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Cape Fear River News

14 Aug 2023

US Coast Guard, Navy Rescue Four Missing Divers off North Carolina

A Coast Guard Station Oak Island 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew arrives at Station Oak Island, North Carolina on Aug. 14, 2023 after rescuing four missing divers 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, N.C. (Photo: Eric Tucker / U.S. Coast Guard)

Four divers that went missing off the U.S. East Coast on Sunday were rescued Monday 46 miles southeast of Cape Fear River, N.C.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector North Carolina initially received a notification Sunday from Coast Guard Sector Charleston stating four men were diving from the pleasure craft Big Bill’s, approximately 63 miles east of Myrtle Beach, S.C. near noon, and had not resurfaced. Sectors Charleston and North Carolina coordinated a multi-asset…

22 Nov 2022

New Hanover County Orders Fire Boat from US Watercraft

(Image: US Watercraft)

Hubert, N.C. shipbuilder US Watercraft said it has been selected by New Hanover County to build a custom 30-foot aluminum fire/rescue vessel. Now under construction, the vessel will be delivered in early 2023.Located in southeastern North Carolina, the county has 31 miles of shoreline on the mainland and barrier islands, with communities facing both the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean.In addition to fire-fighting capacity, the aluminum catamaran will feature an hydraulic bow door for deploying a rescue ATV.

18 Jan 2021

Bigger, Stronger: The U.S. Dredging Fleet is Growing

Callan Marine’s new CSD General Bradley is being built by Hagler Systems at the Halimar Shipyard in Morgan City, La. (Photo: Callan Marine)

The U.S. dredging fleet is growing. Presently on order and under construction is a raft of in-demand equipment that will help to keep America’s ports and waterways open, safeguard coastal communities and maintain the vital flow of maritime commerce to, from and through the U.S.In August, Eastern Shipbuilding Group cut first steel for a new trailing suction hopper dredge (TSHD) it is building for Weeks Marine, and the keel was laid the following month at the builder’s Allanton Shipyard in Panama City, Fla. The new 6,540 cubic meter capacity dredge R.B.

08 Dec 2020

US Coast Guard Upgrades First Lighthouse to LED

The Coast Guard lit a first of its kind LED-based rotating beacon at Oak Island
Lighthouse on Caswell Beach, N.C., December 7, 2020. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard said it lit a first-of-its-kind LED-based rotating beacon at Oak Island Lighthouse on Caswell Beach, N.C., Monday.This upgrade is the Coast Guard’s first LED-based rotating beacon for an active aid to navigation and will provide a permanent, cost-effective and energy-efficient solution for the lighthouse. Necessary renovations of the lighthouse to prepare for the new beacon began in October."Lighthouses have navigational and historic significance here in North Carolina," said Lt. Brittany Akers, chief of waterways management at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina.

05 Jan 2021

Royal IHC to Build Its First Jones Act Dredger

(Image: Royal IHC)

The Netherlands based Royal IHC said it has been awarded a contract to design and build a Jones Act compliant dredger for the North Carolina State Ports Authority (NCSPA) for delivery in 2021.The water injection dredger will be built at a partner shipyard in the U.S.“The construction, procurement of the main components, assembly and testing will be performed in the United States (following the Jones Act regulations) and is being managed by the local IHC operations team based in Houston,” said Projects & Services Director Rafael Vorcaro.

29 Jul 2016

New Dredger for North Carolina’s Coastal Waterways

Photo: DSC Dredge

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently took delivery of a new, fully customized cutter suction dredge, which it christened the Dredge Manteo in a ceremony held April 28, 2016, at the at the NCDOT State Shipyard in Manns Harbor, N.C.. The 154-foot state-of-the-art pipeline dredge, designed and built by DSC Dredge, based in Reserve, La., will work to keep North Carolina’s state-maintained intercostal ferry channels clear, from the Cape Fear River near Wilmington to Currituck Sound near the North Carolina-Virginia state line.

07 Mar 2016

Shipwreck off N.Carolina Believed to Be Civil War-era Steamer

A shipwreck discovered off the coast of North Carolina is likely one of three Confederate blockade runners known to have been lost in the area, archaeologists said on Monday. The remains of the iron-hulled steamer were located on Feb. 27 near Oak Island. It would be the first Civil War-era vessel found in the area in decades, said the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology. Billy Ray Morris, director of the state's underwater archaeology branch, said he expected to be able to positively identify the 225-foot-long (68-metre) vessel when he leads a dive team to examine it on Wednesday. "To turn up a new wreck is a pretty big deal," he said in a telephone interview, adding sonar images showed the vessel to be largely intact.

18 Jun 2015

USCG, Paramedic Assist Man off Cape Fear

Coast Guard Oak Island crew members and a Brunswick County paramedic came to the aid of an ailing man Wednesday aboard a charter fishing vessel approximately 15 miles southeast of the Cape Fear River entrance. Personnel at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received notification from the 25-foot charter vessel with five people on board Wednesday about noon stating a 35-year-old male passenger with heart problems was in and out of consciousness approximately 28 miles southeast of the Cape Fear River entrance. A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) crew from Station Oak Island launched first and a 29-foot Response Boat-Small (RBS) from Station Oak Island later launched after taking aboard a Brunswick County paramedic.

06 May 2013

Cape Fear Federal Pilots Launch New Boat

New Cape Fear Pilot Boat: Image courtesy of Pilot Service

Cape Fear federal pilot launches its first pilot boat and welcomes its latest customer, US Shipping Corp. After years of using a hired launch vessel for boarding ATB's, tugs and ships at the entrance to the Cape Fear River, the Cape Fear Federal Pilots recently launched its first pilot vessel. River pilot Tony McNeill, who operates the pilotage service for the Port of Wilmington NC for U.S. The boat is Boston Whaler Challenger that Tony has had for a couple of years but has waited for the appropriate time to put it to work. Pilot McNeill informs that In addition to the new boat, U.S.

10 Oct 2012

Big Wilmington Harbor Dredging Contract for GLDD

A GLDD Dredger: Photo courtesy of GLDD

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD) gets Wilmington Harbor anchorage basin deepening contract from Army Corps of Engineers. The contract, worth US$16.4-million, is for the deepening of the anchorage basin portion of the existing navigation channel on the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. This project was awarded to  by the Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District and involves the excavation of sand, gravel and rock seabed material. Work is expected to begin before the end of the year.

29 Jun 2012

Silver Ships Delivers Patrol Boats to NC Sheriffs

Silver Ships, Inc. recently delivered two 27’ Patrol Boats to the New Hanover and Brunswick County Sheriff’s Departments. The vessels will be tasked with patrolling the Intracoastal Waterways, the Cape Fear River and coastal waters as well as the surrounding estuaries and barrier islands within the jurisdiction of the New Hanover & Brunswick Counties, North Carolina. The 27-foot, deep vee, vessels were designed and configured to meet the mission requirements for extended patrol, emergency response and fast pursuit when necessary.

19 Jul 2004

Cape Fear River – Security Zone

The U.S. Coast Guard established a temporary security zone at the North Carolina State Pier Authority (NCSPA), Wilmington, to include portions of the Cape Fear River and Eagle Island. This security zone will be in effect through at least November 7, 2004. 69 Fed. Reg. 42876 (HK Law).

20 Aug 2002

Port of Wilmington, N.C. Handles Record Volume of Breakbulk Cargo

For the first time ever, the Port of Wilmington, NC handled over one million tons of breakbulk cargo in one year for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002. "Breakbulk cargo" is classified as any commodity that is shipped in units other than maritime containers or in free flowing "bulk" form. Cargoes contributing to the record-breaking volume of 1,001,728 tons were export woodpulp and import lumber. Woodpulp, which is exported worldwide from Wilmington for the manufacture of higher grades of paper, exceeded last year's volume by 11%. Lumber, imported from northern Europe and Scandinavia for the home improvement and construction industry, increased tonnage by 77% over last year.

18 Sep 2002

Port Safety Pays … and its Costs

Is it a "user fee" or is it a tax? Senator Hollings (D-SC) has formally proposed to the Conference Committee that a Port Security Infrastructure Improvement Program be included in the Port and Maritime Security legislation that is currently under consideration. This is a 'fleshed-out' and somewhat amended version of his earlier barebones proposal. The Program, if adopted, would impose a fee on shippers of cargoes into or out of the United States in various amounts depending upon what was being shipped. The monies collected would go into a Port Security Trust Fund to pay for various port security expenditures. Similar fees would be imposed on cargoes entering the United States through Canada and Mexico.

27 Nov 2002

Interesting Repair Jobs in GOM

Today's commercial vessel owners are becoming increasingly creative in order to extend the life of existing vessels. Typically, a commercial steel hull can last for more than 50 years. However, rugged use may call for extensive repair of a vessel to keep it sailing. Market changes may demand that a vessel originally design for one mission is converted to a new and hopefully more profitable use. Most repair work done in shipyards is for five-year regulatory inspections to meet Coast Guard requirements. Often shafts and props are repaired during this inspection, as are sea chests and rudders. Anodes may be replaced as well. A high profile…

06 Dec 2002

Old Boats, New Beginnings

Today's commercial vessel owners are becoming increasingly creative in order to extend the life of existing vessels. Typically, a commercial steel hull can last for more than 50 years. However, rugged use may call for extensive repair of a vessel to keep it sailing. Market changes may demand that a vessel originally design for one mission is converted to a new and hopefully more profitable use. Most repair work done in shipyards is for five-year regulatory inspections to meet Coast Guard requirements. Often shafts and props are repaired during this inspection, as are sea chests and rudders. Anodes may be replaced as well. A high profile…

29 Jan 2003

MSC Ships Depart as Another Arrives

The two Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships that were moored at the North Carolina State Port here are now on their way to an undisclosed location. In their place, a third MSC ship has taken residence at the port in the continued military outload efforts. The USNS Red Cloud, a 950-foot large medium speed roll on/roll off ship, arrived at the state port Sunday morning to commence another outload phase. The ship has approximately 300,000 square feet of cargo space. Security remains high in the vicinity of the port, on land and in the Cape Fear River. The waterway security zones that were put into effect last week with the arrival of the U.S. Naval ships Denebola and Regulus will remain in effect for the USNS Red Cloud.

16 Aug 2001

Gladding-Hearn Delivers Cape Fear Pilot Boat

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, The Duclos Corporation, has delivered a new pilot boat, Cape Fear Pilot II, to the Wilmington-Cape Fear Pilots Association. The new launch, which shuttles pilots nine miles from Southport, N.C. to ships entering the Cape Fear River en route to the port of Wilmington, works alongside another pilot boat built by the Somerset, Mass. yard in 1974. Measuring 52 ft. (15.8 m), the all-aluminum boat was designed by C. Raymond Hunt Associates of Boston and Gladding Hearn. It has a 17 ft. (5.1 m) beam and draws 5 ft. (1.5 m). Powered by twin Caterpillar diesel engines, each rated for 480 bhp at 2,100 rpm for a top speed of 24 knots, the engines turn the five-blade Hall & Stavaert bronze propellers via Twin Disc reverse/reduction gears.

25 Aug 1999

You've Got Mail: 'Ferry Delayed'

It's never easy being a commuter across Puget Sound. Vessels break, weather intrudes and boats overload. But it just got a little bit easier. Washington State Ferries has introduced a new service to help commuters plan their trips, in spite of breakdowns or weather problems. The new service, email notification, sends electronic messages to customers signed up for a specific route or routes. The service is working for many ferry commuters. More than 900 have signed up, even though the new system is still in the testing mode. "As a commuter, I get as frustrated as anyone when there's a disruption in service, but things do happen," writes Bremerton commuter Edward Shanahan.