“The last of the dairy farms on the island shut down because it wasn’t worth sending a truck down to haul the milk,” said Capt. Ray Peek when asked about the economy on Puget Island, a flat piece of verdant meadows and sloughs in the Columbia River.
While life may have slowed on the island, which is joined by bridge to Cathlamet on the Washington shore, the state’s Wahkiakum County has shown tremendous support and recognition of the ferry link between the island and the Oregon side of the river.
When the county, with fewer than 4,000 residents, decided that it needed a new ferry, it employed a grant writer who raised the funds necessary to get the process going. After a long and involved effort, the county was able to contract Elliott Bay Design Group to design a new steel-hulled vessel capable of carrying 23 cars in four lanes of deck space. The 115-by-47-foot Oscar B was built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, Wash.
The vessel, the last cross river ferry on the Lower Columbia, went into service in February 2015. It replaced a 12-car ferry built by Nichols Boat Works in Hood River, Ore. The final cost of Oscar B, approximately $6 million, included state and federal grants.
The ferry’s name, like the boat itself, is a fine tribute to a professional mariner. Oscar Bergseng ran vessels on the route 365 days per year for 17 years starting in 1948. In 1962, he was instrumental in having the county take over the ferry from a series of private-sector operators. Bergseng continued as a manager for the ferry until his death in 1985.
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Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Professional Mariner.
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Mariner's role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed
Mariners’ role still unknown as autonomous shipping gains speed
Piracy edges closer to home with wave of raids in southern Gulf
In the brief cellphone video recorded by a crewmember on the offshore supply vessel (OSV) Remas, the pirates walk back and forth on the deck of the ship, clenching their guns and using them to point as they order around the crew. Their faces are draped in clothing and bandanas.
Casualties
NTSB: Dredge hit Texas gas pipeline, causing fire that killed four
IMO emissions report raises new concerns about methane slip
A recent report from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reveals that global shipping emissions increased nearly 10 percent from 2012 to 2018, with the industry facing a growing challenge concerning methane slip.
Bay State brothers find industry niche by making old into new
Zero non-conformities is what you want to hear when the U.S. Coast Guard inspects your tugboat. Once you’ve prepared your vessel, the inspectors come aboard to peruse your paperwork. They ask you pointed questions, to which they expect straightforward answers. Perusal completed, they then scrutinize all of the related safety systems, from bilge to antennas — even the ship’s bell.
Signals
A year into the pandemic, thousands ‘essentially indentured’ on ships
Analysis points to faulty loading, low ballast in Golden Ray rollover
While the salvage of the sunken vehicle carrier Golden Ray has been delayed for months due to COVID-19 and the hurricane season, analysis by the U.S. Coast Guard has determined a possible cause for the rollover: a combination of vehicles placed too high on the ship’s decks, and not enough ballast water gave the placement of the cargo.
Seastreak newcomer pushing through dip in demand
Two years ago, Seastreak LLC took delivery of Seastreak Commodore, a 600-passenger fast ferry, from Gulf Craft of Franklin, La. Designed by Australia-based Incat Crowther, the vessel is the largest of its kind in the United States and was built to meet the burgeoning demand for service in the New York-New Jersey market.
New year in a new world: Navigating COVID's maritime realities
In a matter of days, the decorative time balls will drop, “Auld Lang Syne” will fill the air, and ships at anchor will sound their horns as the world welcomes in the new year.
Advanced props, rudders provide new efficiencies below the waterline
It took a decade or two from the invention of the marine propeller in the 19th century for the technology to become widely accepted. Thereafter, adoption has been nearly universal, but progress toward improved efficiencies has come in fits and starts.
