Professional Mariner – May/June 2025 – Page 2

Tanker goes on maiden voyage with wind-assist

“In the beginning, before leaving the shipyard, I have to admit being somewhat excited, nervous and skeptical,” said Capt. Glenn Skjelbred before departing from Europe on a pilot voyage to Houston, Tex., aboard a 600-foot chemical tanker equipped with a wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS). The Norwegian company Odfjell, operator of one of the world’s largest fleets of chemical tankers with…

Cable transfer barges to Lake Champlain bring clean power to New York

Guiding a barge 43-feet-and-6-inches wide into a 45-foot opening from the helm of a tugboat over 200 feet back demands expertise. Captain Nick Pucello demonstrates this prowess as he directs the 1,000-horsepower tug Edna A to finesse a barge with several thousand tons of load, including ballast, into a lock chamber without damage. But the accomplishment is magnitudes more difficult…

MSC Baltic III still aground with no apparent pollution and no option to refloat

On Feb. 15, a 680-foot cargo ship en route from Montreal to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, issued a mayday. MSC Baltic III was in the throes of a blizzard about 12 nautical miles outside the entrance to Bay of Islands, Newfoundland and Labrador, when the crew reported a loss of power. “Weather and sea conditions in the area [were] unfavorable and the vessel was…

2 perish in engine-room fire

Two crewmembers died when they were unable to escape a fire that broke out in the engine room of a cargo vessel after an incorrect valve was installed in a pipe to a diesel oil tank. The fire started in the engine room of the 598-foot-long Panamanian-flagged Stride during fueling operations at the Barbours Cut Marine Terminal in LaPorte, Texas.…

SAFETY ALERT: Donning of Viking PS2006 Immersion Suits

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a Safety Alert in March to address instances where mariners on multiple vessels were unable to properly don three different sizes of Viking PS2006 immersion suits. The U.S. Coast Guard said the design of the hood’s fabric may prevent the zipper from being completely zipped, thus allowing water into the suit when it is donned.…

Tanker hits uncharted obstruction in remote Arctic waters, tears hull plates

A ship traveling in Arctic waters struck an uncharted submerged object and sustained a hull breach beneath the waterline in 2022. The casualty highlights the difficulties of navigating in remote waters, and led Canadian officials to remind mariners that even charted and surveyed waters may not reflect actual seafloor conditions. On Oct. 18, 2022, the approximately 475-foot oil and chemical tanker…

Degraded state of dock cited in collapse after barge bump on Mississippi River

About 150 feet of dock collapsed into the lower Mississippi River in 2023 after a crude oil barge towed by the vessel Ovide J made contact during a docking at the Chalmette Refinery in Louisiana, with a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report blaming the collapse on neglected pier upkeep. No pollution or casualties were reported in the incident, which…

Amid Dali probe, NTSB urges action to prevent future bridge strikes

Federal investigators looking for answers into the March 2024 bridge strike that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore have issued new recommendations to prevent a similar catastrophe elsewhere in the United States. In the report, titled “Safeguarding Bridges from Vessel Strikes,” the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reiterated its belief that an electrical failure caused the 984-foot…

The status of decarbonization in the maritime industry

From the editor’s desk at Professional Mariner, it might seem as if the maritime industry is well on its way to a “green,” zero-emission future. As regulatory demand and fluctuations in fuel prices have driven the development of alternatives, many of the headlines we run announce the commissioning or launching of a new low-emission vessel, a pilot program for a…

It’s time to act, or we can kiss our independence goodbye

If you think that the “glory days” of the U.S. merchant marine have passed, there is good news on the horizon. But first, some context: After World War II, there were around 4,500 U.S.-flag ocean-going vessels — the world’s largest fleet. Today, there are a mere 180, about 0.2% of the world’s total. That’s happened because the U.S. merchant marine’s…