Survey of mariners during COVID finds heightened anxiety, isolation

Survey of mariners during COVID finds heightened anxiety, isolation

Mariners across the United States are being asked to take a confidential mental health survey as federal agencies, vessel operators, maritime unions and other industry stakeholders strive to identify the most pressing needs during the pandemic and determine what can be done to alleviate them. The online survey, which is ongoing through May 31, can be completed in 10 minutes.…
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First LNG bunkering barge in US begins work in Port Canaveral

First LNG bunkering barge in US begins work in Port Canaveral

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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Sunset begins for paper charts as NOAA shifts to digital delivery

Sunset begins for paper charts as NOAA shifts to digital delivery

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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Researchers link hull coatings to microplastic pollution at sea

Researchers link hull coatings to microplastic pollution at sea

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

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

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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McAllister launch servicing Long Island Sound with deliveries, crew transfers

McAllister launch servicing Long Island Sound with deliveries, crew transfers

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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Larger, faster Sabine pilot boat built to go the distance

Larger, faster Sabine pilot boat built to go the distance

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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Tanker’s speed, hydrodynamics cited in Houston T-bone collision 

Tanker’s speed, hydrodynamics cited in Houston T-bone collision 

The speed of a tanker was a primary factor in a T-bone collision in the Houston Ship Channel that nearly tore a barge in half and caused a chemical spill, federal investigators determined.  The 754-by-122-foot Genesis River struck a barge pushed by the towboat Voyager at about 1515 on May 10, 2019 near the Bayport Ship Channel. Genesis River hit…
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Tow operator disputes NTSB findings after barge breach at lock

Tow operator disputes NTSB findings after barge breach at lock

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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Crew escapes after engine rod failure leads to towboat fire

Crew escapes after engine rod failure leads to towboat fire

The 140-foot City of Cleveland was pushing 18 barges up the Lower Mississippi River when the captain heard a sound similar to a log hitting a propeller.   Moments later, the port engine stopped and flames erupted from the engine room. The nine crewmembers on the towboat escaped to a barge and were later rescued by a good Samaritan vessel. No one was…
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