Professional Mariner – October/November 2024 – Page 2

Piloting a piece of maritime history in San Diego Bay

Capt. John Eaton took the controls on the wood-hulled ferry Silvergate on a picture-perfect Southern California afternoon and steered into San Diego Bay. The destination lay barely a mile ahead on Coronado. “It’s a small ferry, but it’s really easy to drive,” Eaton said during the passage, which takes about 10 minutes. “I like the historic aspect of it and…

Pier strike along Mississippi River attributed to sleeping towboat pilot

The pilot of a inland towboat fell asleep before the vessel deviated off course and struck an industrial cargo pier near Saint Rose, La., in late 2023, according to federal investigators. The 2,000-hp John 3:16 was transiting upriver without any barges in tow when the contact occurred at about 0641 on Sept. 12, 2023, at Lower Mississippi River mile 118.6.…

Grounding near Sault St. Marie likely the result of multitasking by lone master on bridge

A Great Lakes freighter ran aground while departing from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in early 2023 and sustained damage to its water ballast tanks, according to a federal investigation, which concluded the captain was alone on the bridge and performing multiple tasks simultaneously. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the 715-foot, 15,396-ton American Mariner overshot its turn and grounded on shoals at the…

Crew limits damage from engine room fire traced to overbent hose

Crewmembers were able to limit damages during a fire aboard a towing vessel crossing Louisiana’s Lake Salvador after a hose ruptured and sprayed hydraulic oil onto a hot engine exhaust manifold and turbocharger. The incident happened at about 1332 local time on Feb. 17, 2023, as the 59-foot-long Desperado was near mile 20 of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Bayou…

Hidden hull, deck wastage contributed to tugboat sinking off SC coast

Compromised hull and deck plating and conduits connecting bulkheads led to the sinking of the 60-foot towing vessel Jacqueline A off the South Carolina coast in August 2023, according to a recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report. “A lack of watertight integrity due to the poor material condition of the vessel’s bulwarks and main deck plating, which allowed water to ingress through wastage holes into the lazarette — and unsealed penetrations…

Failure to monitor compartments below deck cited in dredge sinking

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that a lack of requirements for crewmembers to regularly check below-deck compartments likely led to the January 2023 capsizing of the dredging vessel WB Wood near New Orleans. No one was hurt in the incident, which happened at about 0050 on Jan. 16, 2023, on the Lower Mississippi River about 10 miles from…

Emerging AI technology can create safer, more efficient maritime operations

What exactly can artificial intelligence (AI) do for mariners? Well, potentially a lot. Like the emergence of electronics more than a century ago, it may not always be the answer, but in general AI can enhance many existing aspects of maritime practices and potentially revolutionize others. For starters, the capabilities of AI can serve as a critical backstop for crew,…

Regulators respond to casualty incidents, harassment cases across the maritime industry

During the early morning of Sept 2, 2019, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach received an abrupt distress call. “Mayday, mayday, mayday! Conception. Platts Harbor, north side Santa Cruz. Help [unintelligible] three-nine P-O-B. Help. I can’t breathe!” Conception was a 75-foot-long dive boat anchored off Santa Cruz Island that caught fire in the middle of the night.…

The maritime industry is no place for children

Imagine for a moment your 7-year-old son or nephew is working as a “cabin boy” on a ship. He’d be away from home for years slogging food and dirty dishes 16 hours a day, seven days a week, between the galley and the mess deck. And when not working in the galley, picture him climbing up 200-foot masts to help…

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