Publication > Professional Mariner – Page 5

03 Aug

Marine radio tech gets friendlier, more capable in cellular age

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

For more than a century, marine radio has been a boon to all who work on the water, providing first for improved safety and, over time, becoming an indispensable operational tool. In recent years, it may not have experienced the “mobile revolution” that smartphones have brought to life ashore, but it has acquired many new capabilities. So, despite competition from…

03 Aug

Pandemic shuffles deck, but marine exchange keeps San Pedro safe

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, all of the terminals in San Pedro, Calif., remain open, but ship traffic has decreased and the amount of cargo transiting both ports — Los Angeles and Long Beach — declined significantly through the first four months of the year. The anchorages in the San Pedro roadstead were full of cruise ships going nowhere, loaded car…

03 Aug

Mariners, Coast Guard adapting to coronavirus risks and realities

Professional Mariner StaffA Mariner's Notebook, Publication > Professional Mariner

On my birthday in early February, my wife and I celebrated the day with a fish-and-chips lunch at a favorite local restaurant, followed by a pleasant hike along a waterfront preserve on the south end of the island we live on. Halfway through the walk, we sat down on a log to enjoy a cup of coffee out of our…

02 Jun

Industry faces hurdles on crew changes, essential staff in pandemic

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

With much of the United States shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mariners and port employees keep working, but in a radically different environment. Crew changes and visits to vessels must be done with numerous safety precautions. Personal hygiene on board has become paramount. “We are treating personal hygiene guidelines like safety practices,” said Jim Weakley, president of the…

02 Jun

“We cannot have a virus running through these boats”

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

In good times and bad, the maritime industry helps keep the U.S. economy moving. For that to happen, boats must be running and crews must be healthy enough to work. That’s particularly challenging during a pandemic, but Western Towboat has taken multiple steps to keep coronavirus at bay. These include fewer crew changes to avoid interactions with potentially sick people,…

02 Jun

Stakeholders step up best practices for virus

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

As part of a critical industry, maritime companies continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Coast Guard have issued preventive and procedural guidelines, many maritime stakeholders are supplementing that with their own recommendations. The American Waterways Operators (AWO) has compiled a list of federal, state and company COVID-19 guidelines on…

02 Jun

Panama Canal imposes freshwater levy as lake levels drop

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

Efforts to conserve fresh water at the Panama Canal could cost the global shipping industry up to $370 million per year and will likely cause year-over-year freight rates on Gulf of Mexico routes to rise markedly. The Panama Canal Authority (PCA) imposed a $10,000 freshwater surcharge for all vessels over 125 feet in length beginning Feb. 15. The PCA cited…

02 Jun

Report finds shift to LNG could worsen shipping’s climate impact

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

Switching to liquefied natural gas (LNG) is being widely touted as a responsible way for ships to reduce their climate impact, but it’s actually making greenhouse gas emissions far worse, according to an international environmental advocacy group. Kendra Ulrich, shipping campaigns director for Stand.earth, said her group commissioned the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) to study LNG’s impact, and…

02 Jun

Study sounds alarm on black carbon in VLSFO emissions

Professional Mariner StaffPublication > Professional Mariner

As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) grapples with controlling the shipping industry’s use of heavy fuels, substituting very-low-sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) may do more harm than good — at least in the Arctic. That’s because some of the more aromatic blends of VLSFO may drastically increase — by up to 85 percent — emissions of black carbon, the term used…

02 Jun

Washington state following Norway’s lead to decarbonize shipping

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner

Achieving the International Maritime Organization (IMO) goal of reducing carbon emissions in maritime shipping by at least half by 2050 will require a fundamental shift toward zero-carbon energy sources such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), electric power and ammonia. It also will require a substantial investment: between $1 trillion and $1.4 trillion over the next 20 years, according to analysis…