Tug&Salvage News - The Maritime Executive

U.S. Navy Salvors Remove Oil from A-Bomb Test Ship

By MarEx 2018-09-19 21:05:19

The U.S. Navy's Office of the Supervisor of Salvage is leading an effort to remove fuel oil from the sunken heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, a WWII war prize that was used in the American atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. The Prinz Eugen was one of five Admiral Hipper-class cruisers built for Nazi Germany by the Germaniawerft yard in Kiel. She participated in the attack on HMS Hood in May 1941, but she spent much of the rest of the...

Likely Wreck Site of HMB Endeavour Discovered

By MarEx 2018-09-19 19:04:24

A team from the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) believe that they have found the wreck of the HMB Endeavour, the famous ship that carried Capt. James Cook on his voyage of discovery to Australia and New Zealand. Her Majesty's Bark HMB Endeavour (also referred to as HMS Endeavour) was built in 1764 as the Earl of Pembroke, a merchant collier. The Royal Navy purchased her four years later, and with then-Lieutenant Cook as her commander, she set...

Ferry Burns and Sinks off Sulawesi

By MarEx 2018-09-18 21:38:22

On Friday afternoon, the wooden ferry Fungka Permata V burned and sank off Banggai Laut, a group of islands off Sulawesi, Indonesia. She was carrying about 150 passengers and crewmembers at the time of the sinking. Response officials received notification of the accident at about 1600 hours, and a rescue vessel arrived on site at 1700 with military servicemembers and police officials on board. They rescued 114 passengers and 12 members of the crew, including 28 individuals who sustained injuries. According...

Langley Douglas’ main deck during a previous voyage, with about 18,000–20,000 pounds of squid in the hog pen. (Photo by crewmember)

Twenty-Five Foot Basking Shark Led to Fishing Vessel Capsize

By MarEx 2018-09-18 18:45:17

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has released an investigation report into the sinking of the commercial fishing vessel Langley Douglas in September 2017, noting the presence of a 25-foot basking shark in the catch and the captain's subsequent decision making. The 79-foot-long, 143-gross ton vessel developed a port list, capsized and subsequently sank 60 miles east of Cape Charles, Virginia. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescued the five people on board. No injuries or pollution were reported. The Langley Douglas...

NTSB Releases El Faro Investigation Video

By MarEx 2018-09-18 17:44:44

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a video summarizing the NTSB investigation of the October 1, 2015, sinking of El Faro and the loss of all 33 mariners aboard. The video examines the NTSB’s determination of the cause of the accident and discusses associated recommendations to improve marine safety. It also highlights the three missions undertaken to retrieve the voyage data recorder and document the wreckage, which was found 15,000 feet beneath the ocean's surface. In February,...

Coast Guard Responds to Flooding as Florence Departs

By MarEx 2018-09-18 15:02:00

Hurricane Florence has moved inland from the Carolinas and weakened into a tropical depression, but the rescue and recovery effort in the Mid-Atlantic is far from over. In Wilmington, where the storm made landfall, rainfall upstream means that rivers are still rising and floodwaters are still spreading. The Coast Guard, National Guard, U.S. Army, state and local SAR efforts have continued as the floods prompt new emergency response requests. Cary, NC swift water respnse...

Coast Guard Hurricane Response Continues in North Carolina

By MarEx 2018-09-17 19:49:17

The U.S. Coast Guard and other branches of the armed forces have been conducting a round-the-clock rescue and response operation in North Carolina since Hurricane Florence's arrival last Friday. Coast Guard helicopter crews redeployed from around the region in preparation for the storm, and are currently operating out of Elizabeth City and Savannah, Georgia. These aircrews have rescued more than 400 people and 200 pets in North Carolina since the hurricane landed. In addition, the service's shallow...

Typhoon Mangkhut Roars Across Philippines and Hong Kong

By MarEx 2018-09-17 10:56:37

Typhoon Mangkhut passed over Hong Kong, Macau and southern Guangdong province over the weekend, bringing high winds and torrential rains. The massive storm had already caused extensive damage on the island of Luzon, the Philippines, and it passed through the American territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands last week. According to the Hong Kong Observatory, Mangkhut clocked in at up to 155 knots as it moved across the Western Pacific, and it arrived in Luzon with a maximum sustained...

Video: Twenty-Eight Rescued After Fishing Boat Fire

By MarEx 2018-09-15 17:11:43

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a fishing boat on fire with 28 people aboard on Friday. The incident involving the 131-foot vessel occurred 46 miles southwest of Serranilla Bank, Colombia. The Coast Guard sent assets to the scene after receiving a report from the Jamaican Defence Force, and a HC-130 Hercules airplane crew located the fishing boat. The crew aboard the Challenge Pollux, a 774-foot tanker, responded to the the Coast Guard's call for assistance and rescued all 28...

Fire Breaks Out at Lürssen Shipyard

By MarEx 2018-09-14 15:18:01

At 0200 hours on Friday, a fire broke out in a 400-foot floating drydock at the Lürssen Shipyard in Bremen, Germany. The blaze also affected a yacht within the dock. According to Lürssen, all personnel aboard the vessel were evacuated and examined for smoke inhalation injury. The rest of the yard was also evacuated, and more than 110 firefighters and 30-40 firefighting vehicles responded to the scene. A team from the Jos. L. Meyer shipyard also provided support. Lürssen said that...