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Marine Board News

15 Nov 2023

Authorities Reviewing Evidence from Titan Submersible Tragedy

Coast Guard marine safety engineers conduct a survey of the aft titanium endcap from Titan in the North Atlantic Ocean October 1, 2023. (Photo: U.S. National Transportation Safety Board)

Authorities from the U.S., Canada and France are combing through evidence recovered from the Titan submersible that suffered a catastrophic implosion en route to the wreckage of the Titanic in June.Investigators from the U.S. Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) and the French Marine Casualty Investigation Authority (BEAmer) conducted an onsite evidence review in Newport, R.I., on November 8, as part of their respective…

10 Oct 2023

Titan Submersible Debris and Human Remains Recovered from the Seafloor

Coast Guard marine safety engineers assigned to the Marine Safety Center, working for the Marine Board of Investigation for the Titan submersible case, conduct a survey of the aft titanium endcap from Titan in the North Atlantic Ocean October 1, 2023. The endcap was recently recovered from the seafloor and successfully transferred to a U.S. port for analysis. (Photo: U.S. National Transportation Safety Board)

The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday said its engineers recovered remaining debris and presumed human remains from the imploded Titan submersible in the North Atlantic.The evidence recovered from the seafloor by marine safety engineers with the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) was transferred to shore for analysis as part of ongoing investigations into the fatal incident.In June, the Titan imploded while on a voyage to visit the wreck site of the famed sunken ocean liner Titanic, killing all five people on board.

26 Jun 2023

USCG Launches Titan Submersible Investigation

(File photo: OceanGate Expeditions)

The U.S. Coast Guard convened a Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) -- the highest level of investigation in the Coast Guard -- into the loss of the Titan submersible and the five people on board. The crew of the Polar Prince research vessel lost contact with the Titan submersible 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive on Sunday, June 18, 2023. After an extensive search and rescue effort, wreckage of the Titan submersible was located on the ocean floor approximately 500 meters off the bow of the Titanic.

04 Oct 2022

Geoquip Names Turner CEO

(Photo: Geoquip Marine)

Geotechnical data acquisition company Geoquip Marine appointed Richard Turner as its new Chief Executive Officer with former CEO Stewart Higginson moving to the role of Executive Chairperson. Existing Chairperson, Peter Østergaard Nielsen will remain on the Geoquip Marine board as a Non-Executive Director.Turner has considerable experience as a CEO and specifically of the offshore energy sector. He joins Geoquip Marine from British Engines, where he was also CEO. Prior to this Richard served as President and CEO of JDR Cable Systems.

13 Aug 2021

Seacor Power Public Hearing Concludes

A U.S. Coast Guard Response Boat-Medium boat crew heads toward the capsized lift boat Seacor Power about 8 miles off Port Fourchon, La. on April 13, 2021. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Coast Guard Cutter Glenn Harris)

The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board on Friday wrapped up the formal public hearing proceedings into the sinking of the liftboat Seacor Power and the death of 13 of its 19 crewmembers in the Gulf of Mexico.The Seacor Power capsized in heavy winds and seas on April 13, 2021, about seven miles south of Port Fourchon, La. Six crewmembers were initially rescued, and six were recovered unresponsive during the course of the response.Over the course of the nearly two-week-long hearing…

09 Feb 2021

OXE Marine Announces Leadership Change

(Image: OXE Marine)

OXE Marine's board of directors has appointed board member Magnus Grönborg as CEO as part of a management team reorganization that includes current CEO Myron Mahendra shifting to EVP Business Development, Sales and Marketing. In addition, the chairman of the board Anders Berg will assume an operational role with the management team. Grönborg will replace Mahendra as CEO in the coming months, with the closer date yet to be agreed.The management shuffle comes as the diesel outboard engine manufacturer moves into its next phase of its development…

07 Jan 2021

Digital Twins: Rivers, Oceans, Harbors Recreated

(Photo: Seamens’ Church Institute)

In 2001, George Burkley, a maritime educator, wrote a look-ahead article for Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, presenting the benefits and real-world payoffs from using simulators in maritime education. In the late 1990s, new tech and software advances were creating scenario programs that moved a student closer and closer to the realities demanded by, well, reality. “The future is here, and we are ready to simulate it,” Burkley concluded.Burkley is now executive director at the Maritime Pilots Institute in Covington, La.

18 Feb 2020

Anatomy of a Marine Casualty Investigation

MV Argo Merchant was a Liberian-flagged oil tanker that ran aground and sank southeast of Nantucket Island, Mass., on Dec. 15, 1976, causing one of the largest marine oil spills in history. U.S. Coast Guard Archives

Blank Rome’s maritime attorneys have represented clients in some of the largest maritime casualties in the last 20 years, including the Staten Island Ferry allision with a maintenance pier in New York, the blow out and eventual loss of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the sinking of the El Faro during Hurricane Joaquin, and the collision between the Navy Destroyer USS John S. McCain and the tanker ALNIC MC in the Singapore Strait. These casualties have resulted in the catastrophic loss of life…

04 Feb 2020

Vessel Safety: US House Subcommittee Seeks Faster Implementation

The diving boat Conception burns off the coast of Santa Cruz island on September 2, 2019. (Photo released by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office)

In November the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee held a hearing on “Commercial and Passenger Vessel Safety: Challenges and Opportunities.” Testimony covered a range of issues, from recent tragedies such as the Conception dive-boat disaster to antiquated maritime laws.Hearing witness list:Rear Admiral Richard V. Timme, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, United States Coast GuardThe Honorable Richard Balzano…

02 Oct 2019

Koniordos Appointed CEO of Yara

Dr Thomas Koniordos  (Photo: Yara Marine Technologies)

Yara, a Norwegian based scrubber supplier announced a change of leadership as Dr. Thomas Koniordos was introduced as the company’s new CEO. Koniordos, who up until September 18, served as Yara’s Head of Environmental Solutions, and also as Chairman of the Yara Marine Board, will succeed Peter Strandberg, the company's founder. Before joining Yara International in 2015 as head of the Environmental Business Line, Koniordos served for 14 years in various management functions and geographies in Danfoss.

23 Sep 2019

Ardmore Appoints Dr. Tikka to Board of Directors

Dr. Kirsi Tikka (Photo: Ardmore Shipping)

Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE: ASC) (“Ardmore”) has announced the appointment of Dr. Kirsi Tikka to the company’s Board of Directors.Dr. Tikka has over 30 years of shipping experience having recently retired from the American Bureau of Shipping  (“ABS”) in July 2019. She joined ABS in 2001 and held various specialist and leadership positions within ABS including as ABS Executive Vice President Global Marine, Europe Division President, and as Vice President and Chief Engineer, Global.

23 Jul 2019

Roughead Joins Fincantieri Marinette Marine Board

Adm. Gary Roughead  (Photo: Fincantieri Marinette Marine)

Former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead was elected as the chairman of the board of directors of Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corporation July 10.Roughead was the 29th Chief of Naval Operations from 2007 - 2011, after holding six operational commands. He is one of only two officers in the history of the Navy to have commanded both the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific Fleets.Roughead served in several key positions aside from his sea duties, most notably as the commandant of the U.S.

29 Apr 2019

Alaska Ranger: “Shipwrecked in Alaska”

(Image: Discovery Canada)

On the night of March 23, 2008, most of the crew sleeps while fishing vessel Alaska Ranger makes her way to the rich fishing grounds off the coast of Alaska. As the Engineer makes his nightly rounds, he discovers a serious flood in the rudder room. He raises the alarm and the captain issues a Mayday call. But before the crew can investigate the source of the leak, the rising water reaches their electrical systems and the ship loses power. With the ship listing and in danger of sinking, the captain orders the crew to abandon ship.

27 Dec 2018

Third Party Oversight

File Image: the El Faro's VDR as it looked installed on the vessel.

... one year after the commandant’s Final Action Memo on the El Faro sinking.“… the Coast Guard is ultimately responsible to monitor the performance of third parties that perform delegated functions and also to guarantee the effectiveness of vessel inspections and surveys. Yet the Coast Guard failed to adequately oversee the third party in this case, and the investigation reveals that the Coast Guard has not sustained the proficiency and policy framework to do so in general. The…

13 Jun 2018

Green Marine Elects New Chairman of the Board

William D. Friedman (Photo: Port of Cleveland)

President and CEO of the Port of Cleveland, William D. Friedman, was elected chairman of the Green Marine’s Board of Directors following the corporation’s Annual General Meeting on May 31, during GreenTech 2018, in Vancouver B.C. Friedman has been sitting on the Green Marine Board since 2013.The Port of Cleveland is one of the environmental program’s founding members. “I’ve been engaged on the Green Marine board for the last five years, and the Port of Cleveland has adopted a similar commitment as a member.

03 Apr 2018

Lessons Learned from the El Faro Casualty

El Faro wreckage on the seafloor (Photo: NTSB)

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued an alert informing operators of the role that the main propulsion lube oil system was found to have played in the 2015 sinking of U.S. cargo ship El Faro. All 33 crew on board died when the 790-foot El Faro sank close to the eye of Hurricane Joaquin near the Bahamas on October 1, 2015, while en route from Jacksonville, Fla. to Puerto Rico. Loss of propulsion during extremely heavy weather was revealed as a major contributing factor to the vessel’s sinking, according to The Coast Guard Marine Board Report on the incident.

27 Dec 2017

El Faro and Perceived Deficiencies in the ACP

he Marine Board’s report, which is not final until approved by the Commandant, found no single cause for this tragic event. Rather, as in most such incidents, there were numerous factors that combined in the fatal voyage of El Faro. (Photo: NTSB)

The October 1, 2015 loss of the U.S. cargo vessel El Faro along with its 33 member crew led to the convening of a Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation charged with determining as closely as possible the cause(s) of the casualty; whether there is evidence that any failure of material was involved; whether there is evidence of misconduct, inattention to duty, negligence, or willful violation of law; and whether there is evidence that government personnel contributed to the casualty. The Marine Board released its report on October 1, 2017, the second anniversary of the casualty.

21 Dec 2017

USCG Releases Final Statement on El Faro Sinking

(Photo: NTSB)

The U.S. Coast Guard has released its final action memo on the loss of the S.S. El Faro and its 33 crew members during a 2015 hurricane near Crooked Island, Bahamas. In the final action memo, Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft approved the findings of fact, analysis and conclusions detailed in the Marine Board of Investigation’s Report of Investigation (ROI), essentially marking it as the official Coast Guard position on the cause of the marine casualty. failure of the Coast Guard to adequately oversee the third party in this case…

06 Oct 2017

USCG: Remain Upright by Fully Understanding Vessel Stability

Photo: Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation

This Safety Alert addresses concerns related to vessel stability and watertight integrity. Recently, a marine casualty involving a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea resulted in multiple fatalities and complete loss of the vessel. A Marine Board of Investigation is currently analyzing the various circumstances surrounding the casualty. Although the investigation is not complete, testimony and fact finding indicate that vessel owners, operators, and crews should give special consideration to vessel stability concerns.

01 Aug 2017

Salvage and Marine Firefighting

© Lev Savitskiy / Adobe Stock

Salvage and marine firefighting are complex response efforts often undertaken in adverse weather and sea conditions. While no two oil spill responses are the same, the diversity of variation between any two oil spill responses is not near as great as the diversity of any two salvage and marine firefighting responses. As a result, salvage and marine firefighting response providers must plan for and anticipate a wide range of variation in what will be required to address their portion of a marine casualty. The U.S.

17 Feb 2017

US Probe into El Faro Disaster Concludes Public Hearings

Photo: NTSB

U.S. investigators stood in silence for 33 seconds on Friday as they concluded the public phase of a probe into the sinking of the El Faro cargo ship during a 2015 hurricane, recognizing each crew member aboard who died. The Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation, convened for the most serious accidents, heard two weeks of testimony in the last of a series of hearings on the worst disaster involving a U.S.-flagged vessel in more than three decades. Captain Jason Neubauer, the panel's chairman, said it had collected sufficient evidence for a forthcoming analysis.

06 Feb 2017

El Faro Conditions Probed in Final Hearing

The U.S. investigation into the deadly sinking of a cargo ship during a 2015 hurricane entered its final hearing on Monday, with ship conditions probed at the start of two weeks of testimony set to examine new detail on El Faro's last hours. The Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation, convened only for the most serious accidents, is looking for evidence of negligence or misconduct in the worst disaster involving a U.S.-flagged vessel in more than three decades. All 33 crew onboard died when the 790-foot (241-meter) El Faro sank during a hurricane on Oct. 1, 2015, two days after leaving Jacksonville, Florida on a cargo run to Puerto Rico.

23 Jan 2017

ASL Marine gets approval to delay redeeming $105m bonds

Singapore, 20 January 2017– ASL Marine Holdings Ltd. respectively. This means the maturity dates of Series 006 Notes and Series 007 Notes will each be extended for three years to March 2020 and October 2021 respectively. By giving approval to the Consent Solicitation, Noteholders will receive a coupon step-up, with coupon rates of 5.50% p.a. and 5.85% p.a. for Series 006 Notes and Series 007 Notes, commencing on 28 March 2017 and 1 April 2017 respectively, and which are to be increased by 0.5% p.a. thereafter. ASL Marine will also conduct mandatory redemption of 2.5% of the original principal amount of each series at par with interest accrued…