The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a formal inquiry to study how larger ships and increased congestion pose risks to critical infrastructure such as bridges, cargo terminals and power plants. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Wayne Arguin, the assistant commandant for prevention policy, will lead the Ports and Waterways Safety Board of Inquiry. He expects the body will gather best practices from ports around the United States and consider policy and regulatory changes. In an interview with Professional Mariner, Arguin acknowledged the Dali incident in Baltimore that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge spurred the formal inquiry process. “Ships have gotten a lot bigger, but has the infrastructure associated with handling those ships and the channels originally designed for ships built in the 70s and 80s been able to keep…
The shipping industry is speaking out against a new rule from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that would expand exhaust standards and necessitate the installation of diesel particulate filters (DPFs) on many ferries and tugboats in operation in the state with leaders calling the plan dangerous and unfeasible. The CARB regulations, which were adopted last year and are being phased in now, mandate that most workboats in California transition to the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 or Tier 4 engine standards. For most, this would require a retrofit with a DPF. The devices remove much of soot-like exhaust that emits from diesel engines. Citing fire risks, DPFs “have a terrible track record when we’ve seen those devices used in trucks,” Peter Schrappen, vice president of the Pacific Coast…
The Great Lakes freighter Mark W. Barker has returned to service after running aground in the Detroit River while carrying a load of salt. The 639-foot self-unloading bulk carrier went soft aground at about 0735 on May 17, 2023, near Belle Isle in Detroit. Its operator, Interlake Steamship Co., said the U.S.-flagged ship experienced a loss of power and maneuverability. “The vessel turned to port unexpectedly and the captain dropped the anchor before the bow grounded on the soft bank of the channel,” according to Interlake Steamship, which is based in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The incident involving Mark W. Barker happened less than a month after another Interlake ship went aground. Kaye E. Barker became stuck near Muskegon, Mich., in late April in an area of heavy shoaling. The 8,000-hp…
Compact and powerful, Eva works where others can’t The goal was challenging: Design, build and deliver a tugboat equipped with the latest propulsion that is powerful and yet smaneuverable enough to take on the most challenging tasks with the added capability of operating in narrow, shallow draft harbor slips. That goal was more than met with the delivery of the 4,426-hp, low-emissions, z-drive tug Eva with a relatively small size — 85-by-38.5-feet — that belies its capabilities and features. Owned by Suderman & Young Towing, the vessel is the first of the company’s new trio of RApport 2600-class of tugs designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia, and built at Master Boat Builders shipyard in Coden, Ala. The new Eva, operated by G&H Towing Co., is the second…
The U.S. Coast Guard has alerted ship operators of plans to “phase down” the use of FM-200, a fire suppressant common in extinguishers and overhead sprinkler systems that lets loose a gush of greenhouse gas emissions. FM-200 is still allowed on vessels and there are no plans to prohibit it in the future, Pock Y. Utiskul, a fire protection engineer for the Coast Guard’s Office of Design and Engineering Standards, told Professional Mariner. Rather, the Coast Guard wants the shipping industry to understand that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reducing the amount of FM-200, a hydrofluorocarbon also known as HFC-227ea, produced in and imported in the U.S. — meaning it will be harder to procure it in the future. “At this point, there is no cutoff time,” Utiskul said.…
(BOSTON) – Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomy system aboard the Foss Maritime tugboat Rachael Allen has achieved a key milestone. The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) verified the design of the Foss harbor tug outfitted with the system. This follows the established process of new technology qualification, document evaluation in accordance with ABS Rules and Guides, and a successful product review. Rachael Allen will first leverage the Sea Machines’ autonomy system for routine transit and stand-by operations, and then trial remote piloting from a shore-based command center. The SM300 transit autonomy and stationkeeping are provided by interfacing with the Kongsberg-MTU propulsion system controls. Sea Machines has previously earned full approval from ABS for its SM200 commercial wireless helm for installation aboard a class of U.S.-flag tugboats that support articulated tug-barge…
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If you want to understand the special role Q-Ocean Service and its liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering barge play in the maritime industry, start by imagining a cruise ship. The massive vessel’s passengers are frolicking on decks, surrounded by the sun and a turquoise sea. Over their heads, giant stacks belch exhaust that can tarnish this idyllic environment. “People are stepping on, feeling and breathing that black soot all day,” said Shane Guidry, the owner of Q-LNG Transport LLC, which built the first articulated tug-barge (ATB) specifically designed to bunker LNG. “When you convert to liquefied natural gas, that completely goes away because you no longer have black soot and smoke coming out of the smokestacks polluting the air … which is why the cruise ship industry was the first…
(BARENDRECHT, Netherlands) — Herman Sr. BV, a Netherlands-based tugboat and workboat company, will add a SM200 wireless, remote-helm control system from Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics to one of its Shoalbuster tugboats, the 76-foot Teddy, to increase productivity and operational safety during offshore operations. The SM200 provides wireless helm and propulsion control, as well as remote control of auxiliaries and payload equipment (including pumps, winches, anchor windlasses and more), freeing mariners from the wheelhouse to conduct operations from any location that offers the greatest visibility and safety. Sea Machines empowers the pilot to be in full control of the tugboat and onboard payloads with a direct local view of the task, as compared to conventional methods that often rely on signals relayed from another crew member to the wheelhouse. Herman Sr.…
In the wake of the El Faro disaster, a federal review of a U.S. Coast Guard initiative to ensure that domestic vessels meet safety management system (SMS) standards found that it is too early to evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts. The report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that actions taken by the Coast Guard since the tragedy have enhanced the service’s oversight of recognized organizations (ROs). These are third-party companies that the Coast Guard allows to review an operator’s SMS, issue applicable vessel certificates, and perform audits of safety plans aboard each vessel. The Coast Guard’s steps to improve oversight of SMS stem from the incident on Oct. 1, 2015, in which the cargo ship El Faro sailed into the heart of Hurricane Joaquin and sank, killing…
