Incident Management News

The U.S. Coast Guard said one of its buoy tenders accidentally discharged approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel 30 miles offshore of Fort Bragg, Calif., Friday morning.The vessel, USCGC Alder (WLB-216), was enroute to Humboldt Bay when the incident occurred, the Coast Guard said.Members of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Incident Management Division notified interagency stakeholders and are investigating the oil spill and cause. They are also evaluating potential impacts to sensitive sites.

Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Acting Minister for Transport, announced a record year in 2023 at a Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Conversations event.The annual vessel arrival tonnage in the Port of Singapore crossed three billion gross tonnage (GT) for the first time, increasing by 9.4% over 2022 and setting a high of 3.09 billion GT in 2023. This reflects growth in all segments, including container ships, dry bulk carriers, liquid bulk and chemical tankers, ferries and specialised vessels…

Key commercial ports of Guam, Rota, and Saipan have been reopened in the wake of Typhoon Bolaven, the U.S. Coast Guard said."This decision, effective at noon on Oct. 11, 2023, follows meticulous assessments conducted by our dedicated crews and trusted partners." the Coast guard said.The Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) has downgraded the Port Heavy Weather Condition to WHISKEY, signifying the ports' readiness to resume operations from a regulatory and navigation safety standpoint.Teams…

Moorestown, N.J. based Gallagher Marine Systems (GMS) and Wilton, Conn. based ECM Maritime Services (ECM) have merged as of June 30, 2023, forming a single maritime regulatory consulting, compliance, emergency preparedness, security and response firm.All key personnel from both companies will remain intact as the combined companies integrate software platforms, workflows and staff into a combined organization. In the interim, both GMS and ECM operations will continue unchanged.The collective company will be led by current GMS president and former ECM employee, Thomas Wiker.

Responders are working to minimize environmental damages from a cutter suction dredge that capsized in the Mississippi River near Meraux, La. on Monday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector New Orleans were notified at 12:50 a.m. that the dredging vessel W.B. Wood capsized in the vicinity of mile marker (MM) 85. The two people on board were rescued by the crew of a nearby towing vessel, Omaha.Coast Guard aerial observers confirmed sheening from the incident location down to MM 64, which is expected to dissipate naturally.

A commercial fishing vessel that sank Saturday near San Juan Island, Wash. is spilling oil, the U.S. Coast Guard said.All five crewmembers from the sinking Aleutian Isle were rescued by a Good Samaritan, and no injuries have been reported.The 49-foot vessel sank with approximately 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel and a combined 100 gallons of hydraulic fluid and lubricant oil aboard, according to the Coast Guard. A sheen has been observed spanning more than two miles and was reported to have entered Canadian waters as the vessel continues to release small amounts of diesel.At approximately 2 p.m.

Engineering and design consultancy BMT announced Shahrom Bin Ali has joined BMT Singapore as Marine Engineer Surveyor, expanding the company's capabilities and survey offering in the Asia-Pacific region.Shahrom brings over 20 years of industry experience in P&I and H&M investigations, salvage and vessel operations to his new role.After obtaining his diploma in Maritime Engineering at the Singapore Polytechnic, Shahrom started his seagoing career at A.P. Moller, serving as a marine engineer on a wide range of different vessels…

A tug and barge ran aground Thursday night near Deerfield Beach, Fla., while transporting munitions from Port Canaveral to a U.S. Naval facility in the Bahamas.The U.S.-flagged tug Sea Eagle had four people on board when it began taking on water and went aground at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said. No injuries or pollution have been reported, and both the tug and barge are said to be in stable condition.Three of the crew members were rescued from the attached barge by Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP AMO) rescue crews.

A U.S.-flagged tug and deck barge reportedly struck a pier and grounded while conducting docking maneuvers at the Ensenada Honda auxiliary cargo dock in Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday.The tugboat Don Jaime and barge Marilin H have been refloated, and there are no reports of injuries, oil discharge or sheening in the surrounding waters, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, whose inspectors are on scene to investigate the marine casualty incident.“We are looking to identify…

Three people were rescued from a 71-year-old tugboat that sank south of Puerto Rico on Thursday.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector San Juan fielded a mayday call from the crew of the 112-foot U.S.-flagged tug Proassist III, stating they were taking on water approximately two miles south of Yabucoa Harbor.A good Samaritan embarked the three people from the 1949-built tug and took them ashore with no reported injuries.On Friday, a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen…

An abandoned, partially sunken tugboat is actively discharging oil within Krause Lagoon in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.The amount of oil discharged from the tug Cape Lookout remains unknown, while the maximum potential discharge based on the size of the vessel fuel and lube oil tanks is approximately 48,000 gallons of fuel and 2,000 gallons of lube oil, the Coast Guard said, adding it is unknown how full both tanks are at this time.“Due to the immediate pollution threat this vessel represents to the environment and surrounding area…

The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) announced Monday that retired United States Coast Guard (USCG) Captain Dwight Collins has joined the port as Director of Public Safety and Security.Captain Collins directs all law enforcement, physical security, safety, and emergency management and preparedness services in support of more than 200,000 port employees, tenants and customers. He is also responsible for ensuring enforcement of seaport security initiatives in compliance with all federal…

An ailing crew member was medevaced from a U.S.-flagged tug Patriarch on Tuesday, approximately 207 miles of east Turks and Caicos, and 287 miles north of Puerto Rico, the U.S Coast Guard said.The Crowley-owned Patriarch was en route from Jacksonville, Fla. to San Juan, Puerto Rico when the vessel's master contacted Coast Guard Seventh District command to request a medevac for a 59-year-old man on board who was suffering from medical complications and needed higher level medical…

Unique among the nation’s armed services, the Coast Guard’s missions include national defense, law enforcement, natural disaster incident management, recreational boating safety and environmental protection. This diversity of mission scope presents opportunities for the Coast Guard at the strategic, operational and tactical levels as the service works to make their efforts as effective and efficient as possible.Contributing to the service’s overall execution effort is the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), based in New London, Connecticut.

The Coast Guard is responding to a 6.5 magnitude earthquake and seismic activity off the south and southwest coasts of Puerto Rico.All the ports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands remain open until further notice. Currently, there is no ongoing maritime search and rescue as a result of the registered seismic activity.Coast Guard Sector San Juan and Air Station Borinquen have activated their Incident Management Teams, which remain in close communication with local and federal…

Coast Guard pollution responders are responding to a report of a tug that sank at the Port Orchard Railway Marina in Port Townsend, Washington, Monday.Members from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound's Incident Management Division are on scene overseeing the removal and containment of fuel discharged from the 65-foot tug Meagan M. The vessel is currently registered as a towing vessel; however the master claims it has been used in a strictly recreational capacity for the past two years.

It has been ten years since the U.S. Salvage and Marine Firefighting Regulations were published: Is it time for a reassessment of the U.S. marine salvage posture?In 1982, the National Research Council’s Committee on the National Salvage Posture prepared a study entitled, “Marine Salvage in the United States.” The goal of the report was “to assess the present national posture for coping with ship rescue salvage and towing situations for time-critical offshore salvage in general.”…

A fuel barge has become stuck in mud on the Naknek River in Naknek, Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday. The Coast Guard said it is responding to the Crowley BC-152 barge, which settled in the mud and began to show signs of structural stress while offloading petroleum product."This barge did not run aground, but became stuck in the mud during low tide yesterday as it was offloading product," said Lt. James Nunez, incident management division chief for Coast Guard Sector…

Increased commercial and oil activity in Liberia's territorial waters has seen the number of tankers and other ships supporting the oil activities, rise significantly.These activities are critical to the Liberian economy but pose a risk in the event of an oil spill, said a press release from International Maritime Organization (IMO).To address this issue, the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) has organized a workshop in Monrovia, Liberia (29 April – 2 May) which provided participants with incident management process information as well as an opportunity to test the newly learned material through an exercise.The…

A sunken towing vessel has reportedly discharged oil and is blocking the channel in Pass a Loutre near Venice, La., the U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday.The Coast Guard said it is responding to the incident after having received a report around 2 a.m. Monday that the towing vessel Dejeanne Maria had struck a submerged object and began sinking while pushing two empty dry cargo barges downbound on the Mississippi River.The three people who were aboard the Dejeanne Maria at the time transferred to the towing vessel Supporter 1.The Dejeanne Maria is submerged with its port side above the water. There is a maximum potential of 7,000 gallons of oil on board with a reported 60 gallons having entered the water.Sector New Orleans incident management team mobilized to conduct a shoreline assessment.

A section of the the lower Mississippi River has been closed to vessel traffic after a towing vessel sank near Baton Rouge, La., Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders in New Orleans received a report at 11 a.m. that the towing vessel Michelle Anne sank at Baton Rouge General Anchorage near mile marker 226 on the Mississippi River.The four crewmembers aboard the Michelle Ann escaped and were rescued by a nearby tug. There were no reported injuries.The waterway is closed from mile marker 224.5 to mile marker 226.A Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Baton Rouge incident management team deployed to the scene to look for signs of pollution.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has conducted a Level 2 Training Course on OPRC (Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation) in St Kitts and Nevis  for oil spill response managers in the wider Caribbean region.Participants from 15 countries attended the IMO-funded event, which is focused on tactical aspects of spill preparedness and response, and applying incident management systems to assist effective coordination of spill response.The countries were Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis…

The Coast Guard responded to a boat fire at Cape Charles Marina in Cape Charles, Tuesday morning.Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads received a report at 6 a.m. from Coast Guard Station Cape Charles crewmembers who stated they were observing a 73-foot vessel on fire at Cape Charles Marina.Sector Hampton Roads notified local response agencies and directed personnel from Coast Guard Station Cape Charles to respond on foot.Local fire departments are currently fighting the fire onboard the vessel. A Unified Command (UC) has been established that is comprised of the U.S.