Williams Fire News

Fire rages for 4th day; tanker collided with freight ship on Saturday. Rescue crews were forced to retreat from a stricken Iranian oil tanker in the East China Sea on Wednesday following an explosion on the ship as a fire raged for a fourth day after a dramatic collision. The blast happened on board the tanker in the afternoon after rescue crews were dousing the ship with foam in an attempt to put out the fire, China's Transport Ministry (MOT) said in a statement on Wednesday. The cause and damage to the tanker from the incident were not clear. The ship was carrying condensate, a highly flammable ultra-light crude, to deliver to South Korea when it collided with a Chinese freight ship on Saturday.

The directors of Marine Response Alliance LLC (MRA or Alliance) announced that McAllister Towing and Transportation Co., Inc. (McAllister) has joined the MRA as a full and equal member. McAllister is now united with the other MRA member companies—Crowley Marine Services, Inc. (Crowley), Marine Pollution Control Corporation (MPC), Titan Maritime LLC (Titan) and Marine Hazard Response (MHR)  (a joint venture of Wild Well Control, Inc. and Williams Fire and Hazard Control, Inc.) to provide OPA-90 Salvage and Marine Firefighting services to the maritime community.

Marine Response Alliance, LLC (MRA) has received approval from the U.S. Coast Guard of its Salvage and Marine Firefighting Contract and Funding Agreement. The Coast Guard’s all-inclusive acceptance of the contract means that MRA has the ability fully contract with plan holders needing salvage and marine firefighting services required under the OPA-90 sanctioned Salvage and Marine Firefighting Final Rule, which takes effect on February 22, 2011. MRA is a U.S. based emergency response partnership comprised of Crowley Marine Services, Marine Pollution Control, TITAN Salvage, and Marine Hazard Response (a joint venture of Wild Well Control and Williams Fire & Hazard Control).

The Marine Response Alliance (MRA) is pleased to announce Ms. Margaret Kaigh Doyle has been appointed General Manager of the Alliance effective May 18, 2009. Doyle has over 20 years of experience in the maritime industry and the majority of her career has focused on representing the interests of various sectors in the industry including ship owners and operators, government agencies as well as salvage and firefighting organizations. Prior to joining the MRA she worked as a senior tanker analyst at Marsoft, a Boston-based maritime consulting company.

At its recent Spring meeting, the American Salvage Association (ASA) welcomed a new General Member, 10 new Associate Members, and four new Corporate Associate Members to its ranks. The New General Member is Associated Marine Salvage, Inc., based in and led by Gordon Olson, Vice President. Eva Longobardi, Northeast Diving Services, Inc.

The directors of Seattle-based Marine Response Alliance LLC (MRA) announced the signing of an agreement with Marine Hazard Response to join the Alliance as a full and equal member, effective January 1. Marine Hazard Response (MHR), based in Houston, is a joint venture of Wild Well Control, Inc., and Williams Fire and Hazard Control, Inc., and specializes in marine firefighting and the technical management of marine casualties. MHR will now unite with the other MRA member companies-Crowley Marine Services, Inc. (Crowley), Marine Pollution Control Corporation (MPC) and Titan Maritime LLC (Titan)-to provide access to comprehensive emergency response services, offering OPA '90 compliant capabilities for rescue towing, lightering, fendering, salvage and firefighting in all U.S.