Professional Mariner – May 2022 – Professional Mariner

Bill targets ‘loopholes’ allowing foreign vessels in Outer Continental Shelf

Congress is considering legislation that would tighten eligibility for foreign ships and foreign crews working on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The proposed American Offshore Worker Fairness Act specifically targets waivers issued by the U.S. Coast Guard allowing foreign crews and ships to operate in these waters with limited oversight. The bill would primarily affect foreign operators working in…

Fatal Conception fire spurs new passenger vessel regulations

The U.S. Coast Guard has released new rules for small passenger vessels with overnight accommodations that are intended to improve fire safety and preparedness. The interim rules, which took effect March 28, 2022, were inspired by the fatal fire on Sept. 2, 2019, aboard the dive boat Conception off California, the Coast Guard said in a notice in the Federal…

Maersk shares trove of weather data with climate scientists

A.P. Moller-Maersk is releasing a decade’s worth of weather observations into the public domain in an effort to assist climate change research. The company hopes the data will help scientists predict the weather and create models for climate change, said Lee Kindberg, Maersk’s head of environment and sustainability in North America. “It’s part of our global strategy to address the…

Princess Cruise Lines fined $1M for second probation violation

Princess Cruise Lines Ltd. must pay an additional $1 million fine after pleading guilty to a second probation violation stemming from its 2017 conviction for environmental crimes. The company, a subsidiary of Carnival Cruise Line, failed to establish an independent internal investigative office as required under that 4-year-old agreement, the U.S. Dept. of Justice said. “Just like individual defendants, corporate…

IMO: ‘Crew change crisis’ continues even as Covid-19 ebbs

Covid-19 cases have fallen sharply in the United States and across much of the world, but the virus continues to threaten the health and well-being of the world’s 1.9 million seafarers. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and three other United Nations agencies issued a joint statement on Feb. 28 highlighting what it calls the “ongoing crew change crisis.” The agencies…

Alabama department goes the extra mile with new fireboat

Almost three years ago, a massive fire destroyed 27 condominiums in Perdido Beach, Fla. Firefighters from across the region helped fight the flames, including those from Orange Beach just across the Alabama state line. Bruce Nelson, a battalion chief for Orange Beach Fire Rescue, said the event demonstrated the value of a steady water supply. It also influenced how…

‘I just hit the bridge’: NTSB cites poor communication in Louisiana collision

Poor communication between a towboat captain and railroad bridge tender was the primary cause of a bridge strike east of New Orleans, federal investigators determined. Robert Cenac pushed an empty barge that struck the CSX Railway Rigolets Bridge across Lake Borgne as it swung open. The bridge sustained $1.1 million in damage from the incident, which happened on…

NTSB finds faulty planning in deadly Texas pipeline incident

Federal investigators identified poor planning and insufficient risk management as leading factors in the deadly August 2020 dredge explosion in Corpus Christi, Texas. The cutterhead on the 152-foot dredge Waymon Boyd struck a submerged liquid propane pipeline at about 0800 on Aug. 21, 2020, while dredging in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. The gas ignited, causing an explosion that ultimately…

U.S.-bound vehicle carrier catches fire, sinks off the Azores

A vehicle carrier loaded with European automobiles caught fire and later sank in the Atlantic Ocean while under tow toward the Azores. The fire aboard the 656-foot Felicity Ace started at about 0930 local time on Feb. 16 while the vessel was about 90 nautical miles southwest of the Azores. The captain ordered the 22 crewmembers to abandon ship later…

Federal port funding targets supply chain, ‘green’ upgrades

The marine terminal in Portsmouth, Va., has known busier times before, and it will see busy times again. Thanks to a change in the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s (DOT) funding strategy, marine terminals and cargo facilities around the country can now use DOT port money for projects beyond freight-handling and infrastructure improvements. And those changes will take…