Professional Mariner – March 2022

Tight labor market puts mariners in high demand

Mariners are in high demand as the labor shortage that has impacted countless shoreside industries has taken hold in the maritime trades. There are many reasons, including retirements among older mariners that are creating openings faster than companies can fill them. Additionally, the Gulf of Mexico oil patch is heating up again as prices remain high, and the offshore wind…

‘Sea Year’ partially resumes with new protections against sexual assault and harassment

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) has partially restored its Sea Year training program with new policies and procedures in place to protect students against sexual assault and harassment. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Maritime Administration (MarAd) announced the resumption of the program on Dec. 22. The agencies paused it six weeks earlier after a female cadet…

Survey shows pandemic impacting mariners’ mental health

The Covid-19 pandemic caused unprecedented upheaval in the maritime industry. Thousands of American mariners were stranded on their vessels with no word when relief would arrive. Making matters worse, supplies ran low in some cases, and seafarers were separated from family members who were home confronting a global emergency. This is on top of the worries about the effects of…

Blount Boats wins contract for four ‘hybrid-ready’ CTVs

American Offshore Services (AOS) has partnered with Blount Boats on the construction of four new hybrid-ready crew transfer vessels (CTVs) for offshore wind farms. The 99-foot aluminum catamarans will be substantially larger than the three existing U.S.-flagged CTVs, which are less than 65 feet long. The new boats will have seating for 24 technicians and overnight crew quarters, according to…

Carbon capture gains momentum within maritime industry

With countries around the world setting goals for cutting carbon emissions, pressure is growing on the maritime industry to come up with solutions of its own. A port in Texas and a global maritime company based in Finland are among those working on projects to address both sides of carbon dioxide capture and storage technology. The Port of Corpus Christi…

Three companies indicted in Southern California oil leak

A federal grand jury in mid-December indicted three companies in connection with a large oil leak that disrupted the Southern California maritime trade and required weeks of cleanup. The three companies, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, are Amplify Energy Corp., Beta Operating Co. LLC — a wholly owned subsidiary of Amplify doing business as Beta Offshore — and…

Donjon newbuild masters lake chop, canal shallows on maiden voyage

J. Arnold Witte exits Lock 17’s guillotine gate on the Erie Canal. J. Arnold Witte preparing to depart Donjon’s shipyard in Erie, Pa The design features sturdy push knees and a retractable pilothouse. Engineer Joshua Riddick monitors one of three Mitsubishi engines. J. Arnold Witte has a 24-foot height of eye with its wheelhouse raised. The tug’s 26-foot beam accommodates…

NTSB: Jacksonville ro-ro fire traced to electrical fault in used car

The fire aboard Hoegh Xiamen started on June 4, 2020, at about 1530 while it was docked at the Horizon Terminal ro-ro facility. The fire burned for eight days, destroying its cargo of more than 2,400 used vehicles worth about $40 million. The ship has since been scrapped. Nine Jacksonville firefighters were hurt fighting the fire, five seriously. The…

Master’s fatigue contributed to $73 million Gulf oil rig collision

Atina anchored after the collision. The master aboard a Malta-flagged tanker hadn’t slept in more than 50 hours when his ship collided with an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico near Southwest Pass, federal investigators said. The 898-foot Atina hit the manned oil and gas platform SP-57B at 0446 on Oct. 17, 2020 while anchoring in strong winds,…

Crane strike at La. grain facility attributed to lack of signalman

GH Storm Cat, docked in Ireland on a separate voyage. Using a dedicating signalman could have prevented a bulk carrier’s crane boom from hitting a shoreside grain facility on the Lower Mississippi River, federal investigators determined. The bulker GH Storm Cat’s crane was lifting a payloader machine from a cargo hold to the pier when it hit an elevated…