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Pollution Response News

29 Nov 2023

SAR Officer Caleb Halle Receives 2023 IMO Bravery Award

Caleb Halle courtesy of the IMO.

The 2023 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea has been presented to Caleb Halle, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class (AST2) of the United States Coast Guard (USCG). He was recognized for the outstanding courage, endurance and determination he showed during the rescue of the seven-strong crew of the tugboat Legacy in January 2023.AST2 Halle, based at the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, received the award at the annual IMO Awards Ceremony in London. The ceremony…

17 Jan 2023

Dredge Capsizes in the Mississippi River

The W.B. Wood capsized on the Mississippi River near Meraux, La. on January 16, 2023. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Sector New Orleans)

Responders are working to minimize environmental damages from a cutter suction dredge that capsized in the Mississippi River near Meraux, La. on Monday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector New Orleans were notified at 12:50 a.m. that the dredging vessel W.B. Wood capsized in the vicinity of mile marker (MM) 85. The two people on board were rescued by the crew of a nearby towing vessel, Omaha.Coast Guard aerial observers confirmed sheening from the incident location down to MM 64, which is expected to dissipate naturally.

27 Oct 2022

Canada's New Oil Spill Response Barges Launched

(Photo: Robert Allan Ltd.)

Two new oil spill response barges were recently completed at ASL Shipyard in Singapore for Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC).The two 3,500 tonne barges, Sentinel 303 and Sentinel 304, will be delivered to WCMRC in October, with arrival in Canada by the end of 2022. The response barges will join WCMRC’s fleet of pollution response vessels stationed along the south coast of British Columbia.These new barges represent a significant enhancement to the pollution response capabilities already in place and will benefit the entire local maritime industry…

13 Oct 2022

Grandweld Delivers Four New Tugs for Shuwaikh Port

(Photo: Robert Allan Ltd.)

Grandweld Shipyard in Dubai has delivered four new tractor tugs for operations in Kuwait’s Shuwaikh Port.The four TRAktor 2700-Z vessels Ghanim-1, Ghanim-2, Ghanim-3 and Ghanim-4 were designed by Robert Allan Ltd., who worked closely with the Grandweld Shipyard to develop the customized design of the previously built 27-meter TRAktor tug series. The tugs were engineered to perform multiple tasks including ship assist, escort, towing, fire fighting, oil pollution response and others.Each vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3512C main engines…

15 Aug 2022

Sunken Fishing Vessel Spilling Oil Off San Juan Island

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A commercial fishing vessel that sank Saturday near San Juan Island, Wash. is spilling oil, the U.S. Coast Guard said.All five crewmembers from the sinking Aleutian Isle were rescued by a Good Samaritan, and no injuries have been reported.The 49-foot vessel sank with approximately 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel and a combined 100 gallons of hydraulic fluid and lubricant oil aboard, according to the Coast Guard. A sheen has been observed spanning more than two miles and was reported to have entered Canadian waters as the vessel continues to release small amounts of diesel.At approximately 2 p.m.

04 Feb 2022

Grandweld Building New Tugs for Kuwait Ports

(Photo: Robert Allan Ltd.)

Dubai shipbuilder Grandweld Shipyards held a keel laying ceremony for two of total four high-performance TRAktor 2700-Z tugs, on January 26, 2022.The tugs were ordered by Specialities Construction for General Trading and Contracting Company (SCC) and will be operated by Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) in Kuwait’s Shuwaikh Port. Expected to enter service by August 2022, the tugs can perform multiple tasks including ship assist, escort, towing, fire fighting, oil pollution response and others.Robert Allan Ltd.

24 May 2021

Sanmar to Build Five Tugs for LNG Canada Project

(Photo: Sanmar)

Turkish shipbuilder Sanmar Shipyards announced it has inked a deal with HaiSea Marine for the build and delivery of three liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled escort tugs and two battery-electric harbor tugs which will provide ship-assist and escort towing services to LNG carriers calling at LNG Canada’s new export facility in Kitimat, B.C., on Canada's west coast.Following an initial tender process which began in 2018, HaiSea Marine has awarded the contract for all five tugs to Sanmar plus an option for a sixth.

05 May 2021

Salvage Crews Begin Lightering Fuel from Seacor Power

The Seacor Eagle is on scene for salvage and pollution response operations following the fatal capsizing of the Seacor Power off Port Fourchon, La. (Photo: Brendan Freeman / U.S. Coast Guard)

Salvors have started removing fuel from the tanks of a lift boat that capsized in the Gulf of Mexico last month, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The 234-foot Seacor Power could have been carrying up to 35,000 gallons of fuel, lube oil, hydraulic and waste oil when it overturned in rough weather on April 13, about eight miles south of Port Fourchon, La., according to the Coast Guard. No spills have been reported.Salvage crews arrived at the wreck site over the weekend and began lightering operations on Monday using a method called hot tapping…

09 Apr 2021

Sanmar Delivers Two Line-handling Pusher Crafts to Scottish Operator

(Photo: Sanmar)

Turkey-based Sanmar Shipyards delivered two line-handling pusher crafts to Scotland-based Targe Towing for operations at the Hound Point oil export terminal on the Firth of Forth.Targe has provided services for Ineos at Hound Point, Scotland’s largest oil export terminal, for almost 30 years and the main task of the new additions to its fleet will be line handling operations assisting the berthing of large crude oil tankers up to VLCC. They will also support pollution response…

14 Jul 2023

LNG and Electric Tugs Ordered to Service the LNG Canada Project

(Image: LNG Canada)

A unique partnership formed between the Haisla Nation and North Vancouver-based Seaspan ULC will produce battery-powered and low emissions liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel tugboats to serve the $40 billion LNG Canada project in Kitimat, B.C.Majority-owned by the Haisla Nation, the new venture is called HaiSea Marine, which has a major contract with LNG Canada to build and operate escort tugs and harbor tugs required for the largescale LNG export facility. The company will…

17 Nov 2020

Partially Sunken Tug Leaking Oil in St. Croix

Coast Guard pollution response personnel from Resident Inspection Office St Croix assess the pollution threat from the partially sunken tugboat Cape Lookout Nov. 13, 2020, which partially sank at the St. Croix Renaissance Group facility within Krause Lagoon in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. (U.S. Coast Guard photos)

An abandoned, partially sunken tugboat is actively discharging oil within Krause Lagoon in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.The amount of oil discharged from the tug Cape Lookout remains unknown, while the maximum potential discharge based on the size of the vessel fuel and lube oil tanks is approximately 48,000 gallons of fuel and 2,000 gallons of lube oil, the Coast Guard said, adding it is unknown how full both tanks are at this time.“Due to the immediate pollution threat this vessel represents to the environment and surrounding area…

28 Oct 2020

Video: Heavy-lift Ship Arrives at Golden Ray Wreck Site

(Photo: Michael Himes / St. Simons Sound Incident Response / U.S. Coast Guard)

The heavy-lift vessel VB 10,000 arrived Tuesday at the Golden Ray wreck site in Georgia's St. Simons Sound, where the specialized vessel will be used by salvage crews to cut and lift sections of the overturned car carrier. The Korean-owned Golden Ray, which capsized after leaving the Port of Brunswick in September 2019, will be dismantled in place and removed in sections. Salvors have installed 16 lifting lugs on the wreck to provide connection points for the U.S.-flagged VB 10…

26 Oct 2020

Heavy Lift Vessel Heads to St. Simons Sound for Golden Ray Salvage

The twin-hull heavy lift vessel VB 10,000 at the Port of Fernandina, Fla. in July for modifications and function checks. The two 255-foot tall gantries will use lengths of chain to cut the capsized vessel Golden Ray into eight pieces and lift them onto barges for eventual transportation to Louisiana for recycling. (Photo: John D. Miller / U.S. Coast Guard)

A specialized heavy-lift vessel departed the Port of Fernandina, Fla. Monday en route to Georgia's St. Simons Sound, where it will be used by salvage crews to cut and lift sections of the capsized car carrier Golden Ray.The U.S. flagged VB 10,000 is expected to reach the St. Simons Sound in the early hours on Tuesday and remain on scene for a minimum of eight weeks, plus any extra time required for weather stoppages or other unforeseen circumstances, Michael Himes, public information officer for the St Simons Sound Incident Response told MarineLink.The Korean-owned Golden Ray…

08 Oct 2020

Golden Ray Salvage Facing More Delays

File photo: Golden Ray sits grounded in St. Simons Sound, Ga. in February 2020. The vessel will be cut into eight large sections, removed and recycled. (Photo: Brian McCrum / U.S. Coast Guard)

Operations to remove the overturned car carrier Golden Ray in St. Simons Sound, Ga. are facing further delays after new engineering challenges surfaced relating to the mooring system of a specialized heavy-lift crane vessel that will be used for the project.The complex salvage project had been paused earlier this year due to coronavirus concerns and Hurricane Isaias, and now the cutting and lifting operations will be pushed back several weeks to allow engineers to modify the VB-10…

24 Aug 2020

Four Confirmed Dead in Corpus Christi Dredge Fire

Absorbent boom surrounds the dredge vessel Waymon L Boyd in the Port of Corpus Christi Ship Channel, Saturday. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The bodies of the final two crew members missing from a dredge that caught fire and sank in Corpus Christi, Texas were recovered on Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Four personnel working on the Orion Marine Group-owned dredger Waymon L Boyd went missing and six were hospitalized on Friday after the vessel caught fire in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. The bodies of the other two missing workers were recovered on Saturday, and the families of all four crew members have been notified…

19 Aug 2020

Wakashio Spill Highlights Importance of Adopting Latest International Legal Instruments

(Satellite image ©2020 Maxar Technologies)

The ongoing oil pollution incident from the grounded 203,000 DWT bulk carrier MV Wakashio is threatening an ecological catastrophe around the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, endangering corals, fish and other marine life already under threat from climate change (IPCC 2018).In addition, it risks bringing devastating consequences for the economy, food security, health and tourism industry. Tourism in Mauritius - a popular destination for its pristine beaches - reportedly contributed about $1.6 billion to its economy during the last year…

29 May 2020

Sanmar Delivers New Svitzer Tug in Port of Sohar

(Photo: Sanmar)

Turkish tug building specialist Sanmar Shipyards followed up on recent deliveries of the two Sirapinar class ASD tugs to Oman's Port of Sohar with the delivery of the first of a three part order of the larger and more powerful Bigacay class ASD tugs. The arrival of this tug to the Port of Sohar, alongside its two sisters due shortly, will conclude the fleet development aims of the operator Svitzer and Port of Sohar; agreed as part of the 15 year renewal of the former's marine services contract, awarded in early 2019.

28 May 2020

APL England Detained After Dropping Containers off Australia

(Photo: AMSA)

A Singapore-flagged containership that lost at least 40 containers overboard off the coast of Sydney has been detained by authorities in the Port of Brisbane after Australian inspectors found inadequate lashing arrangements for cargo and heavily corroded securing points for containers on deck.APL England had been en route from Ningbo, China to Melbourne on Sunday when it rerouted to Brisbane after a temporary propulsion loss left the 277-meter vessel rolling in heavy seas and caused several container stacks to topple over about 73 kilometers south east of Sydney.

10 Feb 2020

RAL's 3 RAstar 3300 Tugs for GPHA

Canadian naval architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd (RAL) announced that  the TOR Group  shipyard in Tuzla Bay (Istanbul) has delivered the Ben Owusu-Mensah, the third of three RAstar 3300 tugs for Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA).The new tugs are equipped to fulfill a multitude of missions for the GPHA, including but not limited to ship-assist, fire-fighting, and pollution response, said a press release from the ship designer."Driven by high speed engines and Z-drive propellers, the Ben Owusu-Mensah and its sisters comfortably meet all contractual performance requirements, including the achievement of 82 tonnes of bollard pull and speeds in excess of 14 knots on trial…

11 Dec 2019

Crew Member Missing from Sunken Vessel in Texas

File  photo: An Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard District 8 PADET Houston)

The US Coast Guard said it is searching for a crew member missing from a vessel that sank in the La Quinta Channel near Ingleside, Texas, Tuesday morning.Two men were reported to be working on board the vessel Cristi when it sank approximately 100 yards north of Ingleside Point at 10:30 a.m.One crew member was recovered by a good Samaritan vessel with no reported medical concern, the Coast Guard said.Coast Guard air and boat crews are searching for the second crew member with…

04 Nov 2019

ITOPF Addresses Brazil Oil Pollution

The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) is currently on-site in north-east Brazil attending the recent oil spill that has contaminated approximately 2,500 km of coastline in nine states.The source of the pollution remains unknown, although the Brazilian government has recently reported that they suspect a tanker passing along its coast in late July as being the polluter."Our involvement was requested directly by IBAMA, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, on 16th September 2019, a couple of weeks after oil was first spotted washing up on shore," the not-for-profit marine ship pollution response advisers said.ITOPF is normally requested on-site by a shipowner or their insurer…

30 Oct 2019

Med Countries Address Pollution

Pollution response can be faster and more effective when there is an established emergency communications and emergency system.Mediterranean Countries recently met at a regional workshop held in Brussels, Belgium (22-23 October), to explore the set-up of a common emergency communication system for marine pollution incidents that connects the entire Mediterranean region. During the event, representatives from 12 Mediterranean countries - Albania, Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, France, Israel, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey - received training in the European Union's Common Emergency Communication and Information System for Marine Pollution from ships and off-shore units (CECIS).The participants…

25 Oct 2019

IMO Signs MoU with Spain on Tech Support

Spain and International Maritime Organization (IMO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on technical cooperation activities to support capacity-building activities in English and Spanish-speaking countries.The UN body informed that these activities will support  implementation of its regulations, raise awareness of IMO's mandate and contribute to sustainable maritime transport and the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.The MoU covers a wide range of technical cooperation areas, including: search and rescue; maritime training and the human element; passenger ship safety; maritime communications and navigation…

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