Navigation – Professional Mariner

04 Jun

Coast Guard offers reward for stolen navigational beacon

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Navigation, U.S. Coast Guard

(SUPERIOR, Wis.) — The Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for the recent break-in and theft of the Superior Entry South Breakwater Light. The theft is believed to have occurred on or about May 13 at the privately owned Superior Entry Lighthouse…

11 May

Coast Guard ends seasonal icebreaking in East, Great Lakes

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreaking, Navigation, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard concluded all icebreaking operations in America’s Eastern and Great Lakes waterways on Thursday following a severe winter season that continued well into spring in some regions. Operation Taconite, the Coast Guard’s final ongoing domestic icebreaking operation, has ended as ice throughout the western Great Lakes has nearly melted and icebreaking in support of commercial…

07 May

Safety alert: Importance of bridge visibility, trained lookouts

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLicensing and training, Navigation, Safety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Major contributing factors to several recent collisions and near-collisions included cargo-loading conditions that negatively impacted the operator’s visibility from the navigation bridge. Failing to address obstructions to visibility from the navigation bridge, by either moving cargo or posting trained lookouts, has repeatedly resulted in catastrophic outcomes including loss of life and property damage. Vessel operators, owners, and crews…

17 Feb

Boston Harbor gets PORTS system for safer navigation

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsNavigation, NOAA, Ports, shipping

(BOSTON) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the successful installation of a Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) in Boston Harbor. The system includes observational equipment at MassPort’s Conley Terminal and on the Tobin Memorial Bridge. The Boston Harbor PORTS, established in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, is the 41st installation in a broad,…

29 Jan

Icebreakers called to duty in New York Harbor, Hudson River

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreaking, Navigation, U.S. Coast Guard

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Coast Guard is actively conducting icebreaking operations in New York Harbor and the Hudson River in response to worsening ice conditions caused by prolonged extreme cold and Winter Storm Fern. Ice conditions have developed and expanded quickly across New York Harbor and the Hudson River, with significant ice formation now affecting the waterway from New…

05 Jan

Texas A&M ‘smart’ system aims to reduce marine collisions

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLicensing and training, Navigation, safety, technology

(COLLEGE STATION, Texas) — Collisions between marine vessels and vessel impacts with stationary structures, like offshore oil platforms and depleted wellheads, are becoming increasingly common. These incidents come with a cost – including the financial burden of lost goods and potential loss of life. Ocean engineering researchers at Texas A&M University are developing a smarter system to combat these incidents…

23 Dec

Polar Code adds new safety provisions, includes more vessels

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsNavigation, safety, shipping

(LONDON) — Arctic sea ice remains well below average this December with some regions having thinner ice than previous years. In the Antarctic, the pack is retreating toward its summer minimum after a historically low winter maximum. These conditions generate shorter and more unstable navigation windows for polar shipping routes. Starting on Jan. 1, 2026, the new International Maritime Organization…

16 Dec

AWO backs bipartisan Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act

Professional Mariner StaffTugboats & TowingNavigation, safety, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(ARLINGTON, Va.) — The American Waterways Operators (AWO) recently issued the following statement in support of H.R. 6410, the Atlantic Coast Shipping Safety Act, introduced by U.S. Reps. David Rouzer, R-N.C., Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., and Buddy Carter, R-Ga., which requires the U.S. Coast Guard to complete the process of establishing fairways for commercial navigation along the Atlantic Coast. “The American…

01 Oct

Coast Guard orders more waterways commerce cutters

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsNavigation, shipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard is moving forward with the acquisition of the new Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) class, designed to replace the legacy fleet of inland tenders and facilitate commerce vital to the nation’s economic security and strategic mobility. The service has ordered production of the first river buoy tender (WLR) and long lead time material (LLTM) for…

22 Sep

Coast Guard seeks more input on Northeast ATON changes

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsNavigation, Ports, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(BOSTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard is reopening public comments on proposed changes to aids to navigation (ATON) in the Northeast from now until Nov. 15. As a result of the comprehensive public feedback, the course of action has changed for more than half of the original Coastal Buoy Modernization Proposal (CBMP) buoys. One hundred twenty-one aids were removed from…