Jason Tama News

The U.S. Coast Guard has ordered three of Bouchard Transportation Company's tug and fuel barge units currently anchored in New York Harbor to be moved out of anchorage and moored at a safe berth until additional safety inspections determine they are fit to return to service.The order from the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey is the result of recent safety checks determining that the vessel's present operational condition poses a risk to the safety of local waterways.

With the announcements that New York Waterway, a ferry operator running 32 boats around New York and New Jersey waters, had been largely shut down by the U.S. Coast Guard just prior to Thanksgiving, 2019, the reactions ranged from surprise to outright shock. There was also a great deal of grumbling, as commuters, the major customer group, endured delays on New York Waterway’s extensive network across the Hudson River, bringing New Jersey commuters into New York’s business districts.So, what happened?

The majority of NY Waterway ferries taken out of service for safety violations last month have returned to regular operations, the U.S. Coast Guard said.On November 24, the Coast Guard revealed that Sector New York marine inspectors determined that 23 of NY Waterway's 32 ferries had damage or discrepancies significant enough to warrant a suspension of service. Findings included inoperable fixed fire extinguishing systems and bilge alarms; expired lifesaving equipment; and structural damage affecting watertight integrity.As of December 12…

The U.S. Coast Guard said it ordered 23 New York Waterway ferries to suspend service over the last week after a series of inspections found the vessels to be operationally unfit.Coast Guard Sector New York marine inspectors determined the 23 ferries had damage or discrepancies significant enough to warrant suspension of operations. So far, two of those vessels have been reinspected and returned to normal operations.“The safety of the public is our top priority, and we expect our ferry operators to uphold the highest standards,” said Capt. Jason Tama, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York.

The U.S. Coast Guard ordered 23 New York Waterway ferries to suspend service over the last week after a series of inspections found the vessels to be operationally unfit. Coast Guard Sector New York marine inspectors determined the 23 ferries had damage or discrepancies significant enough to warrant a suspension of service. So far, two of those vessels have been reinspected and returned to normal operations. “The safety of the public is our top priority, and we expect our ferry operators to uphold the highest standards,” said Capt. Jason Tama, commander of Coast Guard Sector New York.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is warning people in the waters off the Rockaways to stay away from any tar balls or oil sheens they might see and is investigating to see if they're related to an oil leak from a vessel a few days ago.USCG, along with partner agencies, are responding to reports of oil sheen and tar balls, on the ocean side of Coney Island and Long Island, from Norton Point to Atlantic Beach.Members of the Unified Command for Goethals Oil Spill continue responding to a report of sheening and tar balls received Saturday from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC).During shoreline assessments conducted Sunday afternoon…

A containership has reportedly leaked fuel oil into the Arthur Kill waterway near Staten Island, N.Y., the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said it is working alongside partner agencies to respond to the spill, which occurred while the vessel was moored at the Global Marine New York Container Terminal on Thursday afternoon. The amount of fuel spilled is currently unknown, and the cause of the spill is under investigation, the Coast Guard said.A Unified Command has been established on scene to coordinate cleanup efforts. Containment boom has been placed around the vessel and there are multiple oil spill response vessels actively…

A 479-foot asphalt tanker was towed into New York Harbor after an engine room fire left the vessel disabled off the U.S. East Coast.Early on October 5, U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders in Woods Hole, Mass. received a report that the Hong Kong-flagged tanker Feng Huang AO loaded with asphalt and bound for New York Harbor suffered a fire in its engine room while transiting 57 miles southeast of Nantucket Island.The flames were extinguished using the ship’s installed carbon dioxide fire suppression system.

The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the tow of a disabled 611-foot freighter into the port of New York and New Jersey after it lost propulsion over 100 miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, August 21.At around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New York received a report that the Panama-flagged bulk carrier GDF Suez North Sea with 21 crew aboard, was disabled. The Coast Guard monitored the situation over the following days as the crew attempted to repair the propulsion system.By Thursday night…

US Coast Guard Sector San Francisco advise that its personnel joined with  CMA CGM – the third-largest shipping group – along with other local industry partners to test the Bay Area’s capability to tow ultra-large container vessels. The vessel used for this exercise was CMA CGM’s Centaurus, an 11.400 TEU container ship measuring 365 meters, or approximately 1,200 feet. The purpose of the towing demonstration was to test the capability of existing tug assets within San Francisco Bay to connect to and tow an ultra-large container vessel. This exercise marked the first such attempt in the United States. The demonstration was intended as…