Pilot takes quick action to avert disaster in Mississippi collision

Quick thinking by a Mississippi River pilot prevented a potentially catastrophic collision when a containership lost its steering and struck a bulk carrier that was about to dock, the Coast Guard said.The 773-foot Heidelberg Express experienced cascading generator failures and lost power to its electrical systems before the Oct. 22 incident on the river near Pointe a la Hache, La.…
Read More

Loose electrical connection results in collision

A bulk carrier traveling down the Mississippi River lost steering control and struck an anchored ship because of an electronics problem that caused its engine to slow, Coast Guard investigators have concluded. On Oct. 16, Zagora, a 712-foot Greek-flagged bulk carrier, veered out of the main channel near Kenner, La., and struck the empty bulk carrier Torm Anholt — scraping,…
Read More

Sharp roll by new cruise ship injures over 200 passengers

Federal officials are investigating Princess Cruises' conclusion that "human error" caused its newest cruise ship to list as much as 38° to starboard, injuring more than 200 passengers.The incident on the Crown Princess happened on the afternoon of July 18, 11 miles off the coast of Port Canaveral, Fla., the National Transportation Safety Board said.The 952-foot cruise ship had just…
Read More

Deck hand falls from rigging to his death aboard tall ship

An 18-year-old deck hand died in mid-July when he fell 30 feet from the rigging of the tall ship he was working aboard.Benjamin Southerland, from Concord, Mass., was working aboard the schooner Alabama off Martha's Vineyard with 15 people onboard. He suffered several injuries and was in cardiac arrest when rescuers arrived.Alabama, a 90-foot gaff-rigged schooner, is owned and operated…
Read More