Coast Guard announces changes to MMC format

Coast Guard announces changes to MMC format

The U.S. Coast Guard is now issuing merchant mariner credentials (MMCs) in a single-sheet format, replacing the legacy passport-style red book and associated endorsement labels longtime mariners likely are accustomed to receiving. The change took effect March 1, driven in part by reliability issues with the custom printers used to produce MMC books, Capt. Bradley Clare, commanding officer for the…
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Industry groups say federal action necessary to bolster maritime workforce

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) has launched a five-year plan to expand the nation’s maritime workforce through recruitment, training and retention. Industry groups are supportive but say federal action will speak louder than words.   The blueprint, known as the “Mariner Workforce Strategic Plan — FY 2023 to FY 2027,” outlines strategies to address persistent workforce challenges that worsened during the pandemic.…
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Swell time: RI ferry crew handles rough seas and dense fog on Vineyard run

Swell time: RI ferry crew handles rough seas and dense fog on Vineyard run

The Rhode Island Fast Ferry Julia Leigh was northbound in Narragansett Bay on a damp summer night when fog reduced visibility to almost nothing. Capt. Jordan Ryan flicked on the bow lights but quickly thought better of it in the harsh glare. Suddenly, a voice cracked over the radio. A man hailed the U.S. Coast Guard on channel 16 to…
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Rare runaway containership leads to bridge closure in Charleston

Rare runaway containership leads to bridge closure in Charleston

Authorities in Charleston, S.C., briefly closed a prominent local bridge and cleared maritime traffic in the Cooper River after a containership lost engine control during its outbound voyage. The 997-foot MSC Michigan VII accelerated to 14 knots but ultimately sailed under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and past the harbor into open water without incident. Unusually high wakes damaged some…
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Charleston pilot honored for actions aboard runaway ship

Charleston pilot honored for actions aboard runaway ship

The U.S. Coast Guard presented Capt. Christopher Thornton with a Meritorious Public Service Award for his role in averting catastrophe during an uncontrolled acceleration on the containership MSC Michigan VII. Thornton, a Charleston Branch Pilot, guided the ship down the Cooper River and out to sea on June 5 at speeds reaching 14 knots — nearly twice as fast as…
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Coast Guard doubtful aging bulker struck underwater object

Coast Guard doubtful aging bulker struck underwater object

The U.S. Coast Guard is working to identify the cause of a hull fracture on the Canada-flagged bulk carrier Michipicoten that occurred while the vessel was underway in Lake Superior. Crew aboard the 72-year-old ship issued a mayday call to the U.S. Coast Guard at about 0553 on June 8 reporting hearing a loud bang while transiting roughly 35 miles…
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NTSB: Dockside fire in Tacoma highlights detection system gaps

NTSB: Dockside fire in Tacoma highlights detection system gaps

The fire that destroyed the commercial fishing vessel Kodiak Enterprise while docked in Tacoma, Wash., in April 2023 likely started from an unknown electrical source inside the ship’s dry stores room, federal investigators determined.  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also found that an inadequate fire detection and notification system failed to alert shoreside contacts, contributing to the severity of…
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Pilots sound alarm on proposed federal right whale rules

Pilots sound alarm on proposed federal right whale rules

  It has been nearly two years since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposed radical changes to the existing North Atlantic right whale vessel speed regulations. During this time, the American Pilots’ Association (APA) has warned that the proposal will have the unintended consequences of endangering lives, increasing fatigue, negatively impacting navigation safety and weakening the maritime supply…
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Chinese shipbuilding dominance threatens U.S. economic security

Chinese shipbuilding dominance threatens U.S. economic security

Before 1982, Chinese shipyards built only a few commercial vessels annually, and they were mostly small freighters used on inland or coastal routes. That year, things began to change. The government-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp. (CSSC) was created, and a few months later the CSSC made its first delivery to the international commercial vessel market with the bulk carrier Regent…
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