Tugboats and towing – Page 2 – Professional Mariner

01 Apr

Florida tug captain charged in collision that killed three children

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsLicensing and training, Tugboats and towing

(MIAMI) — A tugboat captain has been charged with seaman’s manslaughter after operating a barge with obstructed visibility and without a proper lookout, resulting in a fatal collision in Biscayne Bay that killed three children. “Our hearts are with the families of the children who lost their lives in this tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quinones for the Southern…

20 Mar

Master Boat to fabricate hull modules for new Navy towing vessels

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry Newsshipbuilding, Tugboats and towing

(CODEN, Ala.) — Master Boat Builders has signed a contract with Austal USA to fabricate modules for the U.S. Navy’s Navajo-class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue Ship (T-ATS) program. The contract establishes Master Boat as a key subcontractor contributing to the construction and delivery of critical vessels that enhance the Navy’s and the Trump administration’s push to diversify and strengthen the…

18 Mar

Two mariners die in confined space on freight barge in Alaska

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsTugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(JUNEAU, Alaska) — The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a fatal confined-space incident that occurred Sunday aboard the freight barge Waynehoe approximately 25 miles northwest of Ketchikan. Of the four crewmembers involved in the incident, two are deceased. The other two crewmembers are reported to be in stable condition. Deceased are Ben Fowler and Sidney Mohorovich. Watch standers at the…

12 Mar

Tanker pilot transposed tugboat positions, leading to pier strike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — On Oct. 14, 2024, about 0412 local time, the crude oil tanker Platanos was undocking from the Martinez Refining Company wharf pier near Martinez, Calif., in the Carquinez Strait, when the vessel’s port quarter made contact with a concrete dolphin and a fender support panel of the pier. There were no injuries and no pollution was reported. Damage…

10 Mar

Fireboats respond to burning barge in Delaware Bay

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsTugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(PHILADELPHIA) — The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies responded to a barge fire Tuesday in Delaware Bay. Late Tuesday afternoon, the barge was currently being towed to approximately 2 miles off Maurice River Cove, N.J., to remove the threat from the main ship channel, where firefighting efforts will continue. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay has established a safety zone,…

26 Feb

Gunderson-built docking pier arrives in Antarctica

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding, Tugboats and towing

(PORTLAND, Ore.) — The McMurdo docking pier, constructed by Gunderson Marine & Iron and designed by Glosten for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has arrived at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, following a 9,159-nautical-mile voyage across the Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean. The pier, towed from the Pacific Northwest by TradeWinds Towing, was underway for 69 days, averaging 5.5 knots over…

25 Feb

Salvors remove grounded barge from entrance to San Juan Harbor

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsSalvage, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — The unified command managing response efforts for the grounded barge Defiant announced the successful refloating and removal of the vessel from the Castillo San Felipe del Morro shoreline on Wednesday. The unified command said response personnel and contracted salvors refloated Defiant at 2:22 a.m., just before the arrival of high tide. Salvage crews and tugboat…

25 Feb

Injury highlights hazards to crew in tug-to-barge transits

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsTugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — While moored at a refinery in Chalmette, La., a towing vessel crewmember fell approximately 30 feet into the tow notch of an oceangoing articulated tug-barge (ATB) after overextending their reach and losing their footing while climbing the barge’s set-in pigeonholes. The fall resulted in multiple head and facial fractures and the crewmember became pinned within the tow notch,…

10 Feb

Fuel barge runs aground at entrance to San Juan Harbor

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsTugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan personnel are responding alongside local emergency agencies to a fuel barge that ran aground at about noon Monday off the San Juan Harbor port entrance by the San Felipe del Morro Castle. No injuries have been reported and there are no signs of pollution. The barge currently holds approximately…

10 Feb

WCI calls for ‘central hub’ to improve inland project oversight

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsbrownwater, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

(WASHINGTON) — The Waterways Council Inc. (WCI) has released a white paper prepared by HDR titled "Inland Navigation Construction Organization: A New Programmatic Approach for Delivering Major Projects." The paper outlines the necessity for creating a new integrated and programmatic inland navigation construction organization (INCO) within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to drive accountability and execute multiple inland waterways…