Casualty News – Page 375 – Professional Mariner

13 Sep

Crew on disabled freighter safely rides out Hurricane Ike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(HOUSTON) -- The 22 crew who were stuck on a disabled freighter in the path of Hurricane Ike rode out the storm safely, the Associated Press reported. The ship, which had lost propulsion and steering power, continues drifting in the Gulf of Mexico and is in need of a tow. The Coast Guard was not immediately able to rescue the…

12 Sep

Freighter loses power and drifts in Gulf, is stuck in Ike’s path

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(GALVESTON, Texas) -- A freighter with 22 crew aboard has lost power and is stuck in the path of Hurricane Ike, the Associated Press reported. The drifting vessel faces potential 50-foot waves in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Coast Guard says it's too dangerous to send a rescue helicopter. The 584-foot ship is carrying petroleum coke. Click here to…

11 Sep

Maine ferry Island Queen strikes, damages anchored skiff

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard: (BOSTON) -- The Coast Guard responded today to a report of a Southwest Harbor ferry which struck an empty skiff in Southwest Harbor at 1:22 p.m. No passengers were aboard the ferry Island Queen at the time and there were no reports of…

09 Sep

Owner fined $12K for fuel spill when tug sank in Columbia River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(OLYMPIA, Wash.) -- The owner of a tugboat that sank in the Columbia River has been fined $12,000 for a fuel spill that resulted from the casualty, the Associated Press reported. The Washington State Ecology Department fined SDS Lumber, which owns the 55-foot White Salmon. The vessel leaked 200 gallons of oil and diesel when it sanks in October. Click here to…

08 Sep

Fire destroys tugboat working on South Florida reef project

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(HILLSBORO BEACH, Fla.) -- A mysterious fire destroyed a tugboat that had been working on an artificial-reef project, the Sun-Sentinal newspaper reported. The blaze was in the Intracoastal Waterway near Hillsboro Beach. The cause of the fire was unavailable. Click here to view the newspaper's story.

05 Sep

Miami-based Coast Guard crew rescues 8 after ship runs aground

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard: (MIAMI) -- A Coast Guard aircrew rescued eight crewmembers from the motor vessel, Anais, which ran aground near South Caicos Island, Turks and Caicos Islands, Thursday. The Coast Guard District Seven Command Center in Miami received a 406 mhz emergency position indicating radio…

05 Sep

Cutter officer keeps command after Block Island Ferry collision

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard: (BOSTON) -- The commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay will remain in command today following the review of an administrative investigation regarding the collision between the Morro Bay and a Block Island ferry July 2, 2008. Admiral Dale Gabel, the commander of…

05 Sep

Off-course laker damages boats, docks on Ohio’s Black River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(LORAIN, Ohio) -- A Canadian laker went off-course in the Black River and created a wake that damaged pleasure boats and marina docks, the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper reported. The 730-foot freighter was outbound when it passed the marina. No one was injured, and the Coast Guard is investigating the cause. Click here to view the newspaper's story.

04 Sep

Editorial: Vessels that Gustav broke loose an ‘intolerable threat’

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(NEW ORLEANS) -- The large number of ships and barges that broke loose from their moorings during Hurrican Gustav is an "intolerable threat," the Times-Picayune newspaper said in an editorial. The newspaper urges the Coast Guard and the scrap company that had tied down most of the ships to ensure that the mooring problem doesn't happen again. At stake was…

03 Sep

Coast Guard’s Gustav mooring plan under fire; 60 vessels loose

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(NEW ORLEANS) -- Regional officials are questioning the efficacy of the Coast Guard's mooring plan for vessels in the path of Hurrican Gustav, the Times-Picayune newspaper reported. As many as 60 vessels got loose in the Industrial Canal. The ships and barges threatened a flood wall and a natural gas pipeline. Click here to view the newspaper's story.