Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland News

Main diesel engine components malfunctioned on board a 653-foot bulk carrier and caused a localized explosion, Thursday, about 120 miles west of the Columbia River entrance. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the Panamanian-flagged Federal Iris was en route from the Port of Changzhou, China, to pick up cargo in Longview, Wash., when the explosion occurred. There were no injuries to the 21 crew members aboard, but the damage rendered the main propulsion system inoperable. The Federal Iris crew enacted emergency salvage operations and contracted the crew of the emergency response towing vessel, the Denise Foss, which is permanently stationed at Neah Bay, Wash.

The Captain of the Port for Oregon and southern Washington canceled the captain of the port order on the motor vessel Sparna allowing the vessel to leave its mooring at Kalama, Wash., Monday. The Sparna, a 623-foot bulk grain carrier, briefly ran aground near Cathlamet on the Columbia River, March 21, resulting in the ship needing to undergo temporary repairs. “We have inspected the Sparna and have approved the temporary repairs to make the vessel seaworthy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ben Russell, chief inspections department, Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland.

The U.S. Coast Guard detained motor vessel Stargold Trader to its berth in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, until the safety deficiencies found onboard are corrected by the vessel’s crew. Port State Control officers from Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland, discovered the discrepancies during a routine inspection of the 618-foot Panamanian flagged vessel. A majority of the safety discrepancies were related to fire hazards, which included excessive oil leaks within engine room machinery and disrepair of the vessel’s primary firefighting system.

The Coast Guard has since Sunday taken action in three unrelated marine safety cases, which has protected the environment, protected mariners and protected the maritime transportation system in the port of Portland, Oregon. Sector Columbia River’s recent activity began around 11 a.m. Sunday with notification from the 648-foot car carrier Morning Spruce of the vessel’s loss of engine power while 12 miles southwest of the Columbia River bar, leaving the vessel adrift in 12-foot seas. The Coast Guard Captain of the Port issued an order directing the owner of the Morning Spruce to immediately contract for tow vessels to hold the ship offshore. In addition to its cargo, the Morning Spruce was reportedly carrying a combined 543,000 gallons of heavy oil, diesel and lube oil.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Portland, Ore., conducted Operation Clean River, a large-scale operation to ensure environmental compliance onboard commercial deep draft vessels, Wednesday, Jan. 19. Clean River covered both the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in an effort to examine all vessels that were currently moored or anchored from Portland downriver to Longview, Wash. Specifically, the Coast Guard’s Port State Control Branch verified vessel compliance with both international and domestic regulations found in MARPOL 73/78 and 33 CFR 151, 155 and 157, respectively. MARPOL 73/78 is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and is one of the most important international marine environmental regulations designed to minimize pollution of the seas…