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

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…

25 Oct

Coast Guard commissions second Oregon-based FRC

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newsshipbuilding, U.S. Coast Guard

(SEATTLE) — The U.S Coast Guard commissioned its 57th fast response cutter (FRC) during a ceremony held Thursday at Coast Guard Base Seattle. Florence Finch (WPC-1157), built by Bollinger Shipyards, is the second of three planned FRCs to be home-ported in Astoria, Ore. The ceremony was presided by Coast Guard Rear. Adm. Charles Fosse, 13th District commander. Members of the…

24 Oct

AWO, unions: California harbor craft rule puts mariner lives at risk

Professional Mariner StaffTugboats & Towingemissions, EPA, U.S. Coast Guard

(ARLINGTON, Va.) — The American Waterways Operators (AWO) and maritime labor unions have written a joint letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, asking the agency to deny California's request for a waiver from the Clean Air Act to enforce its Commercial Harbor Craft (CHC) rule. In an attempt to lower emissions from the maritime sector, the…

23 Oct

Incomplete MMC applications to be rejected during initial screening

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingU.S. Coast Guard

(MARTINSBURG, W.Va.) — The National Maritime Center (NMC) will begin rejecting incomplete merchant mariner credential (MMC) application submissions during initial screening beginning Dec. 1. MMC application submissions that are incomplete due to missing the following required items will be rejected: • A complete CG-719B on the current version of the form. • Evidence the applicant holds or has applied for…

22 Oct

IMO honors Maui fire responders with Bravery at Sea Award

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIMO, Search and rescue, U.S. Coast Guard

(HONOLULU) — U.S. Coast Guard members and good Samaritans who responded during the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires received international recognition and awards during a ceremony at the J. Walter Cameron Center in Wailuku, Hawaii, on Friday. During the ceremony, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) presented five Coast Guard responders and four good Samaritans with Honors for Exceptional Bravery At…

21 Oct

Owner of unlicensed charter guilty in fatal Hudson River capsizing

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsLicensing and training, U.S. Coast Guard

(NEW YORK) — A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty in connection with the deaths of a 7-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman after the man's powerboat, which had paying customers on board, capsized in the Hudson River in July 2022. Richard Cruz, 32, of Elizabeth, N.J., pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct and neglect of a ship officer…