Marine Link
Friday, March 29, 2024
SUBSCRIBE

Hazardous Gas News

18 Feb 2021

'Fireboats are Basically an Insurance Policy'

(Photo: MetalCraft Marine)

“Fireboats are basically an insurance policy.” -Meeting minutes, Southeast Texas Waterways Advisory Council (SETWAC).Developments in America’s coastal ports are causing officials to closely review maritime safety operations and equipment. Fireboats draw a lot of attention. The reference here is to big fireboats – 40-50 feet, crewed by specially trained firefighters, outfitted with the equipment required to confront and take on a range of waterway emergencies. [CBRN is a frequent acronym used with these fireboats: Chemical…

21 Apr 2020

Big City Fireboats

(Credit: Bill Ingalls, NASA)

On March 3, the Coast Guard published a notice that Martin Midstream Partners (MMP), a petrochemical transport and storage company, was seeking approval to modify terminal operations in Beaumont, Texas, along the Sabine-Neches Waterway. If approved, MMP would expand its liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) operations, both in volume and products. Instead of just handling ammonia the change would allow shipments of butane, propane, ethane, ethylene and propylene.Critically, MMP’s expansion would increase LHG vessel transit from 24 ships to as many as 350 per year.

20 Aug 2019

RAL, MTU Team Up on LNG Pushboat

Natural gas is quickly becoming the “fuel of choice” for the maritime industry, not only for its potential in reducing environmentally hazardous gas emissions, but also for its reduced cost when compared to other fossil fuel-based alternatives.For natural gas to become a preferred marine fuel, its availability needs to improve, and this fact alone has hindered its growth in some parts of the world. Some of Robert Allan Ltd.'s clients are actively engaged in developing the required infrastructure to make natural gas more readily available.Robert Allan Ltd.

26 Feb 2019

Sydney Ferry Fatality Raises Best Practice Issue

Photo: ACO Marine

The importance of maintaining chemical toilets onboard ship has been raised following an incident in February onboard a Sydney Harbor-operating passenger ferry in which a high level of toxic gas was detected in a toilet cubicle after a passenger was fatally injured.A 39-year-old passenger was found unconscious in a toilet cubicle aboard the Lady Rose and could not be revived by paramedics. While the reasons behind her death are unconfirmed, during the initial investigation HAZMAT…

25 Feb 2016

Workboat Communications Evolve to Meet Myriad Missions

RHIB crew with DIAMOND intercom and radio communications system. Image credit: Drumgrange

Choosing next generation communication systems for professional marine operations can be a daunting task. Not to worry: John Haynes provides a primer. Over the past decade we have come to expect fast, seamless global communications from a single device that fits in our pocket. The age of the smart phone and tablet enables multiple voices talking in a conference call and real time transfer of data, ranging from documents to photos and videos. In the modern bridge, most crew members have a GPS in their pocket which can identify where that person is on the planet.

06 Jun 2014

WSA Submitted for Texas Liquefied Hazardous Gas Facilities

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) published a notice on the Federal Register announcing, at Sector Houston-Galveston, receipt of a Letter of Intent (LOI) and Waterways Suitability Assessment (WSA) for a proposed construction project to modify existing petroleum product import/export facilities to add Liquefied Hazardous Gas operations in Freeport, Texas. The LOI and WSA were submitted by Phillips 66. The USCG is notifying the public of this action to solicit public comments on the proposed construction to add Liquefied Hazardous Gas operations to the existing facility.

29 Apr 2009

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for LNG Facilities

The Coast Guard announced the publication of a notice of proposed rulemaking to revise the regulations governing waterfront facilities that handle liquefied natural gas and liquefied hazardous gas, 33 Code of Federal Regulations part 127. The proposed modifications would affect the process for the submittal of Letters of Intent by owners/operators, as well as issuance of Letters of Recommendation by the Coast Guard Captains of the Port. Under the proposed rule, when an owner/operator proposing to build or modify a liquefied natural gas/liquefied hazardous gas facility submits a Letter of Intent to the Captain of the Port, the owner/operator would be required to conduct a Waterway Suitability Assessment for liquefied natural gas/liquefied hazardous gas marine traffic.

27 May 2004

San Francisco Bay – RNA for LHG carriers

The U.S. Coast Guard has designated waters of San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay, Sacramento River, San Joaquin River and connecting waters as a regulated navigation area (RNA) for the purpose of prohibiting vessels carrying liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) from anchoring in these waters and requiring such vessels to proceed directly to their intended offload facility. The rule comes into effect on June 28. 69 Fed. Reg. 30203 (HK Law).

04 Jun 2002

USCG Proposes Safety Zones

The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing to establish moving safety zones around liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) vessels with product aboard in U.S. waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Bays of Ponce, Tallaboa, and Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, and in Limetree Bay, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Other vessels and persons would be restricted from approaching within 100 yards of LHG vessels in these waters. Comments on the proposal should be submitted by August 5, 2002. Source: HK Law

01 Feb 2007

MarAd Oks Plan For Mass. Bay LNG Terminal

Suez Energy North America announced MarAd has agreed to issue a deep water port license for its Neptune offshore liquefied natural gas terminal planned for Massachusetts Bay. The license will be issued after the Neptune project, planned in federal waters about 7 miles south-southeast of Gloucester, receives environmental permits from the Army Corps of Engineers as well as water and air discharge permits from the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposed project must also get two key state environmental permits. That could be done by the middle of this year, a spokeswoman for Suez Energy, which also is the parent company of an onshore LNG terminal in Everett. The federal approval comes a month after former Gov.

07 Aug 2003

Column: Maritime Security Regulations Published

On July 1, 2003 the Coast Guard published in the Federal Register the long anticipated regulations concerning maritime port and vessel security. This is a major rulemaking printed in seven separate individual rulemakings. These rulemakings concern compliance with provisions of the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) and implementation of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO's) International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. The regulations incorporate the ISPS Code into the domestic maritime trade. The ISPS Code applies to all port facilities and vessels (MODUs, cargo & passenger vessels subject to SOLAS) in international trade. Any vessel not on the above list must still comply with the new security provisions of 33 CFR Parts 101 and 103.

22 Jul 2003

Chesapeake Bay Security Rules Change

The U.S. Coast Guard issued a final rule establishing safety and security zones with a radius of 500 yards around cruise ships and vessels carrying Certain Dangerous Cargo (CDC), liquefied natural gas (LNG), or liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) on waters of Chesapeake Bay within Captain of the Port (COTP) Baltimore Zone. The rule comes into effect on August 21, 2003. 68 Fed. Reg. 43309 (Source: Haight Gardner Holland & Knight)

24 Sep 1999

Carbon Monoxide - A Deadly Gas

I know it is hard to believe but soon the cool winds of Autumn will be blowing. With the change in weather, heaters will be fired up and newspapers will fill with tragic tales of carbon monoxide poisoning. If this is a typical year, nearly 300 people will lose their lives to this "silent killer" and 5,000 people will require hospitalization from its toxic effects. Carbon monoxide is created by the inefficient combustion of carbon-based fuels such as gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas, charcoal, and wood. These fuels can be found in virtually every home and every work setting. Carbon monoxide is a potential hazard in at your house, aboard vessels, and in poorly ventilated work areas in shipyards. One reason CO is a particularly hazardous gas is it is difficult to detect with the senses.