Around the world, upward of 400,000 seafarers — and counting — are serving beyond their contracts as crew changes still don’t occur as regularly as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are more than 300,000 seafarers essentially indentured…
Excursion boat companies in New York City and Boston were the targets of enforcement action by authorities this summer for violations of COVID-19 regulations. On Aug. 1, the captain and owners of Liberty Belle were arrested in New York…
A recent report from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reveals that global shipping emissions increased nearly 10 percent from 2012 to 2018, with the industry facing a growing challenge concerning methane slip. In July, the IMO released the fourth…
The full impact of the global 0.5 percent sulfur fuel cap, implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Jan. 1, 2020, has yet to be felt due to the slowdown in trade caused by the COVID-19 pandemic…
Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc., the largest independent petroleum barge company in the United States, announced in September that it and 51 subsidiaries had filed petitions to restructure under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The filing in U.S.…
Zero non-conformities is what you want to hear when the U.S. Coast Guard inspects your tugboat. Once you’ve prepared your vessel, the inspectors come aboard to peruse your paperwork. They ask you pointed questions, to which they expect straightforward answers.…
In the brief cellphone video recorded by a crewmember on the offshore supply vessel (OSV) Remas, the pirates walk back and forth on the deck of the ship, clenching their guns and using them to point as they order…
Two years ago, Seastreak LLC took delivery of Seastreak Commodore, a 600-passenger fast ferry, from Gulf Craft of Franklin, La. Designed by Australia-based Incat Crowther, the vessel is the largest of its kind in the United States and was…
Four crewmembers died and at least six others were injured when the dredge Waymon L. Boyd became engulfed in fire while working in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. State and federal agencies are still investigating the incident, but the…
Seamanship errors, fatigue cited in fatal collision of destroyer The 2017 collision of the destroyer USS Fitzgerald and the containership ACX Crystal stemmed from failures by the Navy ship’s bridge team in the minutes leading to impact, federal investigators said. Seven…
Before dawn on Sept. 2, 2019, a crewman aboard the dive boat Conception awoke to a strange sound. He investigated and found the vessel’s salon compartment, one deck below, aglow with fire. He awoke four co-workers sleeping nearby, and…
• Most of the victims on Conception were awake but could not escape the bunk room before all were overcome by smoke inhalation. • The source of ignition was not confirmed, although the electrical distribution system of the vessel, unattended…
While the salvage of the sunken vehicle carrier Golden Ray was delayed for months due to COVID-19 and the hurricane season, analysis by the U.S. Coast Guard has determined a possible cause for the rollover: a combination of vehicles…
Island Queen III was on a cruise in the Thousand Islands area of the St. Lawrence River when it made contact with the bottom, causing enough damage to flood the vessel’s steering compartment. No injuries were reported, but an investigation…
It took a decade or two from the invention of the marine propeller in the 19th century for the technology to become widely accepted. Thereafter, adoption has been nearly universal, but progress toward improved efficiencies has come in fits…
At the behest of Professional Mariner and many other interested parties within and outside of the maritime industry, I’ve been asking many questions about maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) relating to safety, security and future maritime careers. I have…
In a matter of days, the decorative time balls will drop, “Auld Lang Syne” will fill the air, and ships at anchor will sound their horns as the world welcomes in the new year. 2021 hasn’t even started, but it…
