09 Sep

Harken acquires Dutch distributor On Deck B.V.

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry News, Publication > Professional Mariner
(PEWAUKEE, Wis.) — Harken Inc. acquired its longtime Dutch distributor On Deck B.V. on Sept. 4. It is part of Harken’s efforts to grow its service levels and stay as close as possible to the customer in important strategic markets while continuing its strong growth trajectory. On Deck now operates as Harken’s eighth foreign subsidiary focused on distribution and premier…
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Coast Guard warns that inaccurate vessel data can undermine AIS
27 Aug

Coast Guard warns that inaccurate vessel data can undermine AIS

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner
A spring collision on the Mississippi River that resulted in several fatalities has spurred the U.S. Coast Guard to ramp up efforts to get two points across about automatic identification systems: that it’s unsafe to rely solely on the communication tool to know what vessels are nearby, and that improper entry of AIS data can even be deadly. Toward that…
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GAO: Too soon to assess Coast Guard oversight changes after El Faro
27 Aug

GAO: Too soon to assess Coast Guard oversight changes after El Faro

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner
In the wake of the El Faro disaster, a federal review of a U.S. Coast Guard initiative to ensure that domestic vessels meet safety management system (SMS) standards found that it is too early to evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts. The report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that actions taken by the Coast Guard since the tragedy…
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A century in its wake, Jones Act faces new era of challenges
27 Aug

A century in its wake, Jones Act faces new era of challenges

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner
One hundred years after being enacted, the Jones Act is still mired in controversy. Proponents say it protects the U.S. maritime industry from low-priced foreign competition, preserving the merchant marine and domestic shipbuilding for national defense. Detractors say it does neither, and that it leads to higher consumer costs. Officially Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, the…
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Congressional medal to honor sacrifice of WWII merchant mariners
27 Aug

Congressional medal to honor sacrifice of WWII merchant mariners

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner
Plans to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the American merchant mariners who sacrificed so much in World War II are moving ahead after President Trump signed an authorization bill. Following the March signing of the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020, the medal is being designed by the U.S. Mint in consultation with…
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Crowley crews finesse freighter stern-first down narrow Duwamish
27 Aug

Crowley crews finesse freighter stern-first down narrow Duwamish

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
Two Crowley Maritime tugboats guided the bulk carrier Forest Trader around the final turn in Seattle’s Duwamish Waterway, and with that the most difficult part of the job lay behind them. The open waters of Elliott Bay were straight ahead. “Once you get past the corner of Fisher’s Mill, everyone kind of breathes a little easier,” said Capt. Doug Wingate,…
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Tending the Junipers: Upgrades inject new life into legacy cutters
27 Aug

Tending the Junipers: Upgrades inject new life into legacy cutters

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner
At the U.S. Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Md., workers have the laborious task of performing 12 months of maintenance on each of the service’s legacy 225-foot seagoing buoy tenders at an average cost of roughly $12 million per hull. All 16 Juniper-class cutters (WLB 201-216) are scheduled to be dry-docked for a service life extension to keep them…
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Bulk carrier damages pier at Soo Locks after losing propulsion
26 Aug

Bulk carrier damages pier at Soo Locks after losing propulsion

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A Great Lakes bulk carrier lost propulsion while approaching the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and struck a pier separating two lock systems. The incident happened at about 0300 on July 5 as Atlantic Huron prepared to enter Poe Lock from the west. The bulker, traveling at almost 7 knots, hit the west center pier separating the north…
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