U.S. Coast Guard – Page 3 – Professional Mariner

11 Mar

Two charged after fatalities aboard illegal NY charter

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime Newscasualties, U.S. Coast Guard

(NEW YORK) — The owner and operator of the vessel Stimulus Money were arrested and served with a complaint Thursday after the July 2022 capsizing of the boat while underway on the Hudson River, resulting in the death of a 7-year-old boy and 48-year-old woman. Richard Cruz and Jaime Pinilla Gomez are being charged each with one count of misconduct…

08 Mar

Biden takes action to strengthen maritime cybersecurity

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsCyberthreats, Security, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — On Feb. 21, Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, announced that President Biden has issued an executive order to bolster the Department of Homeland Security's authority to directly address maritime cyberthreats. Neuberger observed that America's marine transportation system supports $5.4 trillion of annual economic activity, contributes to the employment of more than 31…

07 Mar

New training NVIC no longer requires rowing of lifeboat

Professional Mariner StaffLicensing & TrainingU.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — The assistant commandant for prevention policy (CG-5P) has published navigation and vessel inspection circular (NVIC) 01-24, "Guidelines for Qualification for National Endorsements for Lifeboatman and Lifeboatman-Limited and STCW Endorsements for Proficiency in Survival Craft and Rescue Boats Other Than Fast Rescue Boats and Proficiency in Survival Craft-Limited." This NVIC consolidates policy on national endorsements and STCW endorsements into…

06 Mar

AMVER ship rescues sailors 1,120 miles from Bermuda

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime News, UncategorizedAMVER, U.S. Coast Guard

(PORTSMOUTH, Va.) — The U.S. Coast Guard and a good Samaritan vessel rescued two mariners Monday approximately 1,120 miles southeast of Bermuda. Watch standers with the Coast Guard Fifth District command center received an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) alert from the 19-foot sailing vessel Lhor One at approximately 6 p.m. Sunday. Fifth District watch standers alerted mariners in…

04 Mar

Coast Guard won’t enforce new CARB emissions rule

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

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Coast Guard says it will not enforce a new California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation pertaining to commercial harbor craft, citing safety concerns, The Center Square reported. The Coast Guard and business organizations oppose CARB's requirement that owners and operators of commercial harbor craft install diesel particulate filters (DPFs), which have been linked to a number…

29 Feb

Safety alert: Keyed VHF radios may block AIS reception

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsElectronics, Navigation, Safety alert, U.S. Coast Guard

(WASHINGTON) — A very high frequency (VHF) maritime radio transmission on one’s own vessel, or even transmissions by a nearby vessel a football field’s length away (about 445 feet), may block AIS reception for the duration the radio is keyed. An analysis of the relevant standards has shown that this may impact all classes of AIS equipment regardless of how…

26 Feb

Polar Star handles fast ice, wraps up Antarctic mission

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsIcebreaking, Licensing and training, U.S. Coast Guard

(SOUTHERN OCEAN) — The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew departed McMurdo Station, Antarctica, on Feb. 12 after operating for 51 days below the Antarctic Circle in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2024. Polar Star and crew broke a 38-mile channel through fast ice to create a navigable route for vessels to reach McMurdo Station and…

23 Feb

Coast Guard program aims to protect Salish Sea whales

Professional Mariner StaffMaritime NewsEnvironment, shipping, U.S. Coast Guard

(SEATTLE) — U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound has introduced a four-year pilot program to mitigate adverse impacts of vessel traffic on endangered and threatened whales in the Salish Sea. The program will receive reports of whale sightings by mariners via the Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) and provide near real-time data about the location of whales to mariners…

16 Feb

Cargo ship departs Alaska after lithium-ion battery fire

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(JUNEAU, Alaska) — The cargo ship Genius Star XI departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on Sunday en route its intended destination in San Diego, Calif. The vessel’s voyage was delayed for about eight weeks after it experienced a fire in its cargo holds, which included large industrial lithium-ion battery units. The unified command managing the incident has stood down and all…

12 Feb

Coast Guard, Navy partner on boxship medevac off Saipan

Professional Mariner StaffCasualty NewsU.S. Coast Guard

(SANTA RITA, Guam) — In a display of exceptional interagency cooperation, a commercial mariner in urgent need of medical care was safely evacuated to Guam on Friday thanks to the swift actions of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy's Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25). "This successful medical evacuation underscores the strong partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard,…