Shipping channel

Master’s Incorrect Assumption Lead To Collision

In darkness, a coastal service containership was leaving port under the Master’s con. There was no pilot, as the Master had a pilot exemption certificate. In addition to the Master, there was also an OOW on the bridge and a helmsman at the wheel.

The Master reported the vessel’s departure to vessel traffic services (VTS). The report was received but VTS did not give the status of traffic in the port, says an article published in The Nautical Institute.

What happened?

The vessel’s speed was set at...

https://mfame.guru/assumptions-can-lead-to-bad-outcomes/

Port Houston: Bigger ships need wider channel

Port Houston officials say widening of the shipping channel is necessary to accommodate increasingly bigger vessels and maintain its status as a big driver of the Texas economy.

“When you add it all up, the ship channel area is really responsible for 1.35 million jobs in Texas, over 3 million nationwide, $339 billion in economic impact … in the state and $800 billion nationwide. And if you think about the GDP of the state of Texas, it’s about $1.4 trillion and so the impact of the ship channel...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/port-houston-bigger-ships-need-wider-channel

Crew members missing after dredging vessel fire in Texas

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for four missing crew members from a dredging vessel that caught fire Friday in the Port of Corpus Christi shipping canal in Texas.

The fire aboard the Waymon L. Boyd was reported at 8:12 a.m. Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and hoisted two injured crew members to safety and transferred them to a local hospital.

The Coast Guard also responded with two Station Port Aransas 45-foot response boats as well as the cutters...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/crew-members-missing-after-dredging-vessel-fire-in-texas

Keep Clear: Big Ships in the Chesapeake Bay – Guide To Evade Collisions

A brochure from Maryland Sea Grant focuses on some highlights of encounters with big ships, though it serves as no substitute for good seamanship and a firm understanding of navigational rules.

Chesapeake Bay – Major shipping channel

Commerce and trade find a home in the Chesapeake Bay as millions of tons of cargo on ocean-going ships pass through a major shipping channel that spans the length of the Bay’s waters.

These large cargo ships are difficult to maneuver, especially in the Bay’s narrow...

http://mfame.guru/keep-clear-big-ships-in-the-chesapeake-bay-guide-to-evade-collisions/