Mystic River News

The Coast Guard and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection responded to a dielectric oil leak Friday in the Mystic River near the Alford St. bridge. The source is believed to be a small, slow leak from a cable under the river. Initially, Mass DEP and a pollution response team from Coast Guard Sector Boston discovered a notable rainbow sheen during a routine patrol of the river. Boom was deployed around the sheen, and later, an investigation determined the probable source was a cable encased in a metal pipeline which runs under the river. The exact location of the leak along the pipe has not yet been identified. Both agencies…

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board today voted to approve to execute a Project Partnering Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and MassDOT to start the Boston Harbor Dredging Project. A signed agreement allows the ACOE to bid contracts for construction on a Confined Aquatic Disposal cell (CAD cell), which is needed for the maintenance dredging of the Inner Harbor Main Ship Channel. Maintenance dredging will restore the inner harbor to 40 feet and is the first phase of the larger dredging project. Without maintenance dredging, the harbor will continue to silt, leading to increased transit times, economic inefficiencies, and navigational safety concerns.

The SHIPPINGInsight conference producers have finalized the agenda and confirmed speaker list for the 2013 Fleet Optimization Conference, scheduled for Oct. 22-24 at the Sheraton Stamford Hotel in Stamford, Conn. “The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Connect and Engage,’” said conference co-producer Frank Soccoli. “We are bringing together an impressive lineup of speakers, moderators, panelists, sponsors, exhibitors and delegates representing all segments of the shipping industry. New for 2013 is an extra LNG Workshop, which will take the form of a roundtable discussion of experts to consider the barriers, challenges, solutions and best practices for achieving widespread adoption of LNG as a marine fuel. The workshop is free for all registered delegates.

The Fort Schuyler Maritime Alumni Association is proud to announce it will honor John M. Ringelberg PE as Distinguished Alumnus of the year at its bi-annual Awards Dinner on Thursday, Janaury 26, 2012 at Bridgewaters in NYC. Captain Jack Ringelberg is currently CEO of JMS Naval Architects & Salvage Engineers, Mystic CT, which is the parent company of Divers Institute of Technology (DIT), a commercial diving school in Seattle, Washington. He is also President and CEO of the Ocean Technology Foundation a non-profit undersea research and exploration organization…

Coast Guard Cutter Flyingfish patrols up the Mystic River towards the Tobin Bridge on January 31, after suspicious packages were reported on the Longfellow and Boston University Bridges. A portion of the Charles River, from the Museum of Science to the Boston Harbor locks, was closed. Coast Guard Sector Boston also increased random patrols of ferry terminals and put law enforcement teams aboard some commuter ferries as a precautionary measure. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Etta Smith.

Washburn & Doughty Associates, Inc. of East Boothbay, Maine is currently building two 4400 HP Z Drive (ASD) Tugs for Boston Towing & Transportation Company (BTT) of Boston, Massachusetts. The vessels measure 92’ x 32’ x 13’9” and have an estimated bollard pull of 110,000 lbs ahead and 105,000 lbs astern. BTT is a division of Reinauer Transportation Companies of Staten Island, New York. The vessels, which will be named Freedom and Liberty, were design to fulfill BTT’s contract with Tractebel LNG Shipping North America LLC. Tractebel brings LNG ships into Boston Harbor. The tugs will assist the LNG tankers during inbound and outbound transits and will be used to turn the ships 180° in the basin east of the Tobin Bridge and back them under the bridge to their Mystic River berth.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Tim J. Haibach of Coast Guard Sector Boston responds to a number-six oil spill today in the Mystic River at the Exxon Mobil facility in Everett, Mass. US Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Lauren Downs

The booming business in the LNG market is reaching all levels of marine business, as attested by Maine's Washburn & Doughty Associates, Inc., which is currently building two 4,400 hp Z-Drive (ASD) Tugs for Boston Towing & Transportation Company (BTT) of Boston. The vessels measure 92 x 32 x 13.75 ft. and have an estimated bollard pull of 110,000 lbs ahead and 105,000 lbs astern. BTT is a division of Reinauer Transportation Companies of Staten Island, New York. The vessels, which will be named Freedom and Liberty, were design to fulfill BTT's contract with Tractebel LNG Shipping North America LLC. Tractebel brings LNG ships into Boston Harbor.