Harbor Master News

There’s a master on the run right now.It was 4am, about 10 years ago. Two crewmembers died, 15 others were hospitalized. The master didn’t receive prior notification of the cargo fumigation that occurred, yet it is the master who is being held accountable.Captain Kuba Szymanski, Secretary General of InterManager, recounts the story as he explains why he is pleased about some of the outcomes of MSC 100 but feels more work still needs to be done.“Very often people onboard a ship do not have enough information.

An Alaskan fish tender transiting Chiniak Bay to dump fish byproduct sank in part because the vessel’s watertight doors in the engine room and companionway spaces remained open, the National Transportation Safety Board has determined.The industrial vessel Cape Douglas was operating as fish tender on Nov. 6, 2024, near Kodiak, Alaska, when the 80-year-old vessel began to flood below deck. The captain and crewmember were unable to control the flooding and abandoned the vessel into a towed skiff. They were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued formal recommendations to three government agencies and a salvage operator with the release of its final report into the near stranding of the bulk carrier Portland Bay near Sydney in July 2022.“The stranding on pristine national park coastline of a 170-metre ship carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil would have had internationally significant environmental and economic consequences, and as such this was one of the ATSB’s most comprehensive marine occurrence investigations in nearly two decades…

Moose Boats, a boat designer and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area, has delivered an M2-36 catamaran to the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol.The M2 will serve as both a law enforcement and fireboat responding throughout the Santa Barbara harbor and coastal region.The build features twin 300 HP Suzuki outboards with contra-rotating dual stainless-steel propellers.A dedicated Volvo Penta diesel engine that powers its firefighting capabilities with up to 1,500 GPM through two TFT monitors…

Container ship operator CMA CGM is revising steering guidance across its fleet after ambiguous procedures contributed to one of its ships colliding with a navigational beacon in the Yarra River, Victoria, Australia, an ATSB investigation report notes.Departing the Port of Melbourne on 25 May 2023 under the conduct of a harbor pilot, container ship CMA CGM Puccini contacted the navigational beacon after swinging wide in a turn when its rudder began responding erratically to helm orders.The ship was slowed and returned towards the middle of the channel…

A keel laying ceremony signaled the start of construction on a new pilot transfer vessel currently being constructed by Next Generation Shipyards for the UK's Port of Milford Haven.Slated for delivery in 2025, the 22-meter vessel is designed to meet the unique demands of pilot transfer operations, providing advanced safety features, enhanced sea-keeping capabilities, and state-of-the-art technology to optimize performance in challenging conditions.Mike Ryan, Harbormaster at the Port of Milford Haven…

VITA Power announced it has delivered all-electric Vita Seal rigid inflatable boat (RIB) to the City of Newport Beach, marking the electric marine technology company's first sale to a public agency.The RIB will join the Harbor Department’s existing fleet of three boats and assist with patrols and towing and pushing vessels that need assistance or have broken away from moorings.According to VITA Power, its Vita Seal is suited for marine-based industries and harbor patrol law enforcement agencies, offering up to 10 hours of continuous operation at reduced speeds.

Port of Brownsville, along the U.S.-Mexico border, said on Wednesday that it would limit ship traffic due to gale force winds from Hurricane Beryl, a Category 4 hurricane heading for the Gulf.Only vessels that will be able to finish and sail by Friday night or Saturday early morning will be allowed to come in, said Michael Davis, Harbor Master at Port of Brownsville.All river barges will need to depart no later than noon on Friday and vessels remaining in the port must double up lines and ensure that they are properly anchored…

Oil stains possibly coming from neighboring Tobago have reached the island of Bonaire, local media said on Monday, prompting authorities to begin organizing protection to beaches and mangrove areas.Since an oil spill from a capsized vessel was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard on Feb. 7, it has blackened the Caribbean nation's beaches and is threatening other countries, including Grenada and Bonaire, whose main source of revenue is tourism.Part of Bonaire's East coast…

U.K.-based shipping, navigation, and maritime risk consultancy NASH Maritime announced it has appointed James Clark as governance lead, responsible for the development of the company’s port and maritime compliance business.Clark brings to the role two decades of both maritime risk and mariner experience. He started his career at sea, before joining Bristol Port Company as Assistant Harbor Master and later becoming responsible for VTS and shipping operations. Other roles have included Vessel Traffic Management and Ports Liaison with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

An ailing towboat captain was medevaced from a U.S. flagged vessel near Port Aransas, Texas, Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Corpus Christi received a medevac request at 10:49 p.m. Saturday from the Corpus Christi Harbor Master's Office stating the 59-year-old captain of the towing vessel Endurance was experiencing abdominal pain and nausea. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac.Watchstanders…

The Port of Gothenburg announced its inspection vessel Hamnen is set to be converted to run on electrical power as part of the port's wider plan to slash operational emissions.In service since 1979, the 20.3-meter-long Hamnen is owned and operated by the Gothenburg Port Authority, through the Harbor Master’s Office and Harbor Master Åsa Kärnebro who is responsible for the vessel."[Hamnen] has many different duties", said the vessel's skipper, David Falk. "But essentially it’s…

Montrose Port Authority at the end of 2022 welcomed into service its first ever purpose-built pilot boat, South Esk.The new £800,000 vessel was constructed by Safehaven Marine, in Youghal, Ireland and completed its sea trials at the Port of Cork before making its way to Montrose by traveling across the Irish Sea to Oban, around the top of Scotland and down the East coast.The Interceptor 48 model launch is the first newbuild pilot boat in Montrose’s 200-year trust port history…

Large vessels are required to have extra tug assistance due to tunnel construction work in the Scheur, the Port of Rotterdam Authority said.From November 12, seagoing vessels exceeding 140 meters long have requires a tugboat on the Scheur between Maassluis and Rozenburg during a three-hour window of strong tides. The harbor master of the Port of Rotterdam Authority took this measure to ensure safe passage while the crane vessel Neptune has been positioned in the middle of the Scheur due to the construction of the Maasdelta tunnel. As a result, the passageway is narrow.

Port Everglades has promoted Christopher "Chris" Marchant to the role of Chief Harbormaster, guiding maritime services for Broward County's multi-faceted 2,190-acre seaport.Marchant has served as Assistant Harbormaster for Port Everglades since August 2021 and as Duty Harbormaster from May 2010. He was also a linehandler with Port Everglades for four years."Chris is a prime example of how we recognize talent from within the organization, which preserves valuable institutional knowledge and helps us deliver high quality services to our customers in the cruise…

Salvors have removed two tugs from the Mersey River in Devonport on the northwest coast of Tasmania that had been sunk by a cement carrier in January.New South Wales based emergency response, salvage and environmental support specialist, United Salvage, engaged AAL Shipping to supply the 31,000DWT 700 tonne heavy lift vessel AAL Melbourne for lifting of the tugs and their onward shipment along the East Coast to Brisbane. The first tug, the 420 tonne York Cove, was pulled out of…

San Marino Ship Register said it has hired Rear Admiral Giovanni Greco to develop institutional relations and national maritime legislation.A graduate of the Genoa Nautical Institute, R. Adm. Greco’s career started on board merchant ships in Europe, the United States, the Persian Gulf, and the Far East. In 1991, he joined the Italian Coast Guard until his retirement in May 2022. During his service, he was harbor master in Fano, Ortona, Crotone, and Vice Commandant in Ravenna.

California shipbuilder Moose Boats said it has delivered a new patrol boat to the Santa Cruz Port District in Santa Cruz, Calif.Santa Cruz Port District is responsible for patrolling, maintaining, and managing the facilities for the Santa Cruz Harbor including law enforcement, search and rescue, maintenance and dredging. As the lifecycle of their previous vessel approached, the District was able to secure funding for a new Moose Boat.On January 24, representatives from the District collected their new boat from Moose Boats in Vallejo, Calif.

The Port of Waterford Company on the south coast of Ireland has taken delivery of a new pilot boat received by the crew at the Dunmore East pontoon.The new vessel built by Safehaven Marine is a 15-meter interceptor which has been christened Port Láirge, a name of well known maritime heritage in Waterford. The previous namesake was a much-loved steam-powered dredger that served on the Suir for over 70 years until the 1980s.Port of Waterford currently operates two pilot boats, one based in Dunmore East at the primary boarding position and one in Passage East.

In August, the Port of Brownsville announced the appointment of two new deputy port directors effective August 9, 2021.Melinda Rodriguez is the deputy port director of administration and will oversee the port’s Human Resources, Real Estate Services, Finance, Communications and Administrative Services departments.Rodriguez has worked in a variety of leadership positions with organizations such as NextDecade, Texas Southmost College, Catholic Charities of Central Texas, United Way of Hidalgo County, March of Dimes, Cystic Fibrosis-Central Texas, and United Blood Services.

U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it had responded to a boat fire near Carlsbad, California in an incident in which the 50-foot boat eventually sank.Coast Guard Sector San  Diego watchstanders received several reports of a boat, on fire approximately seven miles off the Carlsbad coast around 9 a.m. local time.Coast Guard watchstanders dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and diverted the Coast Guard Cutters Munro, Benjamin Bottoms, and the  Haddock."While Coast Guard assets were en route, the Oceanside Harbor Master confirmed that the boat's name was the Relentless.

The Town of Hempstead Harbormaster on Long Island recently took delivery of the first Stormer Marine workboat built under a license agreement by SAFE Boats International. The 6.8-meter Porter 68S, delivered in late January, was recently put into service in the waters around the Town of Hempstead.Through this Jones Act-compliant licensing agreement between U.S.-based SAFE Boats International and the Netherlands-based Stormer Marine, SAFE Boats can now offer the full line of Stormer workboats to U.S.

Portland Port in the U.K. said it has taken delivery of new tug Rupert Best.Built in Turkey in 2019 to a Robert Allan Ltd. design, the Sanmar Sirapinar class ‘RAmparts 2200’ azimuth stern drive tug will increase and help support the port’s ability to welcome larger vessels. The tug has a bollard pull of 50t and her two Caterpillar engines deliver a total of 3,000 kw. The port's harbor master and general manager – marine, Captain Mike Shipley said, "We have been planning this purchase for a while, so it was a great day when she arrived in the port.