Maritime News – Page 1042 – Professional Mariner

14 May

Class B AIS is coming, growing pains included

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Tugboats & Towing

"All AIS is good; and Class B is going to give people a better picture of what's going on out there, no question about it, but my problem with it is that update rate of just once every 30 seconds," said former tanker captain and current Penobscot Bay pilot Capt. Skip Strong. And he's just one of several AIS experts…

28 Mar

Offshore LNG terminals approved by Massachusetts

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News

The state of Massachusetts has approved construction of two offshore liquefied natural gas terminals. The facilities for unloading gas from LNG tankers are to be located at points seven and 13 miles off Gloucester, Mass. The projects were approved by Gov. Mitt Romney in December 2006. The state approvals were granted to Neptune LNG/Suez LNG and Northeast Gateway/Excelerate Energy. The…

28 Mar

Phased sign-up program for biometric ID cards begins

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News

As of March 2007, mariners must begin complying with the requirement to travel to an enrollment center to get a biometric ID with digital photo and fingerprints, called a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). Developed with the U.S. Coast Guard, the program is run by the Transportation Security Administration. There will be a phased sign-up period, based on the…

28 Mar

Pilot project to test retrofitting technology for reducing emissions from diesel engines

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News

In an effort to find ways to reduce air pollution from existing marine engines, APL is retrofitting one of its containerships with three promising innovations. The pilot project involves APL's post-Panamax 64,502-gross-ton, 5,108-TEU containership APL Singapore. The ship's two stroke, 66,398-hp MAN B&W 11K90MC-C diesel engine will be fitted with: â€¢ a water-fuel emulsion system developed by Sea to Sky…

28 Mar

Training programs launched to counter shortage of qualified mates on tugs

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training, Maritime News

New training programs are being created to meet the chronic shortage of qualified individuals for the tug and towing industry and to help unlicensed mariners become officers. On the West Coast, Pacific Maritime Institute (PMI) has created a two-year, full-time program for those new to the industry interested in becoming officers. PMI is also offering a 20-week AB-to-mate program. On…

28 Mar

Coast Guard attempts to convince the public and Congress that it can fix Deepwater

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News

Mariners around Key West and South Florida have enough to worry about: storms, drug traffickers, illegal aliens, terrorist activity, cruise-ship emergencies and a potentially chaotic flotilla of Cuban refugees that may follow the death of Fidel Castro. Now they have one additional problem that could aggravate all the other risks. The Coast Guard has yanked eight patrol vessels out of…

23 Mar

Coast Guard monitoring damaged rig to prevent sinking

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News

The Coast Guard is monitoring a jack-up rig that was run aground this morning to prevent it from sinking approximately one mile offshore and six miles south of the Port Aransas jetties. The crew of the tug Vinton Crosby radioed watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi around 3 a.m. this morning reporting the jack-up rig Dolphin III, which they…

23 Mar

Boat U.S. Foundation awards boating safety grants

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News

The Boat U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water has awarded nearly $50,000 in grants to 23 nonprofit groups from Alaska to Florida to spread the message about safe boating practices. Since 1988, the foundation has awarded over three quarters of a million dollars in boating safety grants to fund projects that promote responsible boating at the local level. …

23 Mar

Terminal Island interchange project nearing completion

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News

To complete a major interchange project, the Port of Long Beach will temporarily block access to Terminal Island via the Gerald Desmond Bridge, closing the westbound lanes of Ocean Boulevard between the Long Beach (I-710) Freeway and Navy Way from 9 p.m. Friday, March 23, until 5 a.m. Monday, March 26. The eastbound lanes of Ocean Boulevard will remain open.…

22 Mar

Study says LA.-Long Beach economic clout covers entire nation

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News

When Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa heads to Washington D.C. with a delegation of city officials and business leaders, he will undoubtedly be taking a copy of the new BST Associates trade impact study for the San Pedro Bay Ports. The study - due to be released by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority and the two ports - is an…