Capt. Mike Hazelwood and Capt. Jules George receive commendations from Capt. Marcus Woodring, COTP, Houston and Rear Admiral Mary Landry, Commander 8th District.

 

The Captains and Crews of the M/V SABINE PASS and M/V SNIPE received the following commendations from the United States Coast Guard:

 

"The crew of the UTV SABINE PASS is awarded the United States Coast Guard Certificate of Merit for outstanding contributions to the safety of the Houston Ship Channel on February 10th, 2010.  While approaching the "A" dock at Texas Petrochemicals, Steersman Clifford Cooper visually observed what appeared to be a vessel sinking in the Upper Houston Ship Channel near the Lyondell Facility and immediately notified Captain Jules George. Captain George quickly performed a visual search of the area, sighting only a small object that appeared to be a line handling boat.  After receiving a confirmation report from the M/V MISS LUCY of a tug sinking in the area, Captain George immediately enlisted the support of Steersman Cooper and Tankerman Torriana McCall to secure their barges at the pier and render assistance.  Upon arriving on-scene, they quickly located the sunken vessel by observing an antenna sticking out of the water.  Captain George noted the darkness of the water and the presence of the UTV MIA KELLY's small boat and determined the best course of action was to remain in position near the J R NICHOLS and shine a Xenon light into the water in case any survivors were in the water and disoriented.  Captain George also observed that there were bubbles coming up to the surface and correctly assumed there was a possibility of air pockets that survivors might utilize to survive.  Upon sighting a patch of debris with life jackets floating to the surface, Captain George immediately maneuvered to search that area and sighted a person surfacing near the J R NICHOLS.  Captain George notified MIA KELLY's small boat via radio on Channel 73 and resumed searching as the small boat recovered the survivor and transferred him to the UTV SNIPE.  Captain George sighted another person surfacing and again notified the MIA KELLY's small boat, who recovered the survivor and transferred him to the SNIPE.  The SABINE PASS remained on-scene searching until the J R NICHOLS stopped bubbling and other assets arrived to continue the search efforts.  Had it not been for the outstanding situational awareness by the SABINE PASS in utilizing their Xenon light to search the area, the survivors may have remained disoriented under the water and not reached the surface.  The selfless actions of the crew of the SABINE PASS are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of humanitarian service."

 

Congratulation to both crews for a job well done.  Their quick thinking and rush to action saved lives! 

All vessels that still require shaft packing should only have 3/4" Teflon Impregnated Braided Packing (1"for the ALLIGATOR) on board.  This type of packing should be greased through an alemite fitting attached to the stern tube.

 

Any remaining boxes of the graphite shaft packing should be removed from your vessel and sent ashore.

 

For a quick review of Shaft Packing, please go to: 

 

Shaft Packing and Water Lubricated Shaft Seals  

A project to dredge the Texas City Ship Channel to a forty-five foot depth is expected to begin on April 1, 2010.  Please take all precautions when transiting this area and be prepared to encounter channel disruptions.  

 

The Texas City Ship Channel dredging project is expected to take one year to complete.

 

As a reminder, our Rules of the Road section discusses "Lights and Shape - Vessel Engaged in Dredging".

A Quick History of Life Presesvers

 

The most ancient examples of "primitive life jackets" can be traced back to inflated bladders of animal skins or hollow, sealed gourds, for support when crossing deeper streams and rivers.

 

Personal flotation devices were not part of the equipment issued to naval sailors up to the early 1800s, for example at the Napoleonic Battle of Trafalgar. Seamen who were press-ganged into naval service might have used such devices to jump ship and swim to freedom. It wasn't until

Life Jacket from the S/S TITANIC, circa 1911

lifesaving services were formed that personal safety of boat crews heading out in pulling boats generally in horrific sea conditions was addressed.

Purpose-designed buoyant safety devices consisting of simple blocks of wood or cork were used by Norwegian seamen. The modern lifejacket is generally credited to one Captain Ward, a Royal National Lifeboat Institution inspector in the United Kingdom, who, in 1854, created a cork vest to be worn by lifeboat crews for both weather protection and buoyancy.

The rigid cork material eventually came to be supplanted by pouches containing watertight cells filled with kapok, a vegetal material. These soft cells were much more flexible and more comfortable to wear compared with devices utilizing hard cork pieces. Kapok buoyancy was used in many navies fighting in the Second World War.

 

Foam eventually replaced kapok for "inherently buoyant" (vs. inflated and therefore not inherently buoyant) flotation. 

  

We talked about life jackets in our "Nautical Trivia" above and that got me thinking about a recent article I read.  

 

In the last issue of the American Waterways Operators Newsletter, it was reported that overall the number of fatalities in the barge industry had dropped significantly in the past twenty years.  Years 2007 and 2008 were at record lows.

 

While this trend is certainly good, I was troubled by part of these statistics.  In 2009, there were eleven fatalities in the tug/towboat/barge industry.  Of these eleven, eight were a result of falls overboard.

 

How does this happen!  In our industry when falls overboard make up seventy three percent of fatalities, it is a disaster.

 

Any fall overboard must be thought of as a potentially life threatening event.  How do we all work to keep this from happening? 

 

Are your safety efforts enough to ensure members of your crew keep from falling overboard?  Are we all using the proper PPE (work vests) as required throughout the work day?  Are crew members reminding each other potential threats for falls overboard when they see them?

 

This needs to be a priority with your crew.  It is not just the responsibility of the Wheelmen, but all Crewmembers.  From Deckhand to Captain, all must be apart of keeping each other safe.

 

Stay onboard.

 

Have a great and safe week!