Tag: towing vessels

USCG informed that the TugSafe Lite has been expanded and retitled TugSafe Central. TugSafe Central is an online source for Subchapter M compliance requirements and guidance. However, TugSafe Central should not be used as a standalone source to determine compliance with Subchapter M. 

NTSB released its report on the ground of the towing vessel Eric Haney, on the Mississippi River, on July 8, 2017. When the vessel ran aground all crewmembers climbed aboard one of the empty barges without any reported injuries. The barges broke free, and the Eric Haney partially sank. Minimal oil sheening was noted after the sinking.

The Subchapter M regulations provide minimum safety, lifesaving, construction, machinery, electrical, and operational requirements for US towing vessels. All applicable towing vessels must be in compliance with the Subchapter M by 20 July 2018.

On 3 May 2017, the USCG response boat 'CG 29113' allided with the Highway 11 Bridge while responding to a non-distress search and rescue case involving an adrift sailboat in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The accident caused a minor injury to one USCG crew member and damage estimated at $337,000 to the CG 29113.

USCG published the latest additions and updates to the Frequently Asked Questions regarding Subchapter M, inspected towing vessels, as of May 2018. The Subchapter M regulations provide minimum safety, lifesaving, construction, machinery, electrical, and operational requirements for US towing vessels. All applicable towing vessels must be in compliance with the Subchapter M by 20 July 2018.

The NTSB issued an investigation report on the collision and sinking of the towing vessel 'Todd Brow', in the Lower Mississippi River, in April 2017, which led to an estimated $1.5 million damage and a release of approximately 100 gallons of diesel fuel into the water.

USCG updated its Frequently Asked Questions regarding Subchapter M, inspected towing vessels, as of May 2018. Subchapter M provides minimum safety, lifesaving, construction, machinery, electrical, and operational requirements for US towing vessels. All applicable towing vessels must be in compliance with the Subchapter M by 20 July 2018. 

The USCG Marine Safety Unit Portland issued an initial Certificate of Inspection to Tidewater Barge Lines’ towing vessel 'Crown Point' that operates out of Vancouver. This COI is the first of its kind on the US West Coast issued to a towing vessel, in accordance with Subchapter M. 

On 11 March 2017, the towing vessel 'Steve Plummer' was pushing three loaded barges on the Cumberland River, Tennessee. As the tow passed beneath the CSX Railroad Bridge at mile 190.4, the second and third barges allided with the bridge’s upstream guard pier. The two barges sustained damage.

The crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter 'Resolute' offloaded approximately 1 ton of marijuana Tuesday in St. Petersburg worth an estimated $2.2 million total wholesale seized during a 71-day deployment in international waters in the Caribbean Sea.