Marine Safety Unit Portland News

The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a formal marine casualty investigation into an incident involving the commercial crabbing vessel Mary B II, which capsized off Newport, Oregon, January 9, 2019, resulting in the loss of three lives and loss of the vessel.The crew of the 42-foot fishing vessel Mary B II were attempting to cross the Yaquina Bay Bar when the vessel capsized in rough waters with all three crewmembers on board.Rear Adm. David Throop, Coast Guard 13th District Commander, authorized the investigation pursuant to the authority contained in Title 46, United States Code, Section 6301 and the regulations promulgated thereunder.The probe will be led by Cmdr. Karen Denny, the executive officer of Marine Safety Unit Portland, who will issue a report upon the investigation's completion.

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 U.S. Coast Guard said it has issued a $5,000 fine to the owners of a foreign freight vessel for unauthorized ballast water discharge into the Willamette River in Portland, August 16. During a routine port state control ballast water examination on the 590-foot bulk freighter ANSAC Moon Bear, Coast Guard marine inspectors, from Marine Safety Unit Portland, discovered that the vessel had discharged untreated ballast water into the Willamette River on three separate occasions during port calls in 2017. As part of the port state control exam, log books were reviewed during administrative evaluations by the marine inspectors, which led to the ballast water discharge discovery.

The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to an incident involving a motor vessel that grounded in the Columbia River near Skamokawa, Washington, Friday night. The motor vessel Rosco Palm, a 751-foot Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship reportedly ran aground at 7:49 p.m. on Friday night, refloated, moved to a few miles upstream to mitigate collision risk and then grounded while at anchor on sand bottom while waiting for first light assessment. The vessel has refloated with the tide at 7:40 am and there is no indication of pollution being discharged.

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.

Pollution cleanup efforts are underway after sheening was reported around the bulk carrier Nord Auckland anchored near Kalama, Thursday. The 610-foot Singapore-flagged vessel reportedly released bunker oil due to operator error that was intended to be burned in the incinerator, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Overseeing the response efforts are personnel from the Washington Department of Ecology and the Coast Guard, who said the responsible party has contracted Clean Rivers Cooperative to handle cleanup operations. Two booming vessels are on scene with crews engaged in cleanup operations.

The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring a vessel that lost propulsion and briefly grounded in the vicinity of Welch Island, Wednesday. The crew of the 738-foot bulk carrier Miyama is currently underway enroute to Kalama north berth, after having effected repairs to their propulsion system, with the tugs Deschutes and Sommer S escorting the vessel. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a report from Columbia River Pilots stating the vessel ran aground around 11:20 a.m. The watchstanders directed the launch of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, out of Coast Guard Air Station Astoria, to survey the vessel and surrounding area. No visible pollution, damage or injuries have been reported. An initial attempt to refloat the vessel was made during high tide at 1:30 p.m.

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 United States Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon, announced that the Vessel Master of the Adfines East plead guilty to operating a commercial vessel under the influence of alcohol in the Port of Portland. Valeriy Sharykin, 62, a Russian citizen, and captain of a Maltese freighter plead guilty before U.S. Magistrate John V. Acosta. Defendant Sharykin was charged by information with negligent operation of a commercial vessel, a class A misdemeanor. Sharykin was the licensed Vessel Master on the Adfines East, a 602 foot commercial vessel, weighing over 24,000 gross tons and sailing under the flag of Malta. While conducting an official inspection of the vessel on April 8…

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…