Crew Member

Sunken B.C. Ferry Crew Members Face Uncertainty

According to the AP, B.C. Ferries says it will suspend and possibly fire a handful of crew members who were working on the Queen of the North the night it sank if they don't take part into an investigation into the sinking. The report indicated that CEO David Hahn told Canadian Press that less than four crew members have refused to answer questions in the investigation. Hahn refused to say whether the crew members are critical to the investigation or include the two who were in the wheelhouse at the time of the crash. The ferry ran into Gil Island in Wright Sound and sank March 22nd. It carried 101 people and two people died. B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union president Jackie Miller says 10 to 12 crew members who were on the ferry that night have been assigned legal counsel and been advised not to speak to B.C. Ferries. Miller says that if the members are fired, the union will take some form of action. The Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada, B.C. Ferries and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the sinking. Source: AP

Höegh Fleet Assessed $3.5M Waste Dumping Fine

Höegh Fleet Services A/S, a Norwegian operator of a fleet of ocean going cargo ships, was sentenced to pay a $3.5 million fine for seven felony charges relating to the falsification of records concealing the intentional dumping of waste oil into the ocean. Previously, on September 25, 2003, Vincent Genovana, an engineering officer on the M/V Höegh Minerva, pleaded guilty to falsifying documents and covering up evidence in order to obstruct or influence a United States Coast Guard

GlobeMobile Surpasses One Million GSM Minutes per Month

Globe Wireless has announced it has reached a significant milestone, surpassing one million GSM minutes per month.   Since its launch in April 2009, GlobeMobile has grown to become the world’s largest Maritime GSM network with over 20,000 active subscribers on just over 1,300 vessels. GlobeMobile is a GSM solution providing crew members voice calling and SMS capabilities at affordable rates.  GlobeMobile provides complete flexibility for crew members including: 

Hijacked Vessel Released, Crewmember Dead

According to a report from the Associated Press, the Dutch Defense Ministry said Somali pirates have released a hijacked cargo ship, the Dutch Antilles-flagged MV Marathon. The ministry reported that one of the 19 crew members died of a gun shot wound sustained when pirates seized the ship on May 7. Another crew member was reportedly injured. (Source: Associated Press)

London Club Warns about Dangers of Working Aloft

The London P&I Club has warned its members about the potential dangers inherent in the practice of working aloft on board ship. In the latest issue of its StopLoss Bulletin, the Club reports two recent deaths which have occurred on board members' vessels. In one case, a crew member disappeared after going to carry out routine checks on some refrigerated containers. No-one on board witnessed the incident and, by the time the man was reported missing, he had not been seen for some

Three Shipping Companies Indicted for Covering Up Pollution

Three companies that own and operate an oceangoing chemical tanker named the M/T Clipper Trojan were indicted in connection with an attempt by crew members to cover up the illegal dumping of oily waste in international waters, the Justice Department announced. The 11-count indictment named Clipper Wonsild Tankers Holding A/S and Clipper Marine Services A/S, both of which are Danish companies that operate and manage the M/T Clipper Trojan, and Trojan Shipping Co. Ltd

Iridium Introduces Crew Calling

Iridium Satellite LLC announced the availability of crew calling services for the maritime industry. Iridium's crew calling solution simultaneously supports pre-paid calling for individual crew members and subscription services for a vessel's official communications. Iridium's new crew calling program allows vessel owners and operators to provide both official and personal communications from a single phone. Vessel operators can provide pre-paid scratch cards to individual crew

Master and Chief Engineers Arrested

A Ship Captain and Chief Engineers of two foreign flag vessels have been arrested and charged with keeping false log books to conceal the dumping of waste oil and sludge from two ships, obstructing a Coast Guard investigation, and obstruction of justice for allegedly telling crew members to lie to a federal grand jury. The arrests, supported by criminal complaints, were announced by Timothy M. Burgess, United States Attorney for Alaska and Thomas L

Proposal to Eliminate Crew List Visas

The U.S. Department of State has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would, if adopted, eliminate crew list visas for crew members on foreign ships making port calls in the United States. As a result, any alien crew member needing to or wanting to come ashore in the United States would have to possess a valid personal passport and a valid U.S. visa. The State Department does note that there may be difficulties in getting individual visa requests processed in a timely manner

Coast Guard Makes Record Seizure

The Coast Guard seized a record 19.5 tons of U.S.-bound cocaine on a ship off the coast of Panama and arrested the 14 crew members, the Coast Guard said. The cocaine, seized Sunday in two containers, was headed for “streets all across America,” said Coast Guard head Admiral Thad Allen. It was the largest haul of cocaine intercepted at sea by US agents, the Coast Guard said. The Panama-flagged ship, with a crew of Mexicans and Panamanians