14 Mar

Twighlight to pay $100,000 fine for negligent operation of a vessel

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
U.S. Attorney Scott Schools announced that $800,000 has now been collected for environmental restoration projects in the San Francisco Bay as a result of three shipping pollution prosecutions.  Yesterday, Twighlight Marine, Ltd., pleaded guilty to grossly negligent operation of a vessel and was sentenced to pay a $50,000 criminal fine, $100,000 in restitution to be added to the restoration fund,…
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14 Mar

Towing Safety Advisory Committee seeks new members

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Washington - The U.S. Coast Guard is soliciting applications for seven positions to the Towing Safety Advisory Committee.  Applications must be received on or before March 30, 2007. The TSAC advises the Secretary of Homeland Security on matters relating to shallow-draft inland and coastal waterway navigation and towing safety. The Coast Guard uses this advice in formulating the position of…
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02 Mar

Shipboard fire fighting – water makes a comeback

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
High velocity water sprays combined with low water discharge rates are changing the way shipboard fires are fought. The eruption of a fuel fire in the engine room of the cruise ship Nordic Empress (see sidebar) was controlled and extinguished expeditiously because of the swift activation of a water mist system designed to protect shipboard machinery spaces. This is the…
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28 Feb

When a cylinder fails, engineers still keep ship on schedule

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Patrick McCormack's routine as the first engineer aboard the 750-foot containership Horizon Anchorage cracked at 0800 hours. "When I came into the engine room, I could smell engine-cooling water," said McCormack. Horizon Anchorage on its way north from Tacoma, Wash.    Image Credit: Brian Gauvin "If you're smelling water, you go to the main engine. It jumped right out. It…
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28 Feb

New federal law requires inspection of towing vessels

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Towing vessels will be required to undergo U.S. Coast Guard inspection as a result of new legislation that is expected to have a profound effect on the industry. C.F. Campbell is a 4,000-hp ocean-capable tug built in 1975 by Halter Marine. Over 5,000 tugs in the United States will be subject to U.S. Coast Guard inspection as a result of…
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28 Feb

Z-drive barge extends life of single-screw tug

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Marcon International recorded 441 tugs for sale worldwide in its July 2004 market report. Of these, 162 were still single-screw boats. A number of innovative companies have found ways to upgrade and use these vessels in contemporary situations. The barge can carry up to 54 trailers.    Image Credit: Alan Haig-Brown In some cases, where the hull has enough beam,…
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28 Feb

2004 Plimsoll Awards won by Mississippi river pilot, Coast Guard R&D Center for support of AIS

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
The editors of Professional Mariner have presented the Plimsoll Awards for 2004 to Capt. Douglas J. Grubbs of the Crescent River Port Pilots' Association and to the U.S. Coast Guard's Research and Development Center in Groton, Conn. Grubbs and the R&D Center were honored for their work in developing automatic identification system technology and promoting its acceptance by mariners. Rear…
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