Update: Atrevida II Rescue & the High Cost of Sailing Unprepared

We recently posted about the rescue of two sailors and a dog from a 30′ sailboat, Atrevida II, off Cape Hatteras by the tanker Silver Muna. While the initial Coast Guard report was accurate, it was also incomplete. The initial … Continue reading

Special Forces End Tanker “Hijacking” by Stowaways Off Isle of Wight

Seven people were detained after British special forces stormed the Liberian registered tanker, Nave Andromeda, that was suspected of having been hijacked off the Isle of Wight. The BBC reports that sixteen members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) ended … Continue reading

Ship Fires Shuts Houston Ship Channel — Another Day on the Congested Waterway

The tanker Navigator Europa, moored outside the Targa LPG export terminal, caught fire today, shutting down a section of the Houston Ship Channel. The tanker is reported to be carrying ethylene, a chemical used in making plastic.  The cause of the fire … Continue reading

North Atlantic Storm Jolle More Intense than Superstorm Sandy

Last Saturday, in the Northern Atlantic to the south of Iceland, the extratropical storm Jolle, intensified dramatically.  Meteorologists use central pressure as a proxy for measuring the strength of a given storm. The lower the barometric pressure, the more intense the storm.  By this standard,  Jolle, … Continue reading

PortSide NY, the Tanker Mary A. Whalen, Superstorm Sandy and Redhook

Like most of the historic vessels in and around New York harbor, the tanker Mary A. Whalen survived Superstorm Sandy Sandy better than her shore based neighbors. The tanker, which weathered Sandy at the inshore end of Pier 9B in … Continue reading

Italian Armed Guards Charged with Murder in Killing of Fisherman Mistaken for Pirates

Armed guards, reported to be Italian naval personnel, on the tanker, Enrica Lexie, fired on and killed two Tamil Nadu fishermen off Kochi on Wednesday, believing the fishermen to be pirates.  Indian authorities said the Italian guards fired without warning in violation … Continue reading

Nome Fuel Unloaded, USCG Healy and Russian Tanker Renda Must Now Get Out

After spending the better part of a month getting to Nome, Alaska to deliver an emergency supply of fuel to last the winter, the ice-strengthened Russian tanker Renda has finally off-loaded its cargo – 1.3 million gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline … Continue reading

ROV Training on the Tanker Mary A. Whalen

Yesterday we posted about the New York Police Department Harbor Unit’s use of ROVs to maintain security in the harbot.  We had missed an amusing post by Portside New York‘s Carolina Salguero on NPYD security training on the MARY A. WHALEN.  From her post: … Continue reading

Update: Tanker Mattheos I and Crew Released Without Ransom – Why the Gulf Of Guinea is Not Somalia

Just over a week ago we posted about the hijacking of the product tanker 45,000 DWT tanker,  Mattheos I, with a crew of 23, off Benin in the Gulf of Guinea.  Last Saturday, the ship and crew was released. No ransom … Continue reading

Innovative sails for container ships – in development ??? Maybe not.

I saw the headline and immediately shook my head.  There may indeed be an application for sails on bulk carriers, but containerships, well, not so much.  With a five high (or higher) stack of boxes on deck, containerships have exactly the stability they need – … Continue reading