SEATTLE – The barge Bar Fly sits partially submerged and surrounded by containment boom near La Push, Wash., in the Quillayute River Feb. 23, 2010. The barge sank after being hung up on its anchor and taking on water. Three people were rescued by Station Quillayute River. Images courtesy of USCG.
Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, Wash., responded to a report of a dredge hung up on its anchor and taking on water with three people aboard at approximately 8:50 p.m.. A 47-foot rescue boat crew and a 25-foot rescue boat crew launched to assist.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. the 25-boat crew took all three people off of the dredge and transported them to Station Quillayute River. No injuries were reported at the time the crew was removed from the dredge.
The 47-foot boat crew was able to assist the dredge out of the channel.
At approximately 8 a.m Tuesday, the barge was reported to have overturned and sunk in approximately 10 feet of water.
Read full story at Dredging Today
Related Posts:
Tags: · Dredge, MARPOL Incidents
Some more events unfolded yesterday in the case of the Cosco Busan allision with the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Fleet Management Ltd., the vessels operating company, plead guilty to two misdemeanor criminal charges and admitted it was partly to blame for the spill of 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay.
If accepted, the guilty plea would also expose Fleet Management Ltd. to damages for the costs of the November 2007 spill and cleanup.
Fleet Management has also been charged with six felonies for allegedly concealing its navigation plans for the Cosco Busan and fabricating documents after the spill to interfere with the investigation. Its trial is scheduled for Sept. 14.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Related Posts:
Tags: · cosco-busan, MARPOL Incidents, San Francisco, san francisco bay
Today, Juneau District Court Judge Keith Levy sentenced American West Steamboat Company, LLC for violating a Alaskan state criminal law that makes polluting state waters illegal. The charge arose out of the May 2007 grounding of the Empress of the North.
Judge Levy ordered the company to pay a $200,000 fine and serve 18 months of probation, with the condition that it not violate any more laws, including any environmental laws and regulations, and abide by its Safety Management System and Fleet Instructions. Judge Levy suspended $150,000 of the fine. The remaining $50,000 will be deposited into the state’s General Fund and credited to the Oil and Hazardous Substance Release Prevention and Mitigation Account. The legislature created the Mitigation Account to provide funds to investigate, contain, and clean up spills of oil and other hazardous substances and to protect human health and the environment. [Continue Reading →]
Related Posts:
Tags: · Empress Of The North, grounding, MARPOL Incidents, pollution
Did you know that Exxon Valdez’s Captain, Joesph Hazelwood, never had his masters’ license revoked and it remains valid to this date?
To put the recent conviction of Cosco Busan’s pilot John Cota in perspective, here are ten of the world’s largest oil spills in which the pilot was not convicted of federal charges.
 |
Amoco Cadiz
The Amoco Cadiz encountered stormy weather and ran aground off the coast of Brittany, France on March 16, 1978. Its entire cargo of 68.7 million gallons of oil spilled into the sea, polluting about 200 miles of Brittany’s coastline. |
 |
Arabian Gulf Spills
Beginning in late January of the 1991 Gulf War, the Iraqi Army destroyed tankers, oil terminals, and oil wells in Kuwait, causing the release of about 900,000,000 barrels of oil. This was the largest oil spill in history. |
 |
Argo Merchant
On December 15, 1976, the Argo Merchant ran aground on Fishing Rip (Nantucket Shoals), 29 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts in high winds and ten foot seas. Six days later, the vessel broke apart and spilled its entire cargo of 7.7 million gallons of No. 6 fuel oil. |
 |
Barge Bouchard 155
On August 10, 1993, three ships collided in Tampa Bay, Florida: the barge Bouchard 155, the freighter Balsa 37, and the barge Ocean 255. The Bouchard 155 spilled an estimated 336,000 gallons of No. 6 fuel oil into Tampa Bay. |
 |
Barge Cibro Savannah
On March 6, 1990, the Cibro Savannah exploded and caught fire while departing the pier at the Citgo facility in Linden, New Jersey. About 127,000 gallons of oil remained unaccounted for after the incident. No one knows how much oil burned and how much spilled into the environment. |
 |
Burmah Agate
On November 1, 1979, the Burmah Agate collided with the freighter Mimosa southeast of Galveston Entrance in the Gulf of Mexico. The collision caused an explosion and a fire on the Burmah Agate that burned until January 8, 1980. An estimated 2.6 million gallons of oil were released into the environment, and another 7.8 million gallons were consumed by the fire. |
 |
Exxon Valdez
On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The tanker was traveling outside the normal shipping lanes in an attempt to avoid ice. It spilled 10.8 million gallons of oil (out of a total cargo of 53 million gallons) into the marine environment, and impacted more than 1,100 miles of non-continuous Alaskan coastline. State and Federal agencies continue to monitor the effects of this spill, which was the largest oil spill in U.S. history. |
 |
Ixtoc I
The 2-mile-deep exploratory well, Ixtoc I, blew out on June 3, 1979 in the Bay of Campeche off Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico. By the time the well was brought under control in March, 1980, an estimated 140 million gallons of oil had spilled into the bay. The Ixtoc I spill is currently #2 on the all-time list of largest oil spills of all time. |
 |
Jupiter
On September 16, 1990, the tank vessel Jupiter was offloading gasoline at a refinery on the Saginaw River near Bay City, Michigan, when a fire started on board and the vessel exploded. |
 |
Megaborg
The Megaborg released 5.1 million gallons of oil as the result of a lightering accident and subsequent fire. The incident occurred 60 nautical miles south-southeast of Galveston, Texas on June 8, 1990. |
Related Posts:
Tags: · MARPOL Incidents, oil_spill, Photo, Tankers
In this week’s edition of The Maritime Executive Newsletter managing editor Joseph Keefe, weighs in on the changing dynamics of the Master, Pilot and Port State relationship in light of the Cosco Busan incident;
At this early stage, just one thing is perfectly clear: the Cosco Busan allision will ultimately help to redefine the role of, and the liabilities facing marine pilots in the United States today. One of the most primary questions asked of any deck cadet at any maritime academy is: What is the role of the pilot? And, the answer, of course, is (c.), “the pilot provides guidance to, but is not in charge of the vessel.” That tenet has been upheld in many venues, for many, many years. In reality, however, the typical marine pilot who guides a vessel in from the sea buoy to the dock is in complete control of that vessel on the inbound leg. He or she better be, because often the captain of a particular vessel may have never transited that restricted waterway.
This is just an excerpt of Keefe’s well written article, you can continue reading HERE.
Related Posts:
Tags: · barbara_boxer, captain, cosco-busan, cosco_busan, cost_guard, ecdis, law, MARPOL Incidents, oil_spill, pelosi, pilot, Regulations, San Francisco, san_francisco, USCG
So the gCaptain team has been exceptionally busy in the last few weeks and we have the Cosco Busan partially to thank. In addition to the server traffic and time spent researching the incident we were motivated by the events to embark on some new projects. You already now the good news, the successful launch of a new maritime podcast! Unfortunately, however, we also had a time consuming failure.
A little history…. Shortly after the ship allided with San Francisco’s Bay Bridge we pointed you to the amazing website BoatingSF.com. Run by Michael Slater, a former Adobe Engineer, the site uses AIS vessel tracking data taken from VHF radio antennas Michael has erected near the bay and uses this to plot ships to a live interactive map embedded on his site (LINK). The post that day, however, displayed recorded data showing the track of the Cosco Busan during her short voyage. The display was impressive and attracted a considerable amount of attention.
At this point of the story we had just finished reading an amazing article written for Geo: Magazine by John Astad, our friend from Vesseltrax. The subject of the article was Shore-Side Maritime Applications of Google Earth and discussed his ability to visualize 3d images of ships running the Houston Ship Channel. Even cooler was the ability to fly around a vessel as she moved about the bay… in real time! (LINK) So I contacted Michael and asked if he would send the data file to John for 3d conversion!
The stars seemed to be aligning until we discovered a problem (read about it here) that resulted in John not being able to convert the data for use in his program. Discouraged? Yes but in stepped a gCaptain reader who we can’t thank enough. He transposed the timestamps from regional AIS beacons and helped us create a ShipPlotter version (Disclaimer here and ShipPlotter results here) of the events. Not quite accurate but close enough for our next team to start work…
Jakota “is engaged in the development and sale of solutions aimed at the commercial sector and public services, as well as the field of research and science. We supply solutions for tracking, fleet management, positioning and security- and alarm systems.” Translated; they make the best 3d ship graphing websites on the planet. They also provide amazing tools for tracking fleets of ships that are visually stunning, effective and well thought out.
You ask, how did we find Jakota? We asked our friends in silicon valley to search for a company that provides AIS vessel tracking systems that first, have visually attractive solutions, second use the latest tools of web 2.0. The overwhelming response was “Check out Digital-Seas.com“.
Fast forward through the time changes, international calling codes and German accents… we finally got in touch with Lars Krueger, one of the nicest and most professional person we have met. Lars took a programmer off his job to work on our project full time… the results were stunning but the harder we work the more faulty data we found.
The bottom line… we worked hard, had fun, met some amazing people and built relationships for the future. The final result is not 100% accurate and was compressed to meat BoatingSF’s needs but still looks amazing (you should see the original!!) We also started on a new project, global AIS and vessel tracking… but that’s for another post. In the meantime, if your a marine superintendent Lars is a person you need to know. If you’re a mariner interested in tracking ships so you don’t have to spend days in sitting in the union hall… Digital-Seas is the website you will know.
Many thanks to all who helped and stay tuned for more on the amazing people and products we met while working on this project. For a preview visit these amazing sites;
Enough discussion… to see the Cosco Busan’s Track CLICK HERE
Note: The source of our problem was the USCG’s reluctance to release the official AIS data files. If you wish to see the amazing visualizations of Digital Seas… in full size… with accurate data… call your congressman and ask for the file to be released to the public.
Related Posts:
Tags: · ais, Container Ship, cosco-busan, cosco_busan, ecdis, google_earth, Interesting, Marine Technology, MARPOL Incidents, oil_spill, san_francisco, vessel_tracking, Video, Web 2.0
.
Video of the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill In South Korea.
Video not working in your browser? Try the direct link.
Related Posts:
Tags: · bbc, crane_barge, hebei spirit, Marine Incidents, marpol, MARPOL Incidents, oil_spill, oil_tanker, sopep, south_korea, tanker, Tankers, Video, youtube
Click Photo For Details
Bloomberg News tells us:
South Korea’s coast guard sent boats to contain the country’s biggest oil spill in more than a decade after a Hong Kong-registered supertanker collided with a barge.
About 81,000 barrels of crude oil was spilt after a crane on the barge crashed into the Hebei Spirit at 7:15 a.m. local time, Jeong Seon Mun, deputy director of the maritime safety information center at South Korea’s Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, said. The ship was anchored 5 miles (8 kilometers) northwest of the Taean peninsula at the time.
The leak is almost a third of the 37,000 tons spilled into Prince William Sound, Alaska, by the Exxon Valdez in 1989, according to data on the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation’s Web site. The Taean Coast Guard deployed 12 patrol boats and 3 accident control vessels, Jeong said today.
“Oil is still spilling,” Jeong said by telephone in Seoul. “The police face difficulty in carrying out the operation because high waves make it hard to contain the spill.” Continue Reading…
Also see our related post History’s 10 Most Famous Oil Spills.
Related Posts:
Tags: · barge, coast_guard, crane, crude_oil, Environment, Heavy Lift, hebei spirit, maritime_affairs, maritime_safety, marpol, MARPOL Incidents, oil_spill, south_korea, Tankers
(Photo by PA2 Prentice Danner, USCG)
This morning Senator Barbra Boxer and Representative Nacy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, announced a bill giving the U.S. Coast Guard broader authority to direct the actions of ship masters in navigating inland waters. The San Francisco Chronicle tells us;
The Coast Guard would gain new authority to order ships to reduce speed or shift course during emergencies or hazardous conditions under new legislation that California Sen. Barbara Boxer is introducing this week.
The bill could increase the responsibilities of the Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Service, which helps guide ships in U.S. harbors. The measure would give it powers akin to those of air traffic controllers, who issue step-by-step directions to airplane pilots.
…
Boxer, a Democrat, said she believes the spill could have been prevented if the Coast Guard had ordered the ship to slow down or change course.
“I absolutely think it would have” prevented the spill, Boxer said. “Let’s say the conditions were fierce – and they were – (the Vessel Traffic Service) would have declared an emergency, and they would have taken over in guiding this ship.” Continue Reading….
Regular readers of this bog already know my personal thoughts on the subject. In last week’s editorial, I wrote;
The problem with maritime incidents is the fix rarely address the true cause and often creates problems that contribute to future incidents.
…
Current technology is simply not capable of delivering real time tracking. Also, final say remains the responsibility of a ship’s captain because he is the one who knows the ship’s capabilities, it’s crew and he is stationed on the bridge. He is also the last one to abandon if the ship finds danger… and he knows it.
If the Coast Guard wants final say then they need to be aboard the vessel and if that happens they will be hard pressed to fill the position with anyone more qualified than the competent and experienced San Francisco Pilots.
My comments resulted in 5 emails, 2 phone calls and a, well written, personal response by our friend Bob Couttie of the Maritime Accident Casebook. Bob wrote;
MAC’s own informal think-tank of veteran master mariners, who aren’t tanked up when they think, finds the proposal less objectionable, the authority of the master will remain in force much as it does now, in their view. Continue Reading…
This comment cause me to invest more than a few hours in nocturnal contemplation. Had I overestimated the potential outcome of the Coast Guard’s overtly defensive and seemingly irrational stance or has Bob’s geographic location far away from our shores disconnected him from the current state of American politics?
Provided the Chronicle has accurately conveyed Senator Boxer and Representative Pelosi’s intent, gCaptain reader ACI’s comment most accurately portrays the sentiment of our master mariner think tank;
Keep on putting more constrains to the shipping business with your new ridiculous American fear to everything and we will end up with no business at all. I know of captains that are refusing to sail to your country.
I really loved the times when the US was leading the world towards modernity, now it seems you are too scared.
The likely impetus for drafting legislation that puts us in the ironic position of being more likely to have a future incident is the demand for quick answers. For this reason I can not form a personal opinion as to maritime pilot John Cota’s culpability, at least not until the NTSB report is published. I can, however, give an industry insider’s opinion on the safety of current operations in the bay… so I wish to reiterate my personal feelings that both the San Fransisco Bar pilots and local VTS operators are among the most capable and well trained in the world. This, coupled with the fact US Coast Guard and State pilot officials have not asked for these changes, is worrisome.
Regardless of the headlines Pelosi’s bill does contain some element of potential good. The Chronicle writes;
Boxer’s bill would authorize $20 million to upgrade the technology used by the Vessel Traffic Service. The measure also would require all pilots to have their own navigational laptop computers. Cota has said he was unfamiliar with the ship’s electronic charts. Many pilots bring their own laptops on board to make sure they have reliable navigational charts to steer the ship.
The state pilot commission suspended Cota’s license on Friday. Cota’s attorney, John Meadows, has said his client was given “wrong information” by the ship’s captain, Mao Cai Sun.
History has proven that safe operations in the bay are possible without advanced electronics and I will not be surprised if the NTSB’s report places some degree of blame on the rapid integration of new technology on the bridge, a problem only made worse by already burdensome training requirements. This, however, does not mean we can ignore technological improvements.
For an intelligent discussion of the topic I’ll point you to audio from Captain Kelly Sweeney’s recent interview with NPR (CLICK HERE). Boiled down he states that we as mariners love AIS, ECDIS and other technology that keep us safe but improvements (most notably in implementation and redundancy) are needed.
But I’m still an optimist. When this discussion fades into memory we may find Pelosi’s large investment propelled interesting technological improvements while our worries were mitigated by the level headed watchmen of VTS.
*We’d love to head your thoughts! Click here and leave a comment (bottom of page) or contact us with your message.
__________________________________________________
John Konrad is a USCG licensed Master Mariner of Unlimited Tonnage. Since graduating from SUNY Maritime College he has sailed 4 of the world’s oceans and reports from his ship via satellite. John lives in Morro Bay, CA with his wife Cindy and son Jack.
__________________________________________________
VTS Links;
Related Posts:
Tags: · cosco-busan, cosco_busan, john_cota, MARPOL Incidents, Master Mariner, oil_spill, pilots, Regulations, San Francisco, san_francisco_pilots, san_fransico_bay, USCG
Rear Admiral Craig E. Bone is not one to back down from criticism, his comments regarding questions we posed to the San Francisco Chronicle were strong and to the point. Perhaps it’s for this reason Admiral Thad Allen, a straight talker himself, appointed him to the high profile position early this summer. Taking a proactive stance to defense, Admiral Bone today responded to NJ.com’s criticism of the USCG’s response to the San Francisco Oil Spill with the following comments;
Your Nov. 16 editorial about the recent oil spill in San Francisco questioning the U. S. Coast Guard’s readiness did not mention several important facts and contained several misperceptions.
The motor vessel Cosco Busan’s striking of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco Bay and spilling 58,000 gallons of fuel was an avoidable disaster. The Coast Guard and NTSB are working to determine what went so tragically wrong on this modern ship with advanced equipment, and under the guidance and direction of a state licensed pilot and the command of a licensed master.
Ultimately the motor vessel Cosco Busan master is responsible for the safe operation of the vessel. Thousands of commercial oceangoing ships navigate safely in fog worldwide and in much more restricted waterways. The question for our investigators and the National Transportation Safety Board is why didn’t this one?
The response to the oil spill here was anything but weak and slow as your editorial asserted. Within 15 minutes Coast Guard pollution investigators were directed to the scene and they arrived through heavy fog 28 minutes later. Continue Reading—>
Member’s of the San Francisco Pilot Association have also expressed their views. In a release by the Associated Press, SF Pilot Eric Robinson Comments;
“An international standardization of bridge equipment like radars and electronic navigation equipment — to me, that would be the legislation I would like to see come out of this,” Robinson said during an interview as he set a course for Hawaii.
“I’ve seen at least a dozen different electronic charts and dozens of radar displays,” Robinson said. “Bridge markings, buoy markings, depth contour curves, what measurements the depths are in, whether they’re in fathoms, feet or meters — basically every aspect of the chart other than the outlay of the land could be different.”
Some pilots, frustrated by the varying systems, have begun carrying their own laptops loaded with familiar charting software onto the ships, he said. The laptops can be plugged into the ship’s navigation equipment.
This article is a must read for all mariners and can be found here: “Oil Spill Fuels Debate in Ship Industry”
Cosco Busan Reading List:
Update:
Related Posts:
Tags: · admiral_bone, coast_guard, cosco_busan, Craig_Bone, MARPOL Incidents, oil_spill, rear_admiral, San Francisco, san_francisco_chronicle, USCG
gCaptain On Twitter
gCaptain On Facebook
gCaptain On LinkedIn