Professional Mariner – April 2022

American mariners push back against proposed USVI open registry

A maritime group based in Massachusetts has announced plans to create a new open ship registry based in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). The plan was developed by Northeast Maritime Institute (NMI), a college and training center based in Fairhaven, Mass., and its related think tank, the Center for Ocean Policy and Economics (COPE). It would establish the first and…

Coast Guard proposes new Subchapter M inspection fee schedule

The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing a new fee structure for towing vessels inspected under Subchapter M that would reduce costs for some operators and sharply raise them for others. Towing companies currently pay an annual user fee of $1,030 for each vessel whether they choose Coast Guard inspectors or a Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) option to obtain compliance.…

Second Northeast offshore wind farm wins federal approval

The South Fork Wind project that would build 12 offshore wind turbines in waters east of New York has received final federal approval. The project, a joint venture between Orsted and the utility Eversource, will supply power to New York state. It will reach the state through underground cables that enter the grid in Montauk, at the eastern tip of…

Army Corps allocates $2.2B infrastructure funding for inland projects

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released its plan to use money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to fund critical inland waterway projects. The plans include $465.49 million for the Kentucky Lock on the Tennessee River; $857.71 million for the Montgomery Lock on the Ohio River; $732 million for Lock and Dam 25 on the Upper Mississippi…

Sensing opportunity, American Cruise Lines orders 12 new ships

American Cruise Lines (ACL) is doubling down on the United States small cruise market with an order for 12 new ships. Each vessel in the new fleet, developed under the name Project Blue, will hold up to 109 passengers and 50 crew — a figure that includes up to 20 credentialed mariners. ACL subsidiary Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp. of Salisbury, Md., designed…

ACBL reaches final settlement from 2008 Mel Oliver spill

American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) has reached a final settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the state of Louisiana that formally resolves a July 2008 collision and oil spill near New Orleans. Under the agreement, the company based in Jeffersonville, Ind., will acquire and preserve 649 acres of woodland wildlife habitat and pay more than $2 million in…

Going the long way

In the 2020s, the sight of a U.S.-flagged tugboat in a Dutch port is a rare one. But Weeks Marine’s Thomas was there all the same in July 2021. A friend shared a photo of the 4,000-hp tugboat in a slip in Rotterdam and it begged for an explanation. Weeks Marine is using Thomas to support an infrastructure project on…

Canadian icebreaker, bulker damaged in St. Lawrence River collision

The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is investigating a collision involving one of its icebreakers and a bulk carrier on the St. Lawrence River. The bow of the 620-foot Singapore-flagged Federal Crimson struck the stern of the icebreaker CCGS Pierre Radisson on Jan. 22 at about 1045 near Quebec City, according to CCG spokeswoman Emilie Proteau-Beaulieu. No one was injured but…

NTSB: Swing bridge over-rotated into waterway before barge strike

A swing bridge over the Barataria Waterway in South Louisiana over-rotated into the navigable waterway before getting hit by a passing barge, federal investigators said. The impact knocked the Barataria Bridge out of service for nearly a week. Repairs to the span, which links the towns of Jean Lafitte and Barataria, cost more than $500,000. The bridge was subsequently destroyed…

Think twice before sailing on a foreign-flagged ship

I had been mentoring Shaun, a student from the California Maritime Academy, who was now set to graduate. Excited and ready to go, he was looking forward to entering the industry, making money and paying off his student loan. A few days after graduation, his third mate license in hand, he texted me with news of his first job. He…