Ship Traffic

Bisso Marine Salvages Crewboat

Bisso Marine salvaged a 110-ft. crewboat in Sabine Pass, TX. The crewboat which was involved in collision with a ship rolled over and sank in approximately 50 ft. of water with the stern of the capsized vessel ultimately resting on the bottom and the bow keel floating above the surface. The sunken crewboat was positioned in the middle of the channel such that the Sabine Pass was closed by the USCG creating a problem for inbound and out bound ship traffic whose cargos are loaded and discharged at the refineries in the Port Arthur, TX, area. Due to the emergency nature of the casualty, Bisso Marine was able to divert the D/B Boaz from an oilfield services project in the High Island Area to respond. The D/B Boaz and the salvage team were able to rig the crewboat and remove it from the channel to allow the ship traffic to resume. With the crewboat out of the channel, the salvage team was able to salvage the vessel and return it to the owners in a floating condition in spite of considerable damage to the portside below the waterline. The entire operation was conducted without incident with a particular attention to the safety of the salvage team and the environment.

NOAA Makes Recommendations to Reduce Collisions with Whales

NOAA this week urged ship captains to use new recommended routes when entering or leaving the Florida ports of Jacksonville and Fernandina, and Brunswick, Ga., as well as in Cape Cod Bay off Massachusetts. These new routes are expected to reduce the chances of ship strikes with endangered right whales. The recommended routes take into account safety and economic impact to the mariner. Although the routes are voluntary

Muddy Footprints: Satellite's View of Ship Pollution

Long tracks of elevated nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels show up along certain shipping routes when viewed from NASA's Aura satellite. For more than a decade, scientists have observed “ship tracks” in natural-color satellite imagery of the ocean. These bright, linear trails amidst the cloud layers are created by particles and gases from ships. They are a visible manifestation of pollution from ship exhaust, and scientists can now see that ships have a more subtle, almost invisible

North Atlantic Right Whale Management Measures

In August 2001, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposed ship traffic management measures as a means of reducing the incidence of ship strikes and resulting fatalities of the North Atlantic Right Whale. There are approximately 350 surviving Right Whales, and they are considered to be the most endangered of the large mammals. Through federal regulation, the NMFS implemented a "mandatory ship reporting system" to increase the industry's awareness of the problem and encourage the

Lockheed Martin System To Monitor Gulf of Suez Safety

Lockheed Martin has completed the final Site Acceptance Test (SAT) for the Gulf of Suez Vessel Traffic Information Management System (VTIMS), which will monitor and control ship traffic in all major port and harbor waters. The $50 million maritime safety system is the foundation of the Arab Republic of Egypt's total port management program. Work boats and fishing vessels traverse the 175-nautical-mile-long Gulf along with huge oil tankers and boats full of tourists visiting the famous Red

Bar Pilots, New Orleans, Choose Raven TMS

Raven Aerostar say that the Associated Branch Pilots of the Port of New Orleans (Bar Pilots) has selected its Traffic Management System. The system provides increased situational intelligence for Port of New Orleans ship pilots. Raven Aerostar's marine navigation aid systems are used by ship pilots in over a dozen ports in the U.S. The Bar Pilots recently ordered 35 Raven Traffic Management Systems, including the company's latest rate of turn sensor, Revolve.

Arctic Nautical Charts: NOAA Plans Updates

Less sea ice and more ship traffic means new charts needed for safety. NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey has issued an updated Arctic Nautical Charting Plan , as a major effort to improve inadequate chart coverage for Arctic areas experiencing increasing vessel traffic due to ice diminishment. NOAA plans to create 14 new charts to complement the existing chart coverage. For example, seven of the charts will complete chart coverage from the Alaska Peninsula to Cape Lisburne at the edge of

HK Billionaire Has No Intention To Control Canal

Tensions surrounding the turnover of the Panama Canal from U.S. to Panamanian authority are running high. Last week, Hong Kong-based billionaire Li Ka-Shing said he had no intention of taking control of the Panama Canal, as suggested by some U.S. lawmakers. Li was responding for the first time personally to charges by U.S. Senate Majority leader Trent Lott (R-Miss) that his company, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., could put a strangle-hold on the strategic waterway.

Washington State Bolsters Spill Prevention and Response

In anticipation of adopting new safeguards regarding oil transfers over water and early spill response requirements, the Department of Ecology (Ecology) has added new spill prevention inspectors, a spill responder and a contingency plan reviewer to oversee mobile oil facilities. For the first time, Ecology is stationing a vessel and oil-handling facility inspector and a hazardous material responder in Bellingham. Both positions will focus on prevention and response activities in Island

Ruptured Pipeline Leaks into Gulf of Mexico

A sheen of oil is seen in the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2006, during an overflight assessment about 30 miles southeast of Galveston. A ruptured pipeline was discovered early Sunday and cleanup crews are working to contain the spill. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Tilimon The light crude oil pipeline that ruptured 30 miles south east of Galveston, Texas, Sunday has continued to leak oil into the Gulf of Mexico.