Correspondence – Page 2 – Professional Mariner

01 Mar

White, black or red, Coast Guard needs new hulls

Professional Mariner StaffCorrespondence, Cutters

From patrols in the tropics to icebreaking in polar waters to fixing channel markers in the heart of America, the U.S. Coast Guard has a vital job to do. To address its 11 statutory missions, the service needs reliable, capable and state-of-the-art ships to meet contemporary threats and those of tomorrow. But over the years, the Coast Guard has had…

Mariners more essential than ever as COVID’s challenges mount

Professional Mariner StaffCorrespondenceCOVID, COVID-19, mariners, pandemic

It is a strange time to be a professional mariner. This is true no matter what kind of vessel you sail on and no matter what specific difficulties your sector of the industry faces — overwork due to the difficulty of relieving crews, or underwork due to the massive drop-off in passenger traffic for much of the year. As the…

Mariners’ role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed

Professional Mariner StaffCorrespondenceautonomous vessel, Coast Guard, technology, USCG

At the behest of Professional Mariner and many other interested parties within and outside of the maritime industry, I’ve been asking many questions about maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) relating to safety, security and future maritime careers. I have sought answers from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) and sources in the…