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

Costa Concordia aftermath: When is it OK to challenge a captain's decision?

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
The Costa Concordia accident raises the difficult question of how officers on the bridge should respond to a captain who gives dangerous orders that violate basic safety standards. Costa Concordia's officers, including Capt. Francesco Schettino, are under investigation for safety violations. The case sheds light on teamwork and chain-of-command issues among bridge crews. (Associated Press/Alessandro La Rocca/La Presse photo) As…
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28 Mar

STCW amendments to force 'big shift' in ECDIS training

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training, Maritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
Though mariners face new certification requirements for Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) this year, the maritime industry may not be ready to provide the training to meet them. Those affected by revisions to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) that took effect Jan. 1 are clamoring for more information, but the…
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28 Mar

Makers of fuel additives strive to demonstrate their benefits

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
The fuel additive and catalyst business is a tough one. Many mariners view these products with skepticism. "You get any number of people who think that all additives are worthless, and they don't believe anything you say," said Erik Bjornstad, technical information director for Bell Performance, based in Orlando, Fla. Bell Performance makes two additives to treat marine fuel oil…
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Synthetic lines gain market share with innovation, reliability and durability
06 Mar

Synthetic lines gain market share with innovation, reliability and durability

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
For a real-world glimpse at the latest maritime cordage materials, look no further than Capt. Steven Huttman's fleet at G&H Towing Co. Huttman, G&H's director of marine operations, heads a field test of Samson Rope's newest product, Saturn-12. The new abrasion-resistant rope is serving as pendants on 11 of Huttman's tractor tugs in the Houston-Galveston region. A pendant composed of…
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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

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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26 Jan

Voluntary towing inspections give crews a glimpse of the future

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Tugboats & Towing
Capt. John Cater IV and the crew of the tugboat Wye River spent an October afternoon accommodating a U.S. Coast Guard examiner who checked over virtually every aspect of the 4,200-hp vessel. The visit was neither punitive nor even mandatory. MST1 Joshua Gonzalez, a towing vessel examiner with Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, boarded Wye River at Philadelphia’s City Dock…
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22 Nov

Guidelines for preventing loss of propulsion after switch to low sulfur fuel

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) created regulations for vessel emissions reductions for California waters as part of its continued mission to improve air quality around the state. These requirements came into effect in July 2009. The regulations require that oceangoing vessels within 24 nautical miles of the California coast burn either marine gas oil (MGO) with a maximum of…
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21 Nov

USCG seeks comment on watch system

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, Publication > Professional Mariner, Tugboats & Towing
The issue has hibernated in the industry for decades, and regulators are starting to wake up. In its proposal to begin inspecting towing vessels, the U.S. Coast Guard is asking for comments on the idea of regulating mariners' hours of service. The core question is whether 7.5 to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep per 24-hour period is necessary to operate…
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