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Tank Vessel News

13 Sep 2023

New Company Will Combine Crowley and SEACOR Jones Act Tank Vessel Fleets

(Photo: Crowley)

U.S. maritime companies Crowley and SEACOR Holdings' Seabulk Tankers have created a new joint venture that combines their liquid energy and chemical transportation vessels, operations and related services into a new, independent U.S. Jones Act service provider.The new company, Fairwater Holdings, will serve the U.S. domestic market with vessels and marine transportation solutions across the petroleum and chemical trades, as well as related third-party ship management services. It will include 20 oceangoing, articulated tug-barges (ATB) and 11 tankers, many under long-term charter.

25 Jul 2023

MARAD Announces First Ships Enrolled in the Tanker Security Program

(Photo: Overseas Shipholding Group)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced on Tuesday that nine ships have been enrolled in the Tanker Security Program (TSP), a newly created public-private partnership program that makes U.S.-flag commercial product tankers available to support U.S. armed forces and national economic security.“Today we are announcing the first ships to join the Tanker Security Program, which will help strengthen both our supply chains and our national security…

11 Jan 2023

'Inadequate Lookout' Led to Collision Between Tanker and Yacht in the Caribbean

Tropic Breeze sinking by its stern about 15 minutes after the collision. (Courtesy: NTSB)

Two crews not maintaining proper lookouts led to the collision between a yacht and a tank vessel near Nassau, Bahamas, the National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday. The collision resulted in the sinking of the tank vessel and nearly $7.9 million in damages.The motor yacht Utopia IV and tank vessel Tropic Breeze were transiting the Northeast Providence Channel on Dec. 23, 2021, when the two vessels collided. The Tropic Breeze’s engine room flooded, and the vessel eventually sank. The vessel’s seven crewmembers abandoned ship and were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel.

02 May 2022

Crewmember Medevaced from Tanker Near Pascagoula

An ailing crewmember was medevaced from a Marshall Islands-registered oil tanker near Pascagoula, Miss., on Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders were notified by the master of the tank vessel Yufu Crown at 5:13 p.m. that a 36-year-old crewmember was suffering from heart-attack-like symptoms. Sector Mobile watchstanders coordinated with Coast Guard Station Pascagoula to launch a 45-foot Response Boat - Medium boatcrew to assist.The RB-M boatcrew arrived on scene, transferred the patient to awaiting emergency medical services who transported him to a local Pascagoula hospital.The mariner was last reported to be in fair condition, the Coast Guard said.

14 Apr 2022

NFPA Certificated Marine Chemists – A Century of Fire Protection and Life Safety

Image Source: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

As the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Committee on Gas Hazards votes on the First Draft of the next edition of NFPA 306, Standard for the Control of Gas Hazards on Vessels, the NFPA Certificated Marine Chemist Program will mark 100 years of fire protection and life safety on marine vessels, in shipyards, marine terminals and waterfront facilities.What started a century ago as an industry effort to prevent fires on vessels under repair has never been more important. According to a 2007 report of the U.S.

29 Mar 2022

Engine Issues Led to Tanker Striking Dock in Corpus Christi -NTSB

Riverside before the casualty. (Photo: Glory Riverside Navigation LTD)

An incorrect solution to address a main engine start issue led to the contact between an oil tanker and a loading dock in the Port of Corpus Christi, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The agency published a marine investigation report detailing its investigation into the March 15, 2021, contact of the oil tanker Riverside with Moda Ingleside Energy Center No. 4 loading dock near Ingleside, Texas. The vessel was carrying more than 717,000 barrels of crude oil and was bound for Lisbon, Portugal. No injuries or pollution were reported.

25 Jun 2021

New ATB Handed Over to Crowley

(Photo: Crowley)

Crowley said it recently took delivery of its new 55,000-barrel, articulated tug-barge (ATB), the Aurora/Qamun. The 410-foot vessel is the second ATB in Crowley’s fleet, after the Aveogan/Oliver Leavitt, to be dedicated to the Alaska market. The ATB is specially designed to add efficiency and range to transport clean petroleum products for Crowley Fuels, the company’s Alaska-based business unit.“This purpose-built vessel was specifically designed by our in-house naval architects to safely and effectively operate in the Last Frontier…

01 Oct 2020

Bulk Carrier Grounds After Losing Propulsion in the Columbia River

The 608-foot Genco Auvergne ran aground in the Columbia River near Skamokawa Vista Park, Wash., Oct. 1, 2020. The vessel was refloated at high tide with the aid of three tugs: Carolyn Dorothy, Samantha S. and Willamette. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Sector Columbia River)

A 608-foot bulk carrier that suffered an engine failure and ran aground in the Columbia River Thursday has been refloated without injury or pollution, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a report at 12:50 a.m. that the Marshall Islands-flagged Genco Auvergne had run soft aground due to a loss of main engine propulsion while transiting down the Washington side of the Columbia River, south of Skamokawa Vista Park.The vessel, which is said to be carrying grain and approximately 616…

18 May 2020

USCG Seeks Comments on Tank Vessel Financial Responsibility

(FILE PHOTO: U.S. Coast Guard photo by Pamela J. Boehland)

The U.S. Coast Guard announced in the Federal Register that it is seeking public comment on a proposal to expand regulations on vessel financial responsibility for all tank vessels greater than 100 gross tons as required by statute, and to make other amendments that clarify and update reporting requirements, reflect current practice and remove unnecessary regulations.The proposed rule would ensure that the Coast Guard has current information when there are significant changes in a vessel’s operation…

20 Mar 2020

No Need for a Jones Act Waiver -AMP

© Cliff W Estes / Adobe Stock

America's maritime industry has hit back at a recent request by U.S. shale drillers to waive the Jones Act, a law requiring goods transported between U.S. ports to be carried on ships that are built, owned and operated by Americans.The American Exploration and Production Council, which represents independent oil firms that have been thrashed by an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia and the fallout from the global coronavirus outbreak, sent a letter to congressional…

27 Aug 2019

Crowley Orders New ATB for Enhanced AK Service

Photo: Crowley

Crowley Fuels has signed construction contracts to build a 55,000-barrel, articulated tug-barge (ATB) that is specifically designed to serve the Western Alaska market with delivery of clean fuel products.The 410-foot ATB will have enhanced performance features for the demanding river and sea conditions of Western Alaska, an area that depends on safe and reliable marine delivery services during the short open-water season. An ATB consists of a tugboat and barge that are connected from the bow of the tug to a notch in the stern of the barge by a hinged connection system…

24 Jun 2019

OP/ED: A Reassessment of the U.S. Marine Salvage Posture

Jim Elliott is President of the American Salvage Association and Chief Operating Officer of the Teichman Group of Companies.

It has been ten years since the U.S. Salvage and Marine Firefighting Regulations were published: Is it time for a reassessment of the U.S. marine salvage posture?In 1982, the National Research Council’s Committee on the National Salvage Posture prepared a study entitled, “Marine Salvage in the United States.” The goal of the report was “to assess the present national posture for coping with ship rescue salvage and towing situations for time-critical offshore salvage in general.”…

12 Mar 2019

HazSub Spill Response Plans

© VanderWolf Images/AdobeStock

On August 18, 1990, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) was enacted into law. Section 4202 of that Act amended the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA or Clean Water Act) to require tank vessels and marine transportation-related facilities to prepare and submit to the US Coast Guard plans for responding, to the maximum extent practicable, to a worse case discharge, and to a substantial threat of such a discharge, of oil or a hazardous substance carried in bulk as cargo.

12 Dec 2018

2018 Green Apple Spill Exercise

Committed to providing tugboat and towing vessel operators with a platform to meet regularity requirements and collaborate with local resources, the annual event also reminds us that Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.On September 28 2018, American Marine Associates, LLC (AMA) coordinated and hosted the 3rd annual Green Apple Spill Response Exercise in Bayonne, NJ. The Green Apple Spill Response exercise was established specifically for the tugboat and towing vessel industry operating in New York Harbor.

25 Sep 2018

Maritime Response Services & Non-Tank Vessel Response Plans

The Author, Richard Paine Jr.

Avoiding Potential Pitfalls and HeadachesThe summer of Sub M may be over, but the heat remains for the tugboat and towing vessel industry operating under the July 20th regulations. Owner & Operators are faced with daily challenges to continually sustain and build their businesses. As with any new regulation, there is a period of learn-ing and, even more so, interpretation by industry and by those enforcing regulations. One of the more significant matters related to this situation revolves around vessels in response services and those required to hold Non-Tank Vessel Response Plans (NT-VRP).

17 Apr 2018

Crowley Acquires Three SeaRiver Tankers

California (Photo: Crowley)

Crowley Alaska Tankers, LLC, has completed its acquisition of three tankers from SeaRiver Maritime Inc. and is now chartering the vessels back to SeaRiver under varying multi-year terms.The tankers Liberty Bay and Eagle Bay, now under Crowley ownership and operation and renamed Washington and California respectively, each have a capacity of 760,000 barrels and transport crude from Alaska to West Coast refineries. The tanker SR American Progress, renamed Oregon, has a capacity of 342,000 barrels and transports refined petroleum between the U.S.

01 Nov 2017

Crowley to Buy Three Tankers from SeaRiver

Crowley Alaska Tankers, LLC, has signed an agreement to purchase three tankers from SeaRiver Maritime Inc., and charter them back to SeaRiver under varying multi-year terms. The deal is subject to regulatory approval. Included in the acquisition are the tankers Liberty Bay and Eagle Bay, each of which have a capacity of 800,000 barrels and transport crude from Alaska to West Coast refineries; and the tanker SR American Progress, which has a capacity of 342,000 barrels and transports refined petroleum between U.S. gulf and East Coast ports. Crowley said it will now work with regulators to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals to serve the Alaska and West Coast markets.

25 Jul 2017

Op/Ed: The Real Story Behind the Attack on SMFF Regulations

Todd Schauer (Photo: ASA)

ASA Sets the Record Straight. The U.S. salvage industry came under attack at a recent Congressional hearing on May 3 by a special commercial interest that is promoting its own agenda. The American Salvage Association (ASA) intends to set the record straight. At the hearing, the attacking group made false allegations that the Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) resource providers are not willing or contractually obligated to respond and lack the resources to meet regulated response requirements. At the same hearing, this group also criticized the U.S.

01 Jun 2017

Monopoly Seekers Increase Burden on Shipping -ASA

Todd Schauer (Photo: ASA)

In a recent statement at a U.S. Congressional hearing, American Salvage Association (ASA) President, Todd Schauer, defended the response capabilities of the industry, and, by extension, the implementation of regulations themselves by the U.S. Coast Guard. “It has come to the attention of the American Salvage Association leadership that the resource and response capabilities of the four national salvage and marine firefighting (SMFF) resource providers have been questioned recently,” he said.

07 Feb 2017

Salvage and Marine Firefighting Verification

Firefighting onboard any ship is one of the most serious situations facing onboard personnel and responders. The containership CCNI Arauco caught fire in the aft container hold on September 1. After four intense weeks, Ardent safely returned the vessel to the owners. Ardent discharged the damaged containers out of the vessels cargo hold. These containers were declared as dangerous waste and required special treatment. (Photo: Feuerwehr Hamburg)

The U.S. Coast Guard regulations regarding salvage and marine firefighting (SMFF) as elements of vessel response plans (VRPs) for tank vessels have been in place since December 31, 2008. On September 30, 2013, these regulations were expanded to include non-tank vessels with a capacity of 2,500 barrels or greater of fuel oil. The VRP requirement was established by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). be resubmitted for approval of each significant change. The salvage and marine…

01 Aug 2016

Revised PREP Guidelines: What You Should Know

Kate Kelley

On April 11, 2016 the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) released the revised 2016 National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines. The new guidelines will become effective on June 10, 2016. Established under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the PREP guidelines were developed to provide a mechanism for compliance with the vessel response plan (VRP) drill and exercise requirements. Use of the PREP Guidelines is voluntary, however, compliance with the PREP guidelines will satisfy these requirements.

23 Dec 2015

Tankers, Bulkers & the Increased Need for Software Solutions

Hendrik Bruhns

IMO/adopted guidelines for the mandatory carriage of damage stability verification instruments (software, computers, etc.) onboard all (new and existing) tankers beginning in January 2016. IMO has adopted guidelines and applicable IMO Code amendments for the mandatory carriage of damage stability verification instruments onboard new and existing tankers. Amendments to MARPOL Annex I, BCH Code, IBC Code, IGC Code and to the Survey Guidelines under HSSC to mandate the provision of a computer program capable of calculating the applicable damage stability requirements were agreed.

26 Oct 2015

USCG Guidance and Reporting Marine Casualties

Jeanne Grasso

U.S. Coast Guard Guidance Helps to Bring some Clarity to the Debate. In July 2015, the U.S. Coast Guard released Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 01-15 (“NVIC”), titled Marine Casualty Reporting Procedures Guide with Associated Standard Interpretations. The purpose of the NVIC is to assist vessel owners and operators in understanding the marine casualty reporting requirements, which many in the industry think are about as clear as mud. Confusion as to what constitutes a marine casualty and what incidents need to be reported has persisted in the marine industry for years.

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