29 Apr

Internal investigation: Failures of Coast Guard leadership contributed to fatal boat collision

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A fatal accident involving a U.S. Coast Guard law-enforcement boat in San Diego was the result of reckless operation and a string of command failures, an internal investigation concluded. An 8-year-old boy was killed and 10 others were injured when the 33-foot Coast Guard boat struck the stern of a 24-foot Sea Ray pleasure boat during the San Diego Bay…
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29 Apr

Witnesses: Fears about tall ship’s condition preceded Sandy voyage

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
HMS Bounty had a rotted hull when its captain inexplicably set sail into the path of Hurricane Sandy and then waited too long to abandon ship before the vessel foundered, according to testimony at a federal hearing on the disaster. One member of the 16-person crew died and the captain was never found after the full-rigged tall ship built for…
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29 Apr

Abandoned ship under tow breaks free twice, drifts into Atlantic

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A derelict, unmanned cruise ship being towed from Newfoundland broke two towlines and drifted half way across the North Atlantic. The 295-foot passenger ship Lyubov Orlova was still abandoned drifting aimlessly in the North Atlantic in late February after breaking loose from tugboats near eastern Canada a month earlier. The 237-passenger Lyubov Orlova was named for the Soviet Union’s first…
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Green ship design makes excellent environmental and economic sense
29 Apr

Green ship design makes excellent environmental and economic sense

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Today’s maritime industry is entering the age of the green ship. “The key elements of green ship design can be boiled down to the vessel’s carbon footprint,” said Douglas Wolff, director of engineering at Foss Maritime Co. in Seattle. Foss plans to build three Arctic-class tugs, which will broaden the company’s capacity to take on large oil and gas exploration…
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Port Fourchon completes dredging as part of big expansion project
27 Mar

Port Fourchon completes dredging as part of big expansion project

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Port Fourchon has reached a significant milestone in the enlargement of its facilities: the completion of dredging of Slip C of its Northern Expansion. As the primary support base for the offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico, Port Fourchon has been steadily expanding to keep pace with the number and size of vessels operating in the…
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27 Mar

New law reduces TWIC visits, calls for NMC medical-program review

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training, Maritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Soon mariners will be able to get their Transportation Worker Identification Credential with only one visit to a TWIC center. That’s one of the major changes that mariners will see from the passage of the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act in December 2012. The new law streamlines the current process under which 2 million transportation industry workers must make two trips…
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27 Mar

U.S. renews offshore wind tax credit that industry says it needs

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Some U.S. offshore wind energy development may be ready to accelerate again now that the federal government has renewed a key tax incentive. As part of the “fiscal cliff” agreement in January, Congress and the Obama Administration agreed to continue the investment tax credit for offshore renewable energy projects. A previous version of the tax credit had expired, triggering concerns…
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Jones Act carrier Tote commits to an entire fleet of LNG-fueled ships
27 Mar

Jones Act carrier Tote commits to an entire fleet of LNG-fueled ships

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Tote Inc., which operates Jones Act vessels serving Alaska and the Caribbean, has signed a contract to build the world’s first LNG-powered containerships. The Princeton, N.J.-based company is also converting two of its diesel-electric trailerships, which serve Alaska, to LNG propulsion. When these projects are complete, Tote’s fleet will consist entirely of LNG-powered vessels. “We are a firm believer that…
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