RIVER TUG
Barge in Nanticoke River Refloated
The barge that ran aground last Wednesday in the mouth of the Nanticoke River was refloated Thursday evening after a successful lightering operation. The double-hulled barge carrying 420,000 gallons of black oil was able to continue its voyage up the Nanticoke River after about a 1/3 of its cargo was lightered off the vessel reducing its weight allowing tugs to pull it free. There are no injuries or pollution as a result of the grounding. At about 7 a.m. Wednesday, a crewmember aboard the tug Gold Coast notified the Coast Guard that the barge ran aground while transiting up the river towards Seaford, Del. The decision to lighter the vessel was made after two attempts to pull it free from the mud failed. The tug and barge are moored up at the Vienna Power Plant, located in Vienna, Md., and will undergo an inspection today to ensure the integrity of the hull prior to being released.
Lightering Indonesian Coal
A tug tows a loaded coal barge down the Mahakam River past the city of Samarinda. Alan Haig-Brown/Cummins photo Passing the town of Samarinda, just above the deltas and about 30 kilometers up river from the sea, a steady parade of tugs towing barges are moving thousands of tons of coal from several large mines further up the river. Some of these tow barge loads of coal to neighboring Southeast Asian nations while others take to coal barges out of the river and alongside deep-sea vessels
Coast Guard Responds to Tug Fire
The Coast Guard is investigating a tug fire that occurred yesterday south of Demopolis, Ala. on the Tombigbee Waterway. The Alabama Marine Police notified the coast guard Monday morning when the tug, Nonnie, pushing six empty hopper barges had caught on fire and was drifting south on the Tombigbee Waterway. The Coast Guard Cutter, Wedge, from Demopolis, an HU-25 Falcon jet from Aviation Training Center Mobile, and pollution response and investigation teams from Marine Safety Office Mobile
Chesapeake Shipbuilding Delivers New Tugs
Chesapeake Shipbuilding Corp of Salisbury, MD delivered the second of six new tugboats to Vane Brothers of Baltimore, Md. this week. Elk River will join Sassafras, the first tug that Chesapeake built for Vane Brothers, in hauling 30,000 barrel tank barges on near coastal routes. Construction is already well underway on the remaining four tugs, each of which will be delivered over the next year and a half. Elk River produces 3
Sound Freight Penalized for Discharge
The owner of a tug that released oily bilge water into the Columbia River last year is being penalized $21,000 by the Washington Department of Ecology. Sound Freight Lines’ tug Black Hawk discharged an estimated 150 gallons of lubricating and diesel oils while transiting near Willow Grove on the Columbia River during the morning hours of Jan. 29, 2009. The sheen went unreported until mid-day when observers on the river called the U.S. Coast Guard and Ecology
An Argentinian Shipbuilding Revival
According to a blog on the Bulletin Panama (http://thebulletinpanama.com), there is a boatbuilding revival happening in Argentina. The export of tugs and barges by Astillero Punta Alvear marks the revival of the Argentine shipbuilding industry, creating both foreign exchange and jobs with skilled labor and knowledge that was in danger of being lost after years of inactivity, as reported on http://thebulletinpanama.com
Navy Launches HMS Daring
HMS Daring, the first of the Royal Navy's $10 billion fleet of six Type 45 Destroyers, was launched into the River Clyde in Glasgow on February 1. Weighing 7,350 tons, Daring's launch - on time and within budget - is seen as a symbol of rebirth in the Clydeside shipbuilding yards which faced devastation six years ago. Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, launched Daring at a ceremony at the shipyard in Scotstoun which was also attended by the Defense Secretary, John Reid
Two New ASD Tugs Ordered and New Pushboat Built
Through the auspices of Marcon International, Inc. of Coupeville, WA, two Dominican Republic based tug and barge operators ordered one newbuild Ulupinar series sister-tug each from Turkish shipyard and tug owners, Sanmar Denizcilik Ltd. of Istanbul. The first of the two tugs will be delivered from the shipyard in November 2007 and the second in January 2009. The ASD type tugs were designed by Robert Allan, Ltd. and are classed RINA C + Hull & Machinery, Unrestricted Navigation
Ayton Cross Arrival Boosts Wijsmuller Fleet
Wijsmuller Marine has accepted the first of two azimuthing stern drive (ASD) tractor tugs from the Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Zamacona. Following a crew familiarization period, the Ayton Cross is expected to be in full service by the middle of the month. The second tug, Ormesby Cross, is to be delivered by Zamacona before the end of the year. Both tugs will be based on the River Tees from where the Wijsmuller tug fleet covers both the Tees and the port of Hartlepool.
ASA Member Refloats Tanker on Mississippi
On June 13, a member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) responded to grounded vessel in the Mississippi River just above Cubit’s Gap, about 10 miles below Venice, Louisiana. Traffic on the Mississippi was not impeded by the grounded vessel. The ASA member was placed on standby pending the results of aninitial effort to refloat the vessel with tugs. Within a few hours of the vessel owner’s activation of its Vessel Response Plan (VRP) on
Escort Tugs in San Francisco Bay
Providing Tugs For the Intricate Escort Regulations Of SF Bay Responding to the oil spills of the Exxon Valdez in 1989 and the American Trader in 1990, California enacted the Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act (OPA 90)
E.N. Bisso Selects MarineCFO Software
MarineCFO, a provider of software solutions to the marine transportation industry and a division of Verticalive Inc., announced that E.N. Bisso & Son, Inc., has chosen to implement the full MarineCFO Enterprise software suite, including personnel, pperations, maintenance, and vessel live.
JonRie Supplies Equipment for New Great Lakes ASD
JonRie InterTech was commissioned for the supply of deck equipment for the new ASD Aura from Great Lakes Shipyard, Cleveland, Ohio. The new Tug is a Jensen designed ASD 4650 HP complete with a JonRie Series 220 Double Drum hawser winch on the bow with a capacity of 150M of 60 mm line
Viking Goes Blue Water
Viking Cruises launch Viking Ocean Cruises, the first new cruise line in nearly a decade. Developed from the ground up to return the focus of cruising to the destination, Viking Ocean Cruises will begin sailing in May 2015 with its first vessel—Viking Star—embarking on maiden voyages
Flooding Halt Mississippi River Barge Service
The U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers said that record floods will continue to obstruct barges on the Illinois River and parts of the Mississippi River until at least early next week, Reuters reported. Ten locks were closed on the Mississippi River and four on the Illinois River
Foss Tugboats Leave Columbia River
Foss Maritime Co. will lay off its 60 workers and leave the Columbia River, OregonLive.com reported. OregonLive said the Seattle company will sell its Columbia River business to Tidewater Barge Lines, which moves grain and other cargo along the Columbia-Snake river system
Two New Tugboats for APM Terminals Bahrain
APM Terminals Bahrain, the operator of Khalifa Bin Salman Port, welcome the arrival of two new tugboats to the APM Terminal Bahrain marine fleet. The new tugs were inaugurated at a ceremony on Wednesday, with attendees from the Port and Maritime Affairs, BAPCO, the U.S
Keeper of New York Harbor's Spring Ritual
As the Hudson River begins to melt the Coast Guard buoy tender 'Katherine Walker' heads north towards Albany, N.Y. The Katherine Walker is a 175-foot buoy tender, homeported in Bayonne, N.J. Its major mission includes the servicing of aids to navigation throughout New York Harbor
Port of Pittsburgh Seeks New Technology Partners
The Port of Pittsburgh Commission (PPC) is building an innovative wireless broadband network along the rivers in Pittsburgh and is seeking partners to explore new applications for transportation, safety, security and environmental monitoring, according to James R
Logistics in Action: Keeping Cargo Moving
Although much of the country is welcoming spring and the warm weather that comes with it, many of the Great Lakes waterways are still laden with ice. Coast Guard icebreaking tugs continue to work on the lakes to keep critical shipping lanes clear for merchant vessels
Cape Fear Federal Pilots Launch New Boat
Cape Fear federal pilot launches its first pilot boat and welcomes its latest customer, US Shipping Corp. After years of using a hired launch vessel for boarding ATB's, tugs and ships at the entrance to the Cape Fear River, the Cape Fear Federal Pilots recently launched its first pilot vessel.
Robert Allan Designs Tug for Rio Tinto
The Pilbara Apollo, the latest addition to the RAstar 3200 escort tug series was delivered to its owners, Rio Tinto Ltd., earlier this year. The vessel was constructed at Uzmar Shipbuilding Industry Co. in Turkey and will operate at Rio Tinto’s iron ore export facilities at Cape Lambert
Chinese Cargo Ship Hits Yangtze Bridge Pier, Sinks
18 crew members of the ship were rescued shortly before their vessel sank in the Yangtze River after hitting a bridge pier. Damage was visible on a pier of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province after the cargo vessel, loaded with 12
Alaskan Tugboat Sale Brokered by Marcon
Delaware's Vessel Management Services, Inc. has sold their twin-screw tug “Sinuk” to King River LLC of Palmer, Alaska. The 85.8’ x 28.5’ x 10.0’ depth, model bow tug was built in 1995 by J. Ray McDermott Shipyard in Morgan City, Louisiana
Damen Begins 14 Terminal Tugs for Kuwait Oil Co.
The Asymbolickeel-laying ceremony on the April 17, 2013 in Gorinchem, The Netherlands, officially launched the construction phase of 14 Damen ASD Tugs for Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). The series consist of two types, being nine tugs of Damen’s recently launched 3212 model and five units of the