Vessel discharge act to streamline rules, encourage investment
Soon, vessels navigating United States waters will see a uniform standard governing ballast discharges following passage of the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA).
Professional Mariner - March 2019
Survey finds false sense of cybersecurity across maritime industry
Industry leaders say they hope a recent survey by a firm specializing in maritime law awakens more companies to the realization they must do more to reduce cybersecurity risks, and to recognize that they’re not as secure as they think they are.
Coast Guard upholds Jones Act waiver for Dakota Creek trawler
Dakota Creek Industries violated the Jones Act when it used too much foreign-fabricated steel in building the factory trawler America’s Finest, but the company did not knowingly break the law, the U.S. Coast Guard said in upholding a waiver for the vessel to operate in U.S. waters.
Shipping coalition sues again over Great Lakes pilotage rates
Great Lakes pilotage rates for 2018 are the target of a new lawsuit alleging the U.S. Coast Guard set rates too high without a mechanism to deal with overcharges.
Study faults Army Corps’ methods for assessing viability of projects
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presents costs and benefits in ways that make it almost impossible to know whether a navigation project should be funded, according to a recent study by the Center for Ports & Waterways at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI).
Enforcement disparities add to bumpy rollout for Subchapter M
Eight months into the Subchapter M certification process, many in the industry are concerned that the rollout is resulting in inconsistent interpretations of the rules, confusion on the part of operators, and a lag in vessel inspections.
Arctic convoy to Murmansk: Danger and sacrifice on the high seas
We read a lot in this magazine and other industry journals about new technology that, perhaps, will lead to automated vessels and reduced crew sizes as the technology takes the place of seafarers.
Tug Use in Port expands to keep pace with industry’s capabilities
Ship handling with tugboats is an art created through science.
Beamy Independent extends Maine yard’s lineage in Port of Tampa
Able seaman Kristina Smithe, in position on the foredeck of the Marine Towing of Tampa (MTT) tugboat Independent, put a line up on the port quarter of the 610-foot tanker Palmetto State.
Five presumed dead, 16 rescued after fire on Pacific vehicle carrier
Sixteen crewmembers were rescued but five are presumed dead after their loaded vehicle carrier caught fire in the Pacific Ocean and burned for days.
Fire on containership leads to long-distance tow in North Atlantic
Containerized cargo caught fire aboard a ship sailing in a remote part of the North Atlantic, spurring a complex rescue and salvage operation that remained a work in progress more than two weeks later.
Bridge strike on Illinois River tears off towboat’s pilothouse
A towboat pushing two barges on the Illinois River struck a descending lift bridge near downtown Peoria, Ill., tearing off the vessel’s pilothouse.
Seven barges sink at dam after Louisville bridge strike, breakaway
Fifteen barges broke away after a bridge allision in downtown Louisville, Ky., on Christmas Day, and seven later sank against a dam located just downriver.
Crew rescued after towboat capsizes in Intracoastal Waterway
Four crewmembers escaped from a towboat that capsized and partially sank in the Intracoastal Waterway near Brunswick, Ga.
Asphalt tanker damaged again by engine room fire after repairs
An asphalt tanker damaged by an engine room fire last fall off Nantucket suffered another fire in New York Harbor in December after repairs from the previous incident.
Casualty briefs
New NTSB digest offers concise accounts of El Faro, other casualties The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its Safer Seas Digest from the 2017 calendar year detailing 41 marine casualties that occurred in U.S. waters or involved U.S.-flagged…
Speed of technological change overtaking scope of STCW
When the chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) made comments in Manila in November proposing a comprehensive revision of the global convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), it probably caught many in the maritime community off guard.
Revision of Shipping Act an antitrust win for US maritime industry
President Trump, with bipartisan support, signed into law the Federal Maritime Commission Authorization Act of 2017 on Dec. 4 as part of the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 (S. 140).
School of hard knocks delivers painful lessons in fall prevention
Anyone who has worked on a commercial vessel will tell you how easy it can be to slip and fall while on board.
