U.S. Coast Guard – Page 2 – Professional Mariner

19 Mar

NMC updates guidance as government shutdown continues

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsLicensing and training, NMC, U.S. Coast Guard

(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — Due to the government shutdown, the National Maritime Center (NMC) and all Regional Examination Centers (RECs) remain closed. Customer walk-in service at the RECs is suspended. Examinations and other REC appointments are canceled. To mitigate the impact caused by the government shutdown, the NMC has implemented the following measures: • The Application Submission Portal (ASAP) for submission…

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…

12 Mar

Polar Star completes ‘landmark’ mission to Antarctica

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreakers, U.S. Coast Guard

(SOUTHERN OCEAN) — The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) departed McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, on March 1 after operating for 55 days below the Antarctic Circle and traveling 14,000 miles in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2026. The cutter marked its 50th year of commissioned service on Jan. 17 while breaking free a cruise ship trapped in pack…

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,…

10 Mar

Keels authenticated for first waterways commerce cutters

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

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard authenticated the keels for future waterways commerce cutters (WCCs) Allen Thiele, Fred Permenter and Samuel Wilson on Friday in Bayou La Batre, Ala. The three In a special proceeding, the keels for three cutters were authenticated simultaneously, a departure from the traditional single-vessel ceremony. Keel authentication is a time-honored maritime tradition in which the…

09 Mar

Coast Guardsman fatally injured in rescue of distressed mariner

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsSearch and rescue, U.S. Coast Guard

(SEATTLE) — A U.S. Coast Guard aviation survival technician died Thursday as a result of injuries suffered during the rescue of a distressed mariner from a commercial ship on Feb. 27. As part of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Astoria, Ore., Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Jaggers was injured while responding to a medical emergency aboard the…

27 Feb

Bollinger delivers fourth FRC to be home-ported in Guam

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(KEY WEST, Fla.) — The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday accepted delivery of the 62nd fast response cutter, USCGC Vincent Danz (WPC 1162), in Key West. Built by Bollinger Shipyards, it is the fourth FRC to be home-ported in Guam. "Accepting delivery of the Vincent Danz, Guam’s newest fast response cutter, demonstrates the Coast Guard’s enduring commitment to the security…

26 Feb

Coast Guard guides boxship to rescue sailor off Florida

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsSearch and rescue, U.S. Coast Guard

(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — The U.S. Coast Guard and a good Samaritan vessel rescued a man aboard a disabled sailboat on Sunday approximately 35 miles off Cape Canaveral. A Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 aircraft crew located the disabled vessel and guided the nearby containership Polar Mexico to the scene. The ship’s crew brought the man aboard with no reported…

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…