Casualty News – Page 382 – Professional Mariner

14 May

Tugboat deck hand killed during a barge transfer in California

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A Foss Maritime Co. deck hand was killed when a tow bridle unexpectedly became taut and pinned her against a tugboat railing. Piper Cameron, 26, died of injuries in the Feb. 20 accident at an offshore tanker lightering zone in Santa Monica Bay, off El Segundo, Calif. A fellow crewman suffered a severe leg injury when he attempted to come…

14 May

Collier grounds in Chesapeake Bay after failing to alter course

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A coal ship failed to turn at a well-known buoy in the Chesapeake Bay, and then ran aground near a lighthouse. Two veteran pilots from the Association of Maryland Pilots were aboard MV Montrose when the 712-foot vessel grounded at 0600 on Feb. 28. The outbound ship was carrying a full load of 74,215 metric tons of coal, the Coast…

14 May

Towboat and barges holding against bank suddenly cross river and hit cruise ship

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The Coast Guard is investigating whether anyone aboard a Mississippi River towboat was paying attention when the vessel went out of control and struck a cruise ship. A barge being pushed by the towing vessel Repentance hit the cruise ship Fantasy shortly before 0600 Feb. 10 at New Orleans, the Coast Guard said. The barge gouged a 30-foot-long gash along…

14 May

Barge runs up on lock wall, spills volatile cargo

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

0hio River traffic was halted for more than 12 hours and traffic on a nearby interstate highway bridge was disrupted for several hours following a Feb. 27 accident involving a barge carrying 960,000 gallons of highly flammable cumene. The accident occurred at about 1930 when a barge pushed by the 2,600-hp towboat Kimberly Jane struck and then hung up on…

14 May

Crowley rescue tug aids disabled ship

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A rescue tug stationed at Neah Bay on the Strait of Juan de Fuca proved its worth in March by towing a disabled ship to Port Angeles, Wash.On March 2 the Crowley tug Gladiator came to the aid of the 377-foot, 6,455-dwt refrigerator cargo vessel Khoral as it approached the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The State of Washington has…

14 May

Failure to change course led to fatal sinking, BC Ferries reports

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The two-person bridge crew of the ferry Queen of the North failed to execute a standard 18° turn to port 14 minutes before the vessel ran aground on rocks off Gill Island on March 22, 2006, according to a report issued by BC Ferries. After the impact, the ferry drifted for approximately one hour and 18 minutes before sinking, according…

14 May

Containership grounding in New York blamed on contaminated fuel

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The Hapag-Lloyd containership Kobe Express ran aground outside New York Harbor on March 17, after losing power as a result of contaminated fuel. According to U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Rekiya Jansen, the single-hull vessel was outbound from Bayonne, N.J., when it lost propulsion at 2214 north of buoy 19 in New York's Lower Bay. The ship ran aground near…

14 May

Ship carrying container cranes collides with dredge barge

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The 38,519-gross-ton heavy-load carrier Zhen Hua 16, carrying four new container cranes, collided with the dredge barge Cherokee in the Port of Wilmington, N.C., at about 1715 on Feb. 3. As Zhen Hua 16 approached a planned starboard turn to bring the vessel's port side to the docks, the arms at the back of all four cranes, sticking out over…

14 May

Section of Intracoastal Waterway in Texas closed for two days following grounding

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The Sabine-Neches Channel at Intracoastal Waterway mile marker 279 near Port Arthur, Texas, was closed to deep-draft vessels for two days after a towboat and one of its barges ran aground on March 12. The towboat Kacie Luhr was pushing four rock barges when one of them became unstable and lost cargo. The towboat then began taking on water. Kacie…

28 Mar

Coast Guard report cites long list of mistakes that led to deaths of divers from icebreaker

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A series of mistakes in leadership, training and judgment led to the deaths of two U.S. Coast Guard divers from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy during a dive under the ice 500 miles northwest of Barrow, Alaska, according to a Coast Guard report on the accident.The vessel's three top officers were found to be in dereliction of duty at…