Containership crewman suffers third-degree burns battling engine room fire near Calif.
23 Jan

Containership crewman suffers third-degree burns battling engine room fire near Calif.

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A crewmember was seriously burned while fighting an engine room fire on a containership near California. On Aug. 4, 2012, fire broke out on Jupiter about 30 nm off San Diego while it was en route from Long Beach to Mazatlán, Mexico. The crew extinguished it with the onboard firefighting equipment. While battling the fire, one crewman suffered third-degree burns…
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23 Jan

Lake Erie ferry runs aground on sandbar in channel near landing

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Passengers spent an unplanned night aboard a Canadian ferry in Lake Erie after it ran aground on its regular run from Pelee Island to the Ontario mainland. The 199-foot Jiimaan, with 16 crewmembers and 18 passengers, was approaching the Kingsville Harbour dock in high winds when it ran up on a sandbar on Oct. 11, 2012. “We were all sort…
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Salvage team overcomes challenges to remove Puerto Rico mystery ship
23 Jan

Salvage team overcomes challenges to remove Puerto Rico mystery ship

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
It was the recipe for a salvage nightmare: a grounded freighter with a compromised hull, thousands of gallons of fuel, tons of oil-soaked cargo, a pair of tropical storms, and endangered coral and sea turtles — all on an uninhabited Caribbean island more than 40 miles from the nearest port. The result? “It was a model job, if you will,…
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Scientists, salvors cooperate to protect coral
23 Jan

Scientists, salvors cooperate to protect coral

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Vessel groundings are tough enough on coral. But in many cases salvage operations just make things worse, with dragging anchors and cables inflicting more damage than the initial impact of a hull. To better protect reefs in U.S. territorial waters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been working with salvors to safeguard coral and move colonies out of…
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Drought means less cargo, fewer barges and higher costs for towboat operators
08 Nov

Drought means less cargo, fewer barges and higher costs for towboat operators

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
The Midwest’s worst drought in decades has resulted in a complicated and costly shipping season for companies operating on the Mississippi River. Water levels remained low throughout the summer months, reaching record lows in Memphis, Tenn., Vicksburg, Miss., and New Orleans in August. In response, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a low-water advisory and imposed a barge draft limit of…
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08 Nov

Inspection requirements for tugs delayed by engine-fire concerns

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
The U.S. towing industry, which waited years to get a look at a U.S. Coast Guard proposal for mandatory inspections, faces yet another unexpected delay in the release of the final rule. An additional proposal to require more fire protection on towing vessels is under consideration because of at least one recent fatal engine-room fire, a Coast Guard official said…
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Salvage of Costa Concordia to be delayed by at least two months
08 Nov

Salvage of Costa Concordia to be delayed by at least two months

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
The salvage of Costa Concordia has been delayed by at least two months, according to its operator, Costa Crociere. The new timetable means that the 114,147-gross-ton ship will be refloated in March or April 2013, not January, as was originally announced by the company. On Jan. 13, 2012, the ship — carrying 4,229 passengers and crew — tore a hole…
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08 Nov

Coast Guard to resume posting full archive of mariner exam questions

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
After a two-year hiatus, the U.S. Coast Guard has decided to put its full database of mariner examination questions back up on the Web. In 2010, the National Maritime Center (NMC) decided to remove the full bank of deck and engine exam questions from its website, arguing that disclosing all of the questions could harm the integrity of the testing.…
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