03 Apr

Safety blog: Lessons from the sinking of Marine Electric

Rich MillerUncategorized
By James Scheffer, strategic adviser, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Office of Marine Safety It’s been 40 years since the large bulk carrier SS Marine Electric tragically sank on Feb. 12, 1983, off the Virginia coast. Nearly all aboard — 31 of 34 souls — were lost. But I remember the events of that tragic day as if they happened…
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28 Mar

Coast Guard investigating fire on Boston Harbor tour boat

Rich MillerUncategorized
(BOSTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard convened a formal marine casualty investigation Monday into the fire that occurred aboard the small passenger vessel Spirit of Boston. Rear Adm. John Mauger, Coast Guard First District commander, authorized the investigation pursuant to the authority contained in Title 46, United States Code, Section 6301 and the regulations promulgated thereunder. Cmdr. Mason Wilcox has been…
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12 Mar

Crews, agencies honored for response to NYC ferry fire

Rich MillerUncategorized
(NEW YORK) – The U.S. Coast Guard presented public service commendations and certificates of merit Thursday at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan to the New York City Police and Fire Departments, and to the ferry and tug operators and crew who helped evacuate hundreds of passengers off Sandy Ground, a Staten Island ferry, due to a fire aboard the…
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20 Feb

Cutter commander relieved of duties after fatal collision off Puerto Rico

Rich MillerUncategorized
(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Williamsz was relieved of duties as the commanding officer of USCGC Winslow Griesser (WPC 1116) on Friday. Rear Adm. Brendan McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, effected the relief due to a loss of confidence in Williamsz’s ability to effectively command the cutter. Williamsz was administratively reassigned to shore duty…
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17 Jan

Crew rescued after dredger capsizes on Lower Mississippi

Rich MillerUncategorized
(NEW ORLEANS) — The U.S. Coast Guard is overseeing a pollution response Monday after a dredging vessel capsized in the Mississippi River in the vicinity of mile marker (MM) 85 near Meraux, La. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watch standers received notification at 12:50 a.m. that the dredging vessel W.B. Wood capsized, and the two people aboard were rescued and…
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16 Jan

Tug adrift, crew rescued after towline fouls props off Maryland

Rich MillerUncategorized
(BALTIMORE) — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued seven people Saturday from a disabled and adrift tug towing a barge 30 miles offshore from Ocean City, Md. A crewmember aboard the tug Legacy notified watch standers at Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday that while towing a 290-foot barge from New Jersey to Guyana, a 1,000-foot…
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09 Jan

OPA 90 liability limits being adjusted for inflation

Rich MillerUncategorized
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it is adjusting the limits of liability for vessels, deepwater ports and onshore facilities to reflect the increase in the Consumer Price Index since they were last adjusted in 2019. The regulatory inflation increases to the limits of liability are required by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990…
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06 Jan

Boxship owner to pay Maryland for oyster bar damage

Rich MillerUncategorized
(BALTIMORE) – The Maryland Board of Public Works approved a wetlands license Wednesday that requires the owner of the containership Ever Forward to fund the seeding of oyster bars as mitigation for the effects of the vessel’s grounding on aquatic habitat. Ever Forward was underway on March 13, 2022, from Baltimore to Norfolk, Va., with 4,964 containers when it grounded…
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23 Dec

Nearly 900 evacuated after fire aboard Staten Island ferry

Rich MillerUncategorized
(NEW YORK) — Nearly 900 passengers and crewmembers were evacuated from a ferry bound for Staten Island from Manhattan on Thursday after a fire in the vessel's engine room, ABC News reported. Five people were injured in the fire aboard Sandy Ground, with three going to the hospital with unspecified minor injuries, the New York Fire Department said at a…
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22 Nov

NTSB renews call for personal locator beacons

Rich MillerUncategorized
(WASHINGTON) — Two recent marine casualties — involving the liftboat SEACOR Power and the fishing vessel Emmy Rose — highlight the critical safety importance of providing personal locator beacons (PLBs) to mariners to aid in search-and-rescue operations in a variety of conditions — a recommendation the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been making for more than five years. ​​​​​​On…
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