02 Mar

Six fishermen die after collision with tow on Ohio River

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Six recreational fishermen died after their 17-foot boat was struck by a towboat and its barges on the Ohio River, about 25 miles northeast of Louisville, Ky. The accident occurred in the early Sunday morning darkness on July 15, 2001. The towboat Elaine G was traveling at about 6 knots down the navigation channel of the river while pushing 14…
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02 Mar

2003 Plimsoll Winners Announced

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Professional Mariner has selected the Columbia River Bar Pilots and U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Domenic Calicchio as winners of the 2003 Samuel Plimsoll Awards for outstanding service in promoting safety in the maritime industry. Columbia River Bar Pilot Bill Worth boarding the tanker Casablanca. The pilots' group was chosen in the outstanding-organization category because of its pioneering work in the…
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02 Mar

Tanker plows into Savannah LNG terminal

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
A chemical tanker departing the port of Savannah on a clear night in September, 2000 suddenly veered from the channel and plowed into a LNG terminal, destroying a large section of pier and damaging shoreside machinery. The chemical tanker Sun Sapphire sustained a 40- by 10-foot gash in its starboard side when it collided with the Elba Island Southern LNG…
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02 Mar

Three Russian crewmen charged with manslaughter in sinking of U.S. fishing boat

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
The United States charged three crewmembers of a Russian tanker with manslaughter, following a collision with a Maine-based fishing boat that left three fishermen dead. Virgo lies at anchor in Placentia Bay outside Come By Chance, Newfoundland. The Cypriot-flagged ship with a Russian crew was detained and searched by Canadian police. Starbound, an 83-foot, steel-hull trawler, was heading to Rockland,…
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02 Mar

Brazilian oil rig explodes, killing 10 workers

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
One of the world's largest oil rigs sank in March following three explosions that crippled the rig and killed 10 workers. Despite efforts to right P-36, the rig capsized and sank in waters approximately 4,300 feet deep off the coast of Brazil. The Petrobras rig, P-36, was 120 miles northeast of Rio de Janeiro on March 15 in the oil-rich…
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02 Mar

Containership crashes into Norfolk pier

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
The 960-foot container ship, Katsuragi, crashed bow first into a pier at Norfolk International Terminals after the ship was unable to complete a turn in time. The bulbous bow of Katsuragi embedded itself under the wharf at a Norfolk terminal after the ship failed to make a turn. The collision caused $300,000 damage to the ship and $500,000 to the…
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02 Mar

Grounding of NOAA vessel result of operator error

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
The April grounding of the research vessel Ronald H. Brown on Canada's Inside Passage was the result of a maneuvering error on the part of the vessel's officer of the deck (OOD), according to an internal report by NOAA officials. The 274-foot Ronald H. Brown grounded off Hewitt Island at 0316 on April 23, 2000 (see PM Issue No. 50).…
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02 Mar

Explosion blows section of deck off oil barge

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
An explosion ripped a 20-by-25-foot piece of deck out of an oil barge on the lower Mississippi and sent it flying onto an adjoining barge. Left: The explosion ripped open the bow of MM-25. The barge, which was empty at the time, had recently been carrying crude oil. Right: A large section of MM-25's deck was sent skyward by the…
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02 Mar

Bridge over Intracoastal Waterway takes a hit, again

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
For the third time in as many months, a towboat and its tow have rammed the Louisa Bridge over the lower Atchafalaya River on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Louisiana. The bow of Kirby 31801 lies jammed under the Louisa Bridge as water fog is laid down to prevent an explosion. The barge was carrying a propane/ propylene mix when…
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