Safety alert – Professional Mariner

21 Jan

Safety alert: LNG hot work, lockout/tagout procedures

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

(WASHINGTON) — A recent marine casualty, resulting in a fire and severe injuries to two crewmembers, highlights the risks associated with liquefied natural gas (LNG), performing hot work in hazardous zones, and the necessity of maintaining a robust lockout/tagout program. The U.S. Coast Guard's investigation revealed that two crewmembers were conducting hot work in a known hazardous zone on the…

15 Jan

Safety alert: Awareness and marking of onboard hazardous zones

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

(WASHINGTON) — A recent marine incident involving a tri-fueled vessel (liquefied natural gas, diesel, battery) that resulted in a fire and severe injuries to crewmembers highlights the dangers of working in hazardous zones. Despite being aware of nearby crankcase and LNG purge vents in their work area, the crew did not know that the vessel was actively using methane as…

08 Jan

Safety alert: Configuration of vessel control systems

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

(WASHINGTON) — A high-speed passenger ferry struck a pier in New York while docking. Numerous passengers sustained minor injuries, and the combined repairs to the vessel and pier exceeded $500,000. The U.S. Coast Guard’s subsequent investigation of the major marine casualty, which was conducted in parallel with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), revealed numerous safety issues, including concerns with…

03 Jan

Safety alert: Failure of pilothouse alerter systems

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

(WASHINGTON) — A towing vessel was pushing a barge loaded with aggregate when it struck a bulk liquid transfer terminal pier on the Columbia River. The U.S. Coast Guard’s marine casualty investigation determined that the operator fell asleep at the helm, resulting in more than $1.5 million in property damage to the barge, handling equipment and the facility. The incident…

30 Dec

Safety alert: Identifying counterfeit pilot ladders

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

(WASHINGTON) — Marine inspectors from Sector Maryland-National Capital Region (NCR) discovered counterfeit pilot ladders during a port state control examination at the Port of Baltimore. The identification plate on the ladder (Figure 1) contained several errors, including referencing ISO 779-1 instead of the correct standard, ISO 799-1, and lacked the ISO 799-1 designation type. Additionally, while the serial number on…

11 Dec

Safety alert: Restoring main power supply after blackout

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

(WASHINGTON) — This safety alert highlights the critical need for engineering personnel to be thoroughly familiar with, and trained on, the functionality of onboard electrical generation systems and emergency procedures to effectively manage a blackout. Sector Delaware Bay recently responded to an incident involving a ship that suffered a loss of its main power supply while operating in a restricted…

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…