Draft Bill Would Give Trump License to Kill Anyone He Claims is a Narco-Terrorist

We recently posted about the attack and sinking of a Venezuelan vessel in international waters by the US military. Eleven people aboard were reported to have been killed. The Trump regime claimed, without providing any evidence, that the boat was … Continue reading

Bulk Carrier Fire and Explosion Temporarily Halts Traffic in the Port of Baltimore

On Monday night, an explosion and fire erupted aboard the W-Sapphire, a 751-foot-long, 82,000 DWT bulk carrier, in the Patapsco River, outbound from Baltimore harbor. The Liberian-registered bulker had just loaded coal at CSX’s Curtis Bay terminal and was beginning … Continue reading

Coast Guard Rescues 12 From M/V Bonnie G, Aground off U.S. Virgin Islands

Yesterday the USCG issued a press release: A Coast Guard boat crew rescued 12 people, Wednesday morning, after they were forced to abandon the M/V Bonnie G that was taking on water and ran aground just south of the airport … Continue reading

Update: Reza Baluchi Attempts to Run Across the Atlantic in His “Hamster Wheel of Doom,” Arrested By Coast Guard

Reza Baluchi is at it again. The US Coast Guard intercepted Baluchi in the Atlantic about 70 miles (110km) off Tybee Island, Georgia on August 26 in his most recent attempt to run across the ocean, this time from the … Continue reading

The Rookie Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer, a Stolen Boat, and a Dead Fish at the Goonies House

Here is a strange story of a heroic rescue by the US Coast Guard, a stolen boat, and a dead fish left on the front porch of a house in Astoria, Oregon, where the cult classic adventure/comedy movie, The Goonies … Continue reading

After Grounding, Maryland Bans On-Duty Marine Pilots From Using Cell Phones

The Maryland Board of Pilots has decided to enact a rule change that forbids on-duty pilots from using their phones after the Coast Guard determined that a distracted pilot’s cell phone use contributed to a container ship grounding.  In March … Continue reading

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

Coast Guard: Distracted Pilot on Cell Phone Prior to Grounding of Container Ship Ever Forward in Chesapeake

Last March, we posted about the grounding of the container ship Ever Forward near Baltimore in the Chesapeake Bay. The ship failed to make a turn in the Craighill channel and ran hard aground on a mud flat, where it … Continue reading

Record Drought Shuts Down Traffic In Mississippi River and Tributaries

In August, we posted about an extreme drought in Europe that dramatically reduced water levels in major rivers, including the Rhine, Elbe, Loire, Danube, and Po. Now a near-record drought in the US Midwest has dropped water levels in the … Continue reading

62 Yr Old Sailor Rescued, Trapped for 16 Hours in Capsized Sailboat Off Spanish Coast, After Loss of Keel

It has happened again. While sailing in a qualifying race for the upcoming transatlantic solo sailing contest Route du Rhum, 62-year-old French sailor Laurent Camprubi found himself trapped inside his sailboat after it capsized. The keel on his boat, the … Continue reading

SpaceX Launch Scrubbed Due to Cruise Ship in Exclusion Zone

On Sunday, 30 seconds before the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was due to take off from Florida, the launch was scrubbed when a cruise ship sailed into the launch hazard area. Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas ventured into the … Continue reading

Update: Dept. of Transportation Issues Rules to Protect Cadets from Sexual Assaults at Sea

In early November, we posted that the United States Maritime Academy at King’s Point had paused Sea Year, a program that sent cadets to sea aboard commercial ships, after a female midshipman at the school shared an account in September of … Continue reading

Zoom Presentation — Tanker Mary A. Whalen’s Game Changing Supreme Court Case

PortSide NewYork is hosting a fascinating virtual talk with Captain Lawrence Brennan, a Fordham law Professor, and PortSide Executive Director Carolina Salguero about the Supreme Court decision US vs RELIABLE TRANSFER involving PortSide’s historic ship Mary A. Whalen.  Brennan and … Continue reading

US Coast Guard Testing Unmanned Vessels Off Hawaii

The US Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) has begun testing and evaluation of several unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) off the south shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The testing is scheduled to run through early November, conducted in partnership with … Continue reading