Vessel Traffic Center News

An increased number of oil tankers sit at anchor near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as the volume of oil products held in floating storage around the globe has skyrocketed in the past month amid what analysts are saying is the biggest oil glut in history.There were 27 tanker vessels off the coast of Southern California Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, who is monitoring the situation to help manage the surge.Oil traders are struggling to find enough…

Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigators have closed a formal hearing in Galveston, that was held to gather facts that led to a March 22, 2014 collision and subsequent 168,000 gallon oil spill near the Texas City Dike. The purpose of the Coast Guard marine casualty investigation and formal board hearing is to examine the causes of a marine casualty, make recommendations to help avoid a similar incident, improve overall maritime transportation safety, and promote safety of life and property at sea. Investigators heard from the captains of both the tug Miss Susan and the bulk carrier Summer Wind,  the two vessels that collided…

New Orleans Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) discover vessels whose rudders may have set into the mud while safely anchored. Masters and/or operators of vessels are reminded of their responsibility, as noted in 46 Code of Federal Regulations 4.05-1, to notify the nearest Coast Guard Sector Office whenever their vessel is involved in a marine casualty which includes any unintended grounding [46 CFR 4.05-1(a)(1)]. In addition, Masters and/or operators of vessels are reminded of their responsibility under 33 Code of Federal Regulations part 164.25 which require all vessels over 1600 gross tons to test their steering gear no more than 12 hours before entering port or getting underway.

Wednesday the fire alarm in the Electronics Support Detachment Valdez building was triggered indicating a potential fire in the electronics room. The Valdez Fire Department immediately responded to the alarm, cleared the space of any potential danger, and stated the smoke appeared to be due to an electrical short in one of the equipment racks. Coast Guard VHF-FM radio circuits and Vessel Traffic Service remote sensor systems remained operational following the short; however, the Vessel Traffic Center’s visual tracking display was temporarily disabled. Early morning Thursday technicians successfully restored the display and Vessel Traffic Service Prince William Sound was returned to normal operations.

The Eighth Coast Guard District recently completed Operation Big Tow, a three-month long effort designed as a result of a collision between a cargo vessel and a loaded oil barge on the Mississippi River that spilled more than 282,000 gallons of #6 fuel oil to spill into the river. Operation Big Tow was designed to ensure vessel operators were properly licensed for their respective vessel's size, type and route. An initial investigation into the July 23, 2008 collision that closed nearly 100 miles of river near New Orleans revealed that a crewmember operating the Mel Oliver, an uninspected towing vessel (UTV) pushing the barge was improperly licensed. UTVs are towing vessels 26 ft or longer and must be under the direction of a licensed master.

The 200-foot dredge vessel, the New York, completed necessary minimum repairs to its damaged hull enabling it to be moved to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, N.Y., on February 2. The hull was damaged following a collision with the 669-foot freight ship the Orange Sun, north of Shooters Island in Newark Bay, N.J., at about 1:50 p.m. Jan. 24, 2008. Workers from Randive Incorporated installed a steel framed box in the winch room reinforcing the hull and allowing for more stability. Contracted divers also removed and made minor repairs to the dredge vessel's three spuds. The spuds were damaged from the impact of the collision and were holding the vessel in the ground. The repairs needed to make the vessel capable of transit to the Brooklyn Navy Yard took seven days.

Testing of oil samples taken from ships that might have spilled the fuel that washed up in Atlantic Beach and Long Beach last week will probably take place by next week, the Coast Guard said. After the approximately 500 gallons of heavy No. 6 oil residue washed up on almost a mile of beach, the Coast Guard used an automatic identification system that reports a vessel's position by radio to an agency office in Staten Island. The agency came up with nine vessels that entered or left New York Harbor in the 48 hours before the spill was detected by surfers. Coast Guard investigators from regional offices in New York, New Haven, Conn., and Hampton Roads…

The U.S. Coast Guard has concluded its search for five crewmen missing since their offshore supply vessel sank near Pilottown, La., Saturday, and is, as of Tuesday, February 24, overseeing recovery and salvage operations to safely remove the vessel from the Southwest Pass. The Coast Guard called off its search and rescue efforts at about 5 p.m. after a final search of the area failed to locate any survivors. Coast Guard assets have been continuously involved in the search since they arrived at the scene of the accident at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, February 21. Also assisting in the search were personnel and resources from Plaquemines Parish, the New Orleans Port Authority, the La. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Navy.

The U.S. Coast Guard reopend the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River to one-way maritime traffic. All vessel movement through the Southwest Pass must be coordinated through the U.S. Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Center in New Orleans. The Coast Guard is continuing to work with the various pilot associations to ensure that the vessels waiting to enter and depart the Mississippi River via the Southwest Pass do so in as safe a manner as possible.

Lockheed Martin will provide the Arab Republic of Egypt with a fully integrated maritime search and rescue (SAR) system for the Gulf of Suez (GOS) under a $50 million contract signed today in Cairo. The SAR system will complement the Gulf of Suez Vessel Traffic Information Management System (VTIMS) provided by Lockheed Martin under a 1998 contract and provide the Egyptian Ministry of Transport with all the necessary capabilities to manage and respond to any maritime distress in the Gulf of Suez. The SAR contract was signed in the presence of the Prime Minister of Egypt, His Excellency Dr. Atef Ebaid; the Minister of Transportation, His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim El-Demairi; U.S. Ambassador C.

Senator Slade Gorton (R-Wash.) introduced the "States Prevention of Oil Tanker Spills Act" (S. 2506), which seeks to reinstate Washington state oil tanker safety laws overturned by the Supreme Court in Intertanko v. Locke and United States v. Locke. In a press release, Senator Gorton said, "I disagree with the Court's decision, because I believe Washington State should be allowed to protect its shores as it sees fit." The Gorton legislation would reinstate the right of all states to adopt additional standards beyond existing federal requirements governing the operation, maintenance, equipment, personnel and manning of oil tankers. While the legislation would apply to all coastal states, Gorton's interest is focused on recently overturned Washington statutes.

Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner Jayson Ahern, U.S. Navy Commander Submarine Group Trident, Rear Admiral Frank Drennan, and other dignitaries will be in attendance Wednesday at 10 a.m. for the Coast Guard Joint Harbor Operation Center (JHOC) ribbon cutting ceremony at Pier 36 here. The ceremony recognizes officially the operation of the JHOC. The JHOC is the home for Sector Seattle's Command Center, Communications Center and Vessel Traffic Center. The JHOC will be the premiere state-of-the-art maritime Command Center for the Pacific Northwest partnering Coast Guard with Navy…

The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and its Canadian partner, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, today unveiled a new Automatic Identification System (AIS), the first to be fielded on a North American waterway. The AIS uses the latest communication technology via universal VHF radio frequency to share vital marine navigation data from ship-to-ship, shore-to ship, and ship-to-shore in real time. Following a ceremony at St. Lambert Lock in Montreal, Seaway engineers and personnel from the DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center demonstrated the AIS capabilities for the Seaway Traffic Management System and on board the vessels. Shipping industry representatives were invited aboard the Seaway Tug, Robinson Bay, to test out the system on the St.

On the Elbe River, the famous port of Hamburg's Nautical Institute had its final intake this year due to a shortage of prospective students. From now on it will be known as the Hamburg Institute for Ship Handling and Simulation, but for many years it sent highly trained young people to sea. Some of those, after gaining years of deep sea experience, returned to Hamburg to become river and docking pilots. The Port has two pilot stations and two pilotage authorities. The Harbor Pilots (Hafenlotsenbrüüderschaft), of which there are about 45, work from a beautiful brick building complete with clock tower on a point at the entrance to the port on the south side of the river where most of the docks are located.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced today that it has authorized Lockheed Martin to begin installation of three Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) systems to meet maritime safety and surveillance requirements in major U.S. ports, including New York harbor. Under the Ports and Waterways Safety System (PAWSS) contract, originally awarded by the Coast Guard in 1998, Lockheed Martin will install the VTS systems in New York Harbor, and in the Ports of Houston/Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas. The new systems, with a combined value of approximately $24 million, will be in place during 2004. Initially designed to support the Coast Guard’s maritime safety and environmental protection mission…

By implementing Lockheed Martin's Vessel Traffic Service system, the Coast Guard will be able to survey vessels by identifying, tracking and monitoring all ships transiting port areas, including the Port of New York and New Jersey which handles nearly 66 million tons of cargo each year. The VTS system aims to support the Coast Guard's maritime safety and environmental protection mission, as well as servicing with its Homeland Security responsibilities. On February 25, the U.S. Coast Guard authorized Lockheed Martin to begin installation of three VTS systems Under the Ports and Waterways Safety System (PAWSS) contract. Originally awarded by the Coast Guard in 1998, Lockheed Martin will install the VTS systems in New York Harbor, and in the Ports of Houston/Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas.

Lockheed Martin Ocean, Radar & Sensor Systems (OR&SS) has completed final acceptance testing of its Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) in Valdez, Alaska. The project, valued at $1.2 million, will assist the USCG in helping to ensure safe passage for oil tanker ships passing through Prince William Sound into the Port of Valdez Bay to take on oil pumped from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. USCG concerns about Y2K compliance along with Prince William Sound's notoriety were equally important reasons for the initial OR&SS system to be put in place this year. The USCG plans to continue upgrading the capability of the Prince William Sound VTMS next year.