safety – Page 8 – Professional Mariner

22 Mar

PMA honors Foss Line Service for safety, zero injuries

Rich MillerTugboats & Towingsafety

(SEATTLE) — Last week, the Pacific Maritime Association honored Foss Line Service for a zero injury rate and first place in safety at the 75th annual PMA safety awards. Accepting the awards were Zach Vetter, Foss Line Service manager, and Casey Johnson, line superintendent for Foss Maritime. In 2022, Foss Line Service ensured everyone stayed safe on every single job.…

17 Mar

Safety alert: Overpressurizing inflatable boats

Rich MillerMaritime Newssafety, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — This U.S. Coast Guard safety alert addresses the importance of proper maintenance and adherence to manufacturer’s recommendations for filling/inflating buoyancy chambers on some models of inflatable boats. During a recent investigation of an incident that occurred involving foreign cruise vessel operations in the Antarctic, a U.S. passenger was severely injured due to a Zodiac Milpro model FC 580/MK5…

03 Mar

Coast Guard, Port of Virginia host weeklong SAR forum

Rich MillerLicensing & Trainingsafety, U.S. Coast Guard

(HAMPTON, Va.) — Coast Guard Sector Virginia and the Port of Virginia hosted the 17th annual Steven Todd Dooley Search and Rescue (SAR) Forum on Monday near Hampton Roads. The forum is an annual event that continues to strengthen regional interagency partnerships and communication, as well as improve the life-saving processes and skills required of search and rescue agencies. Courses…

02 Mar

Safety alert: Properly configuring DSC-equipped radios

Rich MillerMaritime Newssafety, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — This safety alert is to remind mariners of the importance and value of properly configuring their very high frequency (VHF) radios equipped with digital selective calling (DSC) to enable proper function during an emergency. When properly installed, DSC allows the mariner to simply hit the red DSC button in an emergency, resulting in the vessel’s geographic coordinates and…

01 Mar

AWO honors heroism of tug and towboat crews with new award

Rich MillerTugboats & Towingbrownwater, safety

(HOUSTON) — At its Winter Safety Meeting on Wednesday, the American Waterways Operators (AWO) announced the inaugural recipients of the new American Waterways Honor & Excellence in Rescue Operations (HERO) Award. The award documents and recognizes rescues undertaken by AWO member company employees who demonstrate selflessness, skill and bravery. Qualifying events for the award include, among others: rescuing commercial or…

09 Feb

Safety alert: Dangerous gateway handhold arrangements

Rich MillerMaritime Newssafety, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — This U.S. Coast Guard safety alert addresses the importance of verifying the correct arrangement of handholds in embarkation gate arrangements aboard merchant vessels. The Coast Guard is currently investigating a casualty involving a fall from a pilot ladder where the handholds in the gate arrangement aboard the vessel terminated without being rigidly secured to the vessel’s structure. This…

17 Jan

Coast Guard to hold public hearing on loss of Spirit of Norfolk

Rich MillerCasualty Newssafety, U.S. Coast Guard

(PORTSMOUTH, Va.) — The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to conduct a formal hearing starting Thursday, Jan. 26, in Virginia Beach to consider evidence related to the fire and total constructive loss of the passenger vessel Spirit of Norfolk. The hearing is scheduled to take place at the Virginia Beach City Council Chambers on the second floor, which is located…

21 Dec

Coast Guard honors NYC boat captain for saving seven

Rich MillerMaritime Newssafety, U.S. Coast Guard

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. Coast Guard presented a New York native with a Meritorious Public Service Award on Monday at the New York City Harbor School on Governors Island. On Aug. 20, Beni Nedrick, a charter boat captain, saved the lives of seven people after the 48-foot yacht Reverie caught fire in the Hudson River. Nedrick was transiting the…

30 Nov

Crowley vessels, crews honored for environmental achievement

Rich MillerIndustry Newssafety, shipping

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) – Sixty-one Crowley vessels and their crews were recently honored by the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) for a cumulative 602 years of safe environmental achievement and operations. The annual Environmental Achievement Awards are given to vessels that have no reportable spills, U.S. Coast Guard citations or other pollution incidents. Aligned with its current sustainability strategy, Crowley…

27 Oct

NOAA’s Backyard Buoys to improve ocean data access

Rich MillerMaritime NewsNavigation, safety

(WASHINGTON) — A new ocean science effort to improve equity and inclusion is underway, thanks to a $4.98 million cooperative agreement involving three regional associations of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, which is led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The National Science Foundation (NSF) provided the funds through a cooperative agreement for Backyard Buoys, a project…