Chief Engineer
Chief Engineer Pleads Guilty to Concealing Deliberate Pollution
The former chief engineer of an American-flagged car-carrier pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the deliberate discharge of oil-contaminated bilge waste through a "magic pipe" that bypassed required pollution prevention equipment, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew J. McKeown for the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Frank Coe, the former chief engineer of the M/V Fidelio (renamed the M/V Patriot) pleaded guilty to conspiracy and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) before U.S. District Judge William M. Nickerson. Coe was employed by Pacific Gulf Marine Inc. (PGM), a vessel operator based in Gretna, La., that previously pleaded guilty to its role in deliberately discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil-contaminated bilge waste from four of its giant car-carrier ships, including the Fidelio. PGM was sentenced on Jan. 24, 2007, to pay $1 million in criminal fines and $500,000 in community service, and serve three years of probation under the terms of an environmental compliance plan which will be audited by a court-appointed monitor. During a March 29, 2003, inspection, Coast Guard inspectors in Baltimore lifted a deckplate and found a permanently installed bypass pipe on the Fidelio that was part of the ship's original construction. The Coast
ABS Restructures Engineering Organization
Effective 1 May, ABS will introduce changes to its global engineering organization designed to improve service delivery to clients and reinforce technical capabilities. The new organizational structure is similar to the approach the society has used to administer its global survey services in recent years and is intended to provide better administration of its ship and offshore engineering services, more technical support to the engineering staff conducting plan reviews and promote greater
InterManager Discussion Reveals Lifeboat Concerns
Lifeboat hooks can be lethal, and their design is out of date and unsuitable to meet modern demands, according to serving seafarers whose views have been gathered by InterManager. Following a series of incidents and fatalities involving lifeboat hooks, InterManager, the international trade association for the ship management industry, has gathered comments from seafarers of various ranks in an online discussion forum.
Chief Engineer Sentenced in Tacoma
Chun Do Oh, Chief Engineer of the M/V Rubin Stella sentenced to twelve months plus one day in prison for presenting false entries in an Oil Record Book to the United States Coast Guard. These entries concealed the fact that he had directed the dumping of waste oil and oil sludges from this ship into the Pacific Ocean. The sentencing was announced today by John McKay, United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington and Thomas L
Government Update: Signed Confessions
By Dennis Bryant, Senior Counsel, Holland & Knight LLP Many in the maritime industry are beginning to view the oil record book as a signed confession. The number of prosecutions in the United States for fraudulent entries in oil record books is rising exponentially and fines have recently skyrocketed. In the years 1998 through 2001, research has revealed one prosecution in each year for oil record book violations
Management Company Fined for ORB Violation
The US Attorney for the District of New Jersey stated that a ship management company has pled guilty to intentionally failing to maintain the required oil record book (ORB) concerning overboard discharge of oil sludge and oil-contaminated bilge water from one of its ships. The company has agreed to pay a criminal fine of $200,000 and an additional $150,000 community service payment. According to the Information that was also released, the chief engineer on the ship, on various occasions
Coast Guard Rescues 7 Crewmembers From Disabled Cargo Vessel
Coast Guard helicopter crews hoisted seven crewmembers to safety in two separate missions Saturday and Sunday from the 220-foot Panamanian cargo vessel Capitan L, after the cargo ship began taking on water approximately 46 nautical miles south of Isla Saona, Dominican Republic. The master of the Capitan L reported to controllers at Coast Guard Sector San Juan that his vessel had an engine room exhaust leak, was adrift and out of fuel
China Research Submersible Set for 7km Dive
Chinese manned submersible ready soon for deep ocean research Yan Kai, the chief engineer of China's manned deep-sea submersible research vessel Jiaolong, confirmed that the craft will reach a depth of 7,000 meters below sea level this summer, thereby meeting its design goals. The submersible has successfully completed all of its previous trial runs, carrying three crewmembers to a depth of more than 4,000 meters below sea level and subsequently to a depth of 5,038 meters
Tugboat Fire on Lake Ontario – Incident Classed as 'Major Marine Casualty'
USCG & Canadian safety agency begins investigation of tug fire. Chief engineer has now died in hospital. The U.S. Coast Guard and marine safety agencies from Canada have begun their investigations into the fire aboard the towing vessel Patrice McAllister near Prince Edward Point, Ontario. The most severely injured crewmember, the boat’s chief engineer, died in a Toronto hospital. The 105-foot U.S.-flagged vessel was transiting on Lake Ontario from Toledo, Ohio
Young Brothers Promote Gregory Patch
Young Brothers, Ltd., and Hawaiian Tug & Barge (YB/HTB) have promoted Gregory R. Patch from Barge Maintenance Superintendent to Marine Maintenance Manager. In his new position, Patch will be responsible for overseeing the daily and long-term maintenance operations for the companies’ 12 tugboats and nine cargo barges, as well as generators and barge ramps. Patch has served as Barge Maintenance Superintendent since May of last year when he joined the company
Seaward Provides Bridge Officers for LCS and JHSV Sea Trials
Seaward Services provides bridge officers, including the master and chief engineer, for Builder and Acceptance Trials of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). USNS Choctaw County, the Navy's second Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV 2)
Singapore: Illegal Bunkering Activity
The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) issued a news release stating that four persons are being charged with corrupt practices for conspiring to engage in illegal bunkering activity. A Bunkering Deal Gone Awry The bunkering industry in Singapore is a lucrative business with more
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
LOC Doubles Size in Hong Kong
Marine & engineering specialist advisors underscore Asia capabilities and commitment to the region. London Offshore Consultants (LOC), the leading marine and engineering advisory group, have doubled the size of their Hong Kong office with the appointment of Ed Wollaston and Steve Salt
Tugboat Crew Recognized by USCG for Assisting Disabled Vessel
The captain and crew aboard the tugboat Explorer, which is managed by Crowley Maritime Corp, were recognized by U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral William Baumgartner, who serves as commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami, for their humanitarian actions, unwavering determination
Obituary: Arthur Everett Lyman, USMMA Alum
LEOMINSTER, MA -- Arthur Everett Lyman reportedly passed away on Sunday, Feb. 3rd, at Life Care Center in Leominster, MA. Arthur was born in Vulcan, Alberta on Feb. 27th, 1921. He is survived by, his sisters Mary E. Kent of Kent, WA and Laura M. Engbrecht of Seatac, WA, his sons Arthur E
Bourbon's Two New Offshore FSIV's
FSIV (Fast Support Intervention Vessels) 'Bourbon Sirocco' delivered & 'Bourbon Shamal' soon to be delivered. Designed by Piriou Ingénierie and Mauric Design, and built by the Piriou SEAS shipyard in Vietnam, this brand new series relies on the solid experience both companies
Fishing Vessel, Engineer Guilty of Environmental Crime
New Zealand Fishing Company and Chief Engineer Sentenced for Environmental Crimes and Obstruction of Justice. A New Zealand fishing company that owned and operated the tuna fishing vessel San Nikunau, and a former chief engineer on the ship
Lube Oil: Less Can be More
Ever tightening environmental regulation in the maritime sector means that effective fuel and lube management onboard ships will become a defining issue for vessel owners; a bigger factor in profit versus loss. With new international and regional regulations come new technologies
New Actisense Engine Monitoring Unit
UK-based Actisense, using their knowledge of NMEA product designs, unveils its EMU-1 electronic engine monitoring unit. The demand for greater speed and the ability to share information across a greater volume of instruments led to the development of the newer NMEA 2000 standard which has been
Crowley Mariners Recieve Heroism Award
Crew of Crowley-Managed Ocean Titan Awarded for Heroism at Sea with 2012 AOTOS Mariners’ Plaque. Officers and crewmembers of the Crowley Maritime Corp.-managed M/V Ocean Titan were recently honored with a 2012 Admiral of the Ocean Sea (AOTOS) Mariners’ Plaque for demonstrating
PMS 1386: First of Two RAstar 3200 Tugs
PM Coast Maritime Pte. Ltd. completed sea trials of PMS 1386, the first of two RAstar 3200 tugs to be built by its own shipyard in Singapore. The RAstar class of tugs is intended for operations in exposed areas such as many new LNG terminals where a high standard of sea-keeping is required
Mike Terrett, Roll-Royce COO, Retires
Rolls-Royce announce that Mike Terrett, Chief Operating Officer, has decided to retire at the end of the year. Mike has worked for Rolls-Royce for 34 years and has been instrumental in shaping the current success of the business. Mike, an engineer
Doen Pacific Enters into Joint License Agreement
Doen Pacific as one of only 5 marine waterjet manufacturers in the world matching engines to 4,000kW, and CSIC, one of the two largest shipbuilding conglomerates in China, together with its Member WMMP, have jointly signed a license agreement for the manufacture and sale of WMMP‐DOEN Waterjets in
U.S. DOJ: Environmental Crime Conviction
German Shipping Companies Convicted in Texas and Alaska for Environmental Crimes; Companies to Pay $1.2 Million for Covering up Marine Oil Pollution and Obstruction of Justice. WASHINGTON – Two German shipping companies pleaded guilty today in federal court in Houston to criminal