Professional Mariner – March 2024 – Page 2

Stolt Tankers works to achieve net zero emissions

Stolt Tankers has announced its commitment “to developing science-based targets to help achieve net zero in the maritime sector.” According to the company, it is “proud to be joining the Science Based Targets initiative and other leading companies who are working towards a net-zero economy, boosting innovation, and driving sustainable growth by setting ambitious, science-based emissions reduction targets.” The Science Based Targets initiative…

The long voyage from Glasgow to New Orleans

The steamboat Delta Queen was built in Glasgow on Scotland’s storied Clyde River in 1926 to a classic Mississippi River boat design, broken down into components, and reassembled on the other side of the Atlantic for service on California’s Sacramento River linking San Francisco with the state capital. Twenty years later, a 5,000-mile journey down the California coast, through the…

Final Southern California oil spill report rises to the surface

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found that a 2021 oil spill in San Pedro Bay, Ca., which cost $160 million to clean up stemmed from two cargo ships that, nine months earlier, dragged their anchors over a major oil pipeline. On January 25, 2021, MSC Danit and Beijing were anchored in the Bay when a storm struck and…

Groups express ongoing concerns about Red Sea attacks

Nine American maritime labor organizations have voiced their concerns about ongoing attacks on U.S. ships operating in the Red Sea in a recent joint letter to Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM). While expressing “gratitude towards federal leadership for their efforts to date to safeguard U.S.-flag ships,” the groups offered their endorsement for U.S. military…

Marine casualty report requirements summarized

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a summation report laying out the mandates for the reporting of marine casualties involving commercial vessels, as well as the ramifications of violating the rules as laid-out by federal law. Title 46 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 4.03-1, defines a “marine casualty” as “a casualty or accident involving a vessel – other than…

Houston ship fire claims two lives

On January 8, a late night fire on board a containership at Port Houston claimed the lives of two crew members, while a third sustained injuries that required hospitalization. The fire broke out on the Panama-flagged M/V Stride as it was docked at Port Houston’s Barbours Cut Container Terminal, one of eight public facilities sited along the 52-mile Houston Ship…

Port pilots: experience and poise in all conditions

Every day, professional mariners may work with pilots, but many may not know the level of expertise that goes into their 24/7 work of safely guiding vessels of all sizes and types in and out of the nation’s ports in often hazardous conditions. Their’s is a unique role that requires an incredible depth of knowledge of both the local waterways…

Deep-V Hulls Still Dominate Fast Pilot Boat Design

Pilots and the highly specialized boats they depend on have occupied a unique position in the maritime sector since the days of sail. Motorized pilot boats, introduced around 1900, relied on traditional displacement hulls with a top speed of around 10 knots and remained in service into the late 1990’s on the West Coast. They were finally replaced by the…

A conversation with Jennifer Carpenter, new AMP president

Jennifer Carpenter, CEO of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), has, in addition to her responsibilities at AWO, assumed the position of president of the American Maritime Partnership (AMP), which bills itself as the “voice of the domestic maritime industry.” The industry “is led by 650,000 American men and women who are committed to ensuring a reliable supply chain, reducing our…

Afloat or ashore…now what?

After years of going to sea on tugs or ships, passing exams, taking the required classes, and jumping through all the “bureaucratic hoops” the time finally comes – the Coast Guard mails you your chief engineer or captain license. After the celebration’s over, you ask yourself, “Now what?” Some continue sailing. Others decide since they have been at sea, maybe…