01 Jun

First LNG bunkering barge in US begins work in Port Canaveral

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
America’s first offshore bunkering barge designed specifically to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) began operations in Port Canaveral, Fla., in March. Q-LNG 4000 is part of an articulated tug-barge (ATB) that was constructed through an agreement between Q-LNG Transport and Shell Trading (U.S.) to provide LNG to ships and ports in Florida and the Caribbean.  Nicknamed Q4K, the barge is…
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01 Jun

Sunset begins for paper charts as NOAA shifts to digital delivery

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began to phase out production of its paper nautical charts on Feb. 26 starting with Lake Tahoe, the first of 1,700 charts being converted to exclusively digital delivery. The Raster Sunset Plan being implemented by NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey includes a process to notify mariners of the transition for each paper chart…
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01 Jun

Researchers link hull coatings to microplastic pollution at sea

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Given the painted area of all of the hulls at sea, it stands to reason that in the harsh ocean environment, some of that coating material might come off. According to German researchers, the material is indeed coming off, and it could represent a significant source of microplastic pollution. A recent study by the University of Oldenburg’s Institute of Chemistry…
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01 Jun

Long-sought Houston Ship Channel expansion gets federal go-ahead

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
After a decade-long campaign by maritime industry stakeholders, Congress has authorized the expansion of the Houston Ship Channel for safer and more efficient navigation. The project will widen and deepen the nation’s busiest waterway, which is accommodating increased traffic and ever-larger ships. The green light came on Dec. 27 with enactment of the Water Resources and Development Act of 2020…
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01 Jun

McAllister launch servicing Long Island Sound with deliveries, crew transfers

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
McAllister Towing of Connecticut has initiated launch service on Long Island Sound from Bridgeport, a deepwater port about 50 miles from New York City. The service began in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic changed the rules for just about everything. With new protocols in place, the launch has provided a less congested option for crew changes and other…
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01 Jun

Larger, faster Sabine pilot boat built to go the distance

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Oil has fueled the Texas economy since the Spindletop field near Beaumont began gushing at a rate of 100,000 barrels per day in 1901. This year, Breaux’s Bay Craft of Loreauville, La., delivered Spindletop, a 90-foot pilot boat, to the Sabine Pilots of Port Arthur, Texas. Spindletop was conceived and built to keep pace with growth in the petroleum trade,…
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01 Jun

Tow operator disputes NTSB findings after barge breach at lock

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Federal investigators determined that crew inattention was the probable cause of a barge accident at the Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway that spilled nearly 2,800 barrels of crude oil.  Savage Inland Marine, then the operator of the towboat Savage Voyager and the barges SMS 30056 and PBL 3422, disputed those findings. The company has filed a…
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