Ailing Towboat Captain Medevaced in Texas
An ailing towboat captain was medevaced from a U.S. flagged vessel near Port Aransas, Texas, Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Corpus Christi received a medevac request at 10:49 p.m. Saturday from the Corpus Christi Harbor Master's Office stating the 59-year-old captain of the towing vessel Endurance was experiencing abdominal pain and nausea. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac.Watchstanders…
Inside the World's First LNG Containership Conversion
The world’s first container feeder vessel refit to use natural gas was commissioned in late August in Bremerhaven, ushering in a new era in the use of alternative fuels across the global maritime sector. The container vessel Wes Amelie, owned by Wessels Reederei, Haren/Ems, was converted for the use of methane as a standard fuel at the German Dry Docks Shipyard in Bremerhaven, making it the world’s first of its kind vessel which consumes environmentally friendly methane. This conversion is more than simply another environmentally advanced ship…
Port of Ajaccio Ups Vessel Traffic Surveillance
The Port of Ajaccio, the main commercial port in the south of Corsica, is now equipped with the latest generation maritime Vessel Traffic Surveillance system from Transas. Within the project, implemented in partnership between Territorial and State Authorities of Corsica, Transas delivered and installed its Navi-Monitor surveillance solution to monitor and manage the vessel traffic within the port in real-time mode. The Harbor Master’s Office represents the heart of the system. The Operator Display Units installed ensure the operational marine traffic picture is available in real-time and is based on the accurate data transmitted from several high-performant sensors including radar, antennas and VHF radio, AIS base station and weather station.
Preventive Measures Against Ebola in Benin, Cotonou
1) For all vessels calling Cotonou port, the agent is required to send to the Harbor Master office a port of call list mentioning the last 10 ports of calls, three days prior to arrival. 2) All vessels arriving from or which have called at a ports in one of the countries infected by Ebola should have on board prevention equipment (gloves, masks, sanitizing gel, etc.). 3) All vessels arriving from or which have called at a port in one of the countries infected by Ebola, and which have prevention equipment onboard, must stay at anchorage and receive FREE PRATIQUE from port health authorities prior to pilot boarding. (Boat transportation cost for embarkation/disembarkation of port health authorities are on the vessel's account and same is to be arranged by the agent).
Spill Forces Channel Closure at Corpus Christi
The Harbor Master's office at the port of Corpus Christi stopped ship traffic at approximately 8:30 a.m. today, January 15, due to a spill at the Bulk Material Dock No.2. The dock is located east of Valero Tule Lake. There is no report yet as to when the channel will reopen
INTERTANKO Objects to Port of Trieste Fines
The Port of Trieste has advised that, with effect from March 3 2010, vessels using fuels with a sulphur content exceeding 0.1% by mass (in contravention of EU Directive 2005/33/EC) will be prosecuted with fine of between Euros 15,000 and 150,000 (usually 30,000 for the first offence). Exemption to the law will not be granted anymore and all eventual special authorizations issued in the past are cancelled, it states. INTERTANKO said that this means ship and port safety may be sacrificed purely in order to generate local harbor funds. Trieste Port reportedly said that a reduction of the fine may be requested according to the European Recommendation (2009/1020/EU of 21.12.2009) within 30 days from the notification of fine…
Captain Takes Blame For Galapagos Grounding
Tarquino Arevalo, captain of the Ecuadorean-registered Jessica which last week fouled the Galapagos waters with oil after running aground, told Reuters he had misjudged his entry into the prophetically named Shipwreck Bay outside the tiny harbor of San Cristobal island. "The truth is I didn't even know the rock was there. It was over-confidence on my part, I am completely to blame," the 58-year-old sailor said in an interview. "I didn't do it on purpose. This has nothing to do with my crew, it was my fault, not theirs," he added. The Galapagos are home to birds, tropical fish, sea lions and the famous Galapagos giant tortoises, but the only known damage so far to wildlife has been four dead pelicans and a dozen sea lions smeared with oil.
