17 Apr

Cargo ship sinks off Puerto Rico; 11 mariners rescued

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard:   (SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) -- Coast Guard watch standers and the crew of a Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon Jet coordinated with the motor tanker Aegean Angel the rescue of 11distressed mariners aboard a life raft Tuesday, after their vessel sank 300 miles south of Puerto Rico…

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15 Apr

Crewman missing from tanker off Bolivar, Texas

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The following is the text of a press release issued April 14 by the U.S. Coast Guard:   (HOUSTON) -- The Coast Guard is searching for a 29-year-old crewman who went missing off a tanker near Bolivar, Texas today. A watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Houston/Galveston received a call at 5:05 a.m. from the agent of the tanker Chembulk New…

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15 Apr

Tug’s tender boat capsizes off Guam; one man missing

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The following is a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard:   (GUAM) -- Rescue units from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Guam Police Department, and Guam Fire Department are searching Hagatna Boat Basin for a man who has been missing since just before 6 a.m. April 4.  The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Guam, has…

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14 Apr

Collision between crewboat, barges injures 18 on Mississippi River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

(ANGOLA, La.) -- A collision between a crewboat and two barges on the Mississippi River injured at least 18 people, the Advocate newspaper and WBRZ News 2 of Baton Rouge reported. The crewboat was ferrying prison employees across the swollen river. The Helen G. Calyx sustained a large hole in its hull, above the waterline, and did not sink.  …

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09 Apr

Barge strikes bridge fender after tug enters wrong span in dense fog

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A large fuel barge struck and damaged a San Francisco-area bridge fender after the tug captain followed the wrong green light in thick fog, the Coast Guard said. The 4,100-hp Pacific Wolf was towing the barge Cascades when the accident happened at about 1800 on Jan. 10. A second tug, Delta Deanna, was helping to escort the barge, which was…

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09 Apr

Tour boat strikes rocks near Alcatraz Island

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

The Coast Guard is investigating how a tour ferry got too close to Alcatraz Island and struck submerged rocks, denting its hull. The 90-foot Royal Prince scraped the rocks at about 1500 on Dec. 6, 2007. The vessel, operated by the Red and White Fleet, was giving a tour of Alcatraz to about 15 guests, the San Francisco company said.…

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09 Apr

Tug sinks 3 days after surviving a close call

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

Three men were rescued from the Pacific Ocean after their 45-foot tugboat sank off the coast of Oregon. Just three days earlier, the Coast Guard had provided an escort to the vessel, which was taking on water. Coast Guard Station Tillamook Bay, Ore., received a call from the crew of the Joe Foss at 0615 on Jan. 23 reporting that…

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09 Apr

LNG carrier is towed to safety off Cape Cod

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A tugboat assists the disabled 933-foot LNG tanker 33 miles east of Chatham, Mass. A 932-foot liquefied natural gas carrier lost power and went adrift off Cape Cod after a boiler feed pump malfunctioned. At least eight emergency response vessels and tugboats were sent to the Catalunya Spirit to ensure that the disabled ship didn’t pose a hazard. Catalunya Spirit…

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09 Apr

Two escape sinking harbor tug

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

A towboat pilot and a deck hand escaped injury by jumping to a nearby barge when their small vessel suddenly sank in the Tennessee River near Calvert City, Ky. The 51-foot-by-22-foot Janet Leavell sank Jan. 22 at mile 11.5 while en route to assist the larger towboat Elizabeth Lane, which was assembling a 15-barge coal tow. CWO Clarence "Charlie•bCrLf Rice,…

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09 Apr

Fuel spilled after wind and currents
drive bulk carrier against its dock

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News

Algonorth, a 730-foot laker, was blown back onto a dock in Toledo, Ohio. A 730-foot bulk ship scraped the side of a dock at Toledo, Ohio, spilling an estimated 3,100 gallons of fuel into the Maumee River, and a crewman on an adjacent vessel suffered a broken arm when a line snapped. The captain of the laker Algonorth had unwisely…

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