Edge and the 61-foot B.W. Haley, a lift boat-configured offshore supply vessel, collided in open water at 1027 on March 2, 2015, roughly 5 nm south of Freshwater City, La. The incident,…

30 Sep

NTSB: Barges collided in area ‘not recommended’ for meetings

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

The towboat Capt. Shorty C was approaching the Intracoastal Waterway when the vessel began sheering toward an oncoming vessel. The captain tried to steer away from Jackie, the oncoming towboat, but his vessel wasn’t turning as expected. Capt. Shorty C also lost its starboard engine. Moments before the collision, Jackie’s captain told his counterpart on Capt. Shorty C that the…

30 Sep

Efficiency paper helps shipowners weigh costs, benefits of going ‘green’

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

As North America and Europe face more stringent pollution regulations and voluntary “green” programs in Long Beach, San Diego and other ports mature, commercial shipowners and operators are looking for innovative ways to improve their vessels’ energy efficiency. The challenge is finding the right strategy, whether it includes reducing hull friction or improving overall operational efficiency to cut fuel consumption.…

30 Sep

Tight bridges, summer boaters keep Lakes pilots vigilant

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

“Sécurité, sécurité, sécurité, saltwater vessel Isolda to depart Andersons K in 20 minutes,” announced George Haynes, a pilot with the Lakes Pilots Association. It was 1228 and, VHF in hand, he stood near the helm of Isolda, a 656-foot Polsteam bulk carrier that had just sealed the hatches over 22,000 metric tons of corn bound for Porto, Portugal, from elevators…

30 Sep

Mariners need time, proper facilities to maintain hygiene at sea

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

I was a young mate working on a crude oil tanker connected to the single-point mooring at Barbers Point, Hawaii. Because we had to keep our engines “live,” the captain ordered the watch-standing deck officers to work at least 16 hours a day for the entire discharge. We did eight hours on the bridge and another eight hours of cargo…

21 Sep

Main Iron Works delivers Mr. Ruben for Bisso Towboat

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry News, Maritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing

(LULING, La.) — Bisso Towboat Co. announced delivery Wednesday of the 4,480-hp tractor tug Mr. Ruben from Main Iron Works. The z-drive ship-assist tug is the first in a series of two vessels the Houma shipyard is building for Bisso. The 100-by-38-by-13.5-foot Mr. Ruben is powered by twin Caterpillar 3515 Tier 3 mains generating 2,240 hp each. Those engines drive Rolls-Royce…

31 Aug

Sea Year suspended as MarAd, USMMA address sex harassment

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

The federal Maritime Administration in June suspended the Sea Year program at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), throwing the curriculum for midshipmen into confusion and raising the ire of alumni. MarAd said it was halting the program, in which midshipmen spend the equivalent of an academic year aboard commercial and government vessels, until it could ensure an environment free…

31 Aug

Shippers sue Coast Guard over ‘runaway’ Great Lakes pilotage fees

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

Following more than a decade of what the American Great Lakes Ports Association calls “runaway costs,” a shipping coalition is suing the U.S. Coast Guard over increasing pilotage fees. The AGLPA was joined in May by the Shipping Federation of Canada, the U.S. Great Lakes Shipping Association, Fednav International Ltd., Canfornav Inc., Polish Steamship Co. (Polsteam), Spliethoff Transport, Brochart Shipping…