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Diesel Fuel News

18 Mar 2024

Port NOLA Bests Container-on-barge Record

(Photo: Port NOLA)

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) said 2023 was a record year for container-on-barge shipping.During the last calendar year, Port NOLA marked 20,500 container moves by barge, the highest since launching the container-on-barge network—the nation's largest—in 2016 with the Port of Greater Baton Rouge and Ingram Marine Group. Container-on-barge moves containers by water rather than by truck on roads to reduce air emissions; moving an average of 30,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) per year between New Orleans, the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, Memphis and St. Louis.

17 Mar 2024

US Coast Guard Cutter Accidentally Discharges Diesel Fuel off California

FILE PHOTO: USCGC Alder (WLB-216). (Photo: Kenneth Honore / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard said one of its buoy tenders accidentally discharged approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel 30 miles offshore of Fort Bragg, Calif., Friday morning.The vessel, USCGC Alder (WLB-216), was enroute to Humboldt Bay when the incident occurred, the Coast Guard said.Members of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Incident Management Division notified interagency stakeholders and are investigating the oil spill and cause. They are also evaluating potential impacts to sensitive sites.

13 Feb 2024

Marine Power R&D Insights: Matt Hart, Wabtec Corporation

Image courtesy Wabtec

Matt Hart, Manager & Platform Leader, Marine & Stationary Power Systems, Wabtec, offers insights on how the megatrends of decarbonization, energy transition and autonomy all inspire and impact the marine power solutions from Wabtec.Matt, to start us off, can you provide insight on the journey to your present position?I graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering and started with General Electric in the Edison Engineering Development rotational program at the Erie…

05 Feb 2024

Bisso's New Tractor Tug to Enter Service This Spring

(Photo: Caterpillar Marine)

A new tugboat is slated to enter service for Bisso Towboat this Spring.The Luling, La. based marine towage provider has been working with Main Iron Works to update its fleet, replacing a conventional tug with a tractor tug about every 18 months. In late 2022, the Houma, La. shipbuilder began building a new tractor tug Mr. Brian—the sixth azimuth stern drive (ASD) tractor tug built by Main Iron Works for Bisso in the past eight years.Named after Bisso’s vice president of operations Brian Cyprowski…

31 Jan 2024

Multiple Boats Catch Fire in Baltimore Marina

(Photo: Baltimore City Fire Department)

Emergency responders on Wednesday battled a blaze that engulfed multiple vessels in the Anchorage Marina, on the Patapsco River in Baltimore.A good Samaritan alerted U.S. Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region watchstanders to the fire at approximately 9 a.m. and reported that he heard a popping noise and saw two 55-foot boats engulfed in flames.Baltimore City Fire Department said its units arrived on location to find heavy fire and smoke conditions coming from multiple vessels docked at the marina.

23 Jan 2024

Passenger Ferry Grounds Near Maui

© IBRESTER / Adobe Stock

A passenger ferry has run aground near the entrance to Maui's Maalaea Harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard said. At 5:05 a.m. on Monday, Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders received notification from the 55-foot ferry Expeditions Five, which had run aground with three crew members on board.Watchstanders issued an urgent marine broadcast to mariners and dispatched a 29-foot Response Boat-small crew from Station Maui. The Station Maui crew confirmed that the vessel was hard aground…

11 Jan 2024

Flooded Engine Room Caused Fishing Vessel to Sink -NTSB

The Captain Alex pictured just after the U.S. Coast Guard arrived on scene. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

Uncontrolled flooding through a hole in the plating beneath the engine room of a fishing vessel led to its sinking in the Gulf of Mexico, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.The commercial fishing vessel Captain Alex was fishing offshore of Galveston, Texas on Nov. 25, 2022, when the vessel began flooding. The four crewmembers on board were unable to stem the flooding and evacuated to a responding U.S. Coast Guard boat. The sinking resulted in an oil sheen and debris field; a reported 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel were on board. There were no injuries.

12 Dec 2023

Palmali Aims to Expand Shipping Ops in the Black Sea

Copyright Peter Hermes Furian/AdobeStock

Istanbul-based tanker operator Palmali has become the top shipper for Ukraine's Black Sea-borne sunflower oil exports, one of the country's key export products, and plans to expand further, its chairman Mubariz Mansimov said.Azeri-born Mansimov said Palmali was the most active operator in the increasingly dangerous Black Sea, and plans to expand its presence in Ukraine by placing an order for 10 more cargo carriers and starting trading operations early next year. Since pulling out of the U.N.-brokered deal that guaranteed safe shipment of Ukrainian food products in July…

08 Dec 2023

ORNL, Caterpillar Collaborate on Methanol as Fuel for Marine Engines

Credit: Genevieve Martin, ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy.

A collaboration between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Caterpillar Inc. will investigate using methanol as an alternative fuel source for marine vessels.Members of the research team kicked off the project with the installation of a 6-cylinder engine at the Department of Energy’s National Transportation Research Center at ORNL.The ORNL and Caterpillar collaboration focuses on a four-stroke internal combustion marine engine that will be modified to run on methanol.Although methanol has many advantages, it is more difficult to ignite than diesel.

31 Oct 2023

Grounded Cargo Ship Refloated in the Caribbean

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A cargo ship that ran aground off St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this month has been refloated and towed to a safe mooring location at the Crown Bay Sandfill dock, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Vessel owners and salvors will now coordinate further operations to remove the damaged cargo, remaining oil and conduct further salvage or repair operations for the Bonnie G.The Vanuatu-flagged vessel began taking on water and ran aground on October 4, leading the 12 people on board to be rescued after abandoning ship. No injuries were reported.To refloat the Bonnie G, DonJon-SMIT, Inc.

03 Oct 2023

Belize to Make Biofuel from Problem Seaweed

© ENRIQUETA / Adobe Stock

Belize is developing a pilot project to convert the masses of foul-smelling sargassum seaweed swamping its pristine beaches into biofuel, its prime minister said in a statement published by regional Caribbean bloc CARICOM on Tuesday.Many Caribbean countries depend economically on drawing travelers from around the world to their white sand beaches, but since 2010 heaps of rotting seaweed have been massing on the shores for reasons scientists do not yet fully understand but suspect are related to climate change.Floating sargassum provides shelter and food for marine animals but as it washes asho

21 Aug 2023

Great Lakes Freighter Estimated to Have Spilled 1,500 Gallons of Diesel

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A U.S.-registered bulk carrier that spilled diesel fuel into Lake Michigan earlier this month is believed to have spilled approximately 1,500 gallons, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday.The 630-foot-long self-unloading bulk carrier Manitowoc was approximately 1.5 nautical miles offshore of Manistee, Mich. on August 2 when it reported it was leaking diesel fuel due to a hull breach on its starboard diesel tank. The investigation into the cause of the spill is ongoing.Prior to departing the Port of Manistee, the  vessel conducted and recorded initial tank soundings.

16 Aug 2023

Washington State Ferries Awards Vigor Contract to Convert Its Largest Vessels to Hybrid-electric Power

© David Johnson / Adobe Stock

Washington State Ferries has tapped local shipyard Vigor to convert up to three of its Jumbo Mark II class ferries to low-emission hybrid-electric power.Vigor's $150 million winning bid for the contract came in about $16 million under the second place bid from another Washington shipyard, but was still approximately $30 million above the state’s $120 million estimate for the project. Vigor has been awarded approximately $100 million for the conversion of two vessels, with a fixed-price option to convert the third vessel in 2025.WSF…

10 Aug 2023

Towing Vessel Sinks Off South Carolina

(Photo: North Myrtle Beach Rescue Squad)

A towing vessel sank Tuesday night approximately 3 miles off North Myrtle Beach, S.C.Horry County Fire Rescue personnel rescued the three crew members aboard the vessel, identified as the 59-foot-long Jacqueline A—a U.S.-registered pusher tug built in 1981. No injuries have been reported.The vessel is currently in 30 feet of water, and has approximately 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel on board, the U.S. Coast Guard said. There are no reports of shoreline impacts, and the vessel’s owner…

02 Aug 2023

LNG-Powered Intelligent Bulk Carrier Launched in China

Source: CCS

A new-generation, LNG-powered green and intelligent bulk carrier Chang Hang Huo Yun 002 has been launched in China.The vessel will be fueled solely by LNG, and it is being built by Zhijiang Shengmao Shipyard for China Yangtze Shipping Group.China Classification Society (CCS) conducted the plan approval and new building survey. The 9,800dwt ship complies with the “Green Ship-2” standard as specified by CCS “Rules for Green Ships on Inland Rivers”.Compared with diesel fuel operation, the vessel can reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 20%, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides emissions by 100%.

17 Jul 2023

Capsized Towboat Spills Diesel in Alabama

Containment boom limits diesel discharge from a partially sunken tugboat in Florence, Alabama, July 17, 2023. The Coast Guard and partner agencies responded to the fuel discharge, which has a maximum potential spill of 2,500 gallons. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Marine Safety Detachment Nashville)

A partially sunken towboat is discharging diesel fuel near Florence, Ala.The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday it is responding to the incident alongside partner agencies after Coast Guard Sector Ohio Valley received notification at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday from RMB Marine Services reporting the towboat Michael R had partially sank in the Port of Florence, adjacent to mile marker 257 on the Tennessee River.Pollution responders from Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Nashville…

29 Jun 2023

Cracked Muffler Led to Towboat Fire -NTSB

The fire aboard the Mary Dupre minutes after crewmembers abandoned the vessel. (Source: U.S. Coast Guard)

Cracks in a muffler and the substantial use of combustible materials in accommodation spaces led to a fire aboard a towing vessel last year on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Freeport, Texas, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.On June 25, 2022, the four-person crew aboard the towing vessel Mary Dupre departed Port Comfort, Texas, for Houston, pushing a single barge loaded with bio-diesel fuel. The following day, a fire broke out, leading to a total loss of the vessel, which was estimated at $1 million.

26 Jun 2023

Salvors Raise Fishing Vessel That Sank Near Santa Cruz Island

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A salvage team has refloated a charter fishing vessel that sank near California's Santa Cruz Island.Overseen by the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), the salvage operation included underwater assessment, refloating, stabilization and the safe transfer of the vessel to harbor. The operation was led by a seasoned salvage master and supported by a crew of four experienced salvage technicians and divers.Two dedicated recovery vessels equipped with lift bags, dewatering equipment and custom rigging were brought in to handle the vessel recovery.

17 May 2023

US' Newest Great Lakes Freighter Runs Aground

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The newest Great Lakes freighter in the U.S. registered fleet has run aground in the Detroit River off Belle Isle, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 639-foot self-unloading bulk carrier Mark W. Barker was headed toward Lake St. Clair from Cleveland when it lost propulsion and ran soft aground at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. The ship, which is carrying 21,000 metric tons of salt, was due to arrive in Milwaukee on Friday.The Coast Guard said planning is underway to refloat the ship and determine what caused it to run aground. No injuries, pollution or damage has been reported.

05 May 2023

HGK Shipping and Hydrogenious to Design Inland Waterway Vessel with Hydrogen Carrier Tech

Photo: (from left to right) Dr Daniel Teichmann, the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime and the CEO and founder of Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies, and Steffen Bauer, CEO at HGK Shipping, sign a Memorandum of Understanding (Copyright: HGK Shipping / Hydrogenious LOHC)

Germany-based inland waterway shipping firm HGK Shipping has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hydrogenious LOHC Maritime and Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies to work on developing a scalable solution to make hydrogen available as a source of energy on a large scale. The technology is based on hydrogen, which is bound in a liquid carrier (LOHC, liquid organic hydrogen carrier). The partners are planning to develop a demonstration vessel by 2028 and then put it into service…

16 Mar 2023

WCI: 20 Years of Success and Still More to Come

© Craig A Walker / Adobe Stock

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) recently held its annual Washington, D.C. meetings that included a Capitol Hill fly-in. WCI members from across the country participated in 100 meetings with House and Senate members to advocate for the nation’s inland waterways to ensure its reliability by modernizing its infrastructure.Meeting with stalwart champions of the inland waterways as well as newly sworn in members of the 118th Congress to educate them about the system’s importance demonstrates democracy in action…

13 Mar 2023

Seaboard Marine Adds First LNG Vessel to its Fleet

Seaboard Marine's newly acquired LNG dual fuel containership Seaboard Blue was bunkered with LNG at PortMiami. (Photo: Seaboard Marine)

U.S.-based Seaboard Marine announced it has acquired its first vessel fueled by cleaner burning liquefied natural gas (LNG).The 1,000 TEU Seaboard Blue, previously known as the Elbblue, was retrofitted in 2017 with the capability of running on both LNG and diesel fuel. The vessel was the world’s first containership converted from conventional diesel propulsion to LNG.The vessel, now part of Seaboard Marine’s North Central America service, called and bunkered at PortMiami on Monday…

22 Feb 2023

Albania Seizes Tanker Carrying Oil Suspected of Coming from Russia

©Albanian Police

Albania has seized an oil tanker carrying 22,500 tonnes of oil suspected of coming from Russia and arrested the crew for breaching a Western embargo, Albanian police said on Monday. The Liberian-registered oil and chemical tanker was seized in the coastal town of Durres. "From the first steps of investigation it is suspected that this oil shipment is coming from countries under an oil embargo, especially from Russia," police said in the statement. "The tanker departed from Azerbaijan and was allegedly loaded with oil at Greece's Kalamata port…

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