28 Feb

Currents, tow configuration, lack of power called factors in bridge accident

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News
Coast Guard headquarters in Washington has concluded that several factors, including strong currents, lack of horsepower and poor tow configuration, contributed to the fatal allision between the towboat Brown Water V and the Queen Isabella Causeway in Texas in September 2001. The accident resulted in the deaths of eight people whose vehicles tumbled into the water after the bridge collapsed…
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28 Feb

Coast Guard advises small passenger vessels to carry fewer people to reflect weight gains

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News
The Coast Guard is asking operators of small passenger vessels to voluntarily reduce the number of people they carry to reflect the fact that the average weight of Americans has increased. The Coast Guard is recommending that operators of small passenger vessels use 185 pounds as the average weight when computing their maximum passenger load. That figure compares with the…
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28 Feb

Tanker damages Mississippi ferry landing after losing steerage near New Orleans

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News
The 813-foot Greek-flagged tanker Astro Altair lost steering and struck the state-owned Algiers ferry landing near New Orleans on Aug. 30, 2004. The ship damaged the ferry landing ramp and pontoons, rendering the ramp and the landing unusable. Astro Altair sustained damage to its bow when it hit a ferry landing and pontoons. The ship was trying to round Algiers…
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28 Feb

Oil barge is freed after running aground

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News
A routine tow up the Oregon coast from Coos Bay to Portland almost turned into an environmental disaster when a Sause Brothers oil barge broke free from a Foss Maritime tug while entering the Columbia River on March 19. Millicoma aground near the North Head Lighthouse. Below, a member of the salvage team being lowered onto the barge. A southwest…
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