Barge bound for San Juan also carries 12 stowaways
27 Nov

Barge bound for San Juan also carries 12 stowaways

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News,
(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection partners apprehended 12 stowaway migrants Saturday during the escort of the tugboat Sarah Dann that was towing a barge into San Juan Harbor. “I cannot emphasize enough just how dangerous it is to have stowaways board or jump from a moving barge,” said Capt. Robert Pirone, Sector…
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Port NOLA to host ‘Who Works the Rivers’ for local students
14 Nov

Port NOLA to host ‘Who Works the Rivers’ for local students

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training,
(NEW ORLEANS) — The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and RiverWorks Discovery will host two “Who Works the Rivers” events Wednesday, Nov. 15 and Friday, Nov. 17 to introduce high school juniors and seniors to the importance of waterborne transportation and the diversity of career paths available on the river. Hundreds of high school students from Jefferson and Orleans…
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Tugboats help free grounded freighter in Michigan
08 Nov

Tugboats help free grounded freighter in Michigan

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News
(DETROIT) — American Courage, a 617-foot lake freighter that ran aground in the St. Clair River on Tuesday morning, was successfully refloated at about 7 p.m. with the help of vessels from Great Lakes Towing. The freighter, owned by Grand River Navigation and carrying 20,000 tons of stone, grounded near Marine City, Mich. After being refloated, the ship anchored north…
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Coast Guard revises rule for towing vessel firefighting
23 Oct

Coast Guard revises rule for towing vessel firefighting

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training,
(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a final rule revising the training requirements for merchant mariner credential (MMC) endorsements as master of towing vessels (limited) or mate (pilot) of towing vessels on inland waters (other than the Great Lakes) or Western rivers routes. Consistent with recommendations from the National Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (NMERPAC) and the…
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Captain’s body recovered after tug capsizes on Alabama River
19 Oct

Captain’s body recovered after tug capsizes on Alabama River

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News, ,
(MOBILE, Ala.) — The body of the captain of a small tugboat was recovered by divers after the vessel capsized Saturday on the Alabama River, The Charlotte Observer reported. The U.S. Coast Guard received a report at 4:39 p.m. that a tugboat hit an object on the river before capsizing. The call came from vessel owner Encore Dredging Partners of…
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Level of Lower Mississippi puts grain exports at risk
02 Oct

Level of Lower Mississippi puts grain exports at risk

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, ,
(CHICAGO) — A key stretch of the Lower Mississippi River has dropped within inches of its lowest level ever and is expected to remain near historic lows just as the fall U.S. grain export season gets underway, Reuters reported. Low water has slowed hauling of export-bound corn and soybean barges over recent weeks as shippers lightened loads to prevent vessels…
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Tug breaks from dock, spills fuel off British Columbia
29 Sep

Tug breaks from dock, spills fuel off British Columbia

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty News
(HAIDA GWAII, British Columbia) — In high winds, the tugboat Tsekoa broke loose from the Daajing Giids dock and landed on the mudflats north of Robertson Island on Tuesday. Fuel was contained inside a boom, according to the Council of the Haida Nation (CHN). CHN staff, the Canadian Coast Guard and Haida Gwaii Marine Environmental and Hazard Response (MEHR) staff…
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SEACOR selling U.S. harbor towing business
26 Sep

SEACOR selling U.S. harbor towing business

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News
(FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.) — SEACOR Holdings Inc. on Monday announced the sale of its U.S. harbor towing operations and assets from its Seabulk Towing Holdings subsidiary to two parties, E.N. Bisso & Son and Bay-Houston Towing Co. The E.N. Bisso transaction includes 12 harbor towing vessels across ports in Florida and Alabama. Bay-Houston is acquiring eight vessels operating in Texas…
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Two collegians receive Robert Allan Memorial Scholarships
25 Sep

Two collegians receive Robert Allan Memorial Scholarships

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & Training,
(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — The trustees of the Robert Allan Memorial Scholarship Trust and Robert Allan Ltd. have announced the award of two scholarships for the 2023/2024 academic year. Awards have been made to Samuel Shanks of Port Alberni, British Columbia, and Zachary Greenham of St. John’s, Newfoundland. They were chosen from a large slate of exceptionally well-qualified candidates. Shanks…
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