Small Barge

Help for Jack-up Companies to Meet Code of Practice

The International Jack Up Barge Owners Association (IJUBOA) established its Code of Practice last year, providing a standard against which companies can be audited.    It is based on the International Safety Management (ISM) code.  After a successful audit, companies get a “Certificate of Conformity” similar to the ISM “Document of Compliance.”  A major change to current practice for those operating small barges is that the code requires companies to appoint a Designated Person Ashore to bring all operators in line with those already complying with ISM. Companies possessing either a Certificate of Conformity with the IJUBOA code, or a Document of Compliance with the ISM code in respect of their jack-up operations are entitled to use an enhanced numbered IJUBOA logo as evidence that they are an IJUBOA certificated company.  The Danish A2Sea was the first company to gain this right, closely followed by Jack Up Barge BV of the Netherlands.   After some experience with the code, IJUBOA has now provided a self assessment tool enabling companies new to ISM style safety management systems to track their progress towards full conformity and to help them decide when to go for a full audit.  It is a spreadsheet based programme requiring the completion of yes/no or 0 – 5 answers based on the evidence markers in the code itself

Advances in Jack-up Safety

Those commissioning maritime construction projects will soon be able to assure themselves that their jack-up operators are competent and safe. The International Jack-Up Barge Owners Association (IJUBOA) has published its Code of Practice and set up a scheme to recognise the competence of existing barge masters. The code provides a standard against which companies can be audited.  It is based on the International Safety Management (ISM) code

Hornbeck Addresses Gas Discharge Incident

Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. announced that the gasoline discharge from one of its barges has been addressed and the barge is now en route from New Haven, CT to a repair facility in New York harbor. The discharge occurred early Saturday morning during terminal operations and appears to have resulted from a small puncture in the side of the vessel below the waterline. The company immediately activated its spill response procedures and cooperated fully with United States Coast Guard and

Coast Guard Saves Foundering Barge

The Coast Guard helped save a sinking barge today on the Elizabeth River near the south end of Naval Station Norfolk. The 20-person crew of the dredging barge Pullen, a 150-ft. barge owned by the Norfolk Dredging Company, saw the Coast Guard Cutter Block Island underway and called for help at 10:30 a.m. The crew had a malfunction in their dredging gear that began flooding their barge’s forward hold at a rate of approximately 400 gallons a minute

Swedish Police Confiscate Cannon From Barge

Swedish police have confiscated a 16th century bronze cannon from a barge owner who used the two-ton weapon as ballast in his vessel. The four yards long cannon was on a barge moored at a small island near Stockholm. Police hired an icebreaking vessel to reach it on Tuesday because the water was frozen solid by sub-zero temperatures, spokesman Johan Lindborg said on Wednesday. The barge’s 50-year-old owner, a professional diver and boat yard owner

NOAA: New AK Chart Makes Arctic Safer

NOAA: New Alaska navigational chart makes increased Arctic shipping safer; Kotzebue Harbor chart replaces measurements last taken in 19th century.   NOAA formally presented today to Alaska officials a new nautical chart for Kotzebue Sound in the Alaskan Arctic, a sparsely charted region that is seeing increased vessel traffic because of the significant loss of summer sea ice.   The new chart depicts the full range of depth measurements and object detection acquired during a full

Bodies Found In Barge Mishap

Rescue workers discovered the body on Tuesday of the fourth of six Kentucky fisherman believed killed when their small boat was obliterated in a fog-shrouded, predawn collision with a barge tow. U.S. Coast Guard officials identified the missing men as John Beatty, Jr., 34, of Louisville, and Benny Burgan, 43, of nearby Crestwood, Kentucky. They were confident the remaining victims from Sunday's accident on the Ohio River would be found within a couple of days.

SPS Tenant Contracts for Barge Building

SPS Limited Partnership LLLP (SPS) of Baltimore, MD and Canton, MA has leased the 1,200 ft. shipbuilding basin (the Graving Dock) located at the Sparrows Point Shipyard/Industrial Complex, Sparrows Point , MD to Senesco Marine, North Kingstown, RI. The lease involves the construction of the barge portion of the ATB, is effective Tuesday, November 15 for a period of approximately 13 months and, according to Senesco Marine representatives

IMCA Provides Notes to Offshore Renewable Sector

The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has produced two information notes – ‘Diving on Offshore Renewable Energy Projects: Regulations and Guidance’, and ‘The Inspection and Auditing of Manned and Unmanned Barges’ which are of use, and interest, to those involved with offshore renewable energy projects. “As an increasing number of our members become involved with the offshore renewable energy sectors, we believe it is useful to them

Counter-Piracy Tugboat & Barge Guide

ReCAAP issue 'Tug Boats & Barge' guide to help owners, operators and crew stay safe from hijacking and piracy. The guide contains inputs and experience of tug boat owners, operators and masters whose vessels had been robbed or hijacked; and modus operandi of the robbers and hijackers.  In planning a passage, the guide highlights the responsibilities of the ship owner, ship master and crew at the various phases: the pre-sailing, sailing and post incident reporting/follow-up phases