Professional Mariner – March 2023 – Page 2

Congress mandates fixes to federal ‘Military to Mariner’ program

It seems only logical that retiring military personnel who want to continue seagoing careers should be able to transition smoothly to the commercial shipping industry. But the process of transitioning skills and sea time has been a difficult one, burdened by red tape, expense and a long and winding credentialing process. An amendment to the U.S. Coast Guard Authorization Act,…

Professional Mariner names new editor

Publisher Dave Abrams has hired veteran journalist Michael White to be the next editor of Professional Mariner magazine. White replaces Casey Conley, who joined the magazine more than seven years ago and held the role of editor for nearly two years. Conley will continue to contribute to the magazine as a correspondent. “Michael is not only an experienced and talented…

East Coast OSV keeps busy supporting early offshore wind projects

Northstar Marine’s Commander was built as a standard offshore supply vessel (OSV), like many others that operate in the Gulf of Mexico. But Commander is different. Based out of Philadelphia since 2018, it is the only OSV operating exclusively on the East Coast of the United States. But that’s not all that sets this OSV apart. On this vessel, half…

Pilot’s low-wake courtesy to work crew cited in Texas ship strike

The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier Gas Ares was upbound in the Neches River near Port Neches, Texas, when the pilot conning the ship slowed the engine alongside a pipeline removal project. The pilot, a senior deputy with the Sabine Pilots, wanted to create less wake as the ship passed vessels supporting the pipeline project, according to the National Transportation…

Sleeping mate awoke moments before OSV hit Gulf oil platform

The mate helming the offshore supply vessel (OSV) Elliot Cheramie in the Gulf of Mexico was doing his best to stay awake during the overnight watch. He walked around the wheelhouse and stepped onto the bridge wings before settling back into the helm chair. He woke up some time later with the oil and gas platform EI-259A dead ahead, according…

Tugboat loses propulsion after towline fouls both propellers

The U.S. Coast Guard hoisted seven crewmembers from a foreign-flagged tugboat off Maryland after the vessel lost propulsion and went adrift in stormy weather. The 103-foot Legacy was towing the 290-foot deck barge B250 between New Jersey and the South American nation of Guyana when its towline ultimately became caught around both of its propellers, the Coast Guard said. Legacy…

New York ferry grounding traced to software failure, training gaps

The Seastreak ferry Commodore was sailing up the East River at about 37 knots when alarms warned of a control failure in its two port waterjets. The vessel’s touchscreen controls for the port waterjets and engines also went blank. The captain pulled back on the throttles and eventually put them in reverse to try and slow the vessel, the National…

Foreign ships working alongside US vessels at offshore wind sites

In May 2020, Geoquip Saentis docked in New Bedford, Mass. Built by the U.K.-headquartered Geoquip Marine Group, Saentis was designed for geological surveying. It has been chartered around the world for the preparation stages of offshore wind farms. Its mission in New Bedford was collecting information on the ground conditions for the building of Vineyard Wind 1, the 800-megawatt, 62-turbine farm planned…

Vessel discharge rules: What mariners and ship operators should know

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has indicated that new federal discharge standards for vessels will be published in autumn 2024, some four years after its original deadline. In the meantime, the agency has seemingly strengthened its inspection and enforcement efforts to ensure compliance with the extended Vessel General Permit scheme and warns that noncompliance can result in significant penalties. Regulatory…

Jones Act must be applied to offshore wind projects

Renewable energy is coming into its own as an alternative to traditional sources of electricity that rely on oil and other fossil fuels. One of the fastest growing alternatives is wind power, for good reason. Without the costs and pollution associated with the oil industry, these turbines on land and water create electricity any time the wind blows. In fact,…