Tug&SalvageNews
New Report Details Ballast Water Systems' Operating Challenges
ABS has released a detailed report on a worldwide shipowner workshop series on ballast water treatment systems. Anecdotal reports of BWTS challenges have circulated for some time, but the report provides detailed insight from shipowners about the specific nature of these issues - and the best ways to address them. To form a better picture of the industry's progress on BWM compliance, ABS held workshops in New Orleans, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Athens, reaching more than 60 shipowners and operators...
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NTSB: Corrosion and Wastage Led to Towboat Sinking
On March 6, 2018, the towboat Ms Nancy C was moving cargo barges on Everett Lake, a long lake connected to the Mississippi River. At about 1630 hours, a deckhand discovered water in a void towards the stern. The captain and the deckhand attempted to dewater it, but it began to go down, and they escaped to their barge tow without injury before it partially sank by the stern. Upon raising her, investigators found signs of significant corrosion and wastage...
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Tanker Fire Kills Two off South Korea
[Brief] Early Wednesday morning, a small tanker caught fire off the coast of Odong Island, South Korea, killing two and injuring one. The fire broke out at 0538 hours at a position about two nm to the east of Odong. Four good samaritan vessels, a military vessel, and multiple SAR units responded to the scene. Four of the tanker's six crewmembers were rescued, and responders succeeded in bringing the fire under control by about 0930 hours. The two remaining...
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Photos: Container Feeder Capsizes at Bandar Abbas
On March 19, a container ship capsized at the port of Bandar Abbas, Iran, sending 153 containers into the water. Iranian officials believe that the accident happened due to improper loading. Iranian maritime official Mehdi Haghshenas told state media that the casualty was caused by “poor coordination between the ship’s first officer and the crane operator." Images courtesy Velji Global Logistics ship sank...
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U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Two Fishermen in Gulf of Guinea
On March 14, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Thetis rescued two fishermen in the Gulf of Guinea, about 40 miles south of Sierra Leone. The local authories had already classified the rescuees as missing and presumed dead. Watchstanders aboard Thetis spotted a 22-foot fishing vessel adrift with two people who appeared to be in distress, and they diverted to provide assistance. Coastguardsmen aboard Thetis provided food, water, and fuel to the fishermen and safely transferred them and their vessel to the Sierra Leone Maritime Authority to...
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Sunken Con/Ro Was Carrying Top-End Porsche 911s
When the con/ro Grande America sank in the Bay of Biscay earlier this month, she was carrying about 2,200 tonnes of fuel oil, and the resulting spill has forced French authorities to launch a large response effort. She was also carrying 2,000 cars, including a shipment of the most powerful Porsche 911s ever made. According to Carscoops, Grande America's vehicle decks contained four Porsche 911 GT2 RS sports cars, along with a range of more commonplace Porsche and Audi vehicles...
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One Missing After Towboat Capsizes on Mississippi
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for the master of the towboat Seattle Slew, which capsized at 2012 hours on the Mississippi near Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana. The Slew went down near Myrtle Grove Fleet, a fleeting facility about 50 miles downriver from New Orleans. Two crewmembers jumped over the side and were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The vessel's captain, identified as David Mills, remains missing. The Crescent River Port Pilot's Association confirmed Tuesday that the wreck has...
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Photos: Indian Coast Guard Rescues Six from Sinking Tug
On Monday morning, the Indian Coast Guard rescued six crewmembers from the water after their tug capsized and sank in the Arabian Sea. A seventh member of the crew is still missing. The Indian Coast Guard received a distress call from the tug Revti early on Monday. The patrol vessel Amartya was about 12 nm away from the tug's position, and she diverted to the scene to assist. She arrived at about 1100 hours to find the crew in distress....
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Svitzer Hires First All-Female Tug Crew in Latin America
Towage operator, Svitzer has hired its first all-female crew in the Dominican Republic. The Svitzer Monte Cristi, a 70-ton tugboat, sails the waters of Rio Haina and Caucedo helping maneuver larger vessels so they can dock, undo or be driven through the channels. "Many things that we presume to be done through physical force, in reality, only require technical intelligence and the right tools,” said Chief Engineer of Svitzer Monte Cristi, Marysabel Moreno. “Many may think that women do not...
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Multiple Storage Tanks on Fire at Deer Park Complex
Six petrochemical storage tanks are on fire at the International Terminal Co. storage farm at Houston's sprawling Deer Park refining complex. The fire began yesterday and spread quickly, and at its peak, seven filled tanks were alight. The affected tanks contain gasoline, xylene, naphtha and lubricant base oil. No injuries have been reported, and the plume of smoke and gas from the fire has been ascending up into the atmosphere, away from residents, according to county officials. That could change later...
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