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Delaware Bay News

01 Aug 2023

BOEM Announces Three Final Wind Energy Areas Offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia

Credit: BOEM

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Monday announced three final Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) offshore Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.These areas, BOEM said, were developed following extensive engagement and feedback from states, Tribes, local residents, ocean users, federal government partners, and other members of the public.If fully developed, the final WEAs could support between four and eight gigawatts of energy production. The Biden administration has a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030.The three WEAs total approximately 356…

04 May 2023

NTSB Cites Potential Fire Risks for Marine Operators Carrying Scrap Materials

The scrap metal fire aboard the CMT Y Not 6 on the morning of May 23, 2022. Inset shows molten metal leaking out of a starboard-side freeing port. (Source: U.S. Coast Guard)

Lithium-ion batteries and other possible ignition sources could pose a fire safety issue in the transportation of scrap materials as cargo, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.Although scrap metal cargo is typically nonhazardous and poses a low fire risk, there have been several recent fires involving such cargo. In January 2022, a shoreside pile caught fire in Newark, N.J. Two international vessels carrying scrap material experienced cargo fires in 2022…

16 Feb 2023

2023 Shipbuilding Report: US Passenger Vessels

Casco Bay Line selected the Senesco to build a double ended hybrid electric ferry to replace an existing diesel boat. (Image: EBDG)

With travel and tourism nearing pre-2020 levels, and transit systems benefiting from a return to work, passenger vessels have seen renewed activity. In its year-end review, John Groundwater, Executive Director of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA), which advocates for the sector in Washington, D.C. wrote: “As we are nearing the end of the calendar year, we are delighted to report that our industry, and our members, are reporting far and wide that they have experienced very…

27 Jul 2022

Emergency Dredging Planned for the Murderkill River

The Murderkill River, shown here where it meets the Delaware Bay at Bowers, will be dredged in August to improve navigation for commercial and recreational vessels. (Photo: DNREC)

An emergency dredging project is set to begin and be completed by the end of August to restore navigability in the Murderkill River, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced on Tuesday. Permitted by and with modification approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DNREC regulators, the project calls for removing approximately 52,000 cubic yards of sediment from the river’s navigation channel. DNREC will then make beneficial reuse of the dredged sand to nourish up to 1…

26 May 2022

Delaware Bay Barge Fire Extinguished

Thumbnail photo credit: Memorial Fire Company Sta 89/Facebook

The fire on board the barge in the Delaware Bay that started burning on Monday, has been extinguished Tuesday, and Northstar Environmental and Marine Services has been contracted to assess the integrity of the vessel and manage salvage operations, U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.A Unified Command consisting of representatives from Eastern Metal Recycling, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, Cumberland County Office of Emergency Management, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the U.S. Coast Guard has been established to oversee salvage operations.According to the U.S.

23 May 2022

Multiple Fireboats Fighting Fire on Barge in Delaware Bay

Credit: Memorial Fire Company Sta 89

The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday it was, together with local fire agencies, responding to a barge fire approximately 9 miles south of Port Mahon.Watchstanders at the Sector Delaware Bay Command Center received a call at approximately 1 a.m. reporting a barge on fire in the Delaware River. The barge was reportedly carrying household appliances for scrap, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard launched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small boatcrew to assist and continue to monitor the situation. "There are six fireboats on scene from local fire agencies actively fighting the fire," the U.S.

19 Oct 2021

USCG Commissions Bollinger-built FRC Emlen Tunnell

Image courtesy Bollinger Shipyards

Bollinger Shipyards joined U.S. Coast Guard officials at USCG Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia, Pa., for the commissioning of one of the newest Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (“FRC”), USCGC Emlen Tunnell.Named in honor of Coast Guard hero and NFL great Emlen Tunnell, the cutter is the fourth of six FRCs to be home-ported in Manama, Bahrain, which will replace the aging 110-ft. Island Class Patrol Boats, built by Bollinger Shipyards 30 years ago, supporting the Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA), the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest overseas presence outside the United States.The U.S.

13 Sep 2021

USCG Issues Safety Alert on Accommodation Ladders

Figure 1: Pin location on the
Accommodation Ladder Turntable (Image: USCG)

A recent marine casualty resulting in an injury of a crewmember on board a foreign freight vessel brought to light a potentially dangerous situation involving the turntable pin on accommodation ladders, the U.S. Coast Guard pointed out in a recent safety alert developed by the Investigators of Sector Delaware Bay and distributed by the Office of Investigations and Analysis. Currently, there are no established timelines or requirements to replace turntable pins. Without proper and periodic examination and replacement…

01 Jul 2021

Reefer Ship Catches Fire at Port of Wilmington

© Sundry Photography / Adobe Stock

A fire broke out on board a refrigerated cargo ship at the Port of Wilmington, in Delaware, late Monday evening.The crew aboard the Dole containerized fruit carrier contacted U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay at approximately midnight, reporting that an engine fire erupted shortly after leaving port.The vessel quickly activated its firefighting system, energizing a carbon dioxide system to flood the engine room and rob the fire of oxygen, and safely moored back to the pier.

14 Jun 2021

Ailing Tug Crewman Medevaced Off New Jersey

An ailing tugboat crewmember was medically evacuated approximately 10 miles north of Manasquan Inlet, N.J. on Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Command Center in Philadelphia received an alert that the individual was suffering from abdominal pain while aboard the 33.5-meter tugboat Saint Emilion.A 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet launched to meet the tugboat after the Delaware Bay Command Center consulted with a Coast Guard flight surgeon who recommended medical evacuation for the individual.Once on scene, the MLB boatcrew removed the crewman from the vessel and transferred him to emergency medical services that were waiting on scene at the Station.

27 Mar 2020

Dredgers Make Way for USNS Comfort in New York

USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) takes on fuel and supplies at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. in preparation to deploy to New York in support of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts and will serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals. (U.S. Navy photo by Jim Kohler)

Dredgers are expediting operations in New York to make way for the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort, which will dock in the epicenter of America's COVID-19 outbreak to assist hospitals that become overrun by the pandemic.Dredging contractor Donjon Marine Co., Inc. was contacted last week and asked to begin dredging Manhattan Cruise Terminal’s Berth 4 in anticipation of the arrival of the ship, which under the order of President Trump will serve as a relief hospital facility for non-coronavirus patients needing hospital care.

11 Mar 2020

Cargo Ship Captain Medevaced off Maryland

The U.S. Coast Guard medevaced the captain off of a cargo ship approximately 25 miles off the coast of Ocean City, Md., Tuesday.Crewmembers aboard the Panamanian flagged cargo ship Balsa 84, which was in route to the Delaware Bay area, contacted watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay's command center at approximately 10:20 a.m. and notified them that the 61-year-old Filipino man was exhibiting symptoms of a possible heart attack and needed medical assistance.Watchstanders launched an aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City to assist.Once on scene…

25 Feb 2020

Marine News' 2020 ATB Report

(Photo: Vane Bros.)

There’s a barge full of reasons why many operators turn to ATBs.A  mainstay of the U.S. coastwise dirty and refined products trades, articulated tug barges (ATB) have increasingly filled a void left as the fleet of Jones Act tankers (with crew complement requirements exceeding that of tugs) has aged out. With the cargo capacity of the larger ATBs – some with barges exceeding 300,000 barrels capacity – rivalling that of workhorse tankers that had served oil consuming regions, the concept certainly makes sense from a supply and distribution perspective.With 50…

20 Jan 2020

It’s Time to Upgrade to a Marine Evacuation System

First deployment for USCG approval Cape Henlopen at Cape May Terminal. (Photo: CMLF)

As domestic traffic from coast-to-coast continues to worsen, ferry operators are seeing a steady growth in passenger demand. As passenger demand grows, so does the demand for efficiency and hybrid technology to be incorporated into fleets. But what innovations support a fleet’s number one priority – safety? Will efficiency and the latest green technologies support these critically important vessels in an emergency situation? Is the crew aware of how much time they have to evacuate all passengers?Traditional ferry evacuation systems require passengers to be loaded onto lifeboats on deck…

27 Aug 2019

Cape May-Lewes Ferry: Women on the Water

Captain Sharon Urban

Women make up only an estimated two percent of the global maritime industry. In the U.S., the statistics are a little better, with less than eight percent of ship and boat captain operator roles held by women.Still, for a female to have the opportunity to train up to ship captain is considered “unique.” However, as predictions are being made that there will be a shortage of more than 140,000 deck or ship officers worldwide by 2025 (BIMCO/ICS), we will see more accomplished women take the helm and lead the industry forward.

24 Jun 2019

17.5 Tons of Cocaine found on Containership

Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)-led multi-agency examination of shipping containers at the Philadelphia seaport netted a historic load of cocaine, the largest cocaine seizure in the 230-year history of U.S. Customs and CBP, with an estimated weight of over 17.5 tons and a street value of about $1.1 billion.During a midstream joint boarding Sunday night, CBP, HSI, and U.S. Coast Guard authorities detected anomalies while examining seven shipping containers aboard the MSC Gayane…

25 Apr 2019

Vessel Owner, C/E Indicted on Environmental Charges

Adobe Stock / Renaschild

A federal grand jury in Wilmington, Delaware, returned a six-count indictment today charging Chartworld Shipping Corporation, Nederland Shipping Corporation, and Chief Engineer Vasileios Mazarakis with failing to keep accurate pollution control records, falsifying records, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering, the Justice Department announced.The charges stem from the falsification of records and other acts designed to cover up from the Coast Guard the overboard discharges of oily mixtures and machinery space bilge water from the Bahamian-flagged cargo vessel…

25 Apr 2019

Nederland Reefer Faces Pollution Charges in US

Greece’s Chartworld Shipping Corporation(CSC)'s cargo vessel Nederland Reefer, its manager, owner and the chief engineer have been indicted for falsification of pollution records, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.A federal grand jury in Wilmington, Delaware, returned a six-count indictment charging CSC, Nederland Shipping Corporation, and Chief Engineer Vasileios Mazarakis, according to the U.S Department of Justice.The charges stem from the falsification of records and other acts designed to cover up from the Coast Guard the overboard discharges of oily mixtures and machinery space bilge water from the Bahamian-flagged cargo vessel, M/V Nederland Reefer.According to the indictment, on Feb.

14 Sep 2018

On the Water: Prime Career Opportunities for Women

Women make up only an estimated two percent of the global maritime industry. In the U.S., the statistics are a little better, with less than eight percent of ship and boat captain operator roles held by women.Still, for a female to have the opportunity to train up to ship captain is considered “unique.” However, as predictions are being made that there will be a shortage of more than 140,000 deck or ship officers worldwide by 2025 (BIMCO/ICS), we will see more accomplished women take the helm and lead the industry forward.

15 Jan 2019

Gladding-Hearn’s Refitted Launch Ready for 14 More Years on Delaware Bay

The pilot boat Brandywine underway (CREDIT: Gladding Hearn)

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has delivered a retrofitted pilot boat to the Delaware Bay pilots association. Brandywine, one of the shipyard’s early 53’ Chesapeake class launches built in 2004, is one of nine pilot boats built for the pilots since they took delivery of their first boat from the Mass. shipyard in 1957.Along with installing new shafts and Brunton propellers, the yard replaced the twin Daewoo 650 Bhp diesel engines with a pair of Volvo D16 EPA Tier-3-compliant 650 Bhp diesel engines…

11 Oct 2018

How the Coast Guard Supports the Shipbuilding Industry

Lt. j.g. Ryan Thomas, a marine Inspector at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, walks below the Kaimana Hila, an 850-foot container ship being constructed in Philadelphia Shipyards, Oct. 4, 2018. The Kaimana Hila and the Daniel K. Inouye are the two largest containerships ever built in the U.S. (Coast Guard photo by Seth Johnson)

The U.S. Coast Guard is known for saving lives at sea, but did you know the service plays a huge role in the economy, too?As a regulatory entity, the Coast Guard conducts marine inspections on vessels entering United States ports to make sure the vessels do not pose a safety, security, or environmental threat to the country. With 90 percent of U.S. imports and exports entering or exiting the country by ship, these inspections ensure there is fuel at the gas station, food in the store and presents at birthday parties.But even before a ship ever gets in the water…

10 Dec 2018

Fishing Vessel Sinks in New Jersey

U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Station Manasquan Inlet

The U.S. Coast Guard said it is monitoring the salvage of a partially-sunken commercial fishing vessel in Manasquan Inlet, N.J.Watchstanders in the Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay command center received notification at 2 a.m. Saturday that the 44-foot fishing vessel Miss Kathleen allided with the northern Manasquan Inlet jetty and was taking on water with three people and a dog aboard.The Miss Kathleen’s captain intentionally grounded the vessel on Dog Beach, about 20 yards outside the channel.

10 Dec 2018

Four Rescued from Fishing Vessel Blaze

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brent Tilley

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people from a life raft after a commercial fishing vessel caught fire about 16 miles southeast of Cape May, N.J., Saturday morning. No injuries were reported.Crew members aboard the 75-foot fishing vessel Ocean Pearl activated Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons and abandoned ship after an electrical fire ignited on board around 10:30 a.m.Once aboard their life raft, the Ocean Pearl’s crew used a handheld radio to contact watchstanders…