Biscayne Bay News

U.S.-based Seaboard Marine announced it has acquired its first vessel fueled by cleaner burning liquefied natural gas (LNG).The 1,000 TEU Seaboard Blue, previously known as the Elbblue, was retrofitted in 2017 with the capability of running on both LNG and diesel fuel. The vessel was the world’s first containership converted from conventional diesel propulsion to LNG.The vessel, now part of Seaboard Marine’s North Central America service, called and bunkered at PortMiami on Monday…

A lack of Coast Guard icebreaking assets is hampering U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes, according to industry coalition the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force.“The inefficiency introduced into the Great Lakes Navigation System by inadequate Coast Guard icebreaking resources impacts the carriers, their customers and the entire North American Manufacturing supply chain,” said Jim Weakley, President of Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, and the Lake Carriers’ Association. “The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard do the best they can with the resources they are provided.

Biofouling control measures for ships are usually selected to match their operational profiles, and so what happens when constant service ships become idle for prolonged periods or operate at slower service speeds? Will they become vulnerable to fouling, and what measures can be taken to reduce the risk? These questions can best be answered by understanding the biology of the waters in which the vessels are located, the ecology of the different immersed parts of the ship, the biofouling control methods that have been applied or in use…

It's that time of year.The US Coast Guard announced it has commenced icebreaking operations in response to expanded ice growth in the commercial ports of western Lake Superior.Operation Taconite, launched by Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie on Wednesday, is one of two icebreaking operations that support the Great Lakes. It encompasses Lake Superior, St. Marys River, Straits of Mackinac, Georgian Bay, Green Bay, northern Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan.The authority for Coast Guard domestic icebreaking was created in 1936, by Executive Order 7521 signed by President Franklin D.

ILANDMIAMI debuts it’s new marine utility vessel (MUV) to transport Art Basel attendees to and from events.ILandMiami designs, engineers and manufactures custom made landing solutions including helicopter dollies, helidecks, and temporary helistops as well as their patented, trademarked marine utility vessels (MUV). The MUV, also referred to as a heliboat, was engineered as a fully navigable vessel and is the first self-propelled marine landing solution and can accommodate helicopters up to 7…

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie has commenced icebreaking Operation Taconite in response to expanded ice growth in the commercial ports of western Lake Superior and the lower St. Marys River. Before ice impedes commercial navigation, icebreakers were assigned to each region. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder was assigned to manage the ice breaking needs of western Lake Superior, specifically the twin ports of Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wisc., as well as the Port of Thunder Bay, Ont. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay was assigned to the St. Marys River.

The St. Marys River is closed to commercial vessels from the Soo Locks to 6 Mile Point, after a 629-foot U.S. cargo ship ran aground on the north side of Sugar Island, Wednesday, at about 11:40 p.m. The merchant vessel, Calumet, departed Essar Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. and was transiting downbound on the St. Marys River to its next port of call in Brevort, Mich., when it ran aground. The vessel was not carrying any cargo. There was no pollution, and no injuries have been reported. The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the vessel, and the U.S.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Sainte Marie commenced Operation Taconite Monday in response to developing ice conditions in the commercial ports of western Lake Superior and the St Marys River. Operation Taconite is the Coast Guard’s largest domestic ice-breaking operation, encompassing Lake Superior, the St. Mary’s River, the Straits of Mackinac and Lake Michigan. As a result of the operation, certain waterways may close after due consideration is given to the protection of the marine environment…

Search efforts for a missing Olympic sailor, Trevor Moore, in Biscayne Bay, Florida, were suspended Saturday evening at sunset. The Coast Guard and partner agencies covered more than 510 square nautical miles and completed more than 29 search patterns before suspending the three day search. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones affected," said Capt. Michael Long, Coast Guard Sector Miami deputy commander. "Despite the tireless search efforts by multiple agencies and good Samaritans, we were unable to find Mr. On Thursday, Moore, a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic sailing team, was reported missing when security personnel at Dinner Key Marina, Miami, found his unmanned 16-foot boat at the marina just before 6 p.m.

The Coast Guard Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to the education and welfare of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that its annual Tribute to the United States Coast Guard Seventh District will take place on November 13 at the Marriott Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. During the event, emceed by Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III, chairman and CEO of Active Interest Media, Inc., the Coast Guard Foundation will pay tribute to former Commandant of the Coast Guard and former Seventh District Commander, retired Admiral Thad Allen.

Coast Guard search-and-rescue crews suspended their search for a burglary suspect in the vicinity of the Rickenbacker Causeway Friday afternoon. At approximately 2 a.m. Friday morning, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Miami received a report that two men, suspected of burglary, went missing in the water in the vicinity of the Rickenbacker Causeway in an attempt to evade City of Miami Police officers. One of the suspects was apprehended and the other was last seen swimming south of the Rickenbacker Causeway. A Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami and a boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, Florida, searched for the missing male for nearly 12 hours and suspended the search at approximately 2 p.m.

Great Lakes Group says it has reached the final stages of the routine maintenance and drydock contract on the USCG Cutter BISCAYNE BAY, the second of the USCG’s six Great Lakes-stationed 140-foot Bay-class ice-breaking tugs to be drydocked in the Group's shipyard. The mainenance project included: Hull Plating and Ultrasonic Testing Appendages and Leak Test Shaft Seal Assembly and Overhaul Rudder Assembly, Remove, Inspect and Reinstall Anchor Windlass, Level 2 Inspect and Repair Vertical Capstan, Level 2 Inspect and Repair Propulsion Shafting, Remove, Inspect, and Reinstall  Various Cleaning, Inspections, and Repairs

Great Lakes Shipyard hauled out the United States Coast Guard Cutter Biscayne Bay  using its 770-ton capacity Travelift. This is the second of the USCG’s six (6) Great Lakes stationed 140-foot Bay Class ice breaking tugs to be drydocked using Great Lakes Shipyard’s new Marine Travelift. The Shipyard’s Travelift has also been used to lift one of the 150-foot Buoy Barges pushed by the Bay Class Tugs, and the USCGC Buckthorn, stationed in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Travelift is the largest on the Great Lakes in the United States and Canada…

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter 'Biscayne Bay', a 140-foot ice-breaking tug homeported in St. Ignace, Mich., was lifted out of Lake Erie for routine maintenance in the Great Lakes Shipyard in Cleveland. The Coast Guard explains that the Biscayne Bay was lifted from the water by a 770-ton 'Travelift.

The vessels were berthed in the yard for planned repairs and routine maintenance, as well as various inspections and miscellaneous renewals. Great Lakes Shipyard also completed industrial maintenance and winter repairs at the Cleveland Bulk Terminal at the port in Cleveland, Ohio. The work included rebuilding one of the field conveyor hoppers. Carmeuse Lime & Stone operates the Port’s Cleveland Bulk Terminal, handling iron ore and limestone that arrive by ship from other Great Lakes ports.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported that Cutter Hollyhock, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender homeported in Port Huron, Mich., was involved in a collision with a 990-foot bulk carrier in northern Lake Michigan Sunday morning. The Hollyhock was conducting an ice escort at the time of the collision. At about 10:45 a.m., the Hollyhock was breaking ice in front of the motor vessel Mesabi Miner during when the collision occurred. The cutter's crew reported significant damage to the stern and fantail, as well as two punctures in the hull about 20 feet above the waterline.

Although much of the country is welcoming spring and the warm weather that comes with it, many of the Great Lakes waterways are still laden with ice. Coast Guard icebreaking tugs continue to work on the lakes to keep critical shipping lanes clear for merchant vessels, remove hazardous obstructions to navigation and free ships stuck in ice. Their mission sustains a bi-national economy and keeps maritime crews safe. This year’s icebreaking season has been a busy one filled with successful missions and a few unexpected challenges.

Models Project Northward Distribution Shifts Using Temperature, Estuarine Habitats as Key Factors. NOAA scientists continue to develop and improve the approaches used to understand the effect of climate change on marine fisheries along the U.S. east coast. Their latest study projects that one common coastal species found in the southeast U.S., gray snapper, will shift northwards in response to warming coastal waters. In a study published online December 20 in the journal PLOS ONE…

Fluid Motion, LLC, the designers and builders of Ranger Tugs have introduced the newest model in the fleet—the Ranger 31. The new R31 will debut this month at the Seattle Boat Show in the Stadium Exhibition Center, January 26-Feburary 5. Hull #2 is expected to make the East Coast debut at the Miami International Boat Show, February 16-20 at Sea Isle Marina on Biscayne Bay. The R31 shares many of the features and qualities of her smaller sisterships but some notable additions to this larger model make her ideal for extended cruising while still being a trailerable trawler.

With ice forming at a rate that suggests the first “normal” winter shipping season in several years, Coast Guard officials have icebreakers working in disparate locations this week, according to a report on www.sooeveningnews.com. For now, two Bay-Class tugs, Katmai Bay and Biscayne Bay are working the ice in largely unfamiliar waters at Thunder Bay, Ont. and at Serpent Harbor, Ont. located at the northern end of Georgian Bay. Biscayne Bay, based at St. Ignace, has been working at Duluth-Superior then nearby Thunder Bay while the Duluth-based tender-breaker USCGC Alder was off about her buoy tending duties. (Source: www.sooeveningnews.com)

Dinner Cruise Catamaran for Operation in Miami. Austal Limited announces that subsidiaries, Austal Ships and Austal USA have each secured contracts for new vessels. The new orders are a strong endorsement of the world-renowned reputation of Austal’s design and construction capabilities that cover a range of vessel types and sizes, customized to individual operational requirements. “Each contract was secured through a very competitive process and Austal’s attention to quality and the ability to deliver vessels tailored to suit the clients’ requirements has ensured our continued success. The Austal Group now has in excess of twelve vessels under construction ranging from small river catamarans to large vehicle-passenger ferries, a very positive outlook”, Mr McKinnon said.

Austal USA, the fast expanding US aluminum shipyard subsidiary of Austal Ships, has signed an important contract for a catamaran dinner cruise vessel with the well-established and highly respected Island Queen Cruises of Miami, Florida. Contract value is not being published but delivery will be in November 2002 in time for the busy Christmas season. Charles Sofge, the major shareholder in Island Queen, is also a partner in the ownership of Aqua Cat, the vessel delivered earlier this year to Blackbeard Cruises by Image Marine, part of the Austal Group. This new order represents a strong endorsement of the quality of the Austal Group ship design and construction and a clear illustration of the synergies within the group.

Appropriate, isn’t it, that a man name Flood made his mark on the world painting nautical scenes. Born on the fourth of July in Philadelphia, James Flood has been sketching and painting from the time he was four. His early years embody the stereotypical mold of the artist type — restless and distracted at school, doggedly pursuing his craft and developing his talent, often to the dismay of family. His dedication to the subject was instilled in him at a young age, and was a passion that had outlets beyond the paintbrush and canvas. Flood recalls with joy memories of a young boy who would meticulously create and "sail" his very own fleet of motorized ship models. "I've had a lifelong fascination and attraction to water," he said.