Professional Mariner Staff – Page 1983

28 Feb

Alaska tour boat evacuated after holing hull on a rock

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The tour boat Star of the Northwest struck a submerged object and began taking on water in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, on July 25, 2004, forcing the evacuation of the 161 people aboard. Passengers wearing life vests line the rails of Star of the Northwest, while awaiting their transfer to Great Land. Two of the vessel's five watertight compartments flooded. …

28 Feb

QE2’s engineers devise clever solution for stopping dangerous leak

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The luxury cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2 avoided going adrift in the Atlantic Ocean thanks to an ingenious solution devised by the crew to stop a leak in an engine room during a cruise last year, an investigation of the incident has concluded. A leaking inlet pipe threatened to leave QE2 adrift. Image Credit: Cunard Line The 70,327-grt QE2,…

28 Feb

Edison Chouest will sell six tugs to Great Lakes Towing

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Edison Chouest Offshore, Galliano, La., has agreed to sell six of its 15 tractor-style tugboats to Great Lakes Towing, a division of Great Lakes Group, in anticipation of the end of its contract providing ship-assist services in San Diego. Chouest agreed to sell its entire San Diego fleet, comprising vessels called C-Tractor 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 14. The…

28 Feb

Undetected heart ailment led to fatal I-40 bridge accident, NTSB rules

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

An abnormal heart rhythm that could not be detected in a physical exam was probably the reason the captain of the towboat Robert Y. Love fainted just before his tug and tow went off course and struck a highway bridge, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The bridge piers on either side of the navigation channel had fenders to…

28 Feb

Fisherman dies after being struck by tug and barges

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A tug pushing three asphalt barges struck and killed a 73-year-old fisherman in a 14-foot outboard motorboat on the Tennessee River near Mile 102. The accident occurred at 0930 on June 5 as Wayne Day and a companion, Jimmy Bratcher, were fishing in a navigable part of the river when their vessel was struck, according to Chief Warrant Officer Charlie…

28 Feb

Marine Towing of Tampa orders z-drive from Washburn & Doughty

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Marine Towing of Tampa (MTT) has contracted to build a 5,000-hp z-drive-style tugboat at the Washburn & Doughty Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine. The new tug, 92 feet in length with Caterpillar power, will be similar in design to the new tugs Freedom and Liberty, recently constructed by the same shipyard for Boston Towing. MTT now operates four tugs in…

28 Feb

Crew of cruise ship that hit reef faulted for failing to update charts

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The December 1998 grounding of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Monarch of the Seas on a coral reef off St. Maarten was the result of a series of operational errors on the part of the bridge team, a joint investigation between U.S. and Norwegian authorities recently determined. Most significantly, the investigation determined that the grounding was a direct result of…

28 Feb

Maritime Book Review: Under Pressure

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Under Pressure: The Final Voyage of Submarine S-Five By A.J. Hill The Free Press, 2002 239 pages Under Pressure is a true story of men against the sea, painstakingly researched by first-time author A.J. Hill, a scientist and former Navy man. Submarine S-Five's final voyage was also her maiden voyage, when, on the first day of September in 1920, a…

28 Feb

Frustration builds as fear of terrorism ensnares foreign crews

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

In the spring of 2003, when a Canadian-flag ship called at Ballard, Wash., the crew expected their vessel to be laid up for a few weeks for some much needed repairs. It was also a welcome respite for the crew, who had plans to escape the tedium of the ship and shop at local businesses. Plans changed, however, when the…

28 Feb

Canadian hovercraft stand ready to go places other vessels cannot

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Hovercraft can go over water, mud flats and even flat land at relatively high speed. The Canadian Coast Guard believes those qualities make them ideal for many search-and-rescue operations. Capt. Allan Taylor with SiyÃ£y, one of two Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft stationed near Vancouver International Airport. In the event of a plane crash, the hovercraft would be able to operate…