27 Feb

Decision to expand Panama Canal locks should benefit East and Gulf Coast ports

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
The decision to expand the 92-year-old Panama Canal should provide a major boost to East Coast and Gulf ports, even those that cannot handle post-Panamax vessels. By building locks capable of handling much larger ships, and widening and straightening channels, the Panama Canal Authority will dramatically increase the canal's capacity and allow the transit of vessels up to 1,200 feet…
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27 Feb

Four of ship’s six cylinders were broken at time of grounding, NTSB reports

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News
Selendang Ayu, shown here on Dec. 19, 2004, broke into two sections soon after grounding on Dec. 8, 2004, off Unalaska Island. [Courtesy U.S. Coast Guard] The report from the National Transportation Safety Board on the grounding of the 39,775-gt bulk carrier Selendang Ayu off the Aleutian Island of Unalaska has concluded that the incident was caused by the shutting…
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27 Feb

The winds of change

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Story and photo by Walter Garschagen A windmill icon has begun appearing on British Admiralty charts of waters off the coasts of the United Kingdom, Denmark and other European countries. In the last five years, hundreds of wind turbines have been built offshore, where they are able to capture up to 25 percent more wind than shore-based turbines.These wind farms…
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