Tag: towing vessels

On the evening hours of 4 May, the tug 'AHT Carrier' was towing the tanker 'Order' off South Africa, when her tow line parted and fouled her propeller. The tugboat was unable to recover the tow rope to reattach a towline to the tanker and both vessels began to drift towards shore, according to NSRI.

Marine salvage experts are considering a plan to tug icebergs from Antarctica to Cape Town, as part of a strategy to solve the region’s water shortage. It is estimated that a single iceberg could produce about 150 million liters per day for about a year, around 30% of the city’s needs.

The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore signed a MoU with Keppel Offshore & Marine and the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine, Singapore, to jointly develop autonomous vessels for a variety of operations, including channeling, berthing, mooring and towing operations.

The US Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg has issued an initial Certificate of Inspection to the towing vessel 'Endeavor' of Marine Towing of Tampa. This marks the first COI to be issued in accordance with the Subchapter M towing vessel regulations, according to USCG Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance.

'Maersk Honam' will eventually be towed to Port of Jebel Ali, Dubai, where cargo will be off-loaded. The estimated time of arrival is in approximately two weeks, according to MSC. Based on the details to date, most containers located in front of the accommodation area are damaged by fire, heat or the water used to fight the fire.

USCG informed of how Subchapter M may affect a towing vessel’s ability to be used as a resource provider in a Vessel Response Plan, from two perspectives: the towing vessel owner/operator and the VRP holder. USCG will begin enforcing Subchapter M towing vessel regulations, on 20 July 2018.

The US Coast Guard informed that it is currently responding to a report of a sunken towing vessel at mile marker 832 of Everett Lake near Dyersburg, Tennessee, on Tuesday, March 6. Watchstanders at US Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River received a report, informing them that the motor vessel "Ms Nancy C", was in the process of building a tow at a fleeting area when it started taking on water.

On the aftermath of a recent incident involving death of a tow vessel Captain, the USCG issued a Safety Alert to remind commercial towing and salvage operators to assess operational risks at all times and continually reassess risks based on weather, equipment, experience, and evolving conditions on-scene.

The USCG and the American Waterways Operators released the National Quality Steering Committee’s annual safety report, containing freight carrying towing industry data and measures for 1994-2016. The report looks at crew fatalities per 100,000 workers, gallons of oil spilled, and the number of towing vessel marine casualties.

The US Coast Guard informed that it will begin issuing Certificates of Inspection to any vessel that uses the Towing Safety Management System option to comply with 46 CFR Subchapter M. An announcement will be made if the Coast Guard is ready to issue COIs before July 20, 2018.