Casualty News – Page 380 – Professional Mariner

16 Jan

Boaters killed after striking tug’s towline

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

Two men on a recreational boat were killed when their vessel capsized after striking a towline between a tugboat and a barge in Lower New York Bay. The Coast Guard said the casualty happened at 2254 on Oct. 20 in Ambrose Channel, about six miles from the Brooklyn shoreline. The 24-foot Baha Cruiser sport fisher, which was westbound, got too…

16 Jan

Oil leaks into river through a scupper pipe

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A Greek tanker company may redesign scupper pipes on some ships after one of its vessels spilled at least 2,300 gallons of bunker fuel into the Delaware River. The fuel leaked from the tanker Tigani at about 1050 on Oct. 10 while the vessel was moored at a Citgo asphalt refinery in Paulsboro, N.J. The Coast Guard said No. 6…

16 Jan

Bay Bridge accident spurs sweeping review of practices and systems

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

Above, the ship sustained a gash about 200 feet long on its port side just aft of the bow. Two fuel tanks were penetrated. (Abner Kingman photos) Since November 2007, government officials have wondered exactly what caused the Cosco Busan to run into the Bay Bridge and spill 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel into San Francisco Bay. A better question…

16 Jan

Small cruise ship is intentionally grounded after hitting object in Intracoastal Waterway

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Maritime News

The Army Corps of Engineers suspects the object that holed the ship may be part of an old barge or fender system. (Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District) A 207-foot cruise ship was holed by an unusual, uncharted wooden object in the early morning of Nov. 8 and was forced to ground out on the Intracoastal Waterway in…

16 Jan

Mate on yacht misread lights on bulker, turned into ship’s path, Coast Guard says

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The sailboat and ship were on reciprocal courses, apparently headed for a starboard-to-starboard meeting. As the vessels converged, the sailboat's mate radioed the ship to say that the ship's port running light appeared to be out. A little bit more than a minute later, after the sailboat turned to starboard, the two vessels collided. (Ginny Howe illustration) The U.S. Coast…

16 Jan

Tanker damages Ambrose Light, raising questions about its future

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

High winds off Sandy Hook, N.J., may have been one factor causing a 799-foot tanker to sideswipe Ambrose Light, crippling the beacon and perhaps ending its long history of guiding ships to New York Harbor. The Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating why the ship's crew didn't report the allision for almost seven hours. The Coast Guard…

15 Jan

Hull pierced, bulk ship disabled at Superior, Wisc.

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(SUPERIOR, Wisc.) -- A bulk ship on its way to lay up for the winter had its hull breached, possibly by an underwater object, the Duluth News Tribune newspaper reported. The crew was evacuated from the Walter J. McCarthy Jr., and the engine room is flooded. The Coast Guard said underwater ice or a concrete piling may be to blame for…

14 Jan

Human error on tug likely caused barge to strike bridge

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(SAN FRANCISCO) -- Human error on a tugboat probably caused a fuel barge to strike the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. No fuel spilled from the barge, but the bridge fender was damaged. A strong current behind the barge may have made the transit too hazardous, the newspaper reported. The Coast Guard said it ruled…

11 Jan

Tug, barge strike California bridge piling

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The following is the text of a press release issued Oct. 10 by the U.S. Coast Guard: (SAN FRANCISCO) -- The United Stated Coast Guard is responding to a tug and barge allision with the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. At approximately 6pm the tug and barge were headed outbound from Rodeo when it struck the east piling of the west span of…

11 Jan

NTSB: Poor training, steering error caused Crown Princess tilt

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(WASHINGTON) -- The National Transportation Safety Board said inadequate training and a steering mistake caused the cruise ship Crown Princess to heel last year off Florida, the Associated Press reported. The ship went off course in shallow water, and a crew member disengaged the autopilot and then made a steering error, investigators said. The captain was not on the bridge…