Maritime News – Page 6 – Professional Mariner

Push for offshore wind energy projects gains momentum

There’s a strong wind blowing as the rush to develop offshore wind energy has reached almost hurricane force with both the U.S. private and public sectors racing to advance the technology at a fever pitch. The U.S. currently has two operating offshore wind energy projects – the Block Island wind farm, four miles off the coast of Rhode Island with…

California unveils new vessel emission rules

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together form the largest port complex in the Western Hemisphere and rank as the Nos. 1 and 2 busiest container ports in the U.S. Every day, their combined operations release approximately 100 tons of pollutants into the air with both megaports, since 2006, energetically implementing programs to improve the region’s air quality…

CARB emissions rules begin to impact California operators

California’s maritime industry warned of dire consequences from new emissions regulations the state enacted last year. Those predictions are already coming true. The San Francisco Bar Pilots have begun planning to replace their three 104-foot station boats due largely to challenges associated with retrofitting the vessels to meet the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations. Two of the station boats,…

Seafarer happiness continues to improve

Mariners felt better about their jobs during the last few months of 2022 as disruptions from Covid-19 continued to fall away. The Seafarers Happiness Index report was published in January by The Mission to Seafarers, which is based in London. The organization publishes the report four times each year to gauge sentiments among mariners working around the world. The overall…

Metal Shark delivers 47-foot launch to Oregon operator

Anchorage Launch Services of Portland, Ore., has taken delivery of a versatile 47-foot Triumph VII from Metal Shark. The welded aluminum vessel, outfitted for pilot transfers and other launch services, was built to Metal Shark’s 45 Defiant platform at the company’s Jeanerette, La., shipyard. Triumph VII is powered by two 705-hp Cummins QSM11 diesel engines paired to Hamilton HJ-364…

Technician killed in fall from moored containership

Authorities are investigating a fatal fall that occurred on a Maersk containership while it was moored at the Port of Los Angeles. The incident happened at about 1645 on Jan. 25 while the 1,202-foot Maersk Eindhoven was docked at Pier 400. The victim, who has not been identified, died at the scene after falling into a cargo hold, according to…

Maryland Pilots orders two new launches

The Association of Maryland Pilots has ordered two new launches from its longtime partner at Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, Mass. Deliveries are expected in summer 2024. The group is adding a fifth 52.6-foot Chesapeake- class vessel, while the other is its second 48.5-foot Baltimore-class launch. Both will be outfitted similarly to sister vessels built in 2021. The Chesapeake-class vessel…

NMC accepting electronic signatures on documents

The U.S. Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center (NMC) has begun accepting electronic or “e-sign” signatures on CG-719 series forms and all supporting documentation needed for merchant mariner credentials (MMC), medical certificates and course approvals. Mariners submitting these documents can now “e-sign” applications and supporting documentation using software-generated electronic signatures from software programs such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat. As…

Ship operator fined $250k for using improper fuel

A shipping company with offices in New York will pay a criminal fine of $250,000 and spend a year on probation after U.S. Coast Guard inspectors discovered one of its vessels used fuel with an excessive sulfur content. According to officials at the U.S. Department of Justice, between Jan. 3, 2017, and July 10, 2018, the M/T Ocean Princess, managed by Ionian…

Maryland authorities clarify phone policy following Ever Forward grounding

The pilot fiddled with his cellphone even as the big ship missed the turn. The third officer sang out their compass course as a clue they were going wrong. Others on the bridge did likewise as the tension mounted. The pilot acknowledged their direction and continued work with his phone. Thus, the 1,095-foot containership Ever Forward went aground near Craighill…