safety – Professional Mariner

21 Sep

Excessive speed led to tug grounding in Texas, NTSB says

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, safety, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — Excessive speed during a bow-to-bow harbor-assist maneuver led to the grounding of the tugboat CC Portland in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. It is the second marine casualty the NTSB investigated in 2022 caused by excessive speed in azimuthing stern drive, or ASD, tugboats while in the center…

15 Sep

Interim rule steps up safety measures for duck boats

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, safety, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard has issued an interim rule as the first step to implement the statutorily mandated requirements for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels, commonly known as duck boats. This statutory mandate was enacted after the sinking of Stretch Duck 7 on July 19, 2018, which resulted in the loss of 17 lives on Table Rock Lake, Mo.…

14 Sep

Overboard tanker crewman rescued off coast of Galveston

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newssafety, U.S. Coast Guard

(HOUSTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a tanker crewmember from the water 10 miles offshore Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston command center watch standers received a distress call on VHF-FM Channel 16 at 9:23 a.m. from personnel aboard the tanker vessel Ghibli, stating that a crewmember had fallen overboard and was not wearing a life jacket.…

31 Aug

Towing safety report shows second-lowest crew fatality rate

Professional Mariner StaffTugboats & Towingbrownwater, safety, U.S. Coast Guard

(ARLINGTON, Va.) — For almost 30 years, the Coast Guard-AWO Safety Partnership’s National Quality Steering Committee has been tracking overall trends in towing industry safety and environmental protection, which it conveys in an annual report. This year’s report, compiled by the Coast Guard Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis, included the following notable findings: • The 2022 crewmember fatality rate…

25 Jul

Pilots, NOAA sign pact to enhance navigation safety

Rich MillerMaritime NewsNavigation, Pilots, safety

(WASHINGTON) — Senior leaders of the American Pilots’ Association (APA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), Office of Coast Survey, have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that calls for the two parties to cooperate and share information so that they can better carryout their respective roles and responsibilities related to safe maritime navigation…

25 Jul

CSA recognizes 90 Crowley vessels for safe operations

Rich MillerIndustry Newssafety, shipping

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) – Crowley has been recognized by the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) with Jones F. Devlin Awards for the safe operations of 90 company-owned or -managed vessels. The Devlin Award publicly recognizes the skills and dedication of the men and women who are responsible for safe vessel operations and is presented to vessels that have operated for…

21 Jul

OSHA: Maersk must rehire whistleblower on boxship

Rich MillerMaritime Newssafety

(NORFOLK, Va.) – A federal whistleblower investigation has determined that Maersk Line Ltd. — one of the world's leading providers of marine cargo services — suspended and terminated a seaman's employment illegally after the seaman reported numerous safety concerns about a company vessel to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined Maersk Line's termination of…

29 Jun

SCA renews OSHA partnership for shipyard workers

Rich MillerIndustry Newssafety, shipbuilding

(WASHINGTON) – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Philadelphia Regional Office and the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, have renewed a partnership to continue protecting the nation’s shipyard workers from workplace safety and health hazards. The partnership was first established in July 2021 as a two-year alliance, and…

27 Jun

Reflections on the loss of the submersible Titan

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, safety

In every issue of Professional Mariner, we have a casualties section that highlights maritime incidents. The purpose of this section is so that we can learn from the challenges and mistakes that others had to deal with in hopes of either not making those same mistakes or knowing how to deal with similar events. As the timeless adage goes, “Those…

15 May

Safety alert: Dangers of avoiding load line requirements

Rich MillerMaritime Newscasualty news, safety, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A recent marine casualty resulting in the total loss of a crane barge, estimated at over $6 million, is a stark warning of the risks involved with failing to adhere to load line regulations. The incident occurred approximately 18 miles offshore of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico while the crane barge was being towed in calm weather…