Vernon C. Bain – Prison Barge

Published: July 29th, 2010 by tim | Topic: Barge, Interesting

New York City Prison Barge, The Vernon C. Bain Center (VCBC), is an 800-bed jail barge that is designed to handle inmates from medium- to maximum-security in 16 dormitories and 100 cells. It resides on the East River approximately one mile west of SUNY Maritime College. The barge falls under the New York City Department of Corrections and is part of the vast Rikers Island jail complex, the world’s largest penal colony. The prison barge was built in New Orleans for $161 million and brought to New York in 1992 to reduce overcrowding on the island’s land-bound buildings. Since the jail is not permanently moored to the shore, Coast Guard regulations require that she have 3 maritime crew on board at all time, including a mate, an engineer and an oiler. With this in mind the blog, admiraltymaritimelaw.blogspot.com posed this question.

If an inmate or an employee is injured on the barge would it fall under admiralty jurisdiction? Believe it or not it appears the question has never been litigated, at least I can’t find it in my search of federal and New York cases.

Moon Setting on Calm Water

Published: July 29th, 2010 by John Konrad | Topic: Interesting, Photo

Click on the image for the Hi-Res version. The photo was taken using a technique we published in a story titled “Shipboard Digital Camera Tricks“. Many more great moon pictures by the photographer, Licya, can be found HERE.

Raising The Titanic…. In 3-D

Published: July 28th, 2010 by Mike | Topic: History, Salvage, Science

25 years after the discovery of the Titanic shipwreck, a team of scientists and organizations are getting ready to embark on an expedition of, well, titanic proportions. The expedition, which will commence in August, aims to literally raise the Titanic… virtually. The Associated Press has the details:

A team of scientists will launch an expedition to the Titanic next month to assess the deteriorating condition of the world’s most famous shipwreck and create a detailed three-dimensional map that will “virtually raise the Titanic” for the public.
The expedition to the site 2 1/2 miles beneath the North Atlantic is billed as the most advanced scientific mission to the Titanic wreck since its discovery 25 years ago.
The 20-day expedition is to leave St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Aug. 18 under a partnership between RMS Titanic Inc., which has exclusive salvage rights to the wreck, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. The expedition will not collect artifacts but will probe a 2-by-3-mile debris field where hundreds of thousands of artifacts remain scattered. Keep Reading

The expedition will be based on the R/V Jean Charcot, a 250-foot research vessel with a crew of 20. Three submersibles and the latest sonar, acoustic and filming technology will also be part of the expedition.

While the expedition is being privately funded with an undisclosed amount of money, hopefully this will open the doors for similar expeditions, or perhaps investigations, in the future.

More information on the expedition can be found at www.expeditiontitanic.com.

[Image via Associated Press]

Another Oil Leak Hits Gulf of Mexico

Published: July 28th, 2010 by Monkey Fist | Topic: Oil Spill

PHOTO: FOX NEWS

NEW ORLEANS — A wellhead in southeastern Louisiana was spewing a mist of oil and gas up to 100 feet into the air after being hit by a tug boat early Tuesday morning, officials said. It is at least the third unrelated oil leak in the area since the Deepwater Horizon spill began 99 days earlier.

The well is about 65 miles south of New Orleans in Barataria Bay, which is surrounded by wildlife-rich wetlands and was a fertile area for fishermen, shrimpers and oystermen before the BP spill. By Tuesday afternoon, a reddish brown sheen 50 yards by one mile long was spotted near the well, according to a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard said the well was owned by Cedyco, a company based in Houston.

The wellhead burst at 1 a.m. local time Tuesday after being hit by a tug boat, the Pere Ana C, that was pushing the dredge barge Captain Buford Berry, though details were still being investigated.

more »
CNN Video: Louisiana Well Emitting Oil, Gas After Vessel Strike »
See also: NPR: From the Air, Gulf Oil Slick Seems to Be Clearing »

NASA Hurricane Forecasting – GRIP

Published: July 27th, 2010 by tim | Topic: Data, Science, Weather

The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes mission, or GRIP, will use 15 cutting edge instruments, a Global Hawk UAV, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 and a Martin WB-57F Canberra to gain a new look at how hurricanes form, strengthen, and weaken. This will be NASA’s first major US-based hurricane field campaign since 2001.

This August and September, NASA is leading an aircraft campaign that will provide a sustained and unprecedented look at the inner workings of hurricane formation and intensification. The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) experiment will take place from Aug. 15 to Sept. 30 and employ three NASA aircraft flying over the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea to try to answer some of the basic but still lingering questions about how and why hurricanes form and strengthen.
NASA has flown over hurricanes before to gather data on precipitation, winds, convection, temperature and other factors that are known cyclone ingredients. The logistical demands of doing so have only allowed for two to four hours of data collection at a time, a snapshot of a storm that could spin for days. But for the first time, scientists will fly an unmanned drone, outfitted with 3-D radar, a microwave radiometer and other instruments over tropical systems for up to 20 consecutive hours. NASA.gov

Halligan Bar – Tools For Your Vessel

Published: July 27th, 2010 by gCaptain Staff | Topic: Firefighting, Gear

Tools For Your Vessel

As Professional Mariners we know the importance of fire safety on board our vessels. Having the right tool for the job when the sh*t hits the fan can make the difference between a successful outcome and a really bad day. A Halligan Bar, also known as a Halligan tool, is standard equipment for fire departments worldwide. Invented by Deputy Chief Hugh Halligan of the FDNY, it is the multipurpose tool that is used for tasks ranging from forced entry to overhaul. The tool was so effective that New York City Firefighters bought them with their own money until the department ultimately decided to purchase the tool for each fire house.

CONTINUE READING →→

Deepwater Horizon – Are Emergency Support Vessels Needed?

Published: July 27th, 2010 by gCaptain Staff | Topic: Featured, Fire Incidents, Firefighting, Hospital Ship, Offshore

Firefighting Support Vessel MSV Tharos - Transocean Marianas

In October 2009 the Transocean rig Marianas began drilling a well named Macondo, but she suffered damage in a hurricane and was replaced by the Deepwater Horizon. Five months later Macondo exploded killing 11 rig workers and injuring 17 more. But this was not the Marianas’ first brush with disaster.

Originally named the MSV Tharos, the Marianas was built by the famed Red Adair as a firefighting support rig. The rig included space for the launch of helicopters, powerful firefighting equipment and even a 22 bed hospital. These attributes saved lives in July of 1988 when the Piper Alpha production platform exploded in flames and the Tharos was dispatched to rescue survivors.

Today no such platform exists. US Coast Guard officials have testified that launching the first search and rescue helicopter took 24 minutes the night of the Macondo blowout and flight time to the incident location took significantly longer. Once on location, helicopters could only standby for short periods of time before running out of fuel. Eventually the Cutter Zephyr was dispatched to provide a platform for the coordination of efforts but due to her distance from the incident she was slow in arriving.

Last tuesday the oil majors announced a $1 billion plan to build infrastructure and stage equipment for rapid oil spill response in the event of another major blowout. But how much are they spending on infrastructure and equipment for rapid medical and SAR response? Zero.

Maybe it’s time to think broadly on the topic of safety of life offshore and invest in making the workplace safer but also in making lifesaving resources more abundant. Maybe the oil majors should invest $1 billion in an offshore hospital platform complete with advanced firefighting teams, helicopter hanger bays and fueling stations? Or is it too much to expect that injured offshore workers get medical treatment within the golden hour and that helicopters with nightvision, FLIR scanners and other Search and Rescue technology be forward deployed and ready to use?

Just a though. What are your ideas for prevention and response to major emergencies offshore?

Sea Forts of England

Published: July 26th, 2010 by Richard | Topic: History, Interesting, Navy

Historic Sea Forts

Maunsell’s army sea forts were specifically designed to repel smaller aircraft flying in to attack Great Britain. Each fort consists of a cluster of smaller units arrayed in a group. Each group had one spotlight tower and the rest of the units had guns mounted all around to give maximum range. Each fort was connected by bridges to the others in the cluster but was also structurally autonomous – presumably in case one were to be successfully targeted and destroyed. Since being decommissioned in the 1950′s, a number of these forts have been used for pirate radio broadcasting stations while others been converted into a luxury resorts.

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Plastiki – Catamaran Made of Plastic Soda Bottles

Published: July 26th, 2010 by Mike | Topic: Environment, History, Interesting, Marine Technology, design

plastiki-recycled-bottle-boat

UPDATE: July 26, 2010 – gCaptain first reported on the Plastitki, a 60-foot catamaran made out of 2-liter soda bottles, over a year ago and we are now happy to report that the Plastiki has completed its 11,000 mile voyage from San Francisco to Sydney. theplastiki.com tells us about their arrivel in Sydney.

The Plastiki crew were met by a welcome flotilla of boats and hellicopters as they sailed through Sydney habour on their way to Sydney’s Australian National Maritime Museum where the arrival ceremony was held in front of a bustling audience of friends, families, press and supporters. Huge thanks to everyone who made it down and tracked our arrival online, you can share any of your photos through our Facebook page.

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MARPOL Advisory – When Should You Spill Your Oil? (humor)

Published: July 26th, 2010 by ryan | Topic: Humor, Oil Spill

oil spill bird on gulf coast beach This crane contributed to the development of this instruction manual

Before we go any further, please note:

If you are anywhere in or near the US Gulf of Mexico and you need to spill oil, DO SO NOW. Do not hesitate. Just dump it, report the oil to the US Coast Guard and deploy some booms. Send the bill to BP.

If you are within easy steaming distance of the US Gulf of Mexico, set your course for the gulf, then follow the above procedure.

The same rules apply if you are anywhere near the Bay of Bohai in China, except you should address the cost of cleanup to PetroChina. If they fail to pay, try BP there too.

If none of the above applies to your oil spill situation, you will need to follow a specific oil spill management programme. Good preparation for oil spills is key to ensuring a successful spill.

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