brownwater – Page 18 – Professional Mariner

22 Aug

Second phase of Mississippi River channel deepening completed

Rich MillerMaritime Newsbrownwater, dredging, shipping

(NEW ORLEANS) — On Aug. 16, Louisiana elected officials, federal partners and maritime stakeholders joined the Big River Coalition to celebrate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completion of the first two phases of the deepening of the Mississippi River Ship Channel, which currently provides a maximum draft of 50 feet for vessels calling on the Port of New…

01 Aug

Tanker spills oil during transfer on Lower Mississippi

Rich MillerCasualty Newsbrownwater, shipping

(NEW ORLEANS) — The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a discharge of oil from a tanker Friday on the Lower Mississippi River near Kenner, La. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watch standers received notification at 6:08 p.m. that the tanker Hafnia Rhine discharged oil during a fuel transfer operation with a fuel barge at Ama Anchorage, mile marker 115. Watch…

21 Jul

AWO, policymakers welcome COI compliance milestone

Rich MillerTugboats & Towingbrownwater, U.S. Coast Guard

(ARLINGTON, Va.) — The American Waterways Operators (AWO) welcomed the arrival of a historic milestone for transportation safety on July 19, when all tugboats and towboats in the United States must carry a Coast Guard-issued certificate of inspection (COI) to operate. Tuesday's deadline for 100 percent COI compliance signals full implementation of the Subchapter M towing vessel safety regulations, the…

20 Jul

Master Boat Builders to construct fourth tug for Bay Houston

Rich MillerTugboats & Towingbrownwater, shipbuilding

(MOBILE, Ala.) — Master Boat Builders has executed a contract to build a new tugboat in its Coden, Ala., yard for Bay Houston Towing Co. of Houston, Texas. Master Boat Builders currently has three tugs under construction of a different design for Bay Houston. “Bay Houston has an incredible reputation as one of the top tugboat operators in the entire…

24 Jun

Simonelli retiring as chief operating officer at GLDD

Rich MillerIndustry Newsbrownwater, dredging

(HOUSTON) — Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. (GLDD) announced Thursday that Chief Operating Officer David Simonelli will retire effective Sept. 16. After his retirement, he will provide consulting services to the company. Simonelli, who has spent 44 years with GLDD, became the president of the company’s Dredging Division in 2010 and chief operating officer in 2018. His commitment to…

20 Jun

AMP congratulates 2022 maritime academy graduates

Rich MillerLicensing & Trainingbrownwater, shipping, towing

(WASHINGTON) — The American Maritime Partnership (AMP) congratulates the nearly 1,400 graduates from the seven U.S. maritime academies in 2022. AMP applauds the graduates for their dedication and commitment to pursuing a career that supports the United States in times of both peace and war and is proud to welcome a new generation to this vital workforce. “As a seafaring…

08 Jun

Great Lakes taps Conrad for new hopper dredge

Rich MillerMaritime News, Shipbuildingbrownwater, shipbuilding

(HOUSTON) — Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. (GLDD) has exercised a contract option with Conrad Shipyard of Amelia, La., to build a second 6,500-cubic-yard trailing suction hopper dredge. With expected delivery in the first quarter of 2025, the new vessel will be a sister ship to Galveston Island, currently under construction with delivery in early 2023. Great Lakes’ hopper…

06 Jun

Towboat grounds in Okeechobee Waterway, breaches hull

Rich MillerCasualty Newsbrownwater, towing

(MIAMI) — U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Lake Worth and salvage company crews responded to a marine casualty Friday near Clewiston, Fla. The captain of a 46-foot towing vessel notified Coast Guard Sector Miami watch standers at approximately 8:30 p.m. Friday that the vessel, Catherine, and deck barge Mobro 130 ran aground. The towboat sustained a hull breach, resulting…

03 Jun

MarAd designates new Marine Highways in NC, Alaska, Puerto Rico

Rich MillerMaritime Newsbrownwater, shipping, towing

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MarAd) has announced the immediate designation of four new Marine Highway projects — in North Carolina, Alaska and Puerto Rico — as part of the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP). A Marine Highway project is a planned service, or expansion of an existing service, on a designated Marine Highway route. Since…

01 Jun

Overpressurization of fuel tank, engineer fatigue cited in towboat fire

Rich MillerCasualty Newsbrownwater, towing

(WASHINGTON) — An engine room fire aboard a towing vessel was caused by overpressurization of the fuel day tank and a main engine fuel return system when a fatigued chief engineer inadvertently left the day tank overflow valves to the storage tanks closed, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in Marine Investigation Report 22/17, released Wednesday. On May 18,…