Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published Sep 19, 2022 7:26 PM by The Maritime Executive

The salvage operation to remove the sunken fishing vessel Aleutian Isle from waters off San Juan Island have run into a snag. The salvage team placed lifting slings on the boat and successfully hoisted it out of the water with a crane barge, but the operation has had to pause because the crew is having difficulty with dewatering. 

The Aleutian Isle was raised above the surface on Saturday afternoon, and salvage crews were able to pump out nearly 800 gallons of oily-water mixture. However, they could not access all of the internal compartments safely, and an excessive amount of water remains on board. The extra water weight is more than the team planned for, and it is heavy enough that it could cause the boat to break up if lifted further in the current configuration - even though the crane is able to take the load. 

"Raising the vessel to the surface is certainly a success, but the complexity of this operation continues to challenge our team,” said U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Kira Moody, the incident commander. 

Image courtesy Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Moody said that the next step will likely be to move the crane barge and its payload to a sheltered location, where it will be easier to conduct the salvage work with less risk to the divers. The operation is expected to resume within the next several days once the team has a chance to evaluate the situation and make new plans. 

A sheen of diesel was visible on the surface when the boat came up, as anticipated in the salvage plan. The area was boomed off and the responders cleaned up as much as possible. 

Aleutian Isle went down in Haro Strait on August 13. She began taking on water near Sunset Point on the west side of San Juan Island that afternoon, and the crew were rescued safely before the vessel went down. She had about 2,600 gallons of diesel and oil on board at the time of the sinking, and the salvage operation is aimed at minimizing the risk of pollution. 

Published Sep 23, 2022 4:24 PM by The Maritime Executive

The UK reports a strong response for its first-ever carbon storage licensing round which offers up 13 areas along the coast for the emerging industry. The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) reports it received 26 bids in the three-month process that closed last week and which is likely to be the first many auctions as they seek to develop the industry to provide carbon storage. The NSTA reported it was launching the carbon storage licensing round in June in response...

Published Sep 23, 2022 3:10 PM by The Maritime Executive

MSC met the deadline set by the FMC’s administrative judge hearing the complaint of Shipping Act violations against the carrier strongly refuting the accusations that the company has not supplied information and could be subjected to a default judgment. The world’s largest carrier continues to vigorously defend its actions calling the problems the shipper experienced errors and poor communication involving no wrongdoing by MSC. Two weeks ago, Judge Erin Wirth hearing the complaint by a Pennsylvania-based furniture company against MSC...

Published Sep 23, 2022 1:42 PM by The Maritime Executive

Shanghai port officials announced plans for a massive new container terminal that will expand the region’s throughput capacity by nearly a quarter. The project which calls for more than a $7 billion investment in the port capacity in the Yangtze region comes as Shanghai is feeling increasing competition both from neighboring Chinese ports as well as Singapore which recently opened its massive new port complex. The Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) plans to develop a new container terminal in Zhejiang...

Published Sep 23, 2022 12:30 PM by The Maritime Executive

A prototype for the first commercial wing-in-ground effect vessel called a seaglider completed its first test flights. The demonstrations were carried out with a quarter-scale model in a series of flights in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and are being called the “next great moment” in transportation by Regent a company working to commercialize the technology for regional travel. Conceptualized more than 60 years ago, the wing-in-ground effect vehicle flies low (within one wingspan) over the water to take advantage of...

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