Uncategorized – Page 30 – Professional Mariner

01 Mar

Old photos of towboat hitting bridge became an internet sensation

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Hundreds of thousands of people the world over have seen the photos by now. The 19 shots show a frightening sequence of a towboat being sucked sideways under a bridge in a fast current on a flood-swollen Alabama river. As a score of awe-struck people watch from the bridge, the boat is pulled underwater beneath the span, only to pop…

01 Mar

Marine forensics: deep revelations

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Ships have been sinking for as long as men have ventured onto the oceans. In many instances, the reasons for these casualties were buried in the seabed, their root causes and possible lessons out of reach. Jason Jr., a camera-equipped robot submersible, peers into a first-class cabin of Titanic. Now this age-old resignation is giving way to understanding. Behind the…

01 Mar

If you are involved in an accident, don’t expect to be read your rights

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

You have the right to remain silent." Those are words you probably won't hear from the U.S. Coast Guard during the investigation of an incident. The Coast Guard, as a federal law enforcement agency, has authority to "Mirandize" (read the rights to) people they are investigating, but it rarely does so. To understand why mariners are generally not read their…

01 Mar

Despite calls for action, older bridges remain vulnerable

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

When the towboat Robert Y. Love struck the Interstate 40 bridge in Webbers Falls, Okla., last May, the span collapsed, killing 14 people. Afterward, Oklahoma officials said there was nothing wrong with the bridge, which was built in 1967. Bridge-vessel collisions have taken a heavy toll recently. In September 2001, eight people died when Brownwater V and its barges hit…

01 Mar

Crescent river pilots: A proud history and promising future

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Deep-sea ships entering the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico via the primary route through the South Pass will be guided by three pilots if their destination lies above New Orleans. Each of these pilots belongs to a different association. Navios Magellan, a 74,700-dwt bulk carrier, heads down the Mississippi at sundown near Venice, La., just upriver from the…

01 Mar

Homeland threats emerge as top priority

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

The ink isn't yet dry on federal legislation to create a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but already the idea is raising questions — and concerns — about the future role of the Coast Guard. The crew of a Coast Guard raider boat trains to counter armed attackers. If the Coast Guard is folded into the DHS — and…

01 Mar

Coast Guard stretching resources to cope with the ‘new normal’

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Late last fall, a black helicopter was flying near one of the petroleum tank farms that flank the harbor in Portland, Maine. A tugboat captain was watching the flight and radioed Coast Guard Group Portland. Crewmembers of cutter Maple cautiously lower a buoy marking a security zone near the Alyeska Marine Terminal in Valdez, Alaska. In addition to tending aids,…

01 Mar

Ship broker finds a way to come ashore without leaving the sea

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

It was time to come ashore," said Bob Beegle to explain his reason for founding Marcon International, one of North America's leading ship brokerages specializing in towing and offshore petroleum industries. Bob Beegle, the founder of Marcon, works in his waterfront office on Whidbey Island, Wash. Like many professional mariners, Beegle grew up around boats. In his case, it was…

01 Mar

Training facilities keep pace as STCW milestone is reached

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

A momentous set of new training regulations for mariners has arrived. The full impact of those regulations, however, won't be felt for months or even years. Students at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies in Linthicum Heights, Md., conduct life raft exercises. These classes are part of basic safety training required under STCW. MITAGS saw its enrollment surge…

01 Mar

Yards replacing corrosion-prone aluminum plates

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

The crack in the hull of an aluminum high-speed catamaran last December in Hawaii triggered an investigation by the vessel's builder, its owner and the U.S. Coast Guard to determine the cause. Similar problems soon became apparent in other vessels recently built on the U.S. West Coast. The unexpected consensus: Some aluminum plates made of 5083-H321 composition used for recent…