Publication > Professional Mariner – Page 144

22 Aug

Seafarer study examines health care complaints, medical needs

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner

Reliable data on health care for the 1.2 million seafarers worldwide is hard to come by, so that’s why a provider of international maritime medical management services is teaming up with Yale University to study injuries and illnesses of crewmembers on board bluewater vessels. Future Care Inc., a New York-based health care service provider for vessel operators, is working with…

26 Jul

License denials soar as NMC scrutinizes medical evaluations

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training, Publication > Professional Mariner

As the National Maritime Center (NMC) staffed up its expanded medical division over the past two years, the number of mariners who fail their medical evaluations has more than tripled. In 2009, only 466 mariners, or 0.6 percent, failed their medical review. In 2010, the number of medical denials had risen to 650, or 1.1 percent. In 2011, the number…

25 Jul

Costa Concordia salvage: rotate and refloat ship, then tow it away

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner

In what is being called the largest salvage operation of its kind in history, two salvage companies have been hired to refloat and tow away Costa Concordia, the huge luxury cruise ship that struck a rock and foundered near an Italian island in January. Thirty people died and two are still missing as a result of the disaster. The ship,…

24 Jul

Captain wins settlement after losing job for reporting safety violations

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

The message from the federal government is clear: Retaliate against a seaman for reporting a dangerous situation to the U.S. Coast Guard and you can be held accountable. But the message from a legal expert is also clear: You might want to seek advice from a lawyer before speaking with authorities. In April, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that…

23 Jul

End of Northeast container feeder service disappoints short-sea shipping advocates

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner

A coastal container feeder service linking New England and Nova Scotia ports has been shut down after just nine months. The decision was a blow for those advocating coastal shipping as a way to shift substantial amounts of cargo from congested highways and railroads onto underutilized American waterways. American Feeder Lines (AFL) announced in May that it was ending its…

22 Jul

Coast Guard issues ballast water rules but uncertainties remain

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued new rules for ballast water discharge treatment, but it remains unclear if vessel operators will face conflicting regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several U.S. states. On March 23, the Coast Guard published its final ballast water rules that will require onboard ballast water management systems in addition to the mid-ocean ballast…

21 Jul

Efforts to keep GMATS continuing ed program alive fall short, MarAd to close school in July

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner

The federal Department of Transportation (DOT) is moving ahead with its plan to close in July the 17-year-old Global Maritime and Transportation School (GMATS), the continuing education program at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. According to Kim Riddle, spokeswoman for the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd), “The U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy…

20 Jul

New Gulf Coast marine training center offers comprehensive program

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training, Publication > Professional Mariner

Gulf Coast ports and the inland river system are home to a host of marine operating companies, supporting offshore oil drilling rigs and production platforms, assisting ships from around the world and providing barge transportation and fleeting. The companies employ thousands of mariners — who are increasingly required to upgrade their licenses and nautical knowledge. Heretofore those mariners have had…

19 Jul

In middle age, the towboat Donna Rushing gets a ‘green’ makeover

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing

From outward appearances the towboat Donna Rushing appears no different than it did when delivered 39 years ago as F. P. Thomas to Thomas Marine Co. by Dravo Corp. Back then Thomas Marine Co., of Butler, Pa., towed petroleum products for Ashland Refining Co., now known as Marathon Ashland Petroleum. In 1973, the towboat had 5,600 hp from a pair…

18 Jul

The Voyage of the Rose City

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry News, Licensing & Training, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing

The Voyage of the Rose City By John Moynihan 256 pages Spiegel & Grau, 2011 In 1980, between terms at Wesleyan University, 20-year-old John Moynihan insinuated himself aboard an oil tanker as an ordinary seaman. (Moynihan died in 2004 at age 44 from an allergy to acetaminophen; this book was published posthumously through the efforts of his mother.) He had…