Tugboats and towing – Page 6 – Professional Mariner

05 Aug

Coast Guard rescues crew of sinking tug in Gulf of Alaska

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

(KODIAK, Alaska) — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people from a sinking tugboat Friday in the Gulf of Alaska. Watch standers at the Coast Guard Arctic District command center in Juneau received a report at 10:17 a.m. that the 110-foot Sea Ranger was taking on water 130 miles south of Cordova. Watch standers directed the launch of an HC-130…

04 Aug

Pilot overcompensated for cross-current before Iowa bridge strike

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — Anticipating a strong cross-current that never materialized, an experienced tow pilot deviated from the sailing line on the Mississippi River and struck components of the Fort Madison Bridge near Fort Madison, Iowa, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. The towing vessel Joe B. Wyatt was pushing 13 loaded hopper barges and two empty tank barges downriver…

17 Jul

Tow pilot was distracted by cellphone before hitting moored barges

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — A tow pilot’s distraction caused by personal cellphone use resulted in the tow striking moored barges last year on the Lower Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. The towing vessel William B. Klunk was pushing 22 loaded hopper barges on April 17, 2024, when the tow struck moored barges at a fleeting area near…

26 Jun

Coast Guard updates credit for service on ATBs, ITBs

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingTugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — In light of the current shortage of mariners, the U.S. Coast Guard has considered the barrier to mariner career progression presented by Title 46 CFR 11.211(d), Service on Articulated Tug Barges (ATB) and Integrated Tug Barges (ITB). This regulation limits the crediting of sea service based on the aggregate tonnage of the ATB or ITB to a two-for-one…

25 Jun

Towboat captain did not identify charted hazard before grounding

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

(WASHINGTON) — A towing vessel grounded on a submerged jetty last year after the captain maneuvered too close to a bank of the Ohio River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. The tow vessel Tom Frazier was pushing 15 empty hopper barges near Portsmouth, Ohio, on Feb. 10, 2024, when the vessel grounded, damaging its hull plating, framing…

23 Jun

Austal USA launches its first steel ship at Mobile yard

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding, Tugboats and towing

(MOBILE, Ala.) — Austal USA launched the company’s first steel ship, the future USNS Billy Frank Jr. (T-ATS 11), on June 14. Named after a native American Korean War veteran who, as an activist, fought for justice and environmental preservation in the northwestern United States, Billy Frank Jr. is a Navy towing, salvage and rescue ship – one of three…

17 Jun

Schottel to equip truckable tug from Silverback Marine

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry Newspropulsion, Tugboats and towing

(SPAY, Germany) — Schottel will equip a new OX series tractor tug from U.S.-based aluminum workboat builder Silverback Marine with two Schottel RudderPropellers type SRP 100. Designed in collaboration with Seattle-headquartered Elliott Bay Design Group, the truckable tug will have a bollard pull of almost 7 tons and ensure excellent maneuverability with an extremely compact size of just 26 feet…

03 Jun

Sudden severe weather sinks tugboat south of Galveston

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsNTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — Severe weather caused an overwhelming towline force and unrecoverable heeling that led to the capsizing and sinking of a tugboat near Galveston, Texas, last year, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday. On May 13, 2024, while towing the barge MARMAC 27 astern on an 800‑foot‑long wire, the tugboat Baylor J. Tregre encountered severe weather, listed to…

02 Jun

Coast Guard cites trip hazards in drowning of towboat deck hand

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

(WASHINGTON) — On Jan. 25, 2019 at 2:42 p.m., the towboat Miss Bobbie Fugit reported a missing crewmember (deck hand) and declared a man overboard between Tennessee River mile 206 and 216. The missing deck hand was last seen at approximately 9:40 a.m. on the port bow of the towing vessel preparing materials and tools to splice lines. The deck…

23 May

Towboat grounded when pilot left helm for bladder break

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsbrownwater, NTSB, Tugboats and towing

(WASHINGTON) — A pilot of a towing vessel on the Mississippi River left the helm unattended for several minutes, leading to a grounding near Thebes, Ill., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday. While the towing vessel City of Louisville was upbound on the Mississippi River pushing 11 barges on July 29, 2023, it ran aground in a charted…