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Loose News

03 Nov 2023

Breakaway Barge Retrieved After Striking Pier in Seattle

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

A fully loaded container barge that broke loose and struck a pier in downtown Seattle has been towed to safety.The U.S. Coast Guard said it was notified at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday that the barge had broken loose from Terminal 18 and went adrift in Elliot Bay.The barge, owned by Lyden's Alaska Marine Lines, was drifting toward the Great Wheel and the Seattle Aquarium when it was intercepted by a King County Water Taxi vessel, Doc Maynard, which used its bow to push the barge north in an attempt to prevent an allision.The barge eventually struck Pier 66, causing landside damage.

12 Oct 2023

BIO-UV Group Answers the Call for Compact BWTS with 'Smallest' UV BWTS Yet

Credit:BIO-UV Group

UV-based water treatment specialist BIO-UV Group has introduced what it says is arguably the smallest UV BWTS in the marketplace, targeted at meeting increased demand for ballast water treatment systems from operators of workboats, yachts, research ships, OSVs, and similar-sized vessels. The new BIO-SEA L01-0030 Mini – more compact than the company’s existing low-flow BIO-SEA L range – is a fully automated filtration + UV-based system designed to treat ballast water flow rates…

06 Jul 2023

HII Dry Dock Gate to Become Part of Sustainable Fish Reef

(Photo: HII)

HII announced its Newport News Shipbuilding division partnered with the Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) to donate and sink a former dry dock caisson gate offshore, giving it new life as part of an artificial reef.Caisson gates are used at the harbor end of a dry dock, with pipes inside allowing for water from the James River to enter when NNS needs to flood the dry dock. This particular gate, originally put into service at NNS in 1967, was part of a dry dock no longer in use at the shipyard.NNS crews worked to prepare the caisson gate…

12 Jun 2023

MSC 107: SOLAS Amendments Adopted and Titanic Remembered

Source: IMO

The IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) held its 107th session from May 31 to June 9, 2023.Highlights of the meeting included the adoption of amendments to the LSA Code and MSC.81(70) Revised recommendation on the testing of life-saving appliances for the ventilation of totally enclosed lifeboats. ABS reports that the Committee adopted Resolution MSC.533(107) introducing amendments to the LSA Code to provide performance requirements that will require totally enclosed lifeboats to provide a means of ventilation operable from inside the lifeboat at a rate of not less than 5 m3/hour per person…

13 Apr 2023

World's Largest Iron Ore Export Hub Braces for Strongest Cyclone in a Decade

Cyclone Ilsa - 16:30 AEST on Thursday, 13 April 2023 | Cloud/surface composite, Australia - Credit: Australian Government / Bureau of Meteorology

Australia's northwest region, home to the world's largest export hub for iron ore, could be hit by the most powerful tropical cyclone there in a decade as ports cleared ships and residents rushed to stock up on essential supplies. Cyclone Ilsa, located about 300 km (186 miles) off Australia's coast in the Indian Ocean, is expected to make landfall as early as Thursday night as a category four storm - one rung below strongest category five - packing winds of up to 275 km per hour, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

29 Mar 2023

Barges Break Free on the Ohio River in Louisville

(Photo: Kentucky EEC)

The lock chambers at McAlpine Locks and Dam in Louisville, Ky., are closed to traffic after 10 barges broke loose from a tow on the Ohio River.Shortly after 2 a.m. on Tuesday, a vessel towing 11 barges struck a stationary structure at the entrance to the Portland Canal near the lock and dam, causing 10 of the barges to break loose.No injuries were reported, and all personnel are accounted for.Seven of the runaway barges, including one that had been pinned against the L&I railroad bridge pier…

09 Mar 2023

Interview: Harry Stewart, President & CEO, The Dutra Group

Harry Stewart, President and CEO, The Dutra Group, at the controls of the Harry S. Photo courtesy The Dutra Group

Harry Stewart recently took the helm as President and CEO of The Dutra Group, succeeding Bill T. Dutra, the man who founded the company at the age of 26 and led it for the last 50 years. With a renewed vigor for national infrastructure, there are myriad opportunities in the dredging and marine construction sectors, opportunities balanced by a similar number of challenges. We recently visited with Mr. Stewart for his insights, covering everything from taking over the seat from an industry legend…

14 Feb 2023

Ukraine Warns of Mines Drifting Along Black Sea Coast Due to Storm

©RomanenkoAlexey/AdobeStock

Shipping and coastal communities around Ukraine's major seaport hub of Odesa received a warning from military officials on Tuesday over the high risk of naval mines drifting along the coast and washing ashore. Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of using mines off the Ukrainian coast, which prevents safe navigation in the region. The Soviet-made mines were anchored, but in a storm some of them could come loose and be carried by the current. "There is a high probability of naval mines breaking off their anchors and washing up on the shore…

16 Jan 2023

Seven Rescued from Disabled Tug off Maryland

The tug Legacy became disabled after the barge it was towing broke loose and the 1,000-foot towing line became entangled and fouled its propellers. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

Seven people were rescued from a tug that went adrift off the U.S. East Coast.A crew member aboard the tug Legacy notified watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday that while towing a 290-foot barge from New Jersey, to Guyana, a 1,000-foot towing line became entangled and fouled their starboard propeller about 30 miles offshore from Ocean City, Md.The vessel continued to make way on one engine when the tow line snapped. The…

22 Sep 2022

Roundtable: North American Naval Architects Weigh In

From left: Mike Fitzpatrick, president, Robert Allan Ltd.; Jeff Bowles, director, DLBA Naval Architects; and Rich Mueller, president and CEO, NETSCo.

Marine News spoke to leaders at three North American naval architecture and marine engineering firms about some of the latest trends impacting their business today. Mike Fitzpatrick, president, Robert Allan Ltd.; Jeff Bowles, director, DLBA Naval Architects; and Rich Mueller, president and CEO, NETSCo., weigh in on topics such as digitalization, decarbonization and the naval architect talent pool.How do you view the maritime industry’s ongoing shifts in areas such as digitalization and decarbonization…

16 Sep 2022

Jan De Nul's Newbuild Jack-up Voltaire Suffers 'Limited Damage' in China Typhoon

Credit: Jan De Nul

Offshore installation specialist Jan De Nul Group said Thursday that the shipyard in China where its flagship jack-up installation vessel Voltaire is being built, was hit by typhoon Muifa in China during the night of 14 to 15 September 2022."The eye of the typhoon passed over the shipyard, causing the vessel to come loose from its moorings. Fortunately, no one was injured. Voltaire is now safely moored back in the shipyard and first sight assessments show limited damage to certain parts of the crane and the helideck.

11 Jul 2022

Ships Get Older and Slower as Emissions Rules Bite

©OlegD/AdobeStock

If shipping is the beating heart of global trade, its pulse is about to get slower. Faced with uncertainty about which fuels to use in the long term to cut greenhouse gas emissions, many shipping firms are sticking with aging fleets, but older vessels may soon have to start sailing slower to comply with new environmental rules.From next year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all ships to calculate their annual carbon intensity based on a vessel's emissions…

21 Mar 2022

Ships at Risk as Mines from Ukraine Drift into the Black Sea

For illutration only - ©Grispb/AdobeStock

Several hundred mines have drifted into the Black Sea after breaking off from cables near Ukrainian ports, Russia's main intelligence agency and shipping market participants said.The Black Sea is a major shipping artery for grain, oil, and oil products."Due to storm weather, the cables connecting the mines to anchors were broken," Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said in a press release dated March 19."Due to wind and water currents…

15 Mar 2022

Maintenance Error Led to $3.8 Million Ferry Casualty in Washington -NTSB

Wenatchee under way before the accident. (Photo: Washington State Department of Transportation​)

An improperly tightened fastener led to a diesel engine failure on the passenger and car ferry Wenatchee near Bainbridge Island, Wash., resulting in nearly $3.8 million in damages, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.On April 22, 2021, the catastrophic failure of the no. 3 main engine aboard the Wenatchee during a sea trial in Puget Sound led to the ejection of components from the engine and resulted in a fire in the no. 2 engine room. No injuries or pollution were reported.In November 2020…

07 Mar 2022

Mooring Equipment Failure Led to Barge Grounding in Alaska -NTSB

Barge SM-3 after the accident. (Photo: Alaska Marine Surveyors, Inc. / NTSB)

A fatigue crack ultimately led to a fishing tender barge breaking loose from its mooring buoy and grounding during a storm near Ekuk, Alaska, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a recent marine investigation report.On August 30, 2020, the fishing tender barge SM-3 broke free from the buoy it was anchored to and began drifting. The six-person crew deployed two emergency anchors, but the barge continued to drift and grounded on the beach. No injuries were reported. There was a 3-mile debris field on the beach.

08 May 2021

Tech Files: Offshore Safety Systems & Equipment

Deepwater Conqueror – Credit: Transocean

Safety of workers,structures, equipment and the environment are paramount in any offshore energy project. In the March/April print edition, Offshore Engineer took a look inside some notable newcomers.Wearable tech to boost drill floor safetyHaloGuard – Credit: TransoceanOffshore drilling contractor Transocean has recently deployed what it said was the offshore drilling industry’s first safety system that integrates a wearable locating device with drill floor equipment and machine stoppage controls.The system…

04 May 2021

How Event-driven Technologies Can Transform the Shipping Industry

© Wolfgang / Adobe Stock

The Suez Canal blockage laid bare many of the challenges being faced by the global shipping industry today. With 12% of global trade passing through the canal each day, the total revenue lost from delayed, damaged or lost goods due to its blockage is estimated to be up to $10 billion. Many of the organizations that faced a logistical nightmare in the face of the Ever Given blockage struggled to respond to things as they happened and make informed predictions about future occurrences…

29 Dec 2020

UAE Emerges as Hub for Companies Helping Venezuela Avoid US Oil Sanctions

In June, the United States imposed sanctions on half a dozen oil tankers managed by established shipping firms. It was a major escalation of American attempts to choke off Venezuela’s oil trade.Within weeks, a little-known company based in the United Arab Emirates took over management of several tankers that had been shipping Venezuelan oil. The vessels got new names. And then they resumed transporting Venezuelan crude.The company, Muhit Maritime FZE, is one of three UAE-based entities identified by Reuters that have shipped Venezuelan crude and fuel during the second half of this year. Their role emerges from an examination of internal shipping documents from Venezuela’s state oil company as well as third-party shipping and vessel tracking data.

12 Nov 2020

Engineering Ethics, Seaworthiness and the Right of Clients to Kill Themselves

© kentoh/AdobeStock

I had only been working as a graduate engineer for a few years and was minding my own business working for a yacht designer when my boss asked me to get in touch with a person who was looking for engineering analysis. I called the number and arranged for the person to meet me at the office.A few days later a tall very athletic man walked up the stairs and introduced himself as Ned Gillette. He unfolded a drawing with a design for a rowboat, and said he intended to use it for a row from South America to Antarctica.I was young…

12 Nov 2020

Weld Failure Led to Barge Allision -NTSB

The damaged James T. Wilson fishing pier with debris on the deck of the barge is depicted in this photo taken Nov. 17, 2019. (Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard)

A failed weld ultimately led to a barge breaking loose from its mooring and heavily damaging a pier, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.Investigators determined a weld on a shackle that connected a construction barge to a mooring chain failed, allowing the deck barge YD71 to break free from its mooring in stormy weather and drift about two miles to the south before it contacted and damaged an entertainment pier and grounded on a beach just north of a fishing pier in Hampton…

29 Dec 2020

River Dance: Grounding Triggers Breakaway Barges

© kikimor / Adobe Stock

It was a beautiful mid-summer afternoon in the nation’s heartland. The skies were clear, the sun was shining and the variable southwest breeze barely caused a ripple on the muddy water of the winding river. Optimistic fishermen lined the riverbanks and a few recreational boaters were cruising close to the floating docks lining both shores.This tranquil scene on this busy waterway was about to change…and quickly.A parting of the waysAbout a half mile upriver, a 95-foot tug was proceeding southbound on a slow bell with two barges made up end-to-end along her starboard side.

10 Feb 2021

Cummins QSK95s: Big Electric Power for Conversion of Ariake to FPSO

Oil Tanker, ARIAKE ready for Conversion. (Photo courtesy Cummins/Haig-Brown)

Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels are essential tools in the search for oil  in deeper waters, further from shore-based facilities. Typically, the large FPSO is stationary with a number of wells feeding oil into its holds. The oil can then be pumped off to shuttle tankers that transport it to shore side tanks and refineries.FPSOs are big expensive pieces of equipment. Some of them are converted from ocean going oil tankers. Such is the case with the 333 by 60-meter, very large crude carrier, VLCC Ariake, which was purchased for conversion to an FPSO.

28 Mar 2021

Ship Blocking Suez Canal Moves Slightly, Unclear When it Will Refloat

(Photo: Suez Canal Authority)

Efforts to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have allowed its stern and rudder to move, but it remains unclear when the vessel will be refloated, the head of the canal authority said on Saturday.The 400 metre (430 yard) long Ever Given became wedged diagonally across a southern section of the canal amid high winds early on Tuesday, blocking one of the world’s busiest waterways.A combination of dredging material from around the ship and pulling and pushing the vessel with tugboats made minor progress in dislodging the ship on Saturday, two SCA sources said.