06 Mar

Coast Guard study proposes moving Calif. shipping lanes away from whale zone

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
Commercial shipping routes into the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach soon may be adjusted. Changes in air quality regulations along with whale feeding grounds in the Santa Barbara Channel prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to propose changes in shipping lanes for the Southern California ports. In November 2011, the Coast Guard finished a Port Access Route study that…
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06 Mar

In the spirit of collaboration, Western Towboat readies Arctic Titan

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
There is no mistaking the blue and gold color and the pristine condition of a Western Towboat tug, no matter the vintage. That holds true for Fearless, built in 1937 and recently retired, as well as Arctic Titan, a 120-foot ASD tug, recently launched at the company's facility on the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle. Arctic Titan is expected…
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06 Mar

Sawmill-industry barge holed off British Columbia, takes on water

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A barge loaded with wood chips began listing after a possible collision and had to be moved quickly toward a beach. The Seaspan Marine Corp. barge towed by the contracted tug North Arm Wrestler started taking on water and listing in the Gulf of Georgia near West Vancouver on Sept. 7, 2011. Two other tugs helped move the disabled vessel…
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06 Mar

GMATS at Kings Point to be shuttered in July

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
The federal Department of Transportation will close the Global Maritime and Transportation School (GMATS), the continuing education program at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, after 17 years. GMATS will be eliminated in July 2012, the DOT said. The issue is that GMATS, like the officer's club, museum and some other facilities on campus, is run by off-campus groups and supported…
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06 Mar

New ship-docking tug exhibits agility in tight corners

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
"You are pulling this thing off like it was nothing," came the pilot's voice over the VHF. "Well that was at 1,200 rpm," responded Capt. Bob Olson, skipper of the new ship-docking tug Shuswap. The 3,200-hp docking tug Shuswap turns the car carrier Hyundai No. 103 in the Fraser River. (Alan Haig-Brown photo) "What have you got left?" asked the…
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06 Mar

In challenging maneuver, Woods Hole ship saves 93 Egyptians from overcrowded boat

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
The Woods Hole research vessel, Atlantis, rescued 93 Egyptian migrants from a small wooden boat in the Mediterranean Sea with winds blowing at 25 to 30 knots in four- to six-foot seas. The 274-foot Atlantis, one of five vessels on the scene, was asked to do the rescue because of its maneuverability. Atlantis left Piraeus, Greece, on Nov. 25, 2011,…
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06 Mar

Dynamic positioning glitch causes support vessel to strike platform

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A hardware failure in a dynamic positioning system caused a dive support vessel to strike a natural gas platform off Nova Scotia. The 410-foot Acergy Discovery drifted into the Deep Panuke platform at 0545 on Sept. 6, 2011, about 155 miles southeast of Halifax, said platform operator Encana Corp. There were divers in the water at the time. "Essentially the…
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06 Mar

Suit claims Coast Guard boats were racing before collision with Charleston tour boat

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A December 2009 collision in South Carolina involving a U.S. Coast Guard response boat and a commercial tour boat after a holiday parade happened while the Coast Guard boat was racing a sister vessel through Charleston Harbor, according to a federal lawsuit. The owners of the tour boat Thriller 09 allege that the Coast Guard crews were racing at an…
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New technologies arise in response to ballast water regulations
06 Mar

New technologies arise in response to ballast water regulations

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner
As vessel operators brace themselves for impending ballast water regulations, new technologies offer an opportunity to prevent the spread of invasive species in marine ecosystems. The majority of market-ready ballast water management systems combine first stage filtration with either UV radiation or chemical disinfection. But the emergence of new technologies is expanding the choices available to vessel owners. The member…
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06 Mar

Barges crash into rocks that serve as armor for levee at sharp bend in Mississippi River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, Publication > Professional Mariner
A tow containing 14 barges struck rocks that protect the Mississippi River levee near New Orleans. The accident involving the towing vessel Limestone Lady happened at about 0800 on June 21, 2011, across from the city's French Quarter. The 134-foot towboat, pushing empty barges, was heading upriver when the 6,140-hp vessel ran into difficulty in the sharp bend on the…
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