Uncategorized – Page 39 – Professional Mariner

28 Feb

Frustration builds as fear of terrorism ensnares foreign crews

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

In the spring of 2003, when a Canadian-flag ship called at Ballard, Wash., the crew expected their vessel to be laid up for a few weeks for some much needed repairs. It was also a welcome respite for the crew, who had plans to escape the tedium of the ship and shop at local businesses. Plans changed, however, when the…

28 Feb

Canadian hovercraft stand ready to go places other vessels cannot

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Hovercraft can go over water, mud flats and even flat land at relatively high speed. The Canadian Coast Guard believes those qualities make them ideal for many search-and-rescue operations. Capt. Allan Taylor with SiyÃ£y, one of two Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft stationed near Vancouver International Airport. In the event of a plane crash, the hovercraft would be able to operate…

28 Feb

Matson to proceed with acquisition of containerships

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Matson Navigation Co. has reached union agreements that will allow it to proceed with the purchase of two containerships under construction at Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard. "As a result of the cooperative efforts of these maritime unions, Matson will be able to operate the new ships under a cost model that justifies the significant financial investment," Matson said. The labor agreements…

28 Feb

Merchant Marine Memorial Park opens at MEBA school

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

A 10-acre memorial park honoring merchant mariners has opened on the campus of the Calhoon Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association Engineering School in Easton, Md. The Park was designed to resemble a ship at sea, with a propeller at the ster and a bell at the bow. Image Credit: Courtesy Calhoon MEBA Engineering School Dedicated on Oct. 19, the Merchant…

28 Feb

Offshore LNG terminal proposed near Los Angeles.

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

The proposal is part of a surge in LNG plants planned in the United States to meet growing demand for natural gas. The California project, called Cabrillo Port, would have the capacity to store the equivalent of 6 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Ships bringing LNG to Cabrillo Port would transfer their cargo to a permanently moored vessel serving…

27 Feb

Call of the sea brings retired executive back to his first love

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

In 1965 my June graduation from the New York Maritime College was followed by an August wedding to my high school sweetheart. After one of my around-the-world voyages that lasted almost six months, my bride suggested, "Why don't you think about getting a legitimate job?" I had never suspected that sailing on ships in the merchant marine wasn't, but for…

27 Feb

History of liner SS United States to be told in documentary film

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

To former merchant mariner Nicholas Landiak, it's obvious why "Big U" is considered the greatest ocean liner ever built. Landiak had been accustomed to working aboard World War II-era freighters when, in 1952, he was named first engineer of the new SS United States. The 990-foot ship was the largest passenger vessel ever built in the United States. At 241,000…

27 Feb

World’s largest containership enters service

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

"Very large" was the understated description A.P. Moller-Maersk Group provided of its newest containership when it was delivered on Sept. 1, 2006, at the company's Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark. Emma Maersk is 1,303 feet long. Its beam of 184 feet allows it to stow 22 rows of containers across, four rows more than the next largest ship in service.…

27 Feb

The winds of change

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Story and photo by Walter Garschagen A windmill icon has begun appearing on British Admiralty charts of waters off the coasts of the United Kingdom, Denmark and other European countries. In the last five years, hundreds of wind turbines have been built offshore, where they are able to capture up to 25 percent more wind than shore-based turbines.These wind farms…

27 Feb

This captain is willing to mow the owner’s lawn

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized

Gene Pelland said fellow skippers warned him not to accept a job as captain of musician Billy Joel's fleet of pleasure craft. The Rhode Island native pointed out that professional yacht captains live by a simple credo: "Don't mow the owner's lawn." That means captains who work for a private owner want to limit their work to the boats they…