Deer Island News

New England’s busiest port moves closer to welcoming larger containerships and growing the regional economy with the completion of the second phase of a three-part dredging program last month, nearly one year ahead of schedule.Cashman Dredging and JV partner The Dutra Group began Phase II of the U.S. Army Corps’ Boston Harbor Navigation Improvement Project in July of 2018. The recently completed phase, focused on deepening the main ship channels (the Outer Harbor Channel from 40 to 51 feet…

At the end of December, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) announced its selection of ten dredging projects that will form the core of a pilot program to advance the beneficial use of dredged material.The recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ announcement culminated a program required by Congress, established within the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, specifically Section 1122. Congress directed that the ten pilot projects selected were required to present environmental…

The Coast Guard lifted the safety zone restricting traffic in the North Channel Thursday afternoon for all vessels. An obstruction buoy is in place to mark the location of the 55-foot tug boat Emily Anne that sank east of Deer Island Tuesday morning. Mariners should proceed with caution when transiting the area as there are workboats in the area conducting salvage operatio

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a safety zone east of Deer Island following the sinking of a 55-foot tug boat, Emily Anne, Tuesday morning. Forced to abandon their sinking vessel, three men were rescued from the water by a nearby pilot boat and brought back to Boston, local media reports. The safety zone encompasses part of the North Channel and prohibits transit of deep draft vessels. The South Channel remains open and may be used by vessels that may safely navigate it. Weather conditions forced the cancellation of plans to locate the vessel. Attempts to locate the vessel will resume Wednesday morning.

The National Response Team (NRT), an organization of 16 federal departments and agencies responsible for coordinating emergency preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution incidents was quickly activated and a coordinated group of federal partners-including the United States Coast Guard, Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency-immediately began directing and overseeing BP's response. Coastal protection and booming operations under the direction of the Unified Command Mobile are ongoing, actively deploying as rapidly as possible as part of the strategic plan across Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle, Unified Command Mobile said.

PPG Industries’ (NYSE: PPG) protective and marine coatings (PMC) business has been selected as a recipient of The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) George Campbell Award for 2009-2010. PPG PMC earned the recognition for the performance of its Amerlock 2/400 coating at the Deer Island Water Treatment Facility in Boston Harbor. The product, a fast-setting, high-solid epoxy coating, was applied to a gravity thickener at the plant, which is the second largest water treatment facility in the United States. The George Campbell Award is given for outstanding achievement in the completion of a difficult or complex industrial commercial coatings project.

The Coast Guard is investigating what caused a 250-foot barge to strike the Amesbury Swing Bridge in the Merrimack River around 12 p.m. on Nov. 13. Coast Guard Sector Boston received a call at approximately 11: 50 a.m., reporting the barge William Breckenridge hit the Swing Bridge, which connects Newburyport to Amesbury, as it transited through the channel near Deer Island. No injuries or pollution have been reported. The Massachusetts State Highway Department is inspecting the extent of the damage to the bridge. The bridge is currently in the open position and is closed to automobile traffic. Marine traffic is being redirected south to the Chain/Hines Bridge. "We take these reports seriously and investigate them quickly," said Lt.

The Province of New Brunswick, Department of Transportation, recently took delivery of a new car/passenger ferry, the Deer Island Princess II, built by Hike Metal. The new vessel is a state-of-the-art design with all functions being operable from the bridge, providing efficient and timely vehicle/passenger loading/unloading turn around. The new ferry replaces an older ferry operating between the busy mainland of L'Etete and Deer Island, New Brunswick. The ferry is designed to carry up to 24 full sized cars stowed in three lanes of eight automobiles, and 95 passengers and four crew. Seating is provided in the accommodation for 14 persons plus a wheelchair allowing a minimum of 18 in. width per person.

The Canadian Press reported that federal politicians say Canada is considering regulations to ban liquefied natural gas supertankers from a sensitive waterway in the Bay of Fundy, risking renewed territorial tensions with the United States. Maxime Bernier, Canada's new minister of foreign affairs, assured a citizens' group on Sunday that Canada is opposed to the prospect of LNG supertankers navigating the treacherous waters that lead into Passamaquoddy Bay between Maine and New Brunswick. Passamaquoddy Bay lies between Maine and New Brunswick and any supertanker traffic would have to cross through Head Harbour Passage, a narrow waterway that Canada considers internal waters. While the U.S.

The province of New Brunswick will take delivery next October of a new car ferry for the run between and L'Etete on the mainland and Deer Island in the Bay of Fundy. Currently under construction at the Hike Metal Products yard on Lake Erie in Ontario, the new ferry will make her delivery trip down the St. Lawrence Seaway and River before rounding Nova Scotia to her operation route just north of the Canada-U.S. border at the point where Passamaquoddy Bay meets the Bay of Fundy. Noted for its huge tides, the Bay can present current challenges, but the new ferry's design includes a pair of Z-drives set fore and aft on the corners. The Rolls Royce Ulstein drives will each be powered by a six-cylinder Cummins KTA19 engine producing 550 hp at 1,800 rpm.