26 Aug

Louisiana tankerman, 32, dies after falling from barge that was tied up at refinery

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A tankerman died after a nighttime fall into the Mississippi River from a barge secured at an oil refinery’s docking area in southern Louisiana. Thirty-two-year-old Jeffrey Dukes, a crewmember on the towboat Walter L. Gibbs, was pronounced dead on the scene in Garyville after his May 14 fall, according to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office.   The…
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26 Aug

Crewmember lost when towboat sinks in Louisiana; 4 people survive

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A mariner is presumed dead after responders concluded that he was likely trapped inside a towing vessel that capsized in the Mississippi River. Four other crewmembers escaped. The 63-foot uninspected tow vessel Miss Natalie sank at about 0800 on May 30 in the Lower Mississippi River below Convent, La. The incident occurred four miles downriver from the Sunshine Bridge.  Four…
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Runaway bulk carrier damages tanker, towboats, Louisiana dock
26 Aug

Runaway bulk carrier damages tanker, towboats, Louisiana dock

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A bulk carrier broke free from its moorings, crossed the Mississippi River and struck a tanker and several towing vessels, resulting in damage to a dock.   The 750-foot Privocean, carrying coal, escaped from its berth at Convent, La., on April 6 and crossed the Mississippi River, pulling the tug Texas to which it was tied. Privocean hit the tanker…
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26 Aug

Wooden landing craft floods, sinks by its bow in British Columbia

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Seventeen people safely evacuated a wooden landing barge as it partially sank in British Columbia’s Strait of Georgia.    The 76-foot Lasqueti Daughters foundered near the south end of Cortes Island on March 14 after it took on water and down-flooded in choppy seas. The self-propelled landing craft, owned by Impact Reforestation, had departed Campbell River. After successfully passing Cape…
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Collision, spill again prompt NTSB to focus on Houston channel traffic
26 Aug

Collision, spill again prompt NTSB to focus on Houston channel traffic

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Last year a towing vessel captain in the Houston Ship Channel tried to cross ahead of a bulk carrier, impeding its passage and causing a collision and an oil spill, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found. Operators of both vessels, along with Houston pilots, the area’s vessel traffic service and the Coast Guard, were all partly to blame,…
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26 Aug

Probe: Botched engine order led to ship damaging grain facility

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A communication breakdown and confusion on the bridge  — including the captain repeatedly yelling “Stop the engine!” on the phone, to no avail — led a bulk carrier to strike a grain elevator on the Houston Ship Channel, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined. The incident occurred at 0504 hours on July 14, 2014, as the 738-foot Anna…
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25 Aug

Dutch cargo ship grounds in Delaware River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Industry News
The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard: (PHILADELPHIA) — The Coast Guard is overseeing salvage efforts Tuesday for a motor vessel aground on the Delaware River. The 328-foot Netherlands-flagged motor vessel Bermuda Islander lost power and propulsion Monday at approximately 9 p.m. before running aground near Salem, N.J. No injuries or pollution have…
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