26 Sep

Mariners face uncertainty in TWIC renewal requirements

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training, Maritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
As the first Transportation Worker Identification Credentials (TWIC) approach their expiration dates, some mariners are reporting confusion in the renewal process. TWIC cards are issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In addition to a TWIC, working mariners are likely to have some combination of the Merchant Mariner License (MML), Merchant Mariner’s Document (MMD) or Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC). But…
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26 Sep

Dredge, tug sink after running into bad weather on Lake Huron

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A lack of watertight integrity likely caused engine-room flooding that sank a dredge and attached tugboat in Lake Huron, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The 100-foot dredge Arthur J and 38-foot dredge tender Madison were victims of surprise heavy weather and higher-than-forecast seas July 19 two miles off Lakeport, Mich. The Coast Guard, which is still investigating, pointed to problems…
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NTSB documents reveal dispute over exact positions of tug and box ship in N.J. collision
26 Sep

NTSB documents reveal dispute over exact positions of tug and box ship in N.J. collision

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A containership collided with an oncoming articulated tug and barge (ATB) near the Bayonne Bridge in thick fog after the tugboat couldn’t avoid the ship while making a turn during a flood tide, according to documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The accident involving the box ship Maersk Wisconsin and the tug Ruth M. Reinauer happened at…
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Setting autopilot without fixing tug’s position cited among the factors in Alaska grounding
26 Sep

Setting autopilot without fixing tug’s position cited among the factors in Alaska grounding

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
The captain of a tugboat that struck an Alaska reef admits playing computer games while the boat was on its collision course. Pathfinder ran into Bligh Reef and spilled 6,410 gallons of fuel into Prince William Sound on Dec. 23, 2009. The vessel was finishing an ice-patrol watch outside of the main navigation channels and was preparing to sail back…
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26 Sep

Report cites speed, sonar, chart correction as issues in Arctic cruise ship grounding

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A cruise ship that ran aground in the Northwest Passage in 2010 with 128 people on board was traveling at nearly full speed through poorly-charted seas, even though its forward-looking sonar was broken, Canadian authorities said. Investigators found that crew aboard Clipper Adventurer cut corners while planning that leg of the voyage, leaving them unaware that the shelf had been…
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Shaver Transportation: Rich past and innovative present on the Columbia
26 Sep

Shaver Transportation: Rich past and innovative present on the Columbia

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
The history of Shaver Transportation has been bound to the growth of Portland, Ore., and navigation on the Columbia River system since 1880 when George W. Shaver founded the company. It is still a family company, with Harry Shaver as chairman of the board and his son Steve Shaver as president. The company offices are about seven miles up the…
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Thirst for data and efficiencies expected to spur growth of satellite service
26 Sep

Thirst for data and efficiencies expected to spur growth of satellite service

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
On a recent morning, while sailing back to South Florida from St. Bartholomew in the luxury yacht Battered Bull, Capt. Jeff Ridgway and crew heard over the radio that two large cargo ships had collided nearby. Few vessels were passing through this part of the Caribbean, about 60 miles north of the Dominican Republic, and Ridgway’s 171-foot yacht was the…
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