U.S. Coast Guard – Professional Mariner

13 Nov

U.S., Canada, Finland sign deal to develop polar icebreakers

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, shipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Officials representing the governments of the United States, Canada and Finland signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday to begin working together to develop world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers through the exchange of knowledge, information and resources. The landmark agreement builds off the launch of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, President…

12 Nov

Schottel to supply components for new Coast Guard tenders

Professional Mariner StaffIndustry News, Uncategorizedpropulsion, shipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(SPAY, Germany) — Schottel has been selected by Birdon America to supply components for 27 vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard waterways commerce cutter (WCC) program. Birdon America is designing the cutters and is expected to construct 16 river buoy tenders (WLR) and 11 inland construction tenders (WLIC). The cutters will be built at Birdon’s recently acquired shipyard in Bayou…

08 Nov

Bollinger adds fourth FRC for Coast Guard in Alaska

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(LOCKPORT, La.) — Bollinger Shipyards has delivered U.S. Coast Guard cutter (USCGC) John Witherspoon at Coast Guard Sector Key West. This is the 58th fast response cutter (FRC) delivered under the Coast Guard's current program and the 184th vessel built by Bollinger for the service over a 40-year partnership. It will be home-ported in Kodiak, Alaska. "We are honored to…

06 Nov

Implementation of TWIC reader requirements delayed again

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingTWIC, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard is further delaying the effective date for certain facilities affected by the final rule titled “Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) – Reader Requirements,” published in the Federal Register on Aug. 23, 2016. On March 9, 2020, the Coast Guard published a rule delaying the implementation date to May 8, 2023. In December 2022, Congress…

06 Nov

Lessons learned: Coast Guard publishes new findings of concern

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, safety, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard publishes "findings of concern" to alert stakeholders about safety risks discovered during incident investigations. These findings do not require action but rather are intended to encourage voluntary safety measures or adherence to existing regulations. Unlike urgent safety alerts that require immediate industry attention, findings of concern serve as lessons that should be applied in…

05 Nov

Safety alert: Fuel hose chafing can cause catastrophic fires

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSafety alert, Tugboats and towing, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A recent fire on an inspected towing vessel has highlighted a critical safety concern involving fuel hoses on main engines. While it is standard marine practice to install protective chafing gear on areas prone to wear, there are currently no statutory requirements for inspected towing vessels to install such protections on fuel lines. Failure to prevent chafing on…

05 Nov

Crewmember seriously injured in fire aboard dredger in Florida

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty Newsdredging, U.S. Coast Guard

(MAYPORT, Fla.) — The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a fire aboard a dredging vessel Saturday that left one crewmember with serious injuries. At about 3:30 p.m., Coast Guard Station Mayport received notification that an engine room fire had occurred aboard the 340-foot Stuyvesant near the entrance to the St. Johns River. Small boat crews from Station Mayport responded, as…

01 Nov

Mexican ship manager fined $1.75M for concealing discharges

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsMARPOL, Regulation, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — Gremex Shipping S.A. de C.V., a Mexican corporation that managed several ships including the bulk carrier Suhar, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Wednesday for creating and providing false records to the U.S. Coast Guard to conceal the illegal discharge of oily bilge waste into the ocean, which is a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from…

30 Oct

Safety alert: Overloading uninspected commercial vessels

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newssafety, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A 30-foot uninspected workboat capsized while transporting cargo on Bayou Chene, La. The vessel was carrying three portable tanks with a combined weight of 7,776 pounds. During the transit, the vessel soft-grounded on a mud flat and subsequently capsized, resulting in the drowning of one crewmember. The investigation revealed that the vessel was severely overloaded, carrying cargo that…

29 Oct

Coast Guard Foundation awards 207 scholarships for 2024

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingU.S. Coast Guard

(STONINGTON, Conn.) — The Coast Guard Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening the Coast Guard community and service by supporting members and families, has awarded 207 new scholarships in 2024, totaling $750,000 in support for the 2024-2025 academic year. Since the program’s inception in 1990, the foundation has awarded $8.3 million for more than 2,400 scholarships, ensuring Coast Guard…