10 Jul

Shoal found in area where Shell ship was gouged

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Industry News, Tugboats & Towing
(DUTCH HARBOR, Alaska) — Hydrographic surveyors have found an uncharted shoal where an icebreaker for Shell’s Arctic drilling program was gouged last week, Alaska Dispatch News reported. The U.S. Coast Guard is not saying that the shoal caused the gash in the hull of the 380-foot Fennica, which was en route to drilling grounds in the Chukchi Sea when the…
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St. Lawrence tug salvage suspended due to strong currents
09 Jul

St. Lawrence tug salvage suspended due to strong currents

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Industry News, Maritime News, Tugboats & Towing
(CORNWALL, Ontario) — The effort to recover fuel oil from two sunken tugboats on the St. Lawrence River has been suspended due to strong currents, Seaway News reported. The Canadian Coast Guard said Wednesday that lightering has been temporarily delayed "to ensure salvage crew safety." The tugs — Lac Manitoba, owned by McKiel Marine, and a smaller privately owned vessel…
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Icebreaker deployed for Shell's Arctic drilling sustains hull breach
08 Jul

Icebreaker deployed for Shell's Arctic drilling sustains hull breach

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Industry News
(DUTCH HARBOR, Alaska) — An icebreaker tasked with a key role in Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic drilling program has returned to Dutch Harbor after a breach was discovered in its hull, Alaska Dispatch News reported. The 380-foot Fennica was damaged Friday as it headed for drilling grounds in the Chukchi Sea off the northwest Alaska coast. One of the ship's duties in…
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Barge breaks free, sinks after towboat hits Illinois bridge
07 Jul

Barge breaks free, sinks after towboat hits Illinois bridge

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Industry News, Tugboats & Towing
(THEBES, Ill.) — A barge sank Saturday on the Mississippi River after the towboat that was guiding it struck a railroad bridge, the Southeast Missourian reported. After the vessel hit the concrete pier, the barges in the tow came apart in the strong current. Six trains were stopped until an inspection revealed that the bridge was not damaged. Click here…
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29 Jun

Maryland schooner runs aground during training voyage

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Industry News, Licensing & Training, Maritime News, Tugboats & Towing
  (PASADENA, Md.) -- A 104-foot schooner ran aground in the Patapsco River during a storm, the Capital Gazette newspaper reported. Lady Maryland was on a training voyage when heavy rain and wind approached. The captain took refuge in shallow waters but the wind caused the vessel to drag anchor and it got stuck. The Coast Guard removed six people…
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29 Jun

Towboat captain sentenced to six months in prison for fatal Chicago barge explosion

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Industry News, Maritime News, Tugboats & Towing
(CHICAGO) -- An Illinois towboat captain has been sentenced to six months in prison for his role in a fatal barge explosion in 2005, the Chicago Tribune reported. Dennis Egan, 36, was in charge of a tow in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal when his cargo of petroleum byproduct exploded, killing deck hand Alexander Oliva, 29, who had been…
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