Casualty News – Professional Mariner

07 Jun

Officer distractions, cellphone use cited in Gulf collision

Rich MillerCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The bridge watch officers on a bulk carrier and an offshore supply vessel were not maintaining a proper lookout before the vessels collided last year near Port Fourchon, La., the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday. On July 23, 2022, the bulk carrier Bunun Queen was transiting eastbound in the Gulf of Mexico and the offshore supply vessel…

06 Jun

Alaska cruise passengers evacuated after engine room fire

Rich MillerCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(JUNEAU, Alaska) – UnCruise Adventures has confirmed a fire aboard one of its tour boats that was contained to the engine room while the vessel was in Glacier Bay National Park. The incident occurred at 7:23 a.m. Monday while 78 passengers and crew were on board. “We are relieved to confirm that there have been no injuries resulting from the…

25 May

NTSB: Incorrect bearing led to OSV fire near Seattle

Rich MillerCasualty NewsNTSB

(WASHINGTON) — An incorrectly sized bearing led to an engine failure and fire last year on board an offshore supply vessel near Seattle, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. On May 27, 2022, the supply vessel Ocean Guardian was conducting a sea trial in Shilshole Bay when its No. 3 diesel generator engine suffered a mechanical failure, resulting…

18 May

Mariner medevaced after leg injury on OSV off Louisiana

Rich MillerCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(NEW ORLEANS) — The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a crewmember from an offshore supply vessel Wednesday approximately 11 miles southeast of Southwest Pass, La. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans command center watch standers received a report at approximately 8 a.m. via VHF-FM Channel 16 from the offshore supply vessel Brandon Bordelon of a 50-year-old male crewmember with an injury to…

17 May

Electronics malfunction grounds bulker in Detroit River

Rich MillerCasualty Newsshipping

(DETROIT) — Mark W. Barker, a 639-foot lake freigher that ran soft aground in the Detroit River due to an electronics malfunction, was successfully refloated at approximately 12:10 p.m. Wednesday with the assistance of commercial towing. Coast Guard Sector Detroit responded to the initial report of the incident after the bulk carrier lost propulsion and ran soft aground near the…

12 May

WSF cites fuel contamination for grounding on Seattle run

Rich MillerCasualty Newsferries, U.S. Coast Guard

The following is a statement from Eben Phillips, director of vessel engineering and maintenance for Washington State Ferries (WSF), regarding the recent grounding of the ferry Walla Walla: "On April 15, Walla Walla had both its ship's service generator and vital generator shut down in Rich Passage, ultimately resulting in a full loss of propulsion and steerage, and subsequently (the…

10 May

NTSB issues scrap metal cargo warning

Professional MarinerCasualty News

(WASHINGTON) — The National Transportation Safety Bureau (NTSB) has issued a warning highlighting the fire risk inherent in scrap metal cargoes, particularly from hazardous and flammable contaminants like lithium-ion batteries. While scrap metal is not rated as a hazardous cargo, and is usually treated like any other bulk commodity, the NTSB has cautioned that such cargoes “have the potential of…

27 Apr

Bulk carrier freed after grounding on Muskegon sandbar

Rich MillerCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping

From the Facebook page of Interlake Steamship Co.: (MUSKEGON, Mich.) — At approximately 10 a.m. Monday, the bulk carrier Kaye E. Barker grounded just off the Muskegon outer breakwall as it approached the harbor at a slow speed. The vessel was freed from the sandbar Monday evening after a small amount of cargo was transferred to a barge that was…

26 Apr

Search suspended for mariner missing from crew boat

Rich MillerCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(NEW ORLEANS) — The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a missing crewmember near Port Sulphur, La., on Wednesday. Coast Guard crews searched approximately 220 square miles for a combined 11.5 search hours. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watch standers received a notification at approximately 12 a.m. Wednesday from the crew boat Mr. Fred of a missing crewmember.…

21 Apr

Boater injured after yacht, towing vessel collide in Mississippi

Rich MillerCasualty NewsTugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(NEW ORLEANS) — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three boaters Wednesday after a vessel collision near Bay St. Louis, Miss. Coast Guard Sector Mobile watch standers received a report Wednesday of a 53-foot yacht and a towing vessel with two barges that were involved in a collision. Sector Mobile watch standers coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Station Gulfport…