Professional Mariner - February 2023

Following in his father’s footsteps

MARINER PROFILE Capt. John DeCruz Ship Pilot/President Sandy Hook Pilots Association Capt. John DeCruz grew up watching oceangoing ships coming and going into New York Harbor from his hometown of Jersey City, N.J. Perhaps not surprisingly, he chose a career in the maritime industry, following a path blazed by his father and grandfather before him. DeCruz, 52, joined the Sandy Hook Pilots 25…

Defense bill funds maritime objectives, contains new regulations

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has long sought new rules to enhance safety on amphibious “duck tour” boats. The agency got its wish with passage of the year-end defense spending bill. The $857 billion National Defense Authorization Act requires the Coast Guard to begin rulemaking within six months on a host of new safety measures that arose during investigations…

Methanol fuel gives operators another option to cut emissions

As the shipping industry looks to reduce emissions, methanol is gaining a foothold as an alternative fuel source. Maersk has ordered 19 container vessels fitted to burn methanol. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which last year surpassed Maersk as the world’s largest shipping company, joined the Methanol Institute, the trade association for the methanol industry, signaling an interest in the fuel…

Great Lakes pilotage groups defend proposed rate increases

The U.S. Coast Guard has proposed a 5.78 percent increase for Great Lakes pilotage rates for the 2023 shipping season. The new hourly rate structure would raise shipping costs by about $4.5 million over the 2022 season, or about 14 percent, according to the Coast Guard. Shipping industry representatives expressed concern over the steady rise in rates over the past…

Centuries-old maritime nonprofit is looking for retired mariners to help

For 20 years, Roger Flaherty worked in the galley on Great Lakes freighters as a member of the Seafarers International Union. It was a career he enjoyed with a union that treated him fairly. Now 77, he stopped working about 15 years ago after suffering a stroke and heart attack. It was earlier than he expected, leaving him with a…

AmNav’s ‘magic carpets’ cover all bases in the Bay Area

AmNav Maritime Capt. Dan Thinger arrived at the Port of Richmond in San Francisco Bay and idled the tugboat Z-Three against the starboard quarter of the tanker Trinity. Two Crowley tugs, Valor and Apollo, were already in position off the starboard stern and starboard bow, respectively, waiting for the ship to get underway. As the two other tugs stretched their…

Pilot’s cellphone use scrutinized in Ever Forward grounding

The pilot conning the containership Ever Forward was distracted by his cellphone before missing a crucial turn that caused the vessel to leave the channel and run aground in Chesapeake Bay, according to federal investigators. The pilot, a senior member of the Association of Maryland Pilots, drafted an email and sent two text messages on his phone in the minutes…

Bulker crew noticed platform lights but failed to avert strike

Poor bridge resource management was the leading cause of an incident in the Gulf of Mexico where a bulk carrier struck an uncrewed oil and gas platform, according to federal investigators. The 623-foot Ocean Princess struck SP-83A, located 24 miles south of Pilottown, La., on Jan. 7, 2021, at 0122. No one was injured but the ship sustained about $500,000…

Bank effects, ineffective communication cited in Welland Canal collision

The hydrodynamic forces known as bank cushion and bank suction were leading factors in the collision between Florence Spirit and Alanis in Welland Canal in 2020, Canadian authorities have determined. Inadequate communication between the master on the Canada-flagged Florence Spirit and the pilot conning the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Alanis increased the complexity of the meeting and contributed to the collision,…

Engine room fire disables Staten Island Ferry during rush hour

Five people suffered minor injuries when the Staten Island Ferry vessel Sandy Ground caught fire while underway from Manhattan to the St. George Terminal on Staten Island. The fire started at about 1700 on Dec. 22 as the ferry transited the Upper Bay of New York Harbor. There were 866 passengers and crew on board at the time of the…