Professional Mariner – May/June 2026 – Page 2

Wind propulsion moves forward but is still at the mercy of headwinds

The uptake of wind-assisted propulsion systems on commercial vessels mirrors the broader shift toward green propulsion and decarbonization: a steady stream of promising headlines, but deployment that remains a fraction of the global fleet. For nearly a decade, the industry has hovered at a “tipping point” that never quite arrives — momentum building, then stalling, just short of broader adoption.…

Tow to the bottom of the world: Delivering a pier to Antarctica

The 50-year-old tug Rachel was holding position in the Southern Ocean, waiting out approaching weather and tending its tow — a 328-by-100-foot pier riding low in the water. For four days, the crew remained north of a nasty if not typical front, avoiding heavier conditions before continuing south toward Antarctica and the bottom of the world. “The Southern Ocean gave…

ATB generator failure sparks fire on Lake Erie

The articulated tug and barge (ATB) Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder was anchored on Lake Erie, near Cleveland, Ohio, in the days before New Year’s Day 2025, when a fire broke out in the generator space aboard Pathfinder. The crew secured the space and discharged the vessel’s fixed fire suppression system, extinguishing the fire. A report from the National Transportation Safety Board would…

BREAKING CASUALTIES: Coast Guardsman fatally injured during medevac from cargo vessel

In early March, crew aboard the 600-plus-foot general cargo vessel Momi Arrow, which was approximately 120 nautical miles west of Cape Flattery, Wash., radioed the U.S. Coast Guard with a medical emergency after a crewmember had reportedly suffered a stroke. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was dispatched from Air Station Astoria, Ore., and Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Jaggers was hoisted…

BREAKING CASUALTIES: Two mariners die in confined-space incident aboard barge in Alaska

In March, a confined-space casualty aboard a freight barge off Southeast Alaska left two mariners dead and prompted a multi-agency response and investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard. The incident occurred on March 15 about 25 miles northwest of Ketchikan, where the barge Waynehoe was moored near Skowl Arm. The Coast Guard said that watchstanders in Juneau received a mayday…

‘Expectation bias’ caused pilot to stray from channel and run aground near Philadelphia

Algoma Verity was “handling like a deep [draft] ship,” according to a Bay and River Delaware pilot. When the 623-foot, single-screw dry bulk carrier with a conventional rudder arrangement weighed anchor near Philadelphia, on Jan. 8, 2025, the pilot told investigators that whenever he turned the ship, he had to use “significant rudder orders — up to 20 degrees or…

SAFETY ALERT: Container operations with vessels alongside

In March, the U.S. Coast Guard warned that gaps in planning and communication during cargo operations at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have contributed to multiple incidents of containers falling from ships — including one that damaged an emissions-control barge and injured a crewmember — and are urging operators to adopt formal procedures and coordination protocols when…

Oil mist detector false alarm cited in cargo vessel grounding in St. Lawrence Seaway canal

A false alarm from an oil mist detector triggered an automatic engine shutdown and loss of propulsion that led to the grounding of the cargo vessel Heemskerkgracht on Aug. 22, 2024, in the St. Lawrence Seaway off Kahnawake, Quebec, according to a report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). The TSB said the incident originated with a flawed…

New fuels bring new training challenges for mariners

In February, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) hosted a workshop focused on oceangoing vessels as the agency considers new or expanded regulations to reduce emissions while ships are transiting, maneuvering and anchoring near California’s ports and marine terminals. CARB said reducing those emissions could improve air quality in portside communities, advance federal Clean Air Act compliance and help the…

Global shock reshapes shipping beyond Hormuz

A disruption thousands of miles from North America is rapidly reshaping the economics and risk profile of U.S. and Canadian shipping. The escalation of conflict involving Iran has effectively sidelined the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, where roughly a fifth of global oil supply typically transits. Vessel traffic through the strait has dropped sharply…