CATEGORIES

Moran Bolsters Norfolk Fleet With Beamy 93-footer

East Coast ports are competing for the larger containerships now moving through the Panama Canal, and tugboat companies that work these harbors are bulking up to meet demand. Moran Towing’s 6,000-hp Clayton W. Moran, which arrived in the Port of Virginia in March, is the latest example.

Petchem Tug Turning Heads In Busy Florida Port

With larger ships now calling in at many East Coast ports, tugboat operators have responded by building more powerful azimuthing stern drive (ASD) tugboats that are more capable of safely docking, undocking and escorting the massive vessels.

New Workboat Replaces Venerable Nassco Yard Tug

When it came time to replace the venerable Mr. Ed, a yard tug that has served General Dynamics NASSCO for more than 35 years, there was no need to reinvent a proven performer — a couple of tweaks here, an equipment upgrade there and cleaner-burning engines filled the bill.

US Gas Company Hit With Record Jones Act Fine For Using Chinese Ship

After a six-year dispute, natural gas producer Furie Operating Alaska LLC agreed in late March to pay the U.S. government $10 million in the biggest Jones Act fine to date. 

PSC Ship Detentions Lowest In Five Years, But Fire Violations Rise Again

The U.S. Coast Guard detained fewer foreign-flagged ships for environmental and safety-related deficiencies in 2016, with the number falling from 202 in 2015 to 103 — a five-year low.

Tug Captains Fault Training, Asset Shortage At Expanded Panama Canal

A year after the Panama Canal opened its new locks to accommodate larger ships, tugboat captains say canal officials still have not addressed many safety concerns, including a lack of training and a shortage of tugs that can handle the challenges of the expanded waterway.

High- Powered Pumper Fills Critical Response Gap In San Francisco

High-powered pumper fills critical response gap in San Francisco.

NTSB Cites Inadequate Manning, Fatigue In Fatal Sinking Of NY Tug

Before dawn on a late winter morning, Specialist and two other tugboats approached the site of the new Tappan Zee Bridge with a massive crane barge in tow. Specialist’s mate, then at the controls, believed his tug had enough space to clear a construction barge ahead.

Helmsman's Steering Error Cited In Columbia River Bulker Grounding

The bulk carrier Sparna was outbound on the Columbia River with a load of wheat when it left the navigation channel and struck a charted reef near Wauna, Ore., leaving large rocks lodged inside the hull.

Dakota Creek Seeks Jones Act Waiver For New Processor Vessel

Dakota Creek Seeks Jones Act Waiver For New Processor Vessel

New Jones Act ammonia Carrier Delivers For Fertilizer Giant

New Jones Act ammonia Carrier Delivers For Fertilizer Giant

NTSB Urges Better Storm Forecasts, Timelier Bulletins For Mariners

NTSB Urges Better Storm Forecasts, Timelier Bulletins For Mariners

unions protest as chouest gets alaska tanker escort contract

the leaders of two maritime unions say that a 10-year contract to escort oil tankers in alaska’s prince william sound was unfairly awarded to the louisiana-based company edison chouest offshore.

towing

stone-moving tugboat fleet leads new york canal renaissance.

Rush Deliveries Job One For Columbia Bar Newcomer

On a cold day in March, the pilot boat Astoria appeared as a streak of yellow, piercing a thick gray mist shrouding the mouth of the Columbia River.

NTSB: Electrical Issue Likely Cause Of Intense Tugboat Fire Off Florida

The fire that gutted the ocean-going tugboat Thomas Dann last year likely started near an engine room fuse box, federal investigators said in a recent report.

IMO's Mandates Help Methanol Gain Traction As Marine Fuel

There are a number of compelling reasons why methanol should be adopted for use as a marine fuel, according to its advocates.

Sabine Pilots bank on new boat's deep-V hull design

The Sabine Pilots took delivery of the 53.5-foot Port Arthur, a Chesapeake-class aluminum pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding of Somerset, Mass., last spring. Port Arthur replaced the 45-foot Sabine Pass Pilot built by Breaux’s Bay Craft in Loreauville, La., in 1975.

Tight bridges, summer boaters keep Lakes pilots vigilant

“Sécurité, sécurité, sécurité, saltwater vessel Isolda to depart Andersons K in 20 minutes,” announced George Haynes, a pilot with the Lakes Pilots Association. It was 1228 and, VHF in hand, he stood near the helm of Isolda, a 656-foot Polsteam bulk carrier that had just sealed the hatches over 22,000 metric tons of corn bound for Porto, Portugal, from elevators along the Maumee River at Andersons Grain & Ethanol in Toledo, Ohio.

Z-Drive Tug Boosts Petchem's Pull In Port Canaveral

The Grecian blue super structure of Christine S., Petchem Inc.’s new azimuthing stern drive tug, lends an Aegean tone to the seaside palette of Port Canaveral, Fla.

Grounded Tug Declines Tow, Then Breaches, Spills Fuel Along BC Coast

After running aground at night near Bella Bella, British Columbia, the captain of an articulated tug-barge told the Canadian Coast Guard that the ATB was not in danger of sinking.

Converted Alaska Crabber Pursues Sharks For Science

A ship anchored five miles southwest of Montauk Point Light on Long Island for several weeks last August had an unusual profile — a large boxy deckhouse far aft and high bow with significant open deck space in between.

IPS-Driven Manatee Step Up For Tampa Bay Pilots

Manatee, fast and sleek and seeming to come out of nowhere, snugged up abreast of the pilot’s ladder on the hull of the 611-foot break-bulk ship Texas Enterprise. Capt. John Timmel, a 29-year veteran and senior pilot with the Tampa Bay Pilots Association, descended the ladder and stepped aboard the new pilot boat.

Compact Shaver Z-drive Long On Power, Versatility

Capt. Gary Setvin, at the helm of the 80-foot z-drive tug Sommer S., likes that the boat is compact. He applauds the maneuverability, the power and the comfort of the vessel, “but its greatest feature is that it is short and you can apply power in tight spaces.”

New Bisso Tug Reaffirms 20-year Commitment to Z-drives

Mr. Ruben, constructed at Main Iron Works, is the 10th tugboat that the Houma, La., yard has delivered to Bisso Towboat of New Orleans. The last six, including the newest vessel, have been equipped with z-drive propulsion.

Ultrasonic Antifouling Grows as ‘Green' Option for Vessel Owners

By using sound waves, ultrasonic antifouling can prevent the growth of algae, barnacles and slime on boat hulls and interiors, and can protect sea chests and box coolers as well.

NTSB Cites Towboat Captain's Cellphone Use in $60 Million Accident

Federal investigators believe a towboat captain’s cell phone use was a key factor in chain of collisions last year on the Lower Mississippi River.

british columbia's new cable ferry always on its moorings

this is not a regular ferry, this is not a regular ferry.

Towing

Industry officials apprehensive about cuts in Trump’s ‘skinny’ budget.

A Fond Look Back, From Below, At America's Premier Ocean Liner

Robert Sturm, a 1956 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy graduate, spends every Thursday back on campus at Kings Point, N.Y.