Professional Mariner – March 2026

C&C Marine begins four-boat towboat series for Canal Barge

Fleet renewal on the inland rivers is increasingly driven by standardized towboat designs and faster construction timelines. C&C Marine and Repair delivered Al Sloss, the first of four new towboats under construction for Canal Barge Company, highlighting a continued push among inland operators to replace aging tonnage with standardized, mid-horsepower vessels built on compressed schedules. At 87 by 34 feet,…

Icebreaking ramps up as prolonged cold clogs New York waterways

The U.S. Coast Guard stepped up icebreaking operations in New York Harbor and along the Hudson River after weeks of sustained subfreezing temperatures allowed ice to form and persist in waterways that rarely see significant freeze-up in modern winters. Ice conditions developed rapidly across the region as prolonged arctic air settled over the Northeast in January, producing extensive shore ice…

Destin takes delivery of fast-response fireboat from Silver Ships

A Gulf Coast shipyard has delivered a state-of-the-art vessel to Florida’s largest fire-rescue fleet. Alabama-based Silver Ships has delivered a new fast-response fire rescue boat to the Destin Fire Control District in the busy Gulf Coast fishing port of Destin, Fla., expanding the Florida panhandle community’s ability to respond to maritime emergencies. Designated as M-19, the 52-foot vessel reflects a…

House bill presses Coast Guard to finalize Atlantic Coast fairways

A bill introduced in the U.S. House would press the U.S. Coast Guard to complete its long-running effort to establish navigation fairways for commercial traffic along the Atlantic Coast, a process that has taken on added urgency as offshore uses continue to crowd coastal waters. The Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act (H.R. 6410), introduced by Reps. David Rouzer (R-N.C.), Laura…

Master Boat launches final tug in Gulf LNG build series

A Gulf Coast shipyard has launched a high-horsepower assist tug for a consortium of operators serving some of the largest ships in U.S. energy trade. In early January, Alabama-based Master Boat Builders launched Jill, a RApport 2800 ASD tug designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built for Gulf LNG Tugs of Port Arthur. The vessel is part of a joint…

Federal Hill joins sister ship in Baltimore pilot fleet

The delivery of a second Baltimore-class pilot launch highlights how many pilot groups are prioritizing refinement and familiarity over radical new designs as they modernize their fleets. The Association of Maryland Pilots has taken delivery of Federal Hill, an all-aluminum launch built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding and designed by Ray Hunt Design. The vessel is a sister ship to a Baltimore-class…

Lyman-Morse expands solar- electric ferry builds with Merrimack River project

A Maine-based boatbuilder is adding to its portfolio of solar-powered passenger vessels for short-route municipal and regional transit use. Lyman-Morse has been awarded a contract to design and build three solar-assisted electric ferries for MeVa Transit, a Massachusetts transit authority, marking the builder’s latest entry into battery-electric public transportation. The contract calls for three aluminum-hulled, solar-assisted electric ferries to operate…

Geopolitical pressures, long hours and dwindling shore leave cast a shadow on life at sea

A pair of new reports have painted a stark picture of life on merchant vessels, highlighting intense workloads, rising stress and deep concerns about the sustainability of the maritime workforce. The broader body of evidence underscores systemic risks to seafarer well-being, retention and the industry’s ability to operate safely, all of which are being shaped by conditions that have yet to meaningfully change.…

Court wins restore wind projects, but market confidence falters

After winning seabed leases and investing billions of dollars, offshore wind developers are now fighting the Trump administration in court to complete U.S. projects already under construction. Even if developers prevail — and thus far they have — some experts and insiders worry that the administration has dealt a fatal blow to offshore wind power. The White House’s hostility to…

East Coast yards paid the price of entry to build CTVs. Then the market thinned

In late 2024, Professional Mariner spoke with two East Coast shipyards that had taken on construction of crew transfer vessels — a vessel type both builders described as deceptively complex — as the U.S. offshore wind industry advanced in fits and starts. For both yards, the decision to build CTVs came with a steep and expensive learning curve, shaped as…