Casualty News – Professional Mariner

10 Aug

Coast Guard coordinates rescue of 22 from burning car carrier

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsAMVER, U.S. Coast Guard

(SAN FRANCISCO) — The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue of 22 crewmembers from the motor vessel Min Jiang Kou after the ship experienced a fire approximately 630 miles south of Costa Rica on Thursday. At 1:09 p.m., Coast Guard Southwest District watch standers received an Inmarsat distress alert for Min Jiang Kou, a Marshall Islands-flagged vehicle carrier, alerting them…

06 Aug

NTSB cites cellphone use by Houston pilot before fatal collision

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday that distraction and failure to maintain a proper lookout caused a 2024 fatal collision between a bulk carrier and towing vessel near Lynchburg, Texas. The bulk carrier Yangze 7 and the towing vessel Miss Peggy collided on July 19, 2024, while both were inbound in the Houston Ship Channel. Miss…

05 Aug

Salvors remove crane that collapsed into Cooper River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsSalvage, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) — U.S. Coast Guard Sector Charleston personnel, in coordination with port stakeholders and the contracted salvage company, completed salvage operations at Pier G following the crane collapse into the Cooper River on July 10. The incident occurred when a severe thunderstorm struck the former Charleston Naval Base last month. Following the successful removal of the crane, there is…

31 Jul

Unapproved hot work led to fatal explosion on NYC sludge vessel

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — On May 24, 2025, about 1020 local time, the sludge vessel Hunts Point was moored at the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant on the Hudson River in New York City when an explosion occurred aboard the vessel. One crewmember was killed and three crewmembers sustained minor injuries. No pollution was reported. Vessel damage was estimated to exceed $10…

30 Jul

NTSB cites unknown electrical source in Texas towboat fire

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, UncategorizedNTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On April 22, 2025, about 1750 local time, the towing vessel William D was pushing two barges near mile 20 of the Victoria Barge Canal, about 15 miles from Port Lavaca, Texas, with six crewmembers on board, when a fire broke out in the towboat’s accommodation spaces. Crewmembers attempted but were unable to extinguish the fire. All crewmembers…

27 Jul

Miami tug captain pleads guilty to seaman’s manslaughter

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsTugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(MIAMI) — A tugboat captain has pleaded guilty to federal charges after operating a barge with obstructed visibility and without a proper lookout, causing a fatal Biscayne Bay collision that claimed the lives of three children participating in a sailing camp. “Three children lost their lives in a tragedy that never should have happened,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quinones…

21 Jul

Usual suspects: High water, fast current in Vicksburg bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — On May 5, 2025, at 0957 local time, the towing vessel Myra Eckstein, with a crew of 10 on board, was pushing 25 barges downbound on the Lower Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Miss., when the lead barge on the starboard side contacted a fixed pier of the Vicksburg Highway 80 Bridge at mile 435.8. As a result of…

09 Jul

Historic Maine windjammer sinks at Brooklyn pier

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(NEW YORK) — A historic former Maine windjammer has sunk in New York City, CentralMaine.com reported. Victory Chimes, a 128-foot schooner featured on a 2003 commemorative Maine state quarter, was previously based out of Rockland, Maine. In 2023, it was sold to two brothers who have a history of converting ships into floating restaurants and moved to New York. The…

07 Jul

Surfacing whale sinks response boat in Raritan Bay

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsFire and rescue, safety

(CARTERET, N.J.) — On July 4, at approximately 4:30 p.m. while conducting a regional special operations marine security detail for the New York/New Jersey Port area, Carteret Fire Department Marine Unit 2 was involved in a serious marine incident while returning to Carteret waters. CFD Marine 2 was violently struck beneath the stern by a surfacing whale that breached the…

12 Jun

NTSB: Crane operator didn’t verify clearance before boom accident

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Ports

(WASHINGTON) — On June 2, 2024, about 1649 local time, the emissions control barge STAX 1 was capturing emissions from the containership Erving at the Fenix Marine Services Container Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles. A ship-to-shore container crane struck the barge’s capture-and-control articulated arm, causing it to collapse. Sections of it fell onto the barge, onto Erving, and…