shipping – Professional Mariner

27 May

Port of Long Beach offers $1 million for first methanol bunkering

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, Ports, propulsion, shipping

(LONG BEACH, Calif.) — The Port of Long Beach established an unprecedented $1 million award for the first oceangoing vessel to refill at its harbor with methanol on a commercial scale in an effort to jump-start the industry’s transition to cleaner, lower-carbon fuels like methanol. Approved Monday by the Long Beach Harbor Commission, the Clean Fuel Bunkering Challenge is expected…

27 May

MarAd honors Crowley tanker crew for allision response

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLicensing and training, MarAd, safety, shipping

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — Crowley mariners who served aboard the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate were honored with the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MarAd) Gallant Ship Award during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Maritime Day observance in Washington, D.C. The award, one of the maritime industry’s highest distinctions, recognizes the 23-member crew’s extraordinary professionalism, courage and commitment to safety. The award recognizes…

20 May

U.S. Great Lakes shipping lost 82 days due to ice delays, trade group says

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

(CLEVELAND) — The numbers are in and U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes lost 1,953 hours or 82 ship days due to inadequate icebreaking during the past winter. To put 82 days in perspective, it is about a third of the shipping season on the Great Lakes as the Soo Locks close on Jan. 15. It took 96 hours after…

20 May

Mariners, operators honored at annual CSA safety awards

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newssafety, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. maritime industry publicly recognized the merchant mariners responsible for safe vessel operations at the Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) Annual Safety Awards Dinner in New Orleans on May 4. The event recognized 1,157 vessels with 8,075 cumulative years of accident-free operation. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Will Watson, commander, Heartland District, joined seafarers, Customs and…

13 May

U.S. indicts Dali operators for fatal Baltimore bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, NTSB, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges against two companies and an employee connected with the 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, World News Group reported. Dali, a 984-foot containership, crashed into the bridge in the early morning of March 26, 2024. The collapse killed six construction workers on the bridge and resulted in at least $5…

08 May

MarAd launches nuclear initiative for commercial shipping

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsMarAd, propulsion, shipping, technology

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) on Thursday launched an initiative to develop small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) for commercial shipping. As a first step, MarAd is calling on innovators and industry stakeholders to help develop an SMR model that revitalizes U.S. shipbuilding, cuts costs, and secures energy dominance. The request for information (RFI) is seeking input from industry…

05 May

IMO panel ‘back on track’ on global shipping emissions

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsemissions, IMO, shipping

(LONDON) — The Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) concluded its 84th session with a commitment to rebuild consensus on global shipping emissions, while sounding the alarm over environmental risks in the Strait of Hormuz and adopting new measures to curb air pollution in the northeast Atlantic. Closing the meeting, held from April 27 to May…

29 Apr

New IMO guidelines target ships flying false flags

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIMO, Regulation, shipping

(LONDON) — The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Legal Committee has approved a new set of guidelines to improve transparency and due diligence in ship registration, as well as prevent fraudulent registrations and misuse of flags. The guidelines help to close a key regulatory gap for the maritime industry, given there is currently no binding international framework to regulate the registration…

27 Apr

Great Lakes task force honors Sen. Todd Young for maritime advocacy

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

(WASHINGTON) —The Great Lakes Maritime Task Force (GLMTF) recognized U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., on Wednesday for his commitment to the Great Lakes Navigation System and the nation’s maritime revitalization. “Sen. Young understands the importance of U.S. shipping on the Great Lakes with interconnected harbors that depend on each other and a healthy maritime highway. He has advocated for another…

24 Apr

AMP protests Trump move to extend Jones Act waiver

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsJones Act, Ports, shipping

(WASHINGTON) — The American Maritime Partnership (AMP) stated its opposition Thursday to the Trump administration’s move to extend its waiver of the Jones Act another 90 days. A 60-day waiver was issued on March 17 in response to energy market volatility amid the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. “This extension of an already historically long and ineffective Jones Act waiver is…