Professional Mariner – August/September 2026 – Page 2

The efficiency revolution: How ship operators are squeezing more performance from today’s vessels

In 2018, the IMO set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping, including a 30-percent reduction by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050. But while alternative fuels, such as methanol and hydrogen, remain central to that strategy, producing, distributing and adopting them across the world’s fleet will take decades, and operators want to see their diesel-burning ships…

Autonomy is maturing simultaneously in regulation, technology and operations

After years of debate over whether autonomous ships are practical, safe or commercially viable, the International Maritime Organization has taken a significant step by adopting its first code governing Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), even as most industry leaders continue to see mariners remaining part of the equation. Though the deployment of fully autonomous commercial ships — and quantifiable demand…

Choosing tomorrow’s fuel today

With no clear long-term alternative fuel emerging, shipowners ordering new vessels increasingly are designing for uncertainty — and flexibility. Rather than betting on a single propulsion technology, many are evaluating dual-fuel propulsion systems and “fuel-ready” designs that can adapt as technology, infrastructure and emissions requirements evolve. Complicating those decisions is a fundamental shift in how marine fuels are evaluated. Instead…

San Diego research center another sign of Korea-US shipbuilding effort

Any successful effort to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry will require more than simply building more ships. It will also require rebuilding the research, engineering and workforce pipeline that allows those ships to be designed, built and sustained over the long term. A new partnership between Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and San Diego State University (SDSU) reflects a growing recognition…

Under the Acadian flag: A tow, a promise and a rescue

On April 21, H.J. Lawson — a 76-foot tug not three months out of Conrad Industries’ Morgan City, La., yard — was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 12 miles off the eastern shore of Prince Edward Island, running from Charlottetown to Montreal with nearly an inch of ice on its superstructure from the night’s crossing of Cabot Strait. One…

Engine room fire aboard bulk carrier blamed on faulty O-ring seal

A failed O-ring seal likely led to a fuel leak and costly engine room fire aboard the bulk carrier Lem Verbena while the vessel was docked in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 4, 2025, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In a March 2026 report, the NTSB said the fire caused $5.5 million in damage to the vessel, though…

Oliver Hazard Perry flooded by corroded cooling pipe

Sometime around 2100 on May 10, 2025, a freshwater tank sensor on the tall ship Oliver Hazard Perry sounded. New shorepower breakers had recently been installed on the pier, and the crew had been troubleshooting the vessel’s electrical system because the shore breakers had been tripping. A bosun investigated the alarm and made a visual inspection of the engine room…

High water and drifting debris set stage for Ohio River barge breakaway

High water gripped the Ohio River Valley in April 2024, with swollen rivers flooding communities from West Virginia to Indiana. Near Evansville, Ind., the river was still rising when two loaded tank barges were moored overnight at a Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) terminal. Crews used “enhanced measures” when mooring barges, using extra lines and wires, according to a report by…

MarAd honors Stena Immaculate crew with rare Gallant Ship Award

One of the highest distinctions in American merchant shipping was awarded to the crew of a U.S.-flagged tanker in recognition of its “professionalism, courage and commitment to safety” following a catastrophic casualty. Twenty-three Crowley mariners who served aboard the 600-foot tanker Stena Immaculate received the U.S. Maritime Administration’s Gallant Ship Award during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Maritime Day…

SAFETY ALERT: Know your boat : Responding to an engine high-temperature alarm

An engine high-temperature alarm is often treated as a maintenance problem, but according to the U.S. Coast Guard, it can quickly become a life-threatening emergency. In a June Safety Alert, the Coast Guard highlighted a fatal fire aboard a small passenger vessel that began after the vessel’s crew responded incorrectly to an engine overheating alarm. While attempting to cool the…