24 May

Hospital ship Africa Mercy arrives in Liberia

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Mercy Ships announced that its newest vessel, Africa Mercy, the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship, has docked in Monrovia following the vessel’s maiden voyage from the U.K.  Since 1978, Mercy Ships has used hospital ships to deliver free health care to the poor. Africa Mercy effectively doubles Mercy Ships’ capacity to provide free health care and community development services.After serving…
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24 May

Maine Maritime schooner Bowdoin to set sail

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Maine Maritime Academy’s schooner Bowdoin will sail to southern ports in Virginia and Maryland, and make port calls in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island in June as part of the college’s sail-training curriculum.  The vessel is scheduled to get underway on Wednesday, May 30, between 1000 and 1100. A highlight of this year’s sail training cruise and subsequent summer…
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14 May

Captain jailed under Seaman’s Manslaughter Statute is set free

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Although a captain convicted using the Seaman's Manslaughter Statute has been released from jail, the lawyer representing the owner of his vessel said industry groups should lobby to have this law changed. Capt. Wolfgang Schroder was released from jail on Feb. 7 after Callie V.S. Granade, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Alabama, Southern District, disregarded sentencing guidelines…
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14 May

2007 Plimsoll Awards go to class society group, longtime safety advocate, winch maker

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
The editors of Professional Mariner presented three Samuel Plimsoll awards for outstanding safety achievement on March 20 at the Connecticut Maritime Association's Shipping 2007 conference in Stamford, Conn. The individual award for outstanding service went to Richard C. Hiscock. Currently serving as Senior Professional Staff for the U.S. House of Representative's Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, Hiscock has…
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14 May

Coast Guard takes over management of Deepwater program

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
The Coast Guard has dumped the controversial private-sector venture it hired to manage the Deepwater program. In April, Commandant Adm. Thad Allen announced that Integrated Coast Guard Systems (ICGS) would no longer serve as the prime contractor for the fleet modernization initiative. ICGS, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp., is eligible to compete for individual…
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14 May

Companies planning offshore LNG terminals commit to using U.S. mariners on tankers

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Agreements between the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) and two energy companies planning liquefied natural gas terminals off the coast of Massachusetts should mean the creation of 300 to 400 jobs for U.S. mariners within the next three to five years. The two companies, Suez Energy and Excelerate Energy, have committed to hiring U.S. mariners to fill a quarter of the…
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14 May

No-smoking regs proposed for U.K. waters

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Britain is formulating no-smoking regulations designed to eliminate second-hand smoke aboard almost all commercial vessels operating in U.K. waters. After the final consultation period seeking public and industry comments ends on May 11, the final regulations are expected to come into law in July 2007. The proposed rules are the result of smoke-free provisions of the Health Act of 2006.…
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