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20-CMI-0267_ad_QSK60 Tier 4 Product Launch_PrintAd_PM_v1.indd 1 1/19/21 3:35 PM ContProfessionale Marinernts M a r c h 2 0 2 1

Towing 14 Vane expands to Great Lakes with all-season asphalt trade

BY WILL VAN DORP 14

Book Excerpt 22 ‘Steaming to Djibouti’ colorfully 10 captures life on bygone supply ship Industry Signals BY CAPT. SEAN P. TORTORA 4 Crews overcome COVID, complex hurdles in Golden Ray salvage 7 Louisiana credentialing scam spurs ‘full-scale’ Coast Guard review 8 UN designates mariners as essential, but crew changes still in limbo 22 10 As threat rises, cyber-risk management now part of SMS protocol Trends 12 Insurers face uncharted risks as new 38 Rise of new fuels raises questions sea routes open in Arctic 4 about adequacy of mariner training

BY ALAN R. EARLS 38 Correspondence 42 White, black or red, Coast Guard needs new hulls

BY EDWARD LUNDQUIST A Mariner’s Notebook 48 Russia flexing its muscles, outflanking US as Arctic heats up

BY CAPT. KELLY SWEENEY www.professionalmariner.com 1 PROFESSIONAL

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2 Professional Mariner March 2021 ContProfessionale Marinernts M a r c h 2 0 2 1

18 18 Biden presidency points to growth for US offshore wind industry  BY NICK KEPPLER

33 18

Maritime Casualties 26 Conflict as tanker hits vessels, infrastructure: ‘Don’t listen to the pilot’ 30 Fabled Alaska ferry sinks after Washington pier collapses in storm 33 Crew rescued, fuel escapes as tugboat sinks off Puerto Rico 34 Loss of towline shackle pin cited in sinking of tug in Pacific 36 NTSB: Strong following current contributed to Illinois bridge strike

Vessels at Work 2424 24 New Orleans steps up ferry service with duo from Metal Shark

BY BRIAN GAUVIN

ON THE COVER

Capt. Gavin Fayard mans the helm of the passen- ger ferry RTA 2 as it heads across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans to Algiers. The 105-foot aluminum catamaran is one of two recent builds from Metal Shark now providing service on the route. See story, page 24. Brian Gauvin photo

www.professionalmariner.com 3 i n d u s t r y Signals

The bow of Golden Ray, being trans- ported on the Crow- ley barge Julie B., is guided along Bayou Chene in Louisiana on Dec. 29 on its way to a recycling

Coral Marine Services photo Services Marine Coral facility in Gibson, La. Vehicles can be seen inside the bow, below, after it was cut from the ship in St. Simons Sound. Crews overcome COVID, complex hurdles in Golden Ray salvage ne of the most challenging been working on Golden Ray’s salvage, Osalvage operations in U.S. mari- according to St. Simons Sound Inci- time history is making headway, piece dent Response. by piece, a year and a half after the “I’ve been working on response for vehicle carrier Golden Ray capsized and over 20 years, but not a salvage this caught fire in Georgia’s St. Simons complex, because there has never been Sound. a salvage that is this complex,” said The 656-foot ship, weighing in incident commander Chris Graff of at 71,178 gross tons, is resting on its Gallagher Marine Systems of Moore- starboard side about a half-mile from stown, N.J., which is overseeing the St. Simons Island. As many as 400 project. people and 50 vessels — including Golden Ray, carrying about 4,200 construction barges, tugboats and vehicles, was leaving the Port of

environmental response boats — have Brunswick on Sept. 8, 2019 when St. Simons Sound Incident Response photo

4 Professional Mariner March 2021 the ship capsized. All 24 crew were rescued. A preliminary analysis by the U.S. Coast Guard determined the rollover likely was caused by a combi- nation of vehicles placed too high on the ship’s decks and not enough bal- last water aboard given the placement Section 8 of Golden of the cargo. Ray, the stern, is Salvage crews have faced many loaded aboard Crow- ensuing obstacles, including work- photos Response Incident Sound Simons St. ley’s Barge 455-8 ing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, after being removed from the wreck on hurricanes, the need for extensive pol- Jan. 5 by the twin- lution containment, and a 5-knot cur- gantry catamaran rent in St. Simons Sound. VB-10,000. Below, “The hurricane season for 2020 the cutting chain was one of the biggest seasons we’ve progresses upward experienced, so that has complicated on the hull. the response, and we’ve had some no- barge to Modern American Recycling name weather conditions” that caused Services in Gibson, La. additional delays, said Coast Guard The cutting and lifting of the Cmdr. Efren Lopez, the federal on- sections is being done by Versabar’s scene coordinator. VB-10,000, the largest heavy-lift ves- In June, 10 responders tested sel ever built in the United States. positive for COVID-19. As a result, The twin-barge catamaran has two salvage leaders implemented a stronger 240-foot-tall gantries, four main hoist safety policy, according to Lopez. This blocks and a lift capacity of 7,500 included separating various personnel tons. into self-contained groups. From April through June, T&T “We keep all of the teams in their Salvage attached 16 lifting lugs to own separate bubbles,” Graff said. the hull, pieces of metal weighing Since then, “we’ve probably had an between 35 and 85 tons that are the excess of 1,000 people coming and connecting points between the rigging going, and we’ve only had a handful of VB-10,000 and each section of of people who have tested positive for the wreck, according to Coast Guard COVID.” Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael “(The chain) uses a combination of In late July, coordinators paused Himes, spokesman for St. Simons friction and the weight of the wreck to salvage operations for two months due Sound Incident Response. Two lifting do these cuts,” Graff said. to the coronavirus outbreak and the lugs are attached to each section. Cutting the bow (section 1) from possible impact of storms during the The cutting is done with a 400- the ship started on Nov. 6 and fin- hurricane season. foot chain that moves at about 7 feet ished on Nov. 28. The section was As of Jan. 7, T&T Salvage of per minute, slowly weakening the steel loaded onto the 400-foot Crowley Galveston, Texas had cut and along the groove, according to Himes. barge Julie B., which was transported removed two sections of the ship. Sal- The chain is made of 3-inch-diameter to Modern American Recycling vors decided that Golden Ray would be steel links 18 inches long that weigh in December. It was the first time cut into eight sections, each weighing about 80 pounds. Before each cut, VB-10,000 had been used to divide between 2,700 and 4,100 tons, with holes are drilled in the hull to keep a ship. the pieces transported one at a time by the chain in line. “We took lessons (from) the first

www.professionalmariner.com 5 industry signals

cut and we made modifications for the and water mixture were removed from second cut,” Lopez said. We keep all of the wreck. In December 2019, salvors After the first cut took 21 days, the removed the rudder and propeller, second cut — removing the stern (sec- the teams in their own which together weighed 130 tons. tion 8) — took only eight and a half separate“ bubbles. ... Starting in February 2020, an days. The second cut included changes We’ve probably had environmental protection barrier was in the cutting angle, modifications to an excess of 1,000 built around the wreck. After Weeks the blocks and pulleys to increase the Marine installed 80 pilings, netting durability of the chain, and replacing people coming and made of high-tensile polyester was some of the links with a higher grade going, and we’ve only put in place between the pilings from of steel, according to Himes. had a handful of people the seabed to above the surface of the On Jan. 5, section 8 was trans- sound. ported to a local facility aboard Crow- who have tested There is no official estimate for a ley Barge 455-8 for sea fastening and positive for COVID. completion date for the salvage. “Each ballasting before making the trip to section is different and the plan (will Louisiana. Chris Graff, change) when we get to the middle In the fall of 2019 and winter of incident commander” sections,” Himes said. 2020, about 327,000 gallons of an oil David A. Tyler

6 ProfessionalProfessional Mariner Mariner March March 2021 Louisiana credentialing scam spurs ‘full-scale’ Coast Guard review fter 31 people were indicted The fraud at the exam center against any suspected fraudulent Ain connection with a scam to occurred over a period of seven activity,” Mannion said. “The Coast boost test scores at a Mandeville, La., years, according to the indictment. If Guard is committed to the safety credentialing center in late 2020, the found guilty, each defendant faces a and security of the Marine Trans- U.S. Coast Guard has been investigat- sentence of up to five years in prison portation System.” ing to identify mariners who may hold and a $250,000 fine. The Mandeville indictment came fraudulently obtained documents and take appropriate action against them. Cmdr. Martha Mannion, chair- woman of the Coast Guard Merchant Fraud at the Coast Mariner Credentialing Fraud Task Guard’s Regional Force, said the investigation includes a Exam Center in forensic analysis of suspected mariners’ Mandeville, La., records. led to applicants “Concurrently, we have initiated a illegally obtain- full-scale review of the merchant mari- ing licenses for officer-level ner credentialing program to ensure positions includ- the integrity of our credentialing pro- ing master, chief cess,” Mannion said. mate and chief Dorothy Smith was a credential- engineer, accord- ing specialist at the Coast Guard’s ing to a federal Regional Exam Center in Mandeville indictment. Igor Kardasov photo whose job involved entering scores for In addition to the charges against one month after another federal safety and training tests that merchant Smith and the six alleged co-con- indictment in which four men were mariners are required to pass to obtain spirators, 24 current and former charged with selling fraudulent Coast licenses to serve in various positions merchant mariners have been charged Guard credentials from Mid-Atlantic on vessels. According to a U.S. Attor- with unlawfully receiving officer-level Maritime Academy in Norfolk, ney’s Office indictment from Nov. licenses. Each of the mariners received Va. Given that the documents are 20, Smith took bribes to inflate exam false scores from Smith, with some intended to demonstrate competence scores, which resulted in applicants receiving false scores on multiple occa- for demanding positions with serious illegally obtaining licenses for officer- sions, according to the indictment. safety ramifications, the magnitude level positions including master, chief The investigation by the Merchant and duration of these fraud schemes mate and chief engineer. Mariner Credentialing Fraud Task have sent shock waves through the The indictment states that former Force is being assisted by the National industry. Coast Guard employees Eldridge Maritime Center and the Suspension Prospective and current employers Johnson and Beverly McCrary were and Revocation National Center of can verify credentials with the Coast intermediaries in the scheme, as were Expertise. Guard’s Merchant Mariner Credential maritime industry workers Alexis Bell, “The Coast Guard is diligently Verification tool, which can be found Micheal Wooten, Sharron Robinson working to identify and investigate at www.homeport.uscg.mil/missions/ and Alonzo Williams. The four mari- any mariners potentially involved merchant-mariners/merchant-mariner- time workers also allegedly had their in fraud schemes and will pursue credential-verification. own scores fixed by Smith. appropriate enforcement action Amy Paradysz

www.professionalmariner.com 7 industry signals

UN designates mariners as essential, but crew changes still in limbo n Dec. 1, the United “You can’t go to California, but tion during the COVID-19 pan- O Nations designated mari- Washington might let you in,” he demic, including Article I (2) on ners as key or essential workers, added. the duty to cooperate. An ILO which in theory should facilitate Kline cited the example of a committee found that national crew changes on ships during mariner aboard a Danish-flagged signatories had “failed abjectly to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ship who had a cardiac issue that protect the minimum standards problem is there is no consistency was life-threatening, “but the ship … of seafarers’ rights as set out in in the protocols that countries wasn’t allowed to divert because international law. This includes or even states have in terms of the (local) mayor wouldn’t allow basic rights such as access to allowing crewmembers to come anyone to come ashore.” health care, repatriation, annual ashore. For every mariner who can’t leave and shore leave.” “It really depends on the com- get off a ship due to the pan- Responding to the ruling, pany and the operation and where demic, there’s one stuck at home International Transport Work- they go,” said Sean Kline, direc- who can’t work to feed his or her ers’ Federation General-Secretary tor of maritime affairs for the family. It’s estimated that travel Stephen Cotton and International Chamber of Shipping of America. restrictions have impacted up to Chamber of Shipping Secretary- “(If) a ship pulls into L.A.-Long 400,000 seafarers. General Guy Platten issued a Beach harbor and the governor On Dec. 17, the International joint statement calling on govern- says we’re in a lockdown,” mari- Labour Organization (ILO) stated ments to help mariners who are ners can’t disembark. It even hap- that governments had failed to unable to leave their ships. pens to U.S.-flagged ships that comply with several provisions “This ruling clearly sets out are simply trying to come home. of the Maritime Labour Conven- that it is both legally and morally

Restrictions on traveling and disembarking at ports have impacted up to 400,000 sea- farers worldwide, confining some crewmembers to their

Pacific Basin Shipping photo Shipping Basin Pacific ships for more than a year and a half. “We need to help them get (to) where they need to be,” says Sean Kline of the Chamber of Shipping of America.

8 Professional Mariner March 2021 wrong for countries to continue “We welcome the news that 46 tation issue, it was a quarantine to expect seafarers to work indefi- countries have designated seafar- issue,” Kline said. nitely supplying the world with ers as key workers, but more gov- As COVID vaccines began to food, medicine and vital supplies, ernments must now follow suit,” roll out at the end of 2020, Inter- while depriving them of their Platten told Professional Mariner. national Maritime Organization fundamental rights as seafarers, as “They need to recognize the cru- Secretary-General Kitack Lim said workers and as humans,” Cotton cial role seafarers play in trans- the key-worker designation should and Platten said. porting food, medicine, energy ensure that seafarers and other The statement insisted that supplies and other essential raw maritime employees receive prior- mariners be allowed to disembark materials across the globe in the ity status to allow them to work in ports for medical attention height of a global pandemic.” and maintain global supply chains and be permitted to fly home Another group experiencing more efficiently. when their contracts are finished. difficulty is third-party techni- “We need to help them get (to) It also called on governments to cians who need to make repairs where they need to be,” Kline let replacement crews through when a ship is in port. Local reg- said, referring to mariners. “Oth- national borders to join a ship. ulations in many areas are making erwise the Walmart and Target To date, 46 countries have classi- it difficult for outside technicians shelves are going to be empty.” fied mariners as key workers. to board. “If it wasn’t a transpor- Eric Colby

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www.professionalmariner.com 9 chesapeake_25v_blue.indd 1 3/27/13 3:50 PM industry signals

As threat rises, cyber-risk management now part of SMS protocol eflecting the new age of electron- to the internet. Individual vessels are that impact shipboard systems, or if Ric marauding, a cyber-risk man- subject to cyberattack, as well as vessel spoofed emails from the master or agement plan must now be included owners and operators. According to crew are being sent to shoreside recip- in a vessel’s safety management Naval Dome, an Israel-based mari- ients within the company. Depending system (SMS) under international time security specialist, cyberattacks on the initial findings, inspectors may law. Related inspections will focus on on the industry have increased 900 conduct a more detailed review and critical navigation components and percent since 2017, with operators as issue deficiencies based on any por- cybersecurity “hygiene,” including large as Maersk and COSCO being tion of the management plan that was frequently changing default passwords affected. not implemented. for onboard devices. The U.S. Coast Guard’s inspec- For compliance under Coast The changes under the Internation- tions will focus on systems critical to Guard auspices, marine inspectors al Safety Management (ISM) Code safe operation and navigation. Stand- and port state control officers will were adopted by the International alone computers and other systems conduct the cyber-risk assessments for Maritime Organization’s Maritime that are not essential to operations or all U.S.-flag vessels and foreign-flag Safety Committee in June 2017 and navigation will not be examined. ships that call on U.S. ports. Some implemented on Jan. 1. Each vessel’s The inspectors will determine if a security experts, however, question cyber-risk plan will be evaluated along vessel has had a third-party assessment whether port inspection agencies have with the rest of the SMS no later than and complies with basic cybersecu- the technical skills for the job. the first annual verification of the rity hygiene like changing default “I don’t think the enforcement document of compliance after Jan. 1. passwords and not having passwords agencies around the world have the The goal is to protect operational taped to devices. The inspectors also expertise to be able to get on a boat technology as well as a ship’s integrat- will observe if the crew or officers and be able to really determine what ed technology that connects systems complain about computer problems the cybervulnerabilities are,” said

Cyberattacks on the global mari- time industry have increased 900 per- cent since 2017. Vessels, their oper-

Techno FAQ photo FAQ Techno ators, their owners and shoreside operations have all been targeted.

10 Professional Mariner March 2021 Corey Ranslem, CEO of Interna- nerability scan, which can be done Non-commercial, recreational and tional Maritime Security Associates in remotely, will identify shortcomings fishing vessels are not subject to the Miami Lakes, Fla. like a weak firewall. Then the vessel’s requirements, nor are those that oper- If a ship’s cyber-risk management crew or an information technology ate exclusively on the Great Lakes and is not in compliance, it is subject to consultant can correct the problem connecting waters. enforcement action similar to any before an inspection. Because the cybersecurity standards other SMS violation. If the vessel Ranslem has inspected a vessel on don’t require specific technology, the failed to implement a management which a hardware firewall had been cost of compliance may be relatively plan, the inspector may issue an installed, but nothing was connected low depending on the vessel’s age operation deficiency and an ISM defi- to it because shipboard personnel and current equipment. A third-party ciency. The deficiencies must be cor- couldn’t get it to work. “You can’t assessment can identify risks and help rected before the vessel is allowed to always blame the crews,” he said. develop a plan to address them. depart, and the vessel must conduct “They need help to manage these “I tell vessel owners, you’re going an internal audit. systems.” to pay a little bit for cybersecurity Vessel owners should have a According to the Coast Guard, now, or you’re going to pay 100 third-party consultant conduct a risk approximately 1,170 U.S.-flag vessels times more when there’s a breach,” analysis of the shipboard network maintain SMS certification, including Ranslem said. and devices, Ranslem said. A vul- 600 that do so on a voluntary basis. Gary Wollenhaupt

Essential tips for professional mariners National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Don’t miss NOAA is the premiere Professional scientific agency of Mariner’s email the Federal newsletters packed Government. We offer a variety of with original articles seagoing positions about aboard our fleet of industry scientific research and survey vessels. As a news, Federal employee for the Department of Commerce, you will trends be eligible for Federal benefits, paid training, excellent pay and and job security. Work for NOAA as a Wage Mariner, your career cur- will have an endless horizon. Engineering, Deck, Steward, and Survey opportunities are rents, and more. available. Discover more at www.omao.noaa.gov Sign up today. www.professionalmariner. Email: [email protected] com and enter your email address Send resumes to: [email protected] in the orange sign-up box. Phone: (757) 441-6844 Fax: (757)-441-6495

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newsletter_25v.indd 1 5/31/11 3:01 PM industry signals

Insurers face uncharted risks as new sea routes open in Arctic roviding insurance cover- Page for ships in inhospitable and remote waters remains a dicey proposition at best, as the cost of claims from a grounding, spill or other incident can run hundreds of millions of dollars. As the warming global climate has opened new sea routes through the Arctic and shipping companies are taking advantage of new oppor- tunities and cost savings, insurers are still reluctant to write policies to cover potential problems because of numerous risks associated with oper- Rosatomflot photo ating in these areas. Those risks run either conditional or excluded from A convoy transits the Northern Sea Route in 2018. the gamut: routes constantly shift (coverage), which means each sailing Commercial shippers are taking advantage as the waters of the Arctic lose ice, but little data is amid the melting ice and are poorly needs to be considered on a case- available to insurers to gauge the risks. mapped, extreme cold causes engine by-case basis. What we generally do and systems problems, search-and- know is that even a small incident in of navigational watch-standing to rescue resources often aren’t readily these waters could potentially lead be eligible for a polar ship certifi- available, spotty satellite coverage to a large claim due to the sensitive cate. Proven enforcement of these results in less accurate positional area weather conditions and lack of standards is needed for insurance information, weather reports often infrastructure.” companies to feel more comfort- are inaccurate, and so on. The IUMI is an active supporter able taking on the risk of providing Quantifying these risks and of the International Maritime Orga- coverage, said Capt. Rahul Khanna, assigning a dollar value to them is nization’s International Code for global head of marine risk consult- very challenging, said Helle Ham- Ships Operating in Polar Waters, ing for Allianz Global Corporate & mer, managing director of the Nor- more simply known as the Polar Specialty. dic Association of Marine Insurers Code. It lowers risks by ensuring “There are various risks associated (Cefor) and chairman of a policy that shipowners are better prepared with Arctic navigation. These need forum for the International Union for operating in the Arctic and by to be identified and measured so as of Marine Insurance (IUMI), a preventing trips that don’t meet to develop comprehensive assess- nonprofit association representing safety standards. Hammer said ves- ments for the same,” he said. “We insurers. sels found to be in breach of these would like to see that the vessels are “We have limited loss statistics standards, which went into effect fully equipped to navigate the harsh for these sailings, which means we four years ago, may not be covered if environments.” are currently not able to specify the there is a claim. Khanna said insurers also like impact based on data. This poses The code requires operators plan- to see detailed risk assessments one of the challenges to insurers, ning a polar voyage to undergo a completed before such trips are along with the remoteness,” he said. vessel assessment and train masters, undertaken, and access to a greater “Certain areas are consequently chief mates and officers in charge volume of data would allow insurers

12 Professional Mariner March 2021 to develop ways to more accurately estimate pricing. Much more needs to be done, but some strides have been made toward better understanding and assessing risks. Khanna pointed to creation of an international database (www.pame.is) two years ago by the Arctic Council’s Protection of the Arctic Maritime Environment working group to better coordinate, compile and assess live and historical shipping data for Arctic voyages. Neil Roberts, head of marine and aviation for the Lloyd’s Market Association, a member group for insurers at Lloyd’s, referred to the Arctic as being “at the frontier of risk for underwriters.” He lauded the “excellent cooperation in recent years between the Arctic Council and industry” that has produced a best- practice web portal containing “an invaluable archive of information.” “For insurers, it’s about assessing the risk. This is done on individual voyages and will look at the charac- teristics of the ship and cargo, what ice classification the vessel has, what crew training can be evidenced and whether there is adherence to the Polar Code,” Roberts said. “In the past, inquiries tended to be specula- tive, but there is a clear growth in interest, and both Russia and the U.S. have formal plans for their involvement in the high north. Underwriters are prepared to take on such risks but will require quite a lot of comfort that sufficient care has been taken, as no one wants a problem which could be hundreds of miles from help.” • Patricia McCarthy

www.professionalmariner.com 13 ATR Update Towing by Will Van Dorp

Vane expands to Great Lakes with all-season asphalt trade ir temperatures on large blue “V” embedded South Grand Island Bridge Maryland-based Vane a December day neatly in a horizontal green in Tonawanda, N.Y., less Brothers has expanded Ain Buffalo, N.Y., stripe on the stacks. It’s a than a dozen miles from operations to other points average about 20 degrees new livery on the Great Niagara Falls. on the East Coast, Gulf Fahrenheit or lower, with Lakes and Vane Brothers’ In the past two decades, of Mexico, Caribbean and water temperatures around initial tugboat/barge unit 40 and dropping, but the in the region. The destina- L a k e cargo on a newly arrived tion on this wintry day O n t a r i o barge is maintained at 300 was a set of asphalt storage degrees. Snowflakes falling tanks on the Niagara River Michigan Ontario Buffalo on the deck turn to steam. just upstream from the Double Skin 509A, with Detroit L a k e New York a safety-yellow band paint- Vane Brothers has arrived in the Great Lakes with the tugboat New E r i e ed on the bow, is pushed York and tank barge Double Skin by the tugboat New York, 509A, shown above in a push Pennsylvania which has a white super- configuration. The vessels began Ohio service in the region last fall. structure, blue trim and a Vane Brothers photo/Pat Rossi illustration

14 Professional Mariner March 2021 West Coast. This Vane Rusty Harris. It reminded unit arrived on the Great him of Norfolk, Va., and Lakes in the fall of 2020. Philadelphia, where he’s “(The region) represents an also worked. But he added, exciting business opportu- “The three train bridges nity in a new geographic and three road bridges on area,” said Vane Brothers the River Rouge are nar- President C. Duff Hughes. rower and not on a straight New York is a shot of the river.” 4,200-horsepower Eliza- After transiting Lake beth Anne-class tug deliv- Erie to Buffalo, safety ered by St. Johns Ship requires passage through Building of Palatka, Fla., the calm waters of the in 2018. Double Skin Black Rock Canal, which 509A was built at Con- runs along the eastern bank rad’s Deepwater South of the Niagara River. Water shipyard in Amelia, La., in the river here is turbu- and delivered in 2015. The lent, flowing at 6 to 10 50,000-barrel barge — 361 knots as it churns toward feet long with a 62-foot the falls. The outflow from beam and 24.5-foot depth the Great Lakes, holding 20 Vane Brothers photo — is purpose-built to Chief engineer Mark handle asphalt. Put another Johnson, above, way, Double Skin 509A monitors the perfor- carries as much asphalt as mance of New York. 228 tank trailer trucks. The 95-foot, 4,200-hp tug was delivered The Vane unit loads to Vane Brothers in at Marathon Petroleum’s 2018 by St. Johns Detroit Refinery on the Ship Building. At left, River Rouge, a narrow the Great Lakes Tow- industrial waterway criss- ing Company tugboat crossed by six bridges. Two Vermont assists New York and Double Skin of the bridges must be 509A northbound transited twice because a through Buffalo’s turning basin needs to be Black Rock Canal. used to position the vessels for loading and departure. “On my first day up here, we spent an hour of my first 90 minutes on

the boat waiting for two photo Dorp Van Will railroad bridges to open up so we could get to the barge,” said Vane Capt.

www.professionalmariner.com 15 t o w i n g

are the necessary heating their last run of the season capability to maintain into the city. cargo temperatures and a U.S. and Canadian reg- special type of pump to ulations dictate that pilots (deliver) liquid asphalt. If be used on Great Lakes the asphalt temperature tank barges until captains drops below 270 degrees, have logged a minimum it becomes more difficult, number of voyages. On the if not impossible, to pump Black Rock Canal, as well the asphalt.” as on other waterways in The Great Lakes experi- the region, a pilot may call ence rough weather and on assist tugs. One or two icing conditions in win- Buffalo-based tugboats may ter, but Vane expects the be in order on the canal, asphalt work will continue particularly to line up with year-round, according to the lock and to turn at the Capt. Rick Iuliucci, vice asphalt terminal before president of operations. discharging cargo, facing Certain destinations can- upstream. Vane Brothers photo Brothers Vane not be accessed during the Crossing Lake Erie in coldest months, however. ideal conditions might take Tonawanda needs to stock 36 hours, but in rough up before winter because weather it can take a week. Capt. Harvey Duff, above, oversees Brothers barges designed the Black Rock Lock and New York and Double Skin operations on Double Skin 509A. The to carry asphalt, which canal close and navigational 509A deliver to customers barge can handle 50,000 barrels of thickens as it cools. Think aids are pulled. In 2020, on Lake Erie, Lake Michi- product. Below right, crewmembers of an asphalt road and sea- some buoys were pulled gan, Lake Huron and Lake aboard New York include, from sonal temperature changes a week before Christmas Ontario. left, deck hand David Marchione, deck hand Nino Pollari, mate — the product must be — the day New York and “There are some pretty Rand Attaway, chief engineer Mark loaded and transported Double Skin 509A made nasty storms in the Great Johnson and Capt. Rusty Harris. at temperatures of 250 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to percent of the world’s fresh reduce its viscosity. water, races through here. “It is necessary to main- The canal allows safe pas- tain the cargo at an elevat- sage toward Tonawanda, ed temperature … so that 10 miles downstream from it will flow efficiently,” said Buffalo, but the narrow Steve Magdeburger, special 3.5-mile transit involves projects manager for Vane rocky banks, three bridges Brothers and supervisor of and a lock. construction of the barge. Double Skin 509A is “The primary enhance-

the first in a series of Vane ments for an asphalt barge Vane Brothers photo

16 Professional Mariner March 2021 Will Van Dorp photo Dorp Van Will

The bascule Ferry Street Bridge in the customer happy and Buffalo is raised to allow passage keep everyone safe.” on the Black Rock Canal. Working on the Great Lakes region,” Iuliucci Lakes in autumn and win- said. “Odds are that we ter does have one advan- will encounter ice on the tage. “The pilots tell me freshwater Great Lakes on that small boat traffic can a grander scale than what be crazy in the summer, we might see along the but now they are all out of Hudson River or in other the water (and) stored for waters where Vane oper- the winter,” Harris said. ates. Depending on our “We already saw snow and location and the weather ice in November, and the conditions, it is possible cold isn’t here yet! We have we will require icebreaking stocked up on bags of salt, assistance.” snow shovels and ice mal- For Harris, the chal- lets. We have brought totes lenge is welcome. “When onto the tug for crewmem- talk of the Lakes job came bers to store extra clothes up, I looked at it as an and foul-weather gear.” WORLD-CLASS TRAINING opportunity to learn and The amount and dura- FOR PILOTS, BY PILOTS explore new areas,” he said. tion of ice coverage on On-Site Manned Model & Simulator Training “The crews of the boat and the Great Lakes fluctuate Custom Course Development Available barge work together well year to year. But whatever Enroll Today MaritimePilotsInstitute.org/courses and know what to do and the conditions are for the or 985.867.9789 how to get the job done as winter and spring of 2021, a team. My most impor- the crews of New York and tant job, no matter where Double Skin 509A will be Managing entity of MPI Innovative maritime consulting I happen to be, is to make out there. • Call 410.384.7352 Hydrodynamic ship modeling or visit locus1.org Customized simulation-based maritime research www.professionalmariner.com 17 Biden presidency points to growth for US offshore wind industry by Nick Keppler n 2016, after seven years in December. Meanwhile, Now, the offshore wind of regulatory battles, the nations like the United King- industry and the maritime IBlock Island Wind Farm dom, China and Germany interests that serve it see hope went online and the first watts have constructed more and in the election of Joe Biden The changing produced from a turbine built larger offshore farms. as president. His campaign of the guard in Washington, D.C., on America’s continental shelf During the administration promises included $2 trillion holds promise traveled to an energy grid. At of President Donald Trump, in clean energy and sustain- for the develop- the time, the Obama admin- the Bureau of Ocean Energy ability measures, the creation ment of wind istration had secured $200 Management approved five of a carbon-free electricity power projects in million for offshore wind proj- additional leasing sites for infrastructure by 2035, an U.S. waters. The ects and research as part of a offshore wind farms. Most of “irreversible path” to net-zero 30-megawatt, five-turbine Block more climate-conscious energy Trump’s energy and environ- carbon emissions by 2050, Island array south policy, and the Department mental actions lifted restric- and 10 million jobs in renew- of Rhode Island of the Interior had issued 11 tions on fossil fuels, a shift in able energy sectors. is the first com- commercial leases for offshore balance that diminished incen- “I think when he puts mercial offshore wind farms. tives for investment in wind his hand on the Bible (at his wind farm in the None of them was ever energy. Trump also sowed inauguration), there will be country. built. The plan that came the doubt about climate change, absolute confidence that off- closest to breaking ground — a strong impetus for develop- shore wind will be part of the an 800-megawatt set of tur- ment of renewable energy country’s energy policy,” Liz bines near Martha’s Vineyard sources, and singled out wind- Burdock, CEO of the Busi- — wavered through regula- mills as “ugly,” “noisy” and ness Network for Offshore tory efforts and finally died “dangerous.” Wind, said in mid-December.

18 Professional Mariner March 2021 “There is no way you can get generate $70 billion a year course and hotel his company to carbon-neutral without off- for companies on the supply was building, and in 2012 he shore wind.” chain. told the country’s Parliament Biden has not put forth a Under the Jones Act, the that “Scotland will go broke” specific plan for offshore wind vessels required to meet these due to their impact on tour- development, but his climate needs must be built in the ism. In campaign speeches, pledge on the campaign trail United States, must be U.S.- Trump falsely claimed that included developing renew- flagged, and must be crewed the noise from windmills can ables on federal lands and by American mariners. U.S. Atlantic Pioneer, cause cancer. delivered by shipyards have already built Sean Kline, director of mar- waters “with the goal of dou- Blount Boats of bling offshore wind by 2030.” two vessels designed to service Warren, R.I., in itime affairs for the Chamber While that is not a lofty goal offshore wind farms — Wind- 2016, approaches of Shipping of America, said considering the nation cur- Serve Odyssey from Senesco a turbine in the in his lobbying of the Trump rently has only one offshore Marine and Atlantic Pioneer Block Island Wind administration that he saw a farm, industry groups have from Blount Boats — and Farm. It is the drive to replace any Obama- first crew transfer more are on the way. era policy simply because it cheered his interest in the vessel purpose- energy source. It is uncertain how much of built in the United was the policy of that admin- “The Biden team has laid Trump’s personal opinion of States to support istration. This included the out a comprehensive approach wind power trickled down to offshore wind National Ocean Policy imple- to climate-change policy that his administration’s policies, farm construction mented by executive order recognizes renewable energy’s but he has expressed an ani- and maintenance. in 2010. The NOP was the ability to grow America’s econ- mosity toward wind turbines result of years of lobbying by omy and create a cleaner envi- that dates back to his career as industry and environmental ronment and a more prosper- a real estate developer. Trump groups for a unified approach ous and equitable future,” said waged a lengthy battle to to protect American lakes, riv- Laura Morton, senior director prevent the Scottish govern- ers and coastal waters, rather of offshore policy and regula- ment from allowing offshore than a hodgepodge of indus- tory affairs for the American turbines near a coastal golf try-by-industry regulations. Wind Energy Association. Offshore wind has the potential to be a bounty for the U.S. maritime indus- try. The needs are plentiful, including the installation of turbines and their ground- work, the maintenance of that infrastructure, and the delivery of supplies and personnel to sites. A research paper from the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment projected that an infrastructure of 1,700 off- shore wind towers — which the authors forecast as a fea-

sible goal for 2030 — would Deepwater Wind (opposite)/Chris Bentley photos www.professionalmariner.com 19 Security. Advancement. Benefits. ACTIVELY HIRING: WindServe Odyssey, built by Senesco Marine of North Kingstown, R.I., left First Officer the shipyard last year for a short-term Able Seaman contract supporting the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. The American Wind MSC HAS Third Assistant Engineer Energy Association expects 13 projects to Electrician be online in U.S. waters by 2026, boosting demand for service vessels. Refrigeration Engineer THEM ALL. Deck Engineer Machinist ments organized by industry Pumpman and government. A variety of MSC careers are some of the best in the maritime industry. federal agencies would have That’s because we combine job security with training and Electronics Technician to play a role in ensuring that advancement opportunities—to take your career further, Yeoman Storekeeper space is given to a budding faster than you thought possible. Every position includes Assistant Storekeeper industry, and they would need federal benefits, paid leave, flexibility and camaraderie. Some WindServe Marine photo Marine WindServe flexibility from maritime stake- Culinary Positions even have a sign-on bonus! holders like cruise lines, cargo Communications Positions shippers and fishermen. Medical Services Officer “Ports have limited space on the East Coast,” Trice said. “They called it ‘Obamacare key elements remained, Kline “To add these additional com- on the seas’ even though it was said. ponents, someone has to think started by the Bush adminis- Replacing a president with of the space for that.” tration,” Kline said. The needs acrimony toward wind power Burdock said the Biden The NOP endorsed data are plentiful, with one more receptive to administration can support Take command of your career today at keeping and sharing of water- including the renewable energy may open state and local officials who way usage, and it authorized the gates for lucrative offshore are in favor of wind farm SEALIFTCOMMAND.COM managers from entities like the installation wind development. Longtime development by quickening U.S. Coast Guard and Bureau of turbines industry watchers say there are and simplifying the oversight of Ocean Energy Manage- and their still many challenges ahead, process. Often the leasing and ment to meet with industry groundwork, however, including the logis- construction of an offshore stakeholders. These actions the main- tics of getting the power to the farm is a tug of war between are crucial when establishing tenance of shoreside grid. states, local stakeholders, the shipping routes and ocean that infra- “As you build out offshore developers and the Bureau of space for a new industry like wind more and more, there Ocean Energy Management. offshore wind. structure, are discussions on what the “It’s not going to be easy to “We told them, ‘Let’s not and the cabling would look like,” said get a national energy policy,” get rid of everything,’” Kline delivery of Amy Trice, director of ocean Burdock said, noting that the said. “I think they just wanted supplies and planning for the Ocean Con- federal approach is often scat- to pass their own version.” personnel servancy. tershot with few singular goals. And they did. In 2018, to sites. There is also the issue of “(But the administration) can Trump repealed Obama’s dock space. Areas at major support all these governors. executive order and replaced ports have been allotted to par- All these projects are in federal it with his own, emphasizing ticular companies and indus- waters and so much can be the importance of waterways tries for decades, part of com- resolved with some help at the for their resources. But the plicated resource-sharing agree- federal level.” • 877-292-3002 | [email protected] 20 Professional Mariner March 2021 MSC is an equal opportunity employer and a drug-free workplace. Security. Advancement. Benefits. ACTIVELY HIRING: First Officer Able Seaman MSC HAS Third Assistant Engineer Electrician Refrigeration Engineer THEM ALL. Deck Engineer Machinist MSC careers are some of the best in the maritime industry. Pumpman That’s because we combine job security with training and Electronics Technician advancement opportunities—to take your career further, Yeoman Storekeeper faster than you thought possible. Every position includes Assistant Storekeeper federal benefits, paid leave, flexibility and camaraderie. Some Culinary Positions even have a sign-on bonus! Communications Positions Medical Services Officer

Take command of your career today at SEALIFTCOMMAND.COM

877-292-3002 | [email protected] MSC is an equal opportunity employer and a drug-free workplace. Book excerpt by Capt. Sean P. Tortora

‘Steaming to Djibouti’ colorfully captures life on bygone supply ship n my third day on tonnage, in the form of up one of these wires should the speed or rate of the turn Oboard USNS Shin- to three vessels, is physi- part. But there is noth- of the helm corresponding necock (T-AOK 1) we cally connected by wires. ing that can be done; it is with that of the actual rud- rendezvoused with the In the end, the ultimate inherent to the job. der stock. aircraft carrier USS John C. goal of UNREP is the safe ••••••••• Adjacent to starboard of Stennis, better known by its and efficient transfer of Directly centerline on the the telemotor helm was the moniker “Big John,” for a the maximum amount of bridge, Shinnecock had a hand electric helm console. major UNREP. Underway liquid and/or solid cargo in true telemotor ship’s wheel. This consisted of a stand replenishment, or UNREP the least amount of time, This was a beast, at 5 feet with a small ship’s wheel the in the vernacular of the while not interfering with in diameter with the top size of a car steering wheel, specialty, is a critical neces- the combatant vessel’s mis- damn near as high as I am as well as some controls for sity required to keep the sion and enabling the Navy tall. Steering with this, one automatic steering. This was combatant ships ready and ship to remain would feel like called the “iron mike” or in the fight. Moreover, on station indefi- he was on an just “the mike.” This wheel it is also one of the most nitely. old clipper ship was much, much smaller dangerous, if not the most After the sailing across the because it was not a pump dangerous operation, for rigs are across Atlantic. Now a moving hydraulic fluid to ships at sea. (connecting telemotor helm the six-valve to move the UNREP is not for the the ships), the uses hydraulic rams. Rather, the hand elec- faint of heart. You will UNREP stations fluid and pump- tric would send an electric routinely find up to a must put their ing action within signal down to the six-way combined 165,000 tons of wires in tension. the helm to send valve, which would then three large moving masses That is yet another critical the fluid all the way down direct the hydraulic rams to operating less than 200 point. As Shinnecock rams to the six-way valve in the move the rudder. The hand feet from each other, high- down on each station’s steering engine room, which electric with automatic con- tension wires overhead hydraulic ram tensioner, sat atop the rudderstock and trols was considered state of carrying tons of cargo, the the helmsman can actually operated the huge hydraulic the art. movement of petroleum at feel the ships being pulled rams, which in turn would Nevertheless, old Jabba rates up to 15,000 gallons together! That’s correct, move the rudder. So every the Hutt (the captain) was per minute through flexible the 100,000-ton John C. time the helmsman would too, I don’t know, what’s rubber hoses, and crewmen Stennis and the 50,000-ton turn the telemotor ship’s the word ... foolish, idiotic, working on deck and/or Shinnecock are being pulled wheel, he would actually be moronic, what have you, under the fuselage of spe- together by these power- pumping hydraulic fluid all to ever use the damn thing. cialized aircraft with their ful wires under unbeliev- the way down to the rams No, not this genius. He spinning rotors feet from able tons of tension. The which move the rudder. As had these poor helmsmen their heads. Even more UNREP teams on both you can imagine, there are toil away on the telemo- amazing is the fact that the sides are at great risk of limitations such as the vis- tor, physically moving the massive amount of total injury and even death if cosity of the hydraulic fluid, hydraulic fluid manually

22 Professional Mariner March 2021 via the ship’s wheel. It’s not sheets with carbon paper page, all the while written jokes. For those new third an exaggeration to have a sandwiched between a white in script, or what is now officers like myself, it took helmsman drenched in sweat page and a yellow page. called cursive — and neat- a while to learn the art of after an hour and a half on This was far different from ness counted! MSC logbook writing, and the wheel in any type of sea. the typical U.S. merchant Interestingly enough, if in my case, I was known as I guess I neglected to men- marine commercial required any of the watch officers “the king of the rewrites.” tion, at this time in history, logbook, also known as made too many mistakes or Further, it was the second captains were judge, jury and a rough log, which, kept didn’t write neatly enough, officer who made the deter- executioner on board — the by the watch officers, was that particular watch offi- mination if a rewrite was last true autocracy remain- bound and had just a small cer would actually have to necessary. Ultimately, the master would approve the logs, but the second officer wouldn’t let anything but perfect logs make it to the captain’s desk. USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) delivers pallets to the At the end of the voyage, guided-missile destroy- the second officer would er USS Roosevelt separate the copies from the during a patrol in the originals, then apply a two- Atlantic Ocean in May. hole punch to the top and Regardless of a ship’s metal tabs to bind all the class, commissioning date or technological pages together. The original capability, underway would go to MSC and the replenishment remains copy would remain on the a dangerous job that ship — certainly not how is not for the faint- I was trained in the art of U.S. Navy photo hearted. logbook keeping. • ing. This, of course, would section for writing perti- rewrite the entire log for change within the next 15 nent notes of the watch. In that day. In addition, that Capt. Sean years with the advent of the addition, the master kept a one officer would even have P. Tortora, a internet, email and satellite similar logbook, called the to rewrite the sections writ- master mari- phones. But when I signed smooth log. The logbook ten by the other officers that ner with aboard Shinnecock, the cap- was sacred and pages could had no errors, then hunt 25 years of tain’s word was gospel and never be ripped out of the them down to get them to experience once the ship was out of binding or, God forbid, sign their name. This was at sea, conducted more than sight of land, there was no rewritten over and over to mind-boggling. I couldn’t 2,000 underway replenish- recourse. the satisfaction of the mas- fathom it — rewriting log- ment evolutions during his •••••••••• ter. This was not the case books? It was drilled into career. He is now an associ- After I met my watch team, with the MSC logbooks at our heads at Fort Schuyler ate professor in the Depart- I went about my watch the time. The daily running that no logs can be altered ment of Marine Transporta- duties, one of them being log could continue in perpe- or tampered with, or gasp ... tion at the U.S. Merchant the logbook. At the time, tuity. As long as events con- rewritten. This apparently Marine Academy. “Steaming MSC (Military Sealift Com- tinued within that particular did not apply to MSC; in to Djibouti” is available at mand) kept a running log- 24 hours, the recording fact, rewriting was so com- Red Penguin Books (www. book on 8-by-14-inch lined would continue page upon mon it was often the butt of redpenguinbooks.com). www.professionalmariner.com 23 v e s s e l s At Work

RTA 2 approaches the Algiers Ferry Terminal after a run across the Mississippi River from Canal Street in downtown New Orleans. The new ferry from Metal Shark is one of two sisters providing service on the route. ferry vessels into service, residents, commuters and visitors will experi- ence a more reliable, comfortable, enjoyable and safe transit option, which will help spur local economic development in our neighborhood business districts.” Daily vessel operations and main- tenance are contracted to LabMar Ferry Services, with the RTA provid- ing oversight and direction regarding operations and long-term goals. The RTA also maintains relationships with Coast Guard and Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to ensure the ferries meet the necessary regulations to New Orleans steps up maintain service. The Subchapter T aluminum ferry service with duo catamarans, designed by BMT, are powered by twin 715-hp Caterpil- Story and photos by Brian Gauvin lar C18 Tier 3 diesel engines. The from Metal Shark design incorporates a low-wake, handful of passengers boarded from the U.S. Coast Guard, are high-efficiency hull for reduced envi- the ferry RTA 2 at the foot of now in service in New Orleans. Col. ronmental impact. A Canal Street in New Orleans Frank X. Armiger will remain in the Initially, the new ferries will on a brisk but bright December day fleet as a backup vessel. operate on an alternating schedule, for the crossing to Algiers Point. The The certification issues with the providing passenger service on the riders, masked against the COVID- new ferries involved the Regional Algiers Point-Canal Street route. The 19 pandemic, represented a tiny Transit Authority (RTA), the current RTA has expressed a commitment to fraction of the 150-passenger capac- operator; Metal Shark Boats, the improve regional connections among ity of the new 105-foot vessel. builder; and Transdev, the original the parishes, and it is exploring ferry The Mississippi River route previ- operator. The problems have been service to other destinations along ously was assigned to the 41-year-old resolved and the COIs issued. the Mississippi River corridor — as Col. Frank X. Armiger, which frus- “RTA 1 and RTA 2 signify the well as the necessary funding. trated commuters and tourists with beginning of the next chapter in The operator has implemented unreliable service due to chronic ferry service and regional transit con- procedures to prevent the spread mechanical issues. RTA 1 and RTA nectivity in the Greater New Orleans of COVID-19 aboard the vessels. 2, moored for over two years while region,” said Alex Wiggins, CEO of A midday cleaning has been added awaiting certificates of inspection the RTA. “As we enter the two new to the regular cleaning schedule

24 Professional Mariner March 2021 between sailings. Other protocols require the crew and staff to wear masks, have their temperature checked at the start of each shift, and Capt. Gavin Fayard socially distance as much as possible is joined in the wheelhouse by from other crew and passengers. deck hand Joshua Each crew conducts a virtual Burris. Both are handover of operations to avoid graduates of SUNY contact with relief personnel and Maritime College. RTA 2’s propul- mariners from other ferries docked sion package is at the same facility. The procedures anchored by a include contactless communication pair of Caterpillar C18 main engines, of operational and vessel details below right. between the on-duty and relief crews. If a member of a crew is exposed to the coronavirus, they are required to report it to the agency, get tested and self-isolate. •

RTA 2 SPECIFICATIONS Owner/operator: Louisiana Department of Transpor- tation and Development, Baton Rouge, La./Regional Transit Authority, New Orleans Designer/builder: BMT, Teddington, United King- dom/Metal Shark Boats, Jeanerette, La. Dimensions: L: 105’ B: 25’ D: 9’ Mission: Passenger ferry Crew size: Four Hull: Aluminum catamaran COVID distancing protocols are observed in the interior of the ferry, which features Freedman PROPULSION Gemini seats. Other passenger amenities include a • (2) Caterpillar C18 main engines, EPA Tier 3, bicycle rack, below, aft on the main deck. 715 hp each • Twin Disc MGX-5136SC gears • (2) Kohler 65EOZCJ generators

NAVIGATION/COMMUNICATIONS • (2) Furuno DR56AX radars • Furuno FA170 AIS • Furuno SC30 GPS satellite compass • Furuno GP33 GPS/WAAS navigation display • Furuno NavPilot 700 autopilot • Icom IC-M604A VHF radio • R.M. Young digital anemometer

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT • Freedman Gemini seats • Flexco flooring • Daikin HVAC

www.professionalmariner.com 25 MARITIME Casualties Conflict as tanker hits vessels, infrastructure: ‘Don’t listen to the pilot’ merican Liberty eased off the crew began ignoring the pilot’s the left descending bank. Total Adock at the Marathon Oil orders altogether. damage exceeded $40 million and terminal near Reserve, La., and At one point, the pilot repeated four mariners were injured, one began to spin 180 degrees in the a full-astern engine order, National seriously. flooded Mississippi River. Before Transportation Safety Board The NTSB identified multiple long, the loaded tanker was drifting (NTSB) investigators wrote in factors leading to the incident, in the fast-moving current. their accident report. The master which occurred at 2042 on The master misunderstood countered with a request of his May 16, 2019 at mile 139.5. a crucial engine order and later own. “Full ahead, don’t listen to the The agency noted poor bridge second-guessed the pilot as he tried pilot,” he said. resource management and to bring the ship under control. As Less than two minutes later, miscommunication between the the situation became more urgent, the 601-foot U.S.-flagged ship hit master and the pilot on board from the master issued his own engine the first of several moored vessels the Associated Federal Pilots and and rudder commands. The bridge and terminal infrastructure along Docking Masters of Louisiana.

American Liberty, shown on the Mis- sissippi River in New Orleans, was initially moored at mile 140.2 on May 16, 2019 near Reserve, La. A graphic, opposite, from the NTSB report shows the ship’s AIS track (red dots) and points of

Captain Ted photo Ted Captain impact with vessels and infrastructure (red triangles). Not drawn to scale.

26 Professional Mariner March 2021 Those failures, the report said, 5 knots at the time of the incident. The pilot released the 4,200-hp “led to the bridge team’s delay The tanker was docked starboard Vera Bisso that was pushing the in carrying out an engine order side to the terminal, with its bow ship around from the port quarter. and caused a delay in the vessel facing upriver. A minute later, the pilot asked the attaining sufficient speed to The ship loaded a cargo of master for slow ahead on the main conduct an undocking maneuver in gasoline and low sulfur diesel from engine. high river conditions. Contributing Marathon Petroleum Garyville for “Bring her up to slow (ahead) to the accident was the decision delivery to Tampa Bay, Fla. There … whenever you can,” the pilot to release the assisting tugs before were 23 crew on board when the said. The master responded, “Yeah, the undocking maneuver was ship got underway at 2028 on the we’re probably going to need a completed.” clear, calm spring night. little while, especially (with the The pilots group did not American Liberty’s master and current).” respond to inquiries seeking pilot agreed on a plan to work the The third mate operating the comment on the NTSB findings. ship off the terminal and spin it for engine order telegraph heard the Crowley, which manages American departure. The tugboats Josephine order but did not interpret it as a Liberty for American Petroleum Anne and Vera Bisso would help command, the NTSB said. Thirty- Tankers, declined to comment. swing the ship around. The master two seconds elapsed before the American Liberty, delivered in and pilot later told investigators master walked to the engine order 2017 by Philly Shipyard, is one they understood the general telegraph and set the speed to slow of the newest tankers working the undocking plan but acknowledged ahead as the pilot requested. Jones Act trade. The Mississippi it was not comprehensive. Meanwhile, the ship moved River was at major flood stage and By 2033, American Liberty’s downriver at about 2.3 knots its current around Reserve exceeded stern was clear of dockside roughly parallel to the left bank, obstructions as the ship began its with its stern closer to the bank MS AL GA turn. Within a minute, the turn and the bow facing across the river. LA TX was about two-thirds complete. The pilot asked for “whatever you

FL Gulf of Mexico Cargill Terre ADM Reserve ADM PSL Upper Haute grain elevator fleeting Globalplex terminal terminal area Reserve wharf (M 139.5) (M 139.2) (M 138.7) Marathon Marathon Cargill Liquids Left descending bank Garyville Garyville Reserve terminal refinery refinery (M 138.8) dock No. 2 dock No. 1 (M 140.2) (M 140) 2043 2045 2051 2059 2042 Starboard Contact Contact Vessel halts 2040 Contact with anchor with Ever with barges against wharf Cleared African Griffon/ let go Grace Miss Caroline Don D. 2039 i s s T M i s s i p p i R i Cleared RREN v e r CU 2028 Teresa-Acadia American Liberty illustration Rossi Pat Right descending bank begins undocking and turning

www.professionalmariner.com 27 maritime casualties

can give me” from the master, who over control of the ship. At 2040, cellphone when nearby wires split, placed the engine at half ahead the master ordered the mate and suffered two skull fractures, the without telling the pilot. The pilot helmsman to stop listening to the NTSB said. ordered the 4,000-hp Josephine pilot. Both the master and pilot on Anne to push full on the port bow The master effectively had the American Liberty were relatively new at 2037 before calling on the tug conn at 2042 when American to their positions. The master had to stop and fall back. The master Liberty’s port quarter hit the crane 13 years of maritime experience, disagreed, saying the tugs should barge Don D., which was moored but only 18 months as master on continue pushing the ship around. with a hopper barge outside of the tanker. The pilot was still in Less than a minute later, the the bulk carrier African Griffon. his probationary period and had pilot ordered the engine stopped At 2043, the master ordered the worked alone for 10 months. He and additional assistance from the starboard anchor let go and the spent 18 previous years navigating two tugs. The master countered engine room evacuated. Two large tows on inland waterways. with, “We need the engine; we minutes later, American Liberty Investigators highlighted the need to go.” Neither the mate nor struck the port bow of the bulk imprecise communication between master acknowledged the stop- carrier Ever Grace and mooring the master and pilot that began as engine order. Instead, the mate equipment at the ADM Reserve American Liberty came out of its placed the engine at full ahead. elevator terminal. At 2051, the turn. Until then, the report noted, Nobody told the pilot. tanker hit three strings of hopper the pilot’s orders were precisely “The master told the pilot barges that broke loose. Eight given and executed as expected. His to speed up to break out of the minutes later, American Liberty order to increase the engine speed current, but the pilot responded damaged mooring dolphins “whenever you can” was ambiguous; that he didn’t believe he could get and a catwalk at the PSL Upper so was the request to “give me enough speed and instead intended Globalplex Reserve wharf, where whatever you can give me.” to go astern,” NTSB investigators the ship was ultimately tied up. The pilot, who like the master said. American Liberty required nearly was not identified, said he preferred “At 2039, the pilot ordered $1.7 million in hull repairs, while to ask for speed changes rather than engine full ahead and the mate Ever Grace and African Griffon each issue orders or commands because replied that they were already at sustained less than $100,000 in it was more polite that way. full ahead,” the report said. “At damage. Don D. cost more than “The pilot’s situation awareness 2039:08, the master ordered rudder $500,000 to repair, while 11 ADM was further diminished when the hard left. The pilot counter-ordered hopper barges sustained $221,000 master changed the EOT (engine rudder hard right.” in damage. Repairs to the ADM order telegraph) four times without The ship continued along the Reserve elevator terminal exceeded informing him, so he continued left bank and cleared the moored $32 million, while the PSL Upper to give engine orders without articulated tug-barge Teresa-Acadia Globalplex needed almost $6 knowing what the EOT was set at,” and the tugboat Miss Caroline. The million in repairs. the report said. “A pilot cannot be proximity to terminal infrastructure Four mariners aboard African expected to successfully maneuver and the moored vessels precluded Griffon and Don D. suffered a vessel if their orders are not Josephine Anne and Vera Bisso from injuries during the incident. The being followed or contrary orders taking position on the port side of stevedore production manager are being executed without their the tanker. Meanwhile, the master aboard African Griffon, who knowledge.” and pilot continued the tug of war recorded the incident on his Casey Conley

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Fabled Alaska ferry sinks after Washington pier collapses in storm wo historic vessels broke free An assist tugboat corralled why that happened likely won’t be Tand one sank in Anacortes, Acushnet, a World War II-era salvage determined until after the section is Wash., after the concrete pier to ship turned Coast Guard cutter, said refloated. which they were tied collapsed service spokesman Steve Strohmaier. “We don’t know yet if one of during a fierce winter storm. The 64-year-old Chilkat, the first those boats punched a hole in the The 99-foot Chilkat and 213- purpose-built ferry for Alaska’s side. Maybe it was bouncing or foot Acushnet both went adrift burgeoning marine highway system, knocked the fenders loose, but that in Guemes Channel after the was not so lucky. It rolled over and is what we believe happened at 300-by-60-foot pier segment sank at sank near the Guemes Island Ferry this time,” Lovric said in a phone Lovric’s Sea-Craft at about 0230 on Terminal later that morning. interview. “It didn’t pull the boats Jan. 13. A third vessel, the tugboat John Lovric, vice president of down with it, but it snapped their Helen S., also broke free and became Lovric’s Sea-Craft, said the pier mooring lines.” snagged in mooring lines, the U.S. segment took on water in the A powerful storm on the night Coast Guard said. hours before it sank. How and of Jan. 12 and morning of Jan. 13 brought heavy rain and 40-knot winds, Strohmaier said, with gusts reaching 50 knots. Seas in Guemes Channel were 4 to 5 feet. After the vessels broke free from the boatyard, the wind blew them northeast along the channel, Strohmaier said. The tugboat Garth Foss brought Acushnet under control and towed it to the Port of Anacortes undamaged, but the tug could not respond to Chilkat in time. The decommissioned vessel lodged against the Guemes Island Ferry Terminal and took on water, likely through an opening cut in the stern. It eventually capsized and was pulled away from the terminal Chilkat and Acushnet broke from their lines after a 300- by the current before sinking in 35 foot section of concrete pier feet of water. Commercial salvage collapsed on Jan. 13 at Lovric’s crews marked the vessel’s location. Sea-Craft in Anacortes, Wash. Details on a possible salvage were Chilkat eventually lodged not available at press time. against the Guemes Island Ferry service from Juneau to Ferry Terminal, right, capsized and sank. The ferry once nearby communities in southeast served residents of southeast Alaska started in the late 1940s with Alaska, opposite. U.S. Coast Guard/Facebook photos a private operator. Private service

30 Professional Mariner March 2021 proved untenable, and in 1957 the other communities served,” Venables After it left the ferry system territorial government took over told Professional Mariner. “To see fleet, Chilkat worked briefly as the operation. Chilkat, with its bow Chilkat go down like it did … was a fish processor and later as a ramp capable of landing on beaches, kind of heartbreaking. It was once a scalloper for a fishing operator. was a workhorse that served the great asset for the state.” Its interior components were state for more than three decades. Many Alaskans remember removed and the hull underwent The 59-passenger, 15-vehicle Chilkat as the first “blue canoe” — modifications. ferry built by J.M. Martinac the nickname bestowed on Alaska “It should be noted that Chilkat Shipbuilding entered service in State Ferry vessels. Mariners who had been greatly modified (after June 1957, two years before Alaska worked aboard the ferry considered decommissioning) and was hardly became a state and six years before it the “queen of the fleet,” said Capt. recognizable from her original the Alaska Marine Highway System William Hopkins, who joined the profile,” Hopkins said. began formal operations. Chilkat Alaska Marine Highway System as a The former cutter Acushnet has was retired in late 1988. mate in December 1977. He retired a similarly noteworthy past. It was The ferry holds a special place in 2007 and now lives in Ketchikan. built as USS Shackle in 1943 and in the hearts of many Alaskans, His first assignment as captain, served as a U.S. Navy salvage and particularly residents in the state’s in 1988, was aboard Chilkat. rescue ship during World War II. rugged and remote southeast region, The vessel served as a proving Its crew supported the invasions of according to Robert Venables, ground and training platform Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945. executive director of the Southeast for a generation of ferry system After the war, the vessel joined the Conference. The nonprofit group captains, Hopkins said in an article Coast Guard fleet, where it was formed more than 60 years ago in commemorating the ferry for the used for international ice patrols, part to advocate for a robust marine Alaska Marine Highway System’s maritime research and finally, in the transportation system. 50th anniversary in 2013. late 1990s and early 2000s, Bering “Chilkat was the first vessel that “Every new captain was assigned Sea patrols. It was decommissioned began daily dependable service to Chilkat first,” Hopkins said in in 2011. between communities. From that an email. “After that experience, The sunken pier segment at point on, other boats were built and everything else seemed easier.” Lovric’s has some history of its own. The boatyard used two sections, one 300 feet long and the other 270 feet long, as a floating pier. Both were initially part of the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge in Seattle, a portion of which sank in November 1990. It is the second- longest floating bridge in the world. Lovric plans to refloat the pier section in the near future. “Hopefully we can see what damage there is and refloat it,” he said. “Hopefully whatever it is, it is Dale Pulju photo Pulju Dale minimal and we can get it back into service.” Casey Conley

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32 Professional Mariner March 2021 maritime casualties

Crew rescued, fuel escapes as tugboat sinks off Puerto Rico hree mariners escaped from a T71-year-old tugboat before it sank near the port of Yabucoa, Puer- to Rico, on Christmas Eve. The 111-foot Proassist III started taking on water during the early evening on Dec. 24 while returning to Yabucoa. Crew issued a mayday call at about 1700 when the vessel was 2 miles from the harbor, located on the island’s east side. “The crew realized the vessel was listing and that water was inside. They were having difficulty getting rid of it, to the point that (the tug) Remigiusz Piotrowski/U.S. Coast Guard photos ended up sink- The crew of a fishing realized they were taking on water ing,” U.S. Coast vessel rescued the three to the moment they were back in Guard spokes- mariners aboard Proassist Yabucoa was about two hours,” man Ricardo III, above, as the tug tried Castrodad said. “They were work- to make it back to port Castrodad said while taking on water on ing to contain the situation but also in a phone inter- Christmas Eve near Yabu- making arrangements to abandon view. coa, Puerto Rico. The tug’s the vessel.” Crew aboard captain deployed a life raft Photos released by the Coast the fishing vessel before the vessel sank. Guard show a life raft that was Sal Pa Fuera rescued the tugboat’s an inquiry seeking comment on the deployed at some point during the three mariners before the vessel sinking. episode. The tug’s captain deployed went under. There were no injuries, Proassist III typically assists ships the raft, although it is unclear if but an unknown quantity of diesel calling the Port of Yabucoa, home the crew took refuge in it before escaped the tugboat, which had to a large fuel terminal. The tug embarking onto the good Samari- about 1,100 gallons on board. was underway without any vessels tan vessel. Coast Guard air crews spot- in tow when it encountered trouble Proassist III sank in about 27 ted sheening where the vessel sank while returning from Guayama, feet of water outside the main ship- roughly a quarter mile from the roughly 30 miles away, on the ping channel, Coast Guard Chief harbor entrance. There were no island’s south side. Warrant Officer Daniell Lashbrook impacts to the shoreline or wildlife, It’s not clear when the vessel said. Divers plugged vents on the Castrodad said. began taking on water, how soon tug to prevent remaining fuel from The 3,000-hp, U.S.-flagged the crew recognized the problem escaping. Proassist III was built in 1949. It is and what steps they took to counter As of mid-January, Castrodad part of the American Tugs Inc. fleet it. Crew continued toward Yabucoa said the Coast Guard and tug com- that provides ship handling and after issuing the mayday call and pany were still working to finalize a rescue towing around Puerto Rico. nearly made it back. plan to salvage the vessel. American Tugs did not respond to “Between the moment they Casey Conley

www.professionalmariner.com 33 maritime casualties

Loss of towline shackle pin cited in sinking of tug in Pacific hamorro encountered 13-foot to port and its port quarter was Cabras Marine Corp. of Guam C seas, heavy rain and 50-mph submerged. Chamorro’s captain operated the 105-foot Chamorro winds from a developing typhoon considered it too dangerous to and 107-foot Mangilao. The lat- as it towed the unmanned tug- board the tug in hopes of stanch- ter tug was bound for Subic Bay boat Mangilao from Guam to the ing the flooding. The 37-year-old in the Philippines for dry-docking Philippines. While en route, the U.S.-flagged vessel sank at 0742 in and repairs, including the addition 1,700-hp oceangoing tug struggled the Pacific Ocean about 800 miles of new watertight doors and fit- to maintain speed in difficult con- west of Guam. tings. Chamorro’s captain acknowl- ditions. Investigators determined the edged that Mangilao’s watertight Before dawn on Aug. 5, 2019, cotter pin on the 50-ton shackle integrity was suspect. the second mate on watch in the securing Mangilao to other aspects U.S. Coast Guard personnel wheelhouse couldn’t see Mangilao’s of the towline broke or came spent nearly two hours inspecting navigation lights. He roused the loose, allowing the bolt’s securing the two tugboats and reviewing chief mate, who asked another nut to loosen. the towing plan before departure. crewman to check the tug’s speed, “It is likely that the chain According to the NTSB report, which by then had jumped to 5.5 from the bitt on the foredeck of Chamorro’s captain was anxious knots. Mangilao was not long enough for to leave, in part because of an “The chief mate said that, at the attached shackle to clear the approaching weather system. Days that point, he knew they had lost fendering on the bow,” the NTSB later, that storm became Typhoon the tow,” the National Transporta- said. “In heavy seas, as the vessel Lekima. tion Safety Board (NTSB) said in pitched and the bow of the ves- Chamorro left Apra Harbor in its accident report. sel lifted up over the waves, the Guam at about 1400 on July 29 Chamorro’s crew located Mangi- shackle likely made repeated con- for the 1,571-mile journey with lao after sunrise. It was listing tact with the fendering.” 10 crew aboard. The tow was esti-

Mangilao, shown in Apra Harbor, Guam in 2012, was being towed to the Philippines for dry-dock- ing and repairs when it took on water and sank. A diagram, opposite, from the NTSB accident report shows the towing arrangement based on Bob Godefroy photo Godefroy Bob an interview with the captain of the tugboat Chamorro. Diagram not drawn to scale.

34 Professional Mariner March 2021 mated to arrive on Aug. 8. The lights on Mangilao’s port, star- utes to haul in the 2-inch towing tug’s crew established a robust board and stern illuminated after wire. “The wire and the 14-inch towing arrangement intended to dark. tow pendant came aboard, but the survive a rough passage through The transit was mostly crew noticed the shackle closest to open water. Solar-powered LED uneventful through late in the Mangilao was missing its pin,” the day on Aug. 3, at which time the report said. Joint Typhoon Warning Center Later that morning, Chamorro announced that a tropical cyclone turned back and identified Mangi- could form in the next 12 to lao on radar. At that point, with 24 hours. The burgeoning low- the tug’s port quarter under water, Chamorro pressure system was forming “right there was little Chamorro’s crew over” the tow, the NTSB said. As could do but watch it sink. predicted, conditions worsened on Investigators reviewing the Aug. 4. incident noted the captain’s deci- “At 0905, (the captain) called sion to set sail toward a developing all hands to the wheelhouse for a storm. He later told the NTSB safety briefing,” the report noted. he felt confident making the voy- “He directed the crew to extend age, in part because the weather 2-inch wire rope the tow wire (from 1,000 feet) to routing service was available. The about 1,400 feet, explaining that report confirmed the routing ser- they were expecting to encounter vice guided the tug around the some significant weather and that worst of the storm. this would provide a smoother It’s not clear when Mangilao ride. About 15 minutes later, once started taking on water. The 2-inch Crosby spelter socket the tow wire was extended, he NTSB noted the condition of its 35-ton anchor shackle ordered all crew off deck.” watertight fittings and suggested 14-inch polydac plaited The vessels soon encountered the vessel slowly flooded over eight-strand hawser 10- to 13-foot seas, 50-mph winds several days before the encounter with spliced eyes Cotter and heavy rain. Visibility was with the storm. The agency also 50-ton anchor shackle pin poor, but the crew saw Mangilao suggested boarding seas could have Chain to H bitts (1.25 inches) pitching heavily in the waves. The dislodged one or more watertight chief mate, finishing his watch fittings, increasing the rate of Mangilao from 0000 to 0400 on Aug. 5, water ingress. spotted Mangilao’s navigation “If Mangilao was flooding, the lights at about 0340. The rain added water weight would have 12-inch emergency cleared for a time at 0420 and the put greater stress on the towing tow hawser (700 feet second mate on watch could not components,” the report said. to spliced eyes) see the tow. That’s when he woke “Once the towline arrangement 80-foot messenger line the chief mate, who confirmed the for Mangilao failed, leaving it dead tow was gone. in the water, it is likely that seas The crew first took to recover- more easily boarded the vessel and ing the towing system. Working continued to flood it, leading to Retriever float downwind, with seas washing over its eventual sinking.”

Pat Rossi illustration the deck, it took nearly 50 min- Casey Conley

www.professionalmariner.com 35 maritime casualties

NTSB: Strong following current contributed to Illinois bridge strike ederal investigators deter- “When the pilot determined barge loaded with scrap metal. Fmined that “higher-than- there was not enough time to The barges were in a two-wide, average current speed” was a move the vessel in order to avoid three-deep configuration. The contributing factor in a New striking the bridge, he reversed tow was a combined 662 feet Year’s Day bridge strike on the both engines … which reduced long. Des Plaines River southwest of the force of the impact but did The pilot helming the tow Chicago. not prevent the barges from hit- began his 12-hour watch at 1800 The 1,200-hp towboat Wil- ting the bridge’s protection cell,” on a calm, clear night. The cur- liam C. was downbound with six the NTSB said. rent in the Des Plaines River was loaded barges when the pilot lost William C. got underway from running at 3 knots. The river’s control while lining up for the the Illinois Marine Towing fleet flow rate, measured by the U.S. third bridge transit in a half-mile. facility, located at mile 299 on Army Corps of Engineers on The lead two barges struck a pro- the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Dec. 31, registered 6,500 cubic tection cell for the Rock Island Canal, at about 2000 on New feet per second. River authorities Railroad Bridge at 0032. The Year’s Eve. The towboat’s des- consider that volume “very high bridge is located at Des Plaines River mile 287.6, near downtown Joliet, Ill. The impact caused more than $500,000 in damage, mostly to the bridge. The two lead barges that hit the protection cell sustained minor damage. None of William C’s six crewmembers was injured. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board

(NTSB) determined the faster- NTSB photos William C., shown in a preaccident photo from the NTSB report, was downbound on the Des Plaines River with a six-barge string when the two lead barges hit a protection cell for the Rock Island Railroad Bridge, left. The impact location is circled.

flow” but not enough to require an assist vessel. Three bridges await down- bound traffic passing through than-normal current contributed tination was another company Joliet from the north. The Cass to the towboat pilot’s “inability fleeting site downriver at Des Street Bridge and Jefferson Street to correct the tow’s position after Plaines River mile 280 in Chan- Bridge are both drawbridges with completing the transit through nahon, Ill. The tow consisted of 150-foot-wide channels. The the previous bridge.” five loaded coal barges and a sixth Rock Island Railroad Bridge, the

36 Professional Mariner March 2021 southernmost of the three, is a ahead. The pilot again turned the mined the impact pushed the lift bridge that crosses the river at rudders to starboard to line up in concrete cell nearly out of posi- about a 45-degree angle. the channel as it bent slightly to tion, along with other damage. William C. passed under the the west. According to the report, The two barges sustained minor Cass Street Bridge at about 0020 the vessel did not respond and hull insets. The 88-year-old and began lining up for the Jef- continued moving toward the left bridge owned by CSX Transpor- ferson Street Bridge two-tenths descending bank. tation closed to rail traffic for at of a mile downriver. That’s when Recognizing an impact was least 10 days, the report said. the tow got out of shape for the Investigators said the following approach to the Rock Island The river’s flow rate current pushed against the tow’s span, the report said. starboard quarter as it approached “The pilot said that as he registered 6,500 the Jefferson Street Bridge, and attempted to line up the tow at a cubic feet per sec- again as the pilot tried to line speed of 5 mph to pass through up for the railroad bridge. “The the Jefferson Street Bridge, he ond. River authorities pilot attempted to move the tow realized that he had turned the consider that volume to starboard,” the report noted, tow too far to port toward the left “very high flow” but “but, since the following cur- descending bank and to counter rent was pushing against the this action, turned the rudders to not enough to require tow, it continued toward the left starboard,” the NTSB said. “The an assist vessel. descending bank.” vessel moved to starboard, toward The 76-foot William C., a the center of the channel, but 52-year-old towboat with a when the pilot returned the imminent, the pilot sounded the retractable pilothouse, is oper- rudders to midships, the vessel general alarm and backed hard to ated by Canal Barge Co. sub- moved to port again.” slow the tow. The two lead barg- sidiary Illinois Marine Towing. The tow was just 200 feet es, INO 85100 on the starboard The company did not respond from the Jefferson Street Bridge side and INO 85226 on the port to an inquiry about the NTSB and the pilot had little choice but side, hit the protection cell on findings. INO 85100 and INO to continue through the span. the northeast side of the bridge at 85226 are owned by Ingram After clearing that bridge, the rail 0032. The tow remained intact. Barge Co. • bridge lay less than 1,600 feet Railroad officials later deter- Casey Conley

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www.professionalmariner.com 37 trends & currents

Rise of new fuels raises questions about adequacy of mariner training by Alan R. Earls ew maritime fuels are of their own, further complicating tion to LNG that have a shot at coming or are already training challenges. taking some meaningful market Nhere, and the associated According to “Global Marine share: primarily low sulfur fuel oil changes are raising concerns about Fuel Trends 2030,” demand will (LSFO), but also hydrogen and the readiness of today’s mariners. likely double by that year given methanol. For example, the rise of liquefied the scenarios that the authors With that broad spectrum of natural gas (LNG), which is han- assessed. In each, demand for fuels in the pipeline, some indus- dled in ways dramatically different heavy fuel oil (HFO) is projected try experts — notably the head of from fuel oil or diesel, has some to increase through 2025, poten- the American Bureau of Shipping, concerned that not enough has tially falling back to 2010 levels Christopher Wiernicki — are been done to prepare those who by 2030 as operators continue to suggesting it’s time for action. In may start to encounter the fuel in respond to stricter environmen- a keynote address late in 2020, their work. tal regulations. But at the same Wiernicki suggested that the rapid And while LNG is the main time, marine diesel oil (MDO) adoption of LNG means training focus at the moment, a recent and marine gas oil (MGO) could needs to be updated, at least for study prepared by Lloyd’s Register reach 50 percent of total demand. crew on LNG-fueled vessels. and the UCL Energy Institute Those two fuels, at least, are With LNG clearly in mind, he points to other alternatives that relatively familiar. But the authors noted that the “next-generation may develop market momentum mention three other fuels in addi- fuels” have a dynamic nature not

38 Professional Mariner March 2021 Fure Ven, a dual-fuel tanker owned and training standards were developed fuels that sometimes need to be operated by Furetank of Sweden, became the a long time ago, prior to the inter- warmed to 160 degrees Fahren- first foreign-flagged vessel to bunker LNG in net and the advent of cellphones. heit to flow properly to a fuel that the United States on Sept. 1 at the Talleyrand Peter Lindsey, vice president of involves cryogenics in storage and Marine Terminal in Jacksonville, Fla. The growth of LNG as a marine fuel will require the marine sector at Purify Fuel handling. “Mariners will need to a new focus on training for ship crews and in Houston, said that apart from understand that it (LNG) always bunkering personnel. LNG in the “new fuels” category, wants to become a gas,” he said. there are more additives coming As a result, freezing of valves and present previously — namely they into the market to make marine surfaces will be a problem because can change physical state during fuels safer, more efficient or more decompressing a gas causes a loss the course of a voyage depending environmentally compliant. There- of temperature. on how much fuel is used and fore, he said, vessel operators and Other potential training issues ambient conditions (e.g. boil-off bunkering crews are increasingly were identified by Simon Hoo- of product). going to be asked to “additize” ton, technical product manager at To be sure, the maritime industry fuels being delivered, based on the North Ridge Pumps in the United has had experience handling almost needs of the customer. Kingdom. He has found that every kind of fuel, but usually just as “Bunker barge crews might be when users switch to LSFO they cargo or in highly specialized vessels tasked with adding things to barge sometimes experience issues with such as LNG tankers. This knowl- tanks that they aren’t doing as their equipment, such as leakage edge will need to become more much today,” Lindsey said. New from mechanical seals due to the universal as ship types multiply — technologies are emerging to help viscosity of the fuel being much dual-fuel or even tri-fuel vessels — do this safely, including metered lower than what original pumps and as new fuels gain traction. injection systems, but in either had been designed to handle. He also has seen instances of acceler- ated pump wear (LSFO can con- tain abrasive particles that lead to LNG is a natural premature pump failure). These gas that has been cooled to a are new challenges that personnel liquid at minus will need to understand. 260 degrees “Customers need to be aware Fahrenheit. when handling such fuels that Those who maintenance should be performed handle it have more frequently, as systems are to deal with the freezing of designed with very small toleranc-

JAXPORT photos JAXPORT valves and sur- es … to function as intended due faces, both on to the high pressures involved,” vessels and Hooton said. If equipment is shoreside tanks. operated outside of these param- Wiernicki said he believes the case “there is a training element … eters, he added, it can quickly lead International Maritime Organiza- working out the math for proper to failure. tion (IMO) will seek to update dosing, dealing with pouring Unsurprisingly, third-party SOLAS to account for the chal- potentially hazardous liquids into training is starting to emerge lenges posed by the alternate fuels a barge tank, etc.” for the new fuel alternatives. In and other new technologies. He Regarding LNG, Lindsey said Europe, a large operator is work- also pointed out that current crew the industry is going from “hot” ing with Wartsila to enhance www.professionalmariner.com 39 trends & currents

Students at the United States Maritime Resource Center spray a dry chemical extinguishing agent on an LNG flange fire at the Massachusetts Fire- fighting Academy in Stow, Mass. USMRC began LNG training in 2014 in partnership with Harvey Gulf International Marine.

required, it doesn’t work,” she said. “Companies will tell you they don’t want to pay for it.” At this point, she added, there have not been any inquiries about LNG training. “We have fewer training schools on this coast, so we tend to react to what is hap- pening on the East Coast,” she USMRC photo USMRC said. For Lindsey, the key is to get widespread training accomplished crew simulator training. Accord- marine fuel experts with extensive and out in the field so that even ing to Wartsila, its customized LNG experience. deck hands know and better LNGPac bunkering and liquid Rick Schwab, senior director of understand what they are facing cargo-handling simulators have the Maritime and Industrial Train- with LNG and other new fuels. been installed at the customer’s ing Center at Delgado Commu- “Everyone will need to be more largest maritime training centers. nity College in New Orleans, said careful, whether it is passing over Although targeted primarily at the school is “building a tankering a grounding cable to a barge or users of Wartsila’s LNG-handling program with LNG and looking properly handling tank bleed-offs,” equipment, the company noted at things on the firefighting side as he said. that the training aligns with the well.” He said the LNG industry Wiernicki said new fuels pres- International Convention on Stan- has a big presence in his area, so ent “one of the major challenges dards of Training, Certification there is often an overlap between the industry needs to address, and and Watchkeeping (STCW) and the concerns and needs of mari- companies will need to embrace International Code of Safety for ners and those of shore-based more competency-based training Ships Using Gases or other Low- operations. Both communities are to ensure crews and shore staff Flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code). served by the center. fully understand the safety aspects In North America, the United “We are looking at options to … and what to do in all opera- States Maritime Resource Cen- help and assist anyone – industry tional scenarios, both planned and ter (USMRC) in Middletown, leaders and associations,” he said. unplanned.” R.I., offers training for LNG On the West Coast, Julie Keim, This will have an impact on users. “Basic and Advanced Low- who operates Compass Courses the International Safety Man- Flashpoint Fuel Operations” is in Edmonds, Wash., said she is agement (ISM) Code as well, taught in partnership with Harvey taking a somewhat more conserva- he said, because management Gulf International Marine, which tive approach. “To be honest, I systems will need to address con- was the first operator of an LNG- react to what the Coast Guard has tinuous training and support a fueled vessel on the continent. put out on the subject, because if closer link between crews and Other USMRC instructors include you offer something before it is shore-based teams. •

40 Professional Mariner March 2021

Correspondence by Edward Lundquist

The Coast Guard cut- ter Smilax (WLIC 315) underwent a 15-week overhaul at the Coast Guard Yard in Balti- more, Md., in 2015. Commissioned in 1944, U.S. Coast Guard photo Guard Coast U.S. the 100-foot inland buoy tender — the “Queen of the Fleet” — is the oldest vessel in active Coast Guard service. White, black or red, Coast Guard needs new hulls rom patrols in the tropics to endurance cutters that are even aging fleet with new cutters with icebreaking in polar waters older. The service’s only heavy better endurance, capability and Fto fixing channel markers icebreaker is 45 years old and the efficiency is so important. in the heart of America, the U.S. oldest inland tender is more than The fact that the Coast Guard Coast Guard has a vital job to do. 70. has done such a good job operating To address its 11 statutory mis- Back in 2012, a Government despite an old and in some cases sions, the service needs reliable, Accountability Office (GAO) obsolete fleet is a testament to the capable and state-of-the-art ships report said the service’s ability to crews and support teams. But new to meet contemporary threats and conduct its missions was impacted ships are needed. Fortunately, they those of tomorrow. But over the by the generally poor physical con- are on the way. years, the Coast Guard has had dition and declining operational The Coast Guard classifies and to repeatedly extend the service capacity of its older high-endurance color-codes its cutters by function life of many of its cutters. It’s still cutters, medium-endurance cutters and size. The “white hull” ships, operating 52-year-old high-endur- and 110-foot patrol craft. That’s ranging from the national security ance cutters and has medium- why the effort to recapitalize the cutter to the smaller fast response

42 Professional Mariner March 2021 cutter, conduct patrol operations. endurance cutters and patrol boats with the “W” denoting a Coast The “black hull” ships are buoy eventually will all be handled by Guard ship and “MSL” denoting tenders and workboats of different the national security cutter (NSC), “maritime security cutter, large.” sizes and capabilities to work on offshore patrol cutter (OPC) and The lead ship, USCGC Bertholf the open ocean, along the coasts fast response cutter (FRC). (WMSL 750), is named for and in inland waterways and rivers. Of the white hulls, the 12 ships Cmdr. Ellsworth Bertholf, who was Finally, “red hulls” are icebreakers. of the Hamilton class of 378-foot the fourth commandant of both The recapitalization plan covers all high-endurance cutters have been the Revenue Cutter Service and three. the largest and most capable cutters Coast Guard. since the first was commissioned in The service’s original program White hulls patrol the sea 1967 and the last joined the fleet of record called for eight NSCs to The largest group of cutters, and in 1972. Despite their age, three replace the 378-foot Hamiltons, the ones most people associate with are still in service with the Coast with the idea that the newer ships the Coast Guard, are the white Guard, and all of the others have would be more capable — with hulls dispatched for search and res- been transferred to other navies better sea-keeping, endurance and cue; drug and migrant interdiction; and coast guards in the Philippines, range — and able to meet the mis- port, waterway and coastal secu- Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria and sion with fewer vessels. However, rity; protection of living marine Vietnam. the program has ordered 11 NSCs resources; defense readiness opera- Like the Hamilton class, the to date. All NSCs were built or are tions; and support for other Coast new Bertholf-class national security planned to be built at Huntington Guard functions such as aids to cutters — or Legend class, named Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Ship- navigation (ATON) and pollution for famous Coast Guard leaders building of Pascagoula, Miss. Nine response. Missions that have been — are multimission ships. They NSCs have been delivered. carried out by high- and medium- carry the designation WMSL, The 360-foot Heritage-class

The Heritage-class offshore patrol cutter is one of the Coast Guard’s top acquisition priorities. The 360-foot OPCs will replace the service’s medium- endurance

cutters. Eastern Shipbuilding Group photo www.professionalmariner.com 43 correspondence

offshore patrol cutter, which will in Panama City, Fla., where its keel The plan is to build 58 FRCs, as replace the aging medium-endur- was authenticated in April 2020. well as procure FRCs to replace ance cutters (WMECs), stands The second OPC is under contract the six 110s currently serving with as one of the service’s highest and long lead-time items are being Patrol Forces Southwest Asia in acquisition priorities. The Coast procured for the third. Bahrain. The Coast Guard accept- Guard currently operates the 210- The Coast Guard’s large fleet ed delivery of the 42nd FRC in foot Reliance-class and 270-foot of smaller patrol boats (WPBs) December. Famous-class WMECs, as well as includes 87-foot and Island-class two converted salvage ships that 110-foot cutters, with the 110s Black hulls maintain ATON were transferred from the Navy. now being replaced by the 154- One of the Coast Guard’s most The OPC is expected to displace foot fast response cutter (FRC). important and unheralded missions about 4,500 tons and will have a The Sentinel-class FRCs — desig- is to maintain the ATON system flight deck and facilities for heli- nated as WPCs — are much more that allows the safe and efficient copters and unmanned aircraft. It movement of vessels and prevents will have much greater sea-keeping, Growing interest in collisions, allisions and groundings range and endurance than the at sea and along the nation’s intra- WMECs. the polar regions coastal and inland waterways. This The first of the 16 210s was demands presence. duty is performed by the service’s commissioned in 1964. Two have Coast Guard officials black hulls. since been decommissioned and The fleet includes 16 Juniper- have transferred to Sri Lanka and have said the service class, 225-foot seagoing buoy Colombia. All 13 270s are still needs at least three tenders used to maintain aids to active, with the oldest being com- heavy icebreakers navigation and also assist with missioned in 1983. The Coast law enforcement and search and Guard also has a one-of-a-kind to provide the ability rescue. The first entered service in medium-endurance cutter, USCGC to operate anywhere 1996 and the 16th joined the fleet Alex Haley (WMEC 39), which at any time. in 2005. Two of them are sta- was originally commissioned for tioned on the Great Lakes. There Navy service in 1971 and after are 14 coastal buoy tenders of significant modifications was acti- capable than the boats they are the Keeper class used to maintain vated in the Coast Guard in 1999. replacing, with improved C4ISR coastal ATON. They entered ser- It is still active and home-ported at capability (command, control, vice between 1996 and 2000, with Kodiak, Alaska. communications, computers, intel- one of them based on the Great Designed to complement the ligence, surveillance and reconnais- Lakes. capabilities of the 418-foot NSCs, sance); stern launch and recovery The inland and river construc- the OPCs will be the backbone of (up through sea state 4) for a tion tenders are the oldest cutters the Coast Guard’s strategy to proj- 26-foot cutter boat instead of the in the Coast Guard inventory. ect and maintain an offshore pres- WPB’s 17-foot RHIB; improved The average age is 55 years; the ence. The OPC program of record sea-keeping, and enhanced crew oldest is more than 75. There are is set to deliver 25 hulls, which will habitability. three classes — inland buoy ten- eventually comprise more than 70 The FRCs are being con- ders (WLIs), river buoy tenders percent of the Coast Guard’s off- structed by Bollinger Shipyards of (WLRs) and inland construction shore fleet. The first ship, USCGC Lockport, La., and are based on tenders (WLICs) — in various Argus (WMSM 915), is under con- the “parent craft” design of the versions from 65 to 160 feet, struction at Eastern Shipbuilding Damen Stan 4708 patrol vessel. which along with their respective

44 Professional Mariner March 2021 work barges can reach up to 190 Lakes icebreaker USCGC Macki- first PSC is scheduled for delivery feet. Together these tenders and naw (WLBB 30) is based in Che- in 2024, with the second notion- their work barges place buoys; boygan, Mich. ally in 2025 and third notionally handle tower construction, pile Growing interest in the polar in 2027 if the options are executed. driving and extraction; and sup- regions demands presence. Coast At 460 feet in length and with a port maintenance of the 28,200 Guard officials have said the ser- full load displacement of about ATON along America’s 12,000- vice needs at least three heavy 33,000 long tons, the PSC will be mile Marine Transportation Sys- icebreakers to provide the ability substantially larger than Polar Star tem (MTS). to operate anywhere at any time. (399 feet, 13,000 tons) or Healy The inland tenders will be Polar Star is used almost exclusive- (420 feet, 16,000 tons). replaced under the Coast Guard’s ly to support the annual resupply “In order to conduct the full Waterways Commerce Cutter mission to the National Science range of Coast Guard missions, (WCC) program, which is on Foundation base at McMurdo Coast Guard icebreakers must be an accelerated schedule to reach Sound in Antarctica, but the fully interoperable with interagency initial operational capability by Coast Guard has long lobbied for and international stakeholders, 2025 and full operational capabil- ships that can do more. The result including the Department of ity by 2030. The program released is the polar security cutter (PSC) Defense, to carry out national draft specifications for the river defense operations,” Adm. Charles buoy and inland construction Ray told a House subcommittee in tenders in October 2019 and top- level requirements for the inland buoy tenders in November 2019. The Coast Guard released a draft request for proposals in July for detailed design and construction of the river buoy and inland con- Halter Marine photo struction tenders.

Red hulls break ice May 2019. “Thus, the new PSC Like much of its legacy fleet, the Halter Marine is building the nation’s first polar will include sufficient space, weight Coast Guard’s red hulls are old. security cutter, set for delivery in 2024, with and power to conduct the full com- Of the two heavy icebreakers — options to build two more. The PSCs are sorely plement of multimission activities needed to complement Polar Star, the nation’s USCGC Polar Star (WAGB 10) only operational heavy icebreaker. that support our nation’s current and sister ship USCGC Polar Sea and future needs in the Arctic.” • (WAGB 11), commissioned in program to deliver a multimission 1976 and 1977, respectively — vessel with world-class icebreaking Retired Navy Capt. Edward only the first is operational. The capability. Lundquist is a communications pro- medium icebreaker USCGC Healy The Navy and Coast Guard fessional with 38 years of experience (WAGB 20), commissioned in established a joint integrated pro- in military, private association and 1999, is larger than the Polar class gram office to procure the PSC. corporate service. During his 24-year but is less powerful, and it is used Halter Marine of Pascagoula, Miss., naval career, Lundquist qualified as primarily as an icebreaking research was awarded the contract to design a surface warfare officer and later vessel. The oceangoing icebreak- and build the first ship in the class, served as a public affairs officer. He ers are based in Seattle; the Great with options for two more. The retired from active duty in 2000. www.professionalmariner.com 45 continued from page 48 haven’t been establishing new bases routes that have been frozen for all nor refurbishing any old ones. Even of recorded history now have cargo it comes to establishing sovereignty in worse, compared with Russia’s nearly ships and passenger ships plying their the Arctic. Unfortunately, the United 50 icebreaking vessels, it is pathetic waters, saving thousands of miles and States government hasn’t shown the that the only operational heavy ice- tens of thousands of dollars on each same level of commitment. breaker the United States has is Polar voyage. With things changing so fast On Dec. 4, my wife and I boarded Star – a 45-year-old workhorse that and with so much at stake, continu- the Washington state ferry Salish in has been plagued by breakdowns and ing to ignore what is happening up Port Townsend on the Olympic Pen- unexpected repairs for years. It is dis- north makes no sense, and it could insula and headed up to the passenger concerting to think that if Polar Star have dangerous repercussions. I am deck to enjoy the trip. A few minutes were to break down in thick Arctic ice hopeful that President Biden’s admin- after getting underway, I walked over during its mission this season, in all istration will develop a thoughtful, to the starboard side to see if any likelihood the U.S. would have to rely comprehensive policy on dealing with Military Sealift Command ships were on Canadian icebreakers to rescue it. the new emerging reality in the Arctic loading munitions at Indian Island, One recent piece of good news — one that emphasizes building new and I caught a glimpse of a vessel in regarding American interests in the coastal military bases in Alaska, beef- the outbound traffic lane off of Mar- Arctic came in December when Sen. ing up our icebreaker fleet and con- rowstone Point. As we got closer, I Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., announced tinuing to update our alliances with realized that it was the famous Coast that the new military appropriations the other Arctic nations. I believe Guard heavy icebreaker Polar Star. bill — which was vetoed by President that if we want to avoid just giving Usually down in Antarctica during Trump but enacted when Congress up on our claims, or having to go to the winter, the ship was sent to the overrode him — included fund- war to defend them, there is no other Arctic instead in 2020 in response ing for three heavy-duty and three option. to Russia’s military and political medium-duty icebreakers. The first Till next time, I wish you all maneuvering. Capt. William Woitrya, 460-foot polar security cutter, a heavy smooth sailin’. • master of Polar Star, said that sending icebreaker, is currently in the detailed the icebreaker north would give the design phase at Halter Marine in Mis- Kelly Sweeney holds a license of United States the chance to “tell the sissippi and is expected to be delivered master (oceans, any gross tons), and world that the Arctic is important to in 2024. has held a master of towing vessels us, and that we’re going to pay atten- As the ice continues to melt, license (oceans) as well. He sails on tion to it.” 30 percent of the world’s natural a variety of commercial vessels and Unfortunately, words alone cannot gas reserves and 15 percent of its lives on an island near Seattle. You remedy the long-standing governmen- untapped oil reserves are becom- can contact him at captsweeney@ tal neglect of our Arctic interests. We ing accessible in the Arctic. Sea professionalmariner.com.

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A Mariner’s Notebook by Capt. Kelly Sweeney

Russia flexing its muscles, outflanking US as Arctic heats up n 2020, temperatures in the United States, Canada, sian invasion but an unan- square miles of the oil- and Iparts of the Arctic were Greenland (actually a terri- nounced exercise simulating gas-rich Arctic continental an unbelievable 14 to 18 tory of Denmark), Iceland a battle in the Bering Sea. shelf for itself. To support degrees above normal, and Norway — have each A colleague of mine was a and defend its claims, Rus- with the region recording been staking out claims crewmember on F/V Blue sia has been undertaking its second-highest yearly in the region. One in par- North, one of the ships the biggest military buildup average since 1900. Read- ticular, our Arctic neighbor working the area that day. in the Arctic since the Cold ings were so extreme that a Russia, has become increas- He told me how frighten- War, refurbishing dozens of Siberian heat ingly strident about flexing ing the experience was, old military bases along the wave caused its nationalistic muscles. especially when the war- Northern Sea Route and wildfires on On a quiet Sunday late ships and warplanes began the Bering Sea — including the tundra, in the 2020 season, the issuing warnings about the the full-service port of Prov- a biome that U.S.-flag Bering Sea fleet imminent firing of missiles ideniya, just 200 nautical is normally was working the Alaska and ordering U.S. citizens miles from Nome, Alaska. too wet or pollock fishery in calm seas to leave immediately. John During the past year, a too frozen and pleasant weather. All of Anderson, the captain of Russian nuclear submarine to burn. a sudden, in an aggressive Blue North, radioed the was deployed to the North Extraordi- show of force, 50 Russian U.S. Coast Guard asking Pole, Russian paratroopers narily high warships, a Russian nuclear how he should respond were dropped in the Arc- temperatures and melting submarine and 40 Rus- to the Russian military tic for battle training, and ice in the Arctic Ocean sian military planes began demands. The reply was, Su-35 fighter jets taunt- have disrupted the food harassing them and disrupt- “Just do what they want.” ingly flew to the edge of chain, wreaking havoc not ing their operations — all American mariners, poli- U.S. airspace in Alaska – all only on native wildlife but of this despite the fact that ticians and military officials part of President Vladimir on indigenous communities the American ships were were dismayed at how bra- Putin’s stated goal of fur- as well. At the same time, working in our exclusive zenly the Russians obtruded thering his country’s Arctic the ice melt has revealed oil economic zone (EEZ) and on U.S. commercial activi- claims. In March 2020, and mineral riches on the had a legal right to be there. ties on the Bering Sea, but Putin announced an ambi- ocean floor and has opened The appearance of the Rus- they were not surprised. tious 15-year plan to build shipping routes that have sian armada completely Ever since 2007, when 40 ice-class military and been frozen and impassible took the Americans by Russia infamously placed commercial ships, includ- for millennia. As these new surprise, prompting some its flag on the North Pole ing several large dedicated opportunities emerge, the of the mariners to ask, “Are seabed, it has been push- icebreakers. Russia obvi- six countries that border we being invaded?” ing its way around — most ously means business when the North Pole — Russia, Luckily, it wasn’t a Rus- recently claiming 463,000 continued on page 47

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