Publication > Professional Mariner – Page 127

25 Jul

Weeks Marine suction dredge vital to restoring Louisiana’s coastline

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner

On a drizzly Gulf Coast morning in March, the Weeks Marine cutter suction dredge C.R. McCaskill was pumping a thick mud sludge of dredge spoil through a 30-inch diameter pipe at 400 psi on a six-mile journey into Louisiana’s marshland. It took the mud 25 minutes to reach its destination. “The project is called a Beneficial Use Project,” said the…

24 Jul

Three men burned when flammable vapors ignite, barge explodes

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

Three people suffered severe burns when an empty gasoline barge exploded and later sank near downtown Mobile, Ala. According to a preliminary U.S. Coast Guard investigation, gasoline vapors that accumulated on and around the barges during cleaning at the Oil Recovery Co. Marine Terminal traveled into the engine room of a passing tugboat and ignited at about 2040 on April…

24 Jul

BC Ferries officer found guilty of criminal negligence in 2006 sinking

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

The officer in charge of the bridge during Queen of the North’s fatal accident in 2006 has been convicted of criminal negligence. Two passengers were missing and presumed drowned after the BC Ferries vessel struck a rock and sank March 22, 2006. Karl Lilgert was the fourth officer on Queen of the North and was in the wheelhouse with the…

24 Jul

NTSB: Inadequate weather preparations, botched life raft launch led to Trinity II deaths

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

The Trinity II disaster that killed four people happened because of poor weather planning and mishandling of life rafts, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has ruled. The deaths occurred after the crew of the 94-foot jack-up lift boat abandoned the vessel in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche during Hurricane Nate on Sept. 8, 2011. After two life rafts failed to…

24 Jul

Probe: Tug sank in N.H. because of captains’ mistakes, boat design

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

A sinking of a tugboat at a New Hampshire bridge was blamed, in part, on the failure of the crew to change the mooring arrangement when the tidal current reversed. While participating in a reconstruction project, Benjamin Bailey capsized on Oct. 24, 2012, alongside the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, N.H. The current flipped the boat after ill-conceived action by the…

24 Jul

Illinois River navigation halted after loose barges damage dam

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

Seven runaway barges struck a dam on the Illinois River, causing extensive damage to the gate system and disrupting navigation for almost a month. The accident at the Marseilles Dam happened April 18 during a heavy rain when the river swelled to record levels. Dale A. Heller was downbound on the Illinois River when it lost control of its tow…

24 Jul

Smoky fire at battery switch damages tugboat at California pier

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

An electrical fire damaged part of an engine aboard a tugboat at a California dock. The fire broke out on Z-Five, a 95-foot tractor tugboat, at a Starlight Marine Services dock in Alameda, Calif., on March 20. The blaze started at approximately 1000 and was put out by three crewmembers. The Alameda Fire Department responded to a call and confirmed…

24 Jul

Va. judge brings guilty verdict against tug captain who ran over skiff

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

A Virginia tugboat captain was convicted of improper operation after his tow ran over a skiff, dumping its 77-year-old occupant into the Elizabeth River. William Spencer, 69, was ordered to pay a $200 fine for the misdemeanor, which had been reduced from a more serious charge of reckless operation. Spencer was at the helm of Albert Pike on the morning…

24 Jul

Tugboat sinks, drifts underwater while it’s still attached to barge until towline snaps

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

A tugboat sank off the California coast and was suspended underwater while its deck barge drifted, until the towline eventually parted. Delta Captain, an 83-foot twin screw tugboat, sank in stormy conditions approximately 13 nm off Point Sur, Calif., on April 13. The four crewmembers were rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station San Francisco. There were…

24 Jul

Eleven barges sink after 114 break loose from Mo. fleeting area

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner

More than 100 barges broke away from a large fleeting area near downtown St. Louis, and 11 sank in the Mississippi River. At least four of the runaway barges struck a six-lane bridge carrying an interstate highway between Missouri and Illinois. The accident closed a 15-mile section of river and shut down the Port of St. Louis for nearly 36…