U.S. Coast Guard of the MSC Idil taken May 12.

The MSC containership idled since suffering an onboard explosion eleven days ago off the coast of Puerto Rico has been cleared to move on, the U.S. Coast Guard says.

The ship, MSC Idil, was cleared Tuesday after salvors from DonJon-Smit finalized temporary repairs to the ship’s hull.

The 900-foot container ship had suffered the explosion on May 11 approximately 60 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico while on its way to Barcelona, Spain.  The ship’s crew sprung into action and were able maintain full control of the cargo and prevent any discharges of the reported 588,000 gallons of fuel oil and 62,000 gallons of diesel onboard at the time.

The initial report indicated that the explosion occurred in the vessels #5  starboard fuel tank and was possibly caused by hot work. No injuries were reported and an investigation in the accident is ongoing.

Following the initial report the USCG and others involved showed a quick and organized response effort and sent a number of assets to the scene.

“The key to the success of this response was the combined effort from the U.S. Coast Guard, MSC, DonJon-Smit, Atlantic Diving, Borinquen Towing, and San Juan Towing,” said Lt. Kristen Preble, Sector San Juan Incident Management Division chief. “Their ability to quickly and effectively work together to address the safety of the crew, the ship, and the environment under demanding conditions was phenomenal.”

The Coast Guard adds that Panamanian-flagged MSC Idil has continued its transit to Freeport, Bahamas, where Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) will have to conduct further assessments of the ship.

From Amver Blog:

Rescue personnel in Falmouth requested Amver information from the U.S. Coast Guard. The tanker Stolt Invitation was identified and requested to divert and assist. The Stolt Invitation arrived on scene and the crew worked to recover the two sailors. The survivors were treated for mild hypothermia and accompanied the ship to New York. Personnel from the Finnish Consulate met the sailors when they arrived in New York and the crew of the Stolt Invitation were presented with a certificate of appreciation from the Amver office.

Here’s a video of the rescue:

Click here to view the embedded video.

An interesting (and rather amazing) statistic about Amver?  Every 33 hours, an Amver participating ship saves a life somewhere in the world. Find out how you can enroll in Amver and help ensure no call for help goes unanswered.

Remember, whale strikes can go both ways.  Check out this amazing photo of a similar incident in 2010, this one thankfully just off the coast of Capetown.

Remember this? In 2010 a giant right whale bellyflopped onto a yacht off Capetown, South Africa. This is not photoshopped.

LINK: AMVER Blog

MIAMI – The Coast Guard Cutter Nantucket keeps pace with Miami's newest cutter, the Bernard C. Webber, during its arrival at Coast Guard Sector Miami Feb. 9, 2012. The Webber is named after Coast Guard hero Bernard C. Webber, who is credited for his assistance during the rescue of 33 of the tanker vessel Pendleton's 34 crewmembers. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Johnson.

The rain yesterday beaded up perfectly on every square inch of the US Coast Guard’s latest Sentinel-class cutter, the USCGC Bernard C. Webber.  Commissioned last month in Miami, this shiny new ship was built by Bollinger and based on the Damen Stan 4708 design patrol boat.  This new class of US Coast Guard patrol boats will eventually replace the aging Island-class 110-foot cutters which have seen heavy use in US coastal areas since the mid-1980s.  18 have been ordered so far.

The 154-foot Webber will deploy independently to conduct missions such as ports, waterways, and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal migrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defense operations along the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.

Rear Admiral Karl Schultz, Director of Governmental and Public Affairs was on board the Webber yesterday, he comments:

The small boat on this vessel is exponentially more capable than what is found on the Island-class patrol boats.  The stern-launching system is really a game-changer as it allows faster, and safer operations in higher sea states than before.  It’s also a much more stable platform as it displaces nearly 100 tons more than the Island-class patrol cutter.

I think you’ll see us running these vessels maybe 5 plus days at a stretch before returning to port.  She is scheduled for 2500 operational hours per year.  The 110′s are running at around 2000 to 2200 depending on the country and operations.

The following images were taken on board the Bernard C. Webber yesterday, (c) Robert Almeida/gCaptain.

The following is a video of the small boat being recovered on board the Bernard C. Webber. Boat recovery operations on the Island-class cutters are usually all-hands evolutions. In this case, it’s a very simple, and safe evolution with minimal crew involvement.

Click here to view the embedded video.

E Class Sea Eagle catamaran

Sauter Carbon Offset Design (SCOD) says they have come up with an alternative design for the USCG’s new Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters (FRC) that could potentially cut fuel consumption in half while at the same time increase cruising speed by up to 10% through solar power and a catamaran hull form.

The design was submitted through the USCG’s Unsolicited Proposal Program that allows companies or individuals to submit ideas for products or services that may be of interest to the Coast Guard.

SCOD says that the E-Class Search and Rescue Sea Eagle, as the design is called, uses half as much fuel to go 10% faster than the USCG Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters’ currently in use and under construction.  In addition to the fuel savings and increased speed, the Sea Eagle will be equipped with a waterjet propulsion system, dynamic positioning, and “small wave making” technology to minimize harm to the marine ecology.

Instead of the Sentinels tier 2 diesel engines that generate 11,500hp, the Sea Eagle will generate a total of 5,000hp through a Solar Hybrid propulsion package that includes cleaner MTU Tier 4i diesels.  With less than half the fuel consumption of the Sentinel Class FRC’s, the catamaran Sea Eagle’s greater overall efficiency delivers a maximum speed of 32 knots, as opposed to 29 knots.

In “silent electric mode”, SCOD says the SEA Eagle can navigate inland water ways and dock with zero emissions. Plugged in, her solar cells can harness and return over 200 MWs of energy to the grid per year, enough power to offset 3,000 nautical miles of Carbon Neutral cruising at 18 knots. As a Certified Carbon Offset Project, SCOD says the SEA Eagle can reduce GHG emissions by as much as 12,000 tons per year.

Energy from the grid or captured from her 100KW solar array is stored in a Lloyds approved Corvus 2MW Lithium UPS and the 16 ton weight of the batteries also serves as the energy generating motion dampening system.  Combining this with the self leveling T-Foils in each hull greatly improves the ride, related safety aspects and the accuracy of the stabilized remotely operated 25 mm chain gun, and the four crew operated .50 caliber machine guns.

“Government Agencies like the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security while protecting us can also play a major roll in protecting our way of life for future generations,” says Richard Sauter, owner of SCOD. “They have the opportunity, if not a duty, to do this by insuring that only the best examples of fuel efficient Eco Conscious Vessels are to be found in our Coast Guard and Navy.

Considering the USCG has already called for the design and construction of up to 34 new “Sentinel Class” Fast Response Cutters (FRC) from Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, LA, SCOD faces an uphill battle if they plan on getting the concept E Class Sea Eagle into production.

The first Sentinel Class was recently commissioned in Miami.

This video may be a few weeks old, but I thought it was worth a post considering everyone loves a good heavy surf video.

Here, Coast Guard crew aboard a 42-foot Special Purpose Craft – Near Shore Lifeboat crashes through the surf of the Merrimack River bar located in upper Massachusetts during surf training held this March. Over the course of the two days, the crews dealt with 6-15 foot breaking surf, winds of 15-35 knots, temperatures in the low 20′s, freezing spray and icing conditions with intermittent snow.

In addition to training, Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Perkins received his certification as an SPC-NLB surfman, one are the service’s most highly trained boat handlers.

The Coast Guard Cutter Webber arrives at Coast Guard Sector Miami Feb. 9, 2012. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Sabrina Elgammal)

In 2008 the U.S. Coast Guard called for the design and construction of up to 34 new generation “Sentinel Class” Fast Response Cutters (FRC) at Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, LA. Now, over three years later, the first such cutter, the Bernard C. Webber, is scheduled to be commissioned at the Port of Miami on Saturday.

The Sentinel-class will eventually replace the Coast Guard’s venerable Island-class 110-foot patrol boat, and 18 have been order so far.  The 154-foot Webber will deploy independently to conduct missions such as ports, waterways, and coastal security, fishery patrols, drug and illegal migrant law enforcement, search and rescue, and national defense operations along the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean.

“I am very excited about the commissioning of the Coast Guard Cutter Webber,” said Rear Adm. Bill Baumgartner, commander of the 7th Coast Guard District. “It is the first of 18 Fast Response Cutters that are scheduled to be delivered to the 7th Coast Guard District over the next several years. This new cutter fleet will be a vital instrument in supporting illicit migrant and narcotic trafficking interdiction, but will only fill a portion of the critical gap we face in our operational capability. While the Fast Response Cutters are highly capable platforms, the Coast Guard is in need of an Offshore Patrol Cutter as well. These OPCs would be able to deploy greater distances, effectively extending our maritime border outward to prevent threats to our national security. The OPC would replace our aging Medium Endurance Cutter fleet, most of which are over 40 years old and in desperate need of recapitalization to meet the future security needs of America.”

The FRC design is based on the proven parent craft design of the Damen Stan Patrol 4708′s developed by Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands.  With a required flank speed of 28 knots, the FRC’s will be armed with one stabilized, remotely-operated 25mm chain gun and four crew-served .50 caliber machine guns. Other requirements of the FRC’s include the ability to perform independently for a minimum of five days at sea and capable of underway operations for a minimum of 2,500 hours per year. The FRC’s will use state-of-the-market command, control, communications and computer technology that will be interoperable with the Coast Guard’s existing and future assets, as well as Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense assets. The cutter will also meet American Bureau of Shipping design, build and class standards.

The new Sentinel Class patrol boats will all be named after Coast Guard heroes. The Webber is named after Coast Guard hero Bernard C. Webber, who is credited with helping make one of the greatest rescues in Coast Guard history.

VIDEO: Bernard C. Webber Build Trials

Click here to view the embedded video.

One of Crowley's Invader-class tugs. Photo: Crowley

Salvage crews have successfully refloated the tug Invader over a week after it became partially submerged after the drydock housing it sank at Vigor’s Everett, WA yard.

Only light sheens of oil have been observed in the immediate area surrounding the tug and drydock and the estimated 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel remaining sealed onboard is expected to be removed this week.  The USCG says that the relocated tug and submerged drydock are still surrounded by multiple layers of containment boom.

The day-long effort to right the tug was led by West Coast Global Diving & Salvage, working on behalf of Vigor Marine, and was supervised by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Washington Dept. of Ecology to ensure only minimal environmental damage from the incident.

According to the Coast Guard statement following the incident, the 200-foot section of dry dock, with the tug in tow, began slowly sinking Saturday, March 17, and stopped only after making contact with the sea floor at approximately 12 p.m. Sunday.

The 140-foot Invader is part of Crowley’s Invader-class, a series of powerful, sleek and highly-praised tugs built between 1974 and 1977.

Photo of the carnage

Photo: USCG

Ballast water discharge

The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that it will publish a long-awaited final rule for standards for living organisms in ships’ ballast water discharged into waters of the United States in the Federal Register scheduled for March 23.

Under the new rule, the Coast Guard established a standard for the allowable concentration of living organisms, i.e. a standard for the acceptable number of living organisms per volume of water, in ballast water discharged from ships in U.S. waters.  The Coast Guard is also amending its regulations for engineering equipment by establishing an approval process for ballast water management systems.

“These new regulations will aid in controlling the introduction and spread of nonindigenous species from ships’ ballast water,” said Jeffrey Lantz, director of the Coast Guard’s Office of Commercial Regulations and Standards. “This final rule establishes a ballast water discharge standard that is protective of the marine environment and is also consistent with the discharge standard adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2004.”

The Final Rule was reached through the support of findings from reports conducted by the National Academy of Sciences and the EPA Science Advisory Board in 2011, and are the most stringent requirements that vessels can practicably implement and that the Coast Guard can enforce as of now.

Vessels entering the Great Lakes will still be required to fully exchange or flush their ballast tanks with seawater until they are equipped with the approved ballast water treatment systems that meet the discharge standard.  Meanwhile, all inbound foreign vessels are examined in Montreal by a working group of U.S. and Canadian agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, to ensure the ballast tanks are exchanged or flushed as required.

“Once fully implemented, this ballast water discharge standard will significantly reduce the risk of an introduction of aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes,” said Rear Adm. Michael N. Parks, commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District in Cleveland.

While some environmental groups contend that the new rule is not as stringent as it could be, the new rule is mostly viewed as a major milestone and provides a good starting for ballast water treatment and discharge.

In a written statement, the Coast Guard said it “fully intends to issue a later rule that will establish a more stringent phase-two discharge standard.”

The final rule will be effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register on March 23.

Download: Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters

“The response to ‘Coast Guard Alaska’ demonstrated the public’s interest in seeing good people do good work on behalf of the nation in a magnificent part of the country,” said Capt. Ron LaBrec, chief of Coast Guard public affairs. “Operating out of Florida presents a different set of challenges for our service and ‘Coast Guard Florida’ will provide the American people with another insider look into what it wants from its public agencies – important work, done competently and efficiently by dedicated and inspiring public servants.”

Showcasing Coast Guard men and women operating out of Florida means introducing a whole new set of Coast Guard missions including ports, waterways, coastal security, drug interdiction, and border security in addition to the heavy dose of search and rescue and environmental protection missions the “Coast Guard Alaska” audience has already come to associate with the nation’s oldest continuing seagoing service.

Scheduled for thirteen episodes of 60-minutes each, “Coast Guard Florida” will premiere one year after the launch of “Coast Guard Alaska.”

The Weather Channel has already announced plans to air a second and third season of the show that introduced millions to Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak and will continue showcase personnel hard at work at Coast Guard sectors, stations, patrol boats and cutters standing the watch over Alaska’s 44,000 miles of coastline on a daily basis.

“Coast Guard Florida” will have a very different look and feel as it highlights operations and missions from three different stations in southern Florida.

“‘Coast Guard Alaska’ is one of the projects I’m most proud of as a producer,” said Al Roker, president and CEO of Al Roker Entertainment. “The United States Coast Guard is an awe-inspiring group of men and women and we feel privileged to give viewers an inside look at the courageous acts they embark on every day in serving our country. ‘Coast Guard Florida’ will allow us to continue to tell their stories.”

This article was originally written by Christopher Lagan for Coast Guard Compass.

USCGC Northland, USCG File Photo

MIAMI — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Northland interdicted 3,532 pounds of cocaine from a 35-foot go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea March 3.

Northland crewmembers confiscated 54 bales of cocaine, worth a total wholesale value of $43,254,000.

While on patrol in the Caribbean Sea, Northland’s embarked helicopter crew from the Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), based in Jacksonville, Fla., spotted a go-fast vessel with four crewmembers aboard and bales on deck.

Northland crewmembers boarded the go-fast vessel, detained the four suspected smugglers, and seized the 54 bales of contraband, which tested positive for cocaine.

The interdiction was carried out as part of Operation Martillo, which is one component in the United States government’s whole-of-government approach to countering the use of the Central American littorals as transshipment routes for illicit drugs, weapons, and cash. Operation Martillo is an international operation focused on sharing information and bringing together air, land, and maritime assets from the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and Western Hemisphere and European partner nation agencies to counter this illicit trafficking.

“This successful seizure by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Northland is just the latest of several recent interdictions to occur under Operation Martillo,” said Capt. Brendan McPherson, 7th Coast Guard District chief of enforcement.

Also assisting in the interdiction was the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Pea Island, a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in Key West, Fla.

“This case was truly a team effort involving the Northland crew, our embarked HITRON Aviation Detachment, and the Pea Island crew,” said Cmdr. Dale V. Shepardson, Northland’s commanding officer. ”I am extremely proud of everyone who contributed to making this successful interdiction in the early hours of the morning, and in less than perfect weather conditions. More importantly, the crew feels proud that they took a large quantity of drugs off the streets, and that they successfully completed the mission we were sent out to do.”

The cutter Northland is a 270-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Va. The ship was commissioned Dec. 17, 1984, and despite its 27 years of service in an aging fleet, its crew succesfully carries out the missions of law enforcement, search and rescue, and homeland security.