Passenger Vessels

Stranded by snow, New York City commuters escaped by ferries

NY Waterway ferries at the company's Port Imperial terminal at Weehawken, N.J. Kirk Moore photo.

Commuters fell back on the ferries when an early onslaught of snow and ice locked out commuter bus service from New York City Nov. 15.

Forecasters had warned the region could receive 4” of snow from the storm, but colder than expected temperatures also brought more sleet and freezing rain. That brought on severe road conditions that gridlocked much of the highway network around the city.

Conditions became so serious that buses could not reach the midtown Manhattan Port Authority Bus Terminal,...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/stranded-by-snow-new-york-city-commuters-escaped-by-ferries/

American Queen Steamboat Co. acquires Victory Cruise Lines

The former Cape Cod Light is one of two vessels acquired by American Queen Steamboat Co. Sunstone Ships photo.

American Queen Steamboat Co. is acquiring two vessels – the original Cape Cod Light and Cape May Light – to expand its reach to the Great Lakes and maybe farther.

Terms of the deal for the Bahamas-flagged Victory I and Victory II marketed by Miami-based Victory Cruise Lines were not disclosed. The transaction which includes the Victory brand is expected to close in early January 2019, American Queen said Monday.

Victory will be a sister brand to American Queen, which has concentrated on the...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/american-queen-steamboat-co-acquires-victory-cruise-lines/

Grand jury indicts captain in Missouri duck boat sinking

The Stretch Duck 7 recovered from Table Rock Lake, Mo., is undergoing analysis by the National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB photo.

A federal grand jury has accused the captain of a duck boat that sank in Missouri last summer of misconduct, negligence and inattention to duty in the accident that killed 17 people.

The indictment charges Kenneth Scott McKee, 51, who operated Stretch Duck 7 on Table Rock Lake July 19, with a number of violations including:

  • Not properly assessing the weather and going out with lightning in the area;
  • Operating the vessel in violation of conditions and limitations on its Coast Guard Certificate of...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/grand-jury-indicts-captain-in-missouri-duck-boat-sinking/

Coast Guard crackdown on Lake Michigan illegal charters

Boarding officers from Coast Guard Station Calumet Harbor prepare to approach a boat operator on Lake Michigan to ensure there are enough life jackets onboard for each passenger, August 18, 2018. Coast Guard photo/ Master CPO Alan Haraf.

The Coast Guard issued fines and pulled one professional mariner’s credential during a campaign to enforce rules against boats operating as illegal charters on Lake Michigan.

The Chicago-area sweeps, conducted over the summer in cooperation with local agencies including the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Chicago Police Marine Unit, were part of a larger national effort by Coast Guard districts to target unlicensed and uninspected vessels for hire in their regions.

Some campaigns...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/coast-guard-crackdown-on-lake-michigan-illegal-charters/

Viking Cruises moves ahead with U.S. expansion plans

The Viking river cruise vessel Aegir in Europe. Viking River Cruises photo.

Viking River Cruises is pushing ahead with plans to enter the U.S. market with vessels built by Edison Chouest Offshore, a cruise line representative recently told the Dubuque, Iowa, city council.

The global giant could start service in 2021 and by 2027 would have six vessels carrying 103,431 passengers on the Mississippi River, according to a chart Viking consultant David Simmons showed the city council last month.

The five-story vessels, which Simmons termed a “long ship on steroids,” will...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/viking-cruises-moves-ahead-with-u-s-expansion-plans/

New York Media Boat a front-row seat to the city

This Ribcraft 9-meter rigid hull inflatable is the workhorse of New York Media Boat. Kirk Moore photo.

It’s autumn in New York, but winter feels close as captain Eric Rosen takes the New York Media Boat 10 a.m. tour at 24 knots up a breezy Hudson River.

Bundled in anti-exposure suits, a dozen customers on saddle seats get a 90-minute closeup of New York City, riding a 30’rigid hull inflatable that Ribcraft, Marblehead, Mass., built for New York Media Boat’s diverse missions.

Started as a media support business in 2012, the company today runs a thriving adventure sightseeing and private charter...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/new-york-media-boat-a-front-row-seat-to-the-city/

USCG: Safety practices for commercial passenger vessels, recreational diving

Due to steady numbers of casualties associated with passenger vessels in support of recreational diving activities each year, the US Office of Investigations and Analysis posted Marine Safety Alert 15-18, ‘Don’t Let Your Divers Down,’ proposing safety measures to ensure a safe voyage.

USCG also reminded owners and operators of these vessels that recreational diving is not an activity regulated by the US Coast Guard. Thus, the US Coast Guard licensed Master of a commercial vessel transporting...

https://safety4sea.com/uscg-safety-practices-for-commercial-passenger-vessels-recreational-diving/

After 140 years, ferry returns to New Jersey resorts

The Pohatcong II will provide ferry service between Tuckerton and Beach Haven on the New Jersey shore. Kirk Moore photo.

Two New Jersey Shore resorts will get their ferry service revived after 140 years, with the delivery of the Pohatcong II, a 30’x12’x3’ aluminum catamaran.

Named for an 1870s bay steamboat, the Pohatcong II will shuttle between Tuckerton and Beach Haven, N.J., as a summer service for visitors and workers commuting to Long Beach Island jobs.

Built by Sightseer Marine Inc., Hudson, Fla., the vessel is powered by twin Mercury SeaPro 115 hp outboards, and is equipped to carry up to 40 passengers on...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/after-140-years-ferry-returns-to-new-jersey-resorts/

Coast Guard, Florida captains discuss illegal charter boat operations

A Coast Guard crew boarded a vessel near Miami during a sweep to check for illegal charter operations Sept. 1, 2018. Coast Guard photo/ PO3 Brandon Murray.

Fresh off a multistate enforcement blitz, Coast Guard officers met Wednesday with Florida passenger vessel operators to discuss how to stop illegal charter boats.

Prevention officers from Coast Guard sectors Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami met in Clearwater, Fla., with more than 40 members of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) to talk about combined efforts to stop illegal passenger vessel operations.

“These conversations with legal operators are critical to keeping our waterways safe,” said...

https://www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/coast-guard-florida-captains-meet-on-illegal-charter-boat-operations/

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