Rough Seas News

Five people were rescued from a tug that lost steering in heavy seas off the coast of La Push, Wash., Friday afternoon.At 4:10 p.m., the 130-foot commercial tug Luther lost steering and was beset by weather while towing a concrete barge 10 miles off the coast of La Push and requested assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard. On scene weather conditions were 10- to 14-foot seas and winds of 45-knots.A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) crew from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, an MH-60 Jayhawk crew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria…

The owners of a private island in the U.S. rely on vessel transport as a lifeline to the mainland. Their boat, used for carrying supplies and even supplying medevac support in emergency situations, must be able to run at any time, in all conditions.So when it came time for their existing vessel to be replaced, the island’s owners sought a new vessel that would be rugged and reliable enough to withstand the harshest weather, said Tim Weston, the island’s general manager (note: Tim Weston is a fictitious name used to protect the identity of the island’s owners…

For years, operators of high-speed boats have silently endured the physical toll of their profession. Repeated slamming impacts from rough seas caused serious injuries—many of them life-altering. However, one Navy doctor saw these challenges not as an unavoidable consequence but as a problem that could be solved. His solution? A seat that would change the course of high-speed boat safety.The hidden cost of high-speed operationsRecent research shows that professional high-speed boat operators suffer more severe injuries than seen in almost any other peacetime profession.

Taiwan's coast guard tried on Friday to rescue dozens of sailors stranded off the southern coast after Typhoon Gaemi sank a freighter and grounded eight others in the Taiwan Strait.The powerful typhoon swept through Taiwan on Thursday with gusts of up to 227 kph (141 mph) before barreling west across the Taiwan Strait towards China where it is expected to dump more torrential rain.One crew member was found dead, while four were rescued and four others were missing after a Tanzania-flagged cargo ship sank off Taiwan's southern Kaohsiung port…

A marine tanker carrying industrial fuel sank in rough seas off the Philippines on Thursday, causing the death of a crew member and an oil spill that could spread to waters off the capital Manila, officials said.Sixteen of the 17 crew members of MT Terra Nova have been rescued, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said, after the ship capsized off the coastal town of Limay in Bataan province.The coastguard said they found the body of a previously missing crew member in the sea off Limay town in Bataan province…

A marine tanker carrying industrial fuel sank in rough seas off the Philippines on Thursday, causing a large oil spill as coast guard rescuers search for a missing crew member, officials said.Sixteen of the 17 crew members of MT Terra Nova have been rescued, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said, after the ship capsized off the coastal town of Limay in Bataan province. A search is underway for the missing sailor."There is already oil spill. Right now, we cannot dispatch our resources because of strong winds and high waves…

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that its mission to install and operate a temporary, floating pier off the coast of Gaza was complete, formally ending an extraordinary but troubled effort to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians.The pier, announced by President Joe Biden during a televised address to Congress in March, was a massive endeavor that took about 1,000 U.S. forces to execute. Aid began flowing via the pier to Gaza in May, an operation aimed at helping avert…

The 2024 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea is to go to two sets of nominees: the captain and crew of the oil tanker Marlin Luanda for containing a fire after the ship was struck by an anti-ship missile; and the captain and crew of the tugboat Pemex Maya for their rescue of six shipwrecked people from four different vessels during a hurricane.Nominations were initially reviewed by an Assessment Panel and their recommendations were considered by a Panel of Judges, who ultimately selected the recipients of honors.

A luxury cruise ship has rescued dozens of migrants who were trying to reach the Spanish Canary Islands in a fishing boat that had stalled in rough seas killing five people, Spanish authorities and the cruise operator said on Thursday.The archipelago has become the main point of entry to Spain for illegal migrants from Africa in recent years, and the route is also the deadliest. Migration rights group Walking Borders said last week that nearly 5,000 migrants died at sea on that…

A Panamanian registered bulk carrier came to the aid of a sailboat that was stranded in heavy seas 250 nautical miles off the U.S. East Coast.On April 24, 2024, the crew of CSL's self-unloader Sheila Ann received a mayday call from a sailboat stranded 16 nautical miles away in rough seas and strong winds. The ship's master and crew relayed the distress call to the U.S. Coast Guard, which said it could not immediately assist due to the adverse weather conditions and long distance from land.When Sheila Ann arrived on scene…

The U.S. military will not be involved in development of a port in the Philippines' remote northernmost islands near Taiwan, the local governor said, removing a potential source of friction with China over the U.S. presence in the region.The governor of the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, said in August she had sought U.S. funding for a new port there. The U.S. embassy had at the time confirmed its diplomats and U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) experts had…

Recent hostilities in the Red Sea have thrown global shippers of vital goods for a loop - but it is hardly the only issue that big carriers are facing as 2024 kicks off.Giants like Maersk say the industry, which handles 90% of global trade, faces the possibility of significant disruptions, from ongoing wars to droughts affecting key routes like the Panama Canal. Complex vessel schedules are likely to be knocked out of sync for giant container ships, fuel tankers and other commodity haulers throughout the year.That will increase delays and raise costs for retailers like Walmart…

The 2023 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea has been presented to Caleb Halle, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class (AST2) of the United States Coast Guard (USCG). He was recognized for the outstanding courage, endurance and determination he showed during the rescue of the seven-strong crew of the tugboat Legacy in January 2023.AST2 Halle, based at the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, received the award at the annual IMO Awards Ceremony in London. The ceremony…

The first US-built trawler-processor for Alaskan pollock in over three decades is now undergoing sea trials in the Northern Pacific, testing an integrated technology package from Kongsberg Discovery tailored to locate, inspect, and engage fish with unparalleled efficiency.The 100-meter-long Arctic Fjord, designed by Kongsberg Maritime and built by Louisiana’s Thoma-Sea Marine Constructor, will start full-time operations for 2024’s pollock A season in the Bering Sea.Speaking ahead of this week’s Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle…

A new high-speed low-draft landing craft Island Guardian has been delivered to the Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program in Australia.The new 21-meter vessel has been custom-designed by Incat Crowther and built by Norman Wright & Sons to enhance island protected area management, research, incident response and facilitate more efficient management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.The Great Barrier Reef Joint Field Management Program is delivered jointly by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service…

The Xeneta Summit has heard the ocean freight shipping industry will find new ways of working together in the face of a volatile market.Stanley Smulders, Director of Marketing & Commercial at Ocean Network Express (ONE), took part in a keynote Q&A with Xeneta CEO Patrik Berglund during the Summit in Amsterdam this week to discuss the major challenges facing the industry.While there are rough seas ahead, Smulders maintains growth is still on the horizon.He said: “The current market is at best volatile…

A new-generation rescue craft proposed by Saab’s Docksta Shipyard would use remote-operation technology to dramatically cut response times for maritime accidents.Known as the Docksta Loitering, Optionally Crewed, High Speed Rescue Vessel (LHSRV), the proposed vessel could potentially travel at speeds in excess of 40 knots to maritime emergencies to provide a safe evacuation point for up to 20 survivors at a time.One potential application for the craft is in the oceans around Canada…

Finland-based marine technology firm Wärtsila said Wednesday it had launched an innovative retrofit solution for its marine engine governor system in collaboration with Swedish marine green tech company Qtagg. The solution is designed to extend the lifespan of a ship’s propulsion control system, while simultaneously enhancing the vessel’s overall efficiency.Wartsila's Wärtsilä Automation, Navigation and Control Systems (ANCS) business is collaborating with Qtagg in this project."ANCS’s marine governor systems help regulate and control engine speed.

Credeblug and Tecnalia have teamed to improve the maintenance and repair operations carried out on underwater power cables. The end result: the manufacture and validation of s cutting and clamping tool, designed to secure one end of a cable after it has been cut, aiming to save time and money.“This functionality has been called for by offshore cable repair teams all over the world since such operations began in the 19th century," said Joannes Berquè, a TECNALIA researcher. "To this day, current cutting tools mean that the ends of the cable drop off after they have been cut.

Spanish authorities have seized a Brazilian-flagged fishing boat off the Canary Islands with 1.5 tonnes of cocaine in a hidden compartment in its machine room, police said on Friday as they brought the boat to the port of Las Palmas.Authorities shared a video of the 25-metere Efesios 5-20 being approached on rough seas by a speedboat sent from the patrol ship Condor.Officers arrested the crew of six people - five Brazilians and a Venezuelan national. The boat's name - Ethesians…

Brazil has banned the export of live cattle from all its ports.Reuters reports that federal judge Djalma Gomes’s ruling states: "Animals are not things. They are sentient living beings, that is, individuals who feel hunger, thirst, pain, cold, anguish, fear."The verdict was handed down after the National Forum for the Protection and Defense of Animals filed a law suit in 2017.The case, still subject to appeal, comes as New Zealand also banned the export of cattle from its shores from April 30.

Zephyrus Marine has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japanese shipyard Mirai Ships to build the Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service vessel. Ad Hoc Marine Designs Ltd. (Ad Hoc) will be providing the design for the zero-emission Crew Transfer Vessel (“CTV”), which will incorporate Shift Clean Energy's  PwrSwäp technology. The class NK-approved energy storage system will allow crew transfer vessels to swap their modular battery systems with ease while providing a zero-emission service to the Japanese offshore wind sector, Zephyrus Marine said.

Philippine authorities have increased efforts to contain an oil spill from a sunken fuel tanker that has affected coastal towns and was still spreading, the environment ministry said on Tuesday, as the country grapples with cleanup challenges.Improvised spill booms made from cogon grass and coconut materials were helping to restrict oil leaking from MT Princess Empress, the Philippine-flagged tanker that encountered engine trouble in rough seas on Feb.