Military Sealift Command – Professional Mariner

28 Aug

MSC could idle 17 support ships due to manpower crunch

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLicensing and training, Military Sealift Command

(WASHINGTON) — The Military Sealift Command (MSC) has drafted a plan to remove the crews from 17 Navy support ships due to a lack of qualified mariners to operate the vessels across the service, USNI News reported. The MSC “force generation reset” identified two Lewis and Clark replenishment ships, one fleet oiler, a dozen Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transports (EPF) and…

09 May

MSC ship ran aground after master left bridge for dinner

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsMilitary Sealift Command

(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. Navy cargo ship ran aground in Bahrain in 2023 almost immediately after its top officer left the bridge to eat dinner, Stars and Stripes reported. The decision by the master of USNS Alan Shepard to leave the bridge and place a junior officer in charge was one of the key reasons for the ship’s grounding, according…

19 Apr

MSC ship bound for Gaza returns home after engine room fire

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsMilitary Sealift Command

(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. Navy ship on its way to the Gaza Strip with parts for a temporary pier for humanitarian relief returned home after experiencing a fire, the Navy said Wednesday. USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo (T-AK-3008) experienced a fire in its engine room on April 11 while it was on its way to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea…

02 Apr

MSC ship towed to Mobile after engine room fire

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsMilitary Sealift Command

(MOBILE, Ala.) — A fire broke out Thursday in the engine room of USNS Sgt. William R. Button (T-AK-3012), leaving it stranded off the coast of Dauphin Island in the Gulf of Mexico. Sgt. William R. Button is a Military Sealift Command (MSC) ship. It was conducting routine operations at the time of the fire, MSC spokesman Thomas Van Leunen…

29 Nov

Vigor Marine, Detyens win contracts for T-AO work

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry NewsMilitary Sealift Command, shipbuilding

(WASHINGTON) — Vigor Marine of Portland, Ore., and Detyens Shipyards of North Charleston, S.C., have each been awarded contracts by Military Sealift Command (MSC) for work on U.S. fleet replenishment oilers (T-AOs). Vigor Marine was awarded a $24,215,951 firm-fixed-price contract for work on USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187). The contract includes a base period and five options that, if…