24 Apr

Individual rescue beacons prove worth but aren't required yet

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
It used to be that when a mariner went overboard, a signal flare was his best chance of alerting rescuers to his location. New technological advancements have made it possible for most small vessels and individuals to carry transmitters like emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), personal locator beacons (PLBs) and similar devices that significantly increase their chances of survival.…
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24 Apr

Runaway coal barge sinks after tow strikes Pittsburgh bridge in high wind, swift current

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Maritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Two barges broke free from a towboat after hitting a bridge support column on the Monongahela River near downtown Pittsburgh. The 4,300-hp towboat Marge McFarlin was westbound toward the Ohio River pushing 12 loaded coal barges when at least one barge struck the Liberty Highway Bridge at about 0100 on Jan. 19. The gravel barge 221 is pinned underneath Pittsburgh's…
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24 Apr

Mowing the lawn: NOAA ship and crew go to great lengths to create accurate charts

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
On a brilliant fall day, the white hull of the oceanographic survey ship Thomas Jefferson gleamed in the sun as it moved slowly away from the pier in New London, Conn. On the bridge arrayed with Halloween decorations, Ensign Anthony Klemm had the conn, while Ensign Lindsey Norman was at the helm. As Klemm used the main engine, bow thrusters…
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23 Apr

Tighter DP standards lead to shortage, sea-time falsification

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Stricter guidelines for mariners who want to become dynamic positioning operators (DPO), combined with the reluctance of the offshore industry to take on trainees, are creating what one DPO calls "a horrible catch-22." Companies desperately need qualified DP personnel, but personnel can't get the experience they need to become qualified. The London-based Nautical Institute, the organization responsible for DP standards…
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23 Apr

Wartsila to equip new Algoma lakers with exhaust scrubbers

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
In the largest maritime order for exhaust scrubbers ever in North America, Wärtsilä Ship Power will supply scrubbers for at least six new lakers built for Algoma Central Corp. Wärtsilä, the Finnish marine engineering and propulsion specialists, has been awarded the contract to provide freshwater integrated scrubbers to cleanse emissions from the new bulk carriers. The pact with Canada's Algoma…
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23 Apr

Tug struck by its own fuel barge after hitting Columbia River dike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A petroleum barge overtook and struck its tugboat after the tug ran into a Columbia River pile dike. The 3,800-hp tug Altair was towing the barge Deneb outbound on the Columbia River when the tug struck the pile dike near Eben H. Carruthers Memorial Park in Warrenton, Ore. Altair was traveling from Portland to Puget Sound when the accident happened…
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23 Apr

Alaska pilot, 'Jordan of ice' spearhead winter fuel delivery to Nome

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
The unlikely partnership of a Russian cargo tanker and U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker made headlines and history in January by traversing the frozen Bering Sea to deliver 1.3 million gallons of fuel to Nome, Alaska. The crews prevailed over engine trouble, language problems, ice more than six feet thick and temperatures in the minus double digits to make the first…
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23 Apr

OSV strikes, damages petroleum rig during cargo-handling operation off Newfoundland

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
An offshore supply vessel struck a drilling rig off eastern Canada, causing a breach in one of the rig's columns. The supply vessel Maersk Detector also was damaged in the Nov. 24, 2011, accident at the rig GSF Grand Banks in the White Rose field, approximately 218 miles off Newfoundland. GSF Grand Banks had been preparing a water injection well…
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23 Apr

Faulty water pump causes duck boat to go adrift in San Francisco Bay; 22 evacuated

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Twenty-two people were rescued from a San Francisco duck tour boat after the engine overheated and stalled as a result of a water pump failure. The incident involving TD-11 happened Dec. 24, 2011, while the 33-foot vessel was conducting a tour in China Basin, also known as McCovey Cove, at the mouth of Mission Creek in San Francisco Bay. U.S.…
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