Alma S.: Getting Traction

Last spring the z-drive Alma S. joined the Bisso Towboat fleet. The boat also joined its sister vessel, Cecilia B. Slatten. Now 6 years old, Cecilia B. Slatten was the first tractor tug in what has become a growing fraternity of z-drives working on the lower Mississippi River.An increase in the inboard slant to the side bitts and bulwarks differentiates…
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Deck hand falls from rigging to his death aboard tall ship

An 18-year-old deck hand died in mid-July when he fell 30 feet from the rigging of the tall ship he was working aboard.Benjamin Southerland, from Concord, Mass., was working aboard the schooner Alabama off Martha's Vineyard with 15 people onboard. He suffered several injuries and was in cardiac arrest when rescuers arrived.Alabama, a 90-foot gaff-rigged schooner, is owned and operated…
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Seattle getting police boat and 2 fireboats

Kvichak Marine of Seattle delivered a 37-foot, 8-inch multipurpose vessel, Patrol 2, to the Seattle Police Department. Patrol 2 follows Patrol 4, a similar 43-footer delivered to Seattle in 1998.The new boat will serve a dual function of law enforcement and firefighting, bringing significant firefighting capabilities to the inland waters of Lake Union, the Ship Canal and Lake Washington.According to…
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NTSB cites lack of stability test as factor in sinking of Lake George excursion boat

The excursion boat that sank in Lake George in 2005 with the loss of 20 lives was allowed to operate in an overloaded condition because the state of New York did not require stability tests after the vessel's structure was modified and because the state relied on outdated average pasenger weights for computing the safe-load limit, the National Transportation Safety…
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U.S. seeks an injunction against tax advisor

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a federal court to issue an injunction prohibiting Martin Kapp, a certified public accountant based in California, from advising his clients that they can claim on their income tax returns what has come to be known in the industry as "the mariner's deduction."Kapp has written about tax breaks for mariners in articles that…
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Tanker runs aground off New York City beach

Kristin Polling lies aground off Far Rockaway beach in New York City. Investigators are examining whether the single-hull coastal tanker strayed from the channel or whether shifting sands in East Rockaway Inlet contributed to the grounding. [Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard] The Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers are discussing ways to make New York's East Rockaway Inlet safer after…
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Federal court overturns Massachusetts law setting navigation rules aimed at oil spills

A Massachusetts law establishing rules for vessels navigating in state waters has been struck down as unconstitutional by a federal court. Massachusetts passed the 2004 Massachusetts Oil Spill Prevention Act in response to the 2003 oil spill in Buzzards Bay. It occurred when a Bouchard Transportation Co. barge struck a rock ledge, spilling 98,000 gallons of oil. The state law…
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Coast Guard mural honors responders to Hurricane Katrina

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a great deal of news coverage was given to the phenomenal air rescues performed by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crews. Despite that recognition, Capt. Robert Mueller, deputy commander U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, felt that there was also a need to honor the efforts of other responders.During a staff briefing, he suggested commissioning…
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Itabo Pilots Attend Shiphandling Training

24 July 2007; Newport, RI: Itabo Pilots from the Dominican Republic attended a customized shiphandling course from June 19 to 21. The course was designed around major ship maneuvering evolutions: traffic situations, arrival/departure, anchoring, and maneuvering in channels. The Pilots conducted numerous dockings and undockings at the Itabo coal jetty at Haina, Dominican Republic. Simulated bulk carriers used during this…
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