shipping – Professional Mariner

26 Apr

Fourth channel allows deep-draft ships to depart Baltimore

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, Ports, Salvage, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(BALTIMORE) — The captain of the port on Thursday established a fourth channel, the Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel, which will run the length of the northeast side of the federal channel at the Francis Scott Key Bridge and provide additional access to commercially essential traffic. The bridge collapsed on March 26 after being hit by the containership Dali. The…

24 Apr

New report details ‘persistent’ maritime cyberthreats

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

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command (CGCYBER) has released its annual Cyber Trends and Insights in the Marine Environment report, with many of the findings mirroring previous studies. Four key takeaways from the new report: • Many of the same findings and recommendations discussed in the 2021 and 2022 reports were noted again in 2023. • Emerging technologies create…

23 Apr

Baltimore lawsuit: Dali ‘unseaworthy’ before bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsNTSB, Ports, Salvage, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(BALTIMORE) — The mayor and city council of Baltimore have filed a lawsuit against the owner and operator of the ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month, causing its collapse and killing six people working on it at the time, Reuters reported. The lawsuit, filed in Maryland federal court on Monday, seeks unspecified damages from the registered…

22 Apr

Third temporary channel established at Key Bridge

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, Ports, shipping

(BALTIMORE) — The captain of the port (COTP) has established the Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel, which is on the northeast side of the main channel in the vicinity of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and will provide limited access for commercially essential vessels. The bridge collapsed on March 26 after being hit by the containership Dali. The Fort Carroll…

19 Apr

MarAd update: Ongoing threats to ships, crews in Mideast

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLicensing and training, Security, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — Regional conflict, military activity, terrorist attacks and piracy pose significant threats to commercial vessels operating in the following geographic areas: Southern Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb Strait, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, Somali Basin, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf. The U.S. government is continually assessing the maritime security situation in the region…

15 Apr

U.S. strongly condemns Iran’s seizure of containership

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSecurity, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. State Department has strongly condemned Iran’s seizure of a containership, MSC Aries, near the Strait of Hormuz and urged Tehran to immediately release the vessel and its crew, VOA News reported. A State Department representative told VOA’s Persian Service that the vessel, flying the Portuguese flag and owned by Britain, was seized in "international waters," and…

11 Apr

Houthis claim attack on U.S.-flagged boxship in Gulf of Aden

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSecurity, shipping

(TEHRAN, Iran) — The Yemeni Armed Forces on Wednesday announced that it conducted four operations against merchant and military ships in the Gulf of Aden, including targeting the U.S.-flagged containership Maersk Yorktown. In a televised statement, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said that Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out an operation targeting Maersk Yorktown, the boxships MSC Gina and MSC Darwin, and…

11 Apr

Great Lakes group honors Sen. Stabenow for maritime efforts

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) on Wednesday recognized the significant contributions U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., has made throughout her congressional career protecting the Great Lakes Navigation System and supporting American jobs with investment in U.S.-flagged Great Lakes shipping. Stabenow, who co-chairs the bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, has been the driving force behind the…

03 Apr

Iron ore shipments surge on Great Lakes in March

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsGreat Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System, Ports, shipping

(CLEVELAND) — Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes totaled 1.6 million tons in March, an increase of 25.5 percent compared to 2023. Loadings also topped the month’s five-year average by 47.5 percent. Year to date, the iron ore trade stands at 4.4 million tons, an increase of 16.8 percent compared to a year ago. Iron ore shipments are…

26 Mar

Baltimore bridge collapses after boxship strike

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, Ports, shipping

(BALTIMORE) — The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning after a support column was struck by a containership, sending at least seven cars into the Patapsco River, launching a search-and-rescue operation and prompting Gov. Wes Moore to declare a state of emergency, The Baltimore Sun reported. In a Tuesday morning news conference, Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace…