Somali piracy resurges amid wider maritime security threats
01 Oct

Somali piracy resurges amid wider maritime security threats

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
After nearly a decade of decline, piracy off Somalia spiked in 2026, adding another threat to commercial shipping already contending with continuing attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. Authorities in Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland region said this week that five crewmembers aboard the hijacked fuel tanker Honour 25 were killed before security forces retook the vessel. The tanker, carrying 18,500 barrels…
Read More
Maersk Conducts First 100% Bioethanol Bunkering in U.S.
28 Sep

Maersk Conducts First 100% Bioethanol Bunkering in U.S.

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Maersk has completed what it says is the first U.S. bunkering of a vessel with 100 percent bioethanol, using fuel supplied by U.S. bioethanol producer POET. The dual-fuel containership Tangier Maersk received the U.S.-produced fuel in Houston in what Maersk described as the first ship-to-ship commercial ethanol bunkering of a deep-sea containership in the United States. Kirby Corp. supported the…
Read More
McAllister Takes Delivery of Latest High-Tech, Low-Emission Tug
24 Sep

McAllister Takes Delivery of Latest High-Tech, Low-Emission Tug

Professional Mariner StaffTugboats & Towing
McAllister Towing is proud to announce our newest arrival, tug Mary McAllister. As our customer's vessels grow larger and services for these behemoths become increasingly demanding, McAllister continues to meet their needs with modern and environmentally conscious equipment. American-built at Washburn & Doughty Associates, Inc. in Maine, Mary is the sixth in a seven-tug series of American Bureau of Shipping…
Read More
Debris in water possible culprit in Ohio River barge breakaway
17 Apr

Debris in water possible culprit in Ohio River barge breakaway

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, ,
​​(WASHINGTON) — On April 16, 2024, about 0445 local time, the barges MPC 907 and MPC 644 broke free from their moorings at the Marathon Petroleum Co. (MPC) terminal dock at mile 793.8 on the Ohio River, near Evansville, Ind. The two barges contacted mooring cells about 1,500 feet downstream at the TransMontaigne terminal at mile 794.1. The barges were…
Read More
SWITCH completes first hydrogen fueling of commercial vessel in US
02 Dec

SWITCH completes first hydrogen fueling of commercial vessel in US

Professional Mariner StaffHydrogen Fuel Cell Power, Maritime News, Propulsion, Shipbuilding
(BELLINGHAM, Wash.) — SWITCH Maritime announced that the world’s first hydrogen fueling of a commercial marine vessel was successfully completed on Nov. 18 at All American Marine shipyard. The vessel, Sea Change, is now beginning its final sea trials before delivery. The new 75-passenger ferry received hydrogen into its 242-kilogram tanks on the upper deck. It uses that hydrogen in…
Read More
Kirby to pay $15.3 million for damages resulting from Houston Ship Channel spill
02 Dec

Kirby to pay $15.3 million for damages resulting from Houston Ship Channel spill

Professional Mariner StaffBrownwater, Casualty News, Tugboats & Towing
(WASHINGTON) — Houston-based Kirby Inland Marine LP has agreed to pay $15.3 million in damages and assessment costs under the Oil Pollution Act to resolve federal and state claims for injuries to natural resources resulting from an oil spill from a Kirby barge, after a collision Kirby caused. The United States and Texas concurrently filed a civil complaint along with…
Read More
NASSCO begins construction of fifth ESB for Navy
02 Dec

NASSCO begins construction of fifth ESB for Navy

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Shipbuilding
(SAN DIEGO) — General Dynamics NASSCO started construction of the future USS Robert E. Simanek (ESB 7) on Wednesday, the fifth ship of the Navy’s reclassified expeditionary sea base (ESB) program. Dennis DuBard, a longtime NASSCO employee and the start of construction honoree, initiated the first cut of steel that will be used to construct the vessel. “Today, we start…
Read More
Abrams Marine Group acquires Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy
01 Dec

Abrams Marine Group acquires Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training, Maritime News
(NORFOLK, Va.) — Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy (MAMA) announced Wednesday that it has been acquired by San Diego-based Abrams Marine Group Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “MAMA is a great training organization with a highly regarded team and world-class facilities," said Abrams Marine Group CEO Dave Abrams. "The company is located in a strategic location for the growth…
Read More
Coast Guard cites fishing vessel after ‘near-miss’ with Columbia River ro-ro
01 Dec

Coast Guard cites fishing vessel after ‘near-miss’ with Columbia River ro-ro

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
(ASTORIA, Ore.) — The U.S. Coast Guard issued a notice of violation to the owner and master aboard a 48-foot commercial fishing vessel for negligence while operating in conditions of restricted visibility, and a failure to maintain a proper lookout Monday in the vicinity of buoy No. 8 of the Columbia River navigation channel. The commercial fishing vessel was operating…
Read More