Casualty News – Professional Mariner

25 Sep

U.S. oiler damaged in underwater allision off Oman

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Navy replenishment oiler damaged in the Arabian Sea this week after an underwater allision is now in port in Oman, USNI News reported Wednesday. USNS Big Horn (T-AO-198) entered the port of Duqm, Oman, with the assistance of tugboats on Tuesday afternoon local time. The oiler is now undergoing a repair assessment while the service investigates…

24 Sep

Assist tug destroys fender after ATB lined up incorrectly

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

(WASHINGTON) — The deteriorated fender system protecting the Hylebos Bridge in Tacoma, Wash., was damaged beyond repair last October after being struck by a tugboat assisting an articulated tug-barge (ATB). The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday that the captain of the ATB did not line up the vessel correctly to safely transit under the bridge. The tugboat Olympic…

20 Sep

Crews deploy boom after megayacht fire in California

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(SAN PEDRO, Calif.) — A unified command continued to monitor cleanup efforts Friday after a 105-foot yacht caught fire in Marina del Rey on Wednesday. The motor yacht, The Admiral, was reported to have caught fire around 8:30 p.m. A unified command was established to include members of the U.S. Coast Guard, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office…

20 Sep

OSHA cites shipyard company for fire aboard Lakes bulker

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, OSHA, Ports, safety

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a shipyard company after workers were exposed to fire and asphyxiation hazards while working aboard a docked Great Lakes iron ore carrier, Business Insurance reported. OSHA cited South Marine Systems of Westlake, Ohio, for 15 “serious” violations and one “other than serious” violation and proposed $164,540 in penalties.…

19 Sep

NTSB cites excess tension on lines in bulker breakaway

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB

(WASHINGTON) — While loading a cargo of coal on March 27, 2023, the bulk carrier Sirocco broke free from its moorings at the Convent Marine Terminal dock in Convent, La., drifted a half mile down the Mississippi River and struck a barge moored at the Mosaic Uncle Sam dock, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. An examination of…

12 Sep

Coast Guard airlifts injured crewman from tanker off Texas

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(HOUSTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced a crewmember from an oil tanker 9 miles off Freeport, Texas, on Tuesday. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watch standers received a medevac request at 3:50 p.m. from a crewmember aboard the tanker stating a 21-year-old male reportedly sustained injuries. Watch standers consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. Watch standers…

06 Sep

Salvors refloat megayacht after grounding off Maryland

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsSalvage, U.S. Coast Guard

(BALTIMORE) — A 104-foot megayacht was refloated and removed from Chesapeake Bay on Aug. 31 after running aground and partially capsizing a month earlier. On July 27, response agencies received a report stating the vessel Lovebug had run aground about a half-mile offshore between Beverly Beach and Curtis Point, Md. The five people on board were safely removed from the…

29 Aug

Hull wastage, lack of upkeep cited in flooding of towboat

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

(WASHINGTON) — National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators found holes in the hull of a towing vessel after it flooded and partially sank last year on the Lower Mississippi River near Ascension Paris, La. Uncle Blue was towing one empty barge on March 26, 2023, when the towboat began flooding. When it was lifted by crane during salvage, NTSB investigators…

26 Aug

Cargo ship grounds near Montreal, blocking Seaway traffic

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, shipping

(KAHNAWAKE, Quebec) — A cargo ship that ran aground Thursday south of Montreal, blocking shipping traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway, was freed by tugboats Saturday morning. The 453-foot Heemskerkgracht, registered in the Netherlands, lost power and ran aground near the entrance to the South Shore Canal at 6:35 p.m. Thursday. The tugs Ocean Pierre Julien and Ocean Intrepide assisted…

21 Aug

NTSB: Pilot of towboat that hit Louisiana pier was asleep

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB

(WASHINGTON) — The pilot of a towing vessel that hit a pier near St. Rose, La., last year had fallen asleep, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. The pilot of the towing vessel John 3:16 was experiencing the effects of fatigue during his watch on Sept. 12 while navigating the Lower Mississippi River. NTSB investigators concluded the pilot…