Safety alert – Professional Mariner

05 Nov

Safety alert: Fuel hose chafing can cause catastrophic fires

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSafety alert, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A recent fire on an inspected towing vessel has highlighted a critical safety concern involving fuel hoses on main engines. While it is standard marine practice to install protective chafing gear on areas prone to wear, there are currently no statutory requirements for inspected towing vessels to install such protections on fuel lines. Failure to prevent chafing on…

06 Sep

Safety alert: Cummins marine engine throttle recall

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newspropulsion, Safety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A recent incident on a small passenger vessel caused by a malfunction in its throttle power head resulted in a loss of propulsion. An investigation revealed that the throttle had been recalled due to a high risk of intermittent failure. Affected throttles Marine engine throttles with part numbers 5563449, 5563448 and 5563447 are affected. These throttles were sold…

05 Aug

Design flaw, lack of training led to Staten Island Ferry fire

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsferries, NTSB, Safety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The design of a new passenger ferry’s engine and inadequate follow-on training for engineering crewmembers led to a 2022 fire aboard a Staten Island Ferry, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. The fire broke out in the engine room of the passenger ferry Sandy Ground in New York Harbor with 884 people aboard on Dec. 22,…

29 Feb

Safety alert: Keyed VHF radios may block AIS reception

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsElectronics, Navigation, Safety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A very high frequency (VHF) maritime radio transmission on one’s own vessel, or even transmissions by a nearby vessel a football field’s length away (about 445 feet), may block AIS reception for the duration the radio is keyed. An analysis of the relevant standards has shown that this may impact all classes of AIS equipment regardless of how…

21 Dec

Safety alert: Wire rope hazards on shipboard cranes

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, Safety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A recent marine casualty involving a shipboard crane occurred while a 69-ton wind turbine nacelle was being offloaded. While hoisting, a wire rope parted, causing the load to fall eight feet to the deck, significantly damaging the vessel and resulting in a total loss of the cargo. Although no personnel casualties occurred, injury potential was high, as the…

29 Nov

Wood pellet fires on barges lead to safety alert

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSafety alert, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Over a two-week span, two unmanned and uninspected hopper barges loaded with wood pellets containing binders caught fire while awaiting transport at a Mississippi River fleeting facility. Each fire caused approximately $355,000 in damage, including total cargo loss and significant vessel damage. The ignition source for both fires was spontaneous combustion, which is not common, but also not…

21 Nov

Safety alert: By land or sea, firefighting preparation is key

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSafety alert, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The purpose of this U.S. Coast Guard marine safety alert is to raise awareness within the Marine Transportation System to the unique dangers of shipboard fires, particularly on multi-level freight vessels like vehicle-carrying roll-on/roll-off ships (ro-ros). In July, a foreign-flagged ro-ro experienced a fire on one of its vehicle decks while cargo was being loaded dockside. With over…

14 Nov

Safety alert: Overestimating DP system capabilities

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSafety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard's Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis has released Safety Alert 11-22 regarding an incident involving weaknesses within dynamic positioning (DP) systems. Dynamic positioning systems meeting equipment class 2 (DP2) and equipment class 3 (DP3) have control features and redundancies that are often regarded by the crews of vessels using these systems as infallible. A…

12 Jun

Safety alert: Condensate and dry compressed air

Rich MillerMaritime NewsSafety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A recent U.S. Coast Guard investigation involving a fire and subsequent loss of propulsion on board an inspected vessel serves as a reminder of safety issues caused by condensate forming in air lines. During the investigation, an underlying issue was discovered that caused condensate to form in air lines that supplied compressed air to the vessel’s air-operated engine…

07 Apr

Safety alert: Improper use of onboard heating cables

Rich MillerMaritime Newsbrownwater, Safety alert, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard recently investigated a fire on board an inspected towing vessel that resulted in the vessel suffering a loss of propulsion. The source of the fire was determined to be heat cables (also referred to as heat tracing cable or heat tape), which were improperly installed to prevent condensate from forming and freezing within hoses…