Safety Reports News

Network Innovations and its inland waterways connectivity solution eliminates “dead spot” coverage woes. And, not a moment too soon.The bane of inland operators – or at least one of many – has always been the dearth of reliable and economical vessel-to-shore communications. Even in America’s heartland where cellular coverage is routinely billed as seamless, so-called ‘dead spots’ persist. Sometimes, this happens at the worst possible moment for an operator who has myriad far flung assets on dozens of remote inland waterways. For a long time, satellite service has not been deemed economically feasible for inland operators. Beyond that, unlike blue water deep sea operators, there was little need to download data or employ software solutions in every day operations.

As in most if not all industries, the maritime sector experiences many more near-misses than actual casualties. And yet, information regarding near-misses is seldom shared outside the particular company or vessel/facility involved. This is a needless waste of valuable learning opportunities.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established the first formal confidential near-miss reporting system in the federal government in 1975. The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) was transferred in 1976 to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for collection of information…

Crosby Tugs selected the ABS Nautical Systems (NS) mobile compliance software to enable compliance with Subchapter M regulatory requirements. By adopting NS Workboat across its fleet of tugboats, Crosby can record compliance data and generate safety reports on a mobile device while crew carry out routine operations. NS Workboat is optimized for a tablet and is available on smartphones for easy data entry, with no installed software required onboard. Ship and shore collaboration…

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat said it has partnered with satellite communications provider Network Innovations and maritime transportation provider Dunlap Towing to install Fleet One across its fleet of 12 vessels. For Dunlap, the Dutch Harbor and Pacific Coast routes in Alaskan waters have traditionally been challenging and its existing service did not offer the reliability required to transmit important operating and safety reports, communicate back to shore or make critical inter-fleet voice calls, according to Inmarsat.

The 144-foot towboat 'Stephen L. Colby
' struck a submerged object near LeClaire and sank. At the time of the sinking, nine crewmembers were aboard and all were able to make it to safety, reports the Coast Guard Sector Upper Mississippi River. Approximately 100,000 gallons of petroleum products are reported to be on board the sunken vessel, and the Captain of the Port closed the Mississippi River from mile marker 493 to mile maker 501 on the upper Mississippi River to allow for safe, effective clean-up and salvage operations. Coast Guard personnel, along with Illinois EPA and local emergency response crews, are taking action to evaluate and respond to environmental damage. "The Coast Guard and our partner agencies are rapidly assessing and responding to the evolving situation" said Capt.

Innovation and New Building are Key Movers for this Gulf Coast Bulk Transportation Provider. Gordie Keenan, Higman's vice president of training told MarineNews in January, “We have 54 inland towboats, the majority of which are rated at 2,000 horse power, and 116 inland tank barges. Today our vessels are bigger with more horsepower, pushing more barrels, than ten years ago.” The company carries a myriad of crude oils and refined products for its clients on a fleet of barges and inland towboats that has doubled in number over the last ten years.

The French petroleum industry union says governments are too lax in applying rules on oil tankers and has called for Europe-wide laws forcing shipping companies to publish safety reports for all tankers. "We think shipping rules are good, even if they could be improved. But governments have not done their job in making sure these rules are respected. It's been going on for 20 years," Philippe Trepant, chairman of the French Petroleum Industry Union (UFIP), said. Trepant said international maritime rules obliging countries to carry out safety checks on tankers were not always respected. "Flag countries have a responsibility to check tankers sailing under their flag but some of them aren't serious about it...Port states are obliged to inspect one in four incoming ships…