06 May

Minn. mayor objects to rent-free private use of city-owned vessels

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
(STILLWATER, Minn.) -- A controversy is brewing among city officials who question why a taxpayer-owned towing vessel and barge are being used by a private business rent-free, the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper reported. The towboat Cayuga and the barge Frank E. are docked at the Max Todo Marine Service. The mayor proposes charging the marine service rent for using vessels,…
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05 May

U.S. Navy tests large superconductor motor

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
The U.S. Navy has successfully power-tested a superconducting motor producing 49,000 hp. Superconducting technology allows for the design of motors that have very high power outputs relative to their size and weight. The first full-power test of the motor, conducted in January 2009 at the U.S. Navy's Integrated Power System Land-Based Test Site in Philadelphia, confirmed the 49,000-hp (36.5-megawatt) output.…
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05 May

Deck officers facing prison in South Korea freed on bail following international protests

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
Chief Officer Syam Chetan, holding child, and Capt. Jasprit Chawla, right, are shown with family members after the men were released on bail Jan. 15. Two deck officers who were initially acquitted of criminal charges in South Korea's worst oil spill, but later convicted and jailed, were released on bail Jan. 15 following protests from mariners worldwide. The case against…
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05 May

Researchers find area used by right whales for wintering and perhaps breeding in Maine

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
   Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) believe that they have identified a wintering ground and quite possibly a new breeding area for the North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of Maine. During an aerial survey on Dec. 3, 2008, in the Jordan Basin area about 70 miles south of Bar Harbor,…
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05 May

New rules define qualifications for salvors hired in response to oil tanker accidents

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
   The U.S. Coast Guard has amended its rules governing oil spill response plans to ensure that only qualified salvors will be hired when tankers are involved in accidents. The rules, which took effect Jan. 30, give vessel operators 18 months to comply with the regulations. They apply to tankers carrying oil in U.S. waters. The Coast Guard action marked an…
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