USCG Inspects Ports After Irma

• 2017 Hurricane Preparedness - After the Storm

Recovering From
Hurricane Irma

Now that the hurricane has moved out of Florida, it's time for the recovery to begin.

One of the main tasks falls on the U.S. Coast Guard: determining the condition of the Florida Ports (as well as those in other states along Irma's path) and getting marine vessels moving again.


Port Tampa Bay

https://www.tampaport.com/
@PortTampaBay


STATUS:  Opened at 2PM Sept. 12th

#BREAKING #USCG @USCGSoutheast United States Coast Guard estimates re-opening @PortTampaBay at 2pm on Tuesday. Three fuel vessels expected.

Florida's Governor reported that dozens of tanker trucks were loaded with gas (with fuel stored at Port Tampa Bay), and continue to be filled tonight. They are delivering fuel to the Tampa Bay area and beyond.  The fuel vessels waiting offshore for the port to reopen will replenish the supply.

Port of Miami

STATUS:  Carnival Reports Port Opened Sept. 12th

PortMiami will open tomorrow, September 12th. Marine Terminals POMTOC and SFCT may open Wednesday depending on final assessments. Cruise travelers should contact their cruise line directly for more information on cruise itineraries.

Please stay connected via www.portmiami.biz and on Twitter @PortMiami @MiamiDadeCounty @MiamiDadeEM for official updates. The port will remain closed for marine traffic at least through 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 12. Upon conclusion of side sonar underwater inspections by NOAA we will update the public as to the opening of PortMiami's navigational channels.

Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)

STATUS:  Opened at 9:44 AM Sept. 12th

@PortEverglades
http://www.porteverglades.net/ 

Broward County offices, including Port Everglades, will reopen for normal business hours tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12. Port staff should contact their supervisor with any questions. Damage assessment and recovery efforts are continuing. Port Everglades will fully reopen following approval from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Disembarkation / Embarkation ports for Carnival Cruises have been posted now that the ports are open.  See their September 12th 9:30 PM Advisory.

Port Canaveral

STATUS:  Opened  Sept. 12th

Hurricane Irma Port Canaveral Update

BCSO, Canaveral Fire Rescue has been on scene at Port making preliminary assessments; no major damage noted at this point. All vessels that remained in port are secure. We will begin assessing general harbor conditions soon to facilitate return to normal operations as soon as possible. Port remains closed until further notice.

Cruise Passengers

Cruise passengers who have had their cruises extended, due to Hurricane Irma, are now heading towards Miami or other ports for disembarkation once the ports have reopened. In addition to letting passengers return from extended voyages, cruise lines are mobilizing to provide humanitarian aid to the Caribbean islands that were impacted.

See Hurricane Irma Cruise Ship Impact for the latest plans regarding future sailings and humanitarian efforts. Getting the ports reopened is a critical part of getting disaster relief to remote areas. Thank you to the United States Coast Guard and other Federal and Local agencies who are taking part in the massive efforts to get Florida's infrastructure re-established.

Tweets about @USCGSoutheast

Texas Oil Spill Impacts Cruise Ships

An aerial photograph of the staging area for oil spill response operations
occurring at the Texas City Dike, March 23, 2013. The efforts are the
result of a collision between the bulk carrier Summer Wind and the Kirby
Barge 27706, which occurred Saturday, in the Houston Ship Channel.
(U.S Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Manda M. Emery)

Port of Galveston 

While the Port of Galveston is open, the U.S. Coast Guard had closed the shipping lane and restricted traffic in the area.

UPDATE: March 24, 2014   4:00 PM (Source:  John Heald Carnival Sr. Cruise Director) Carnival Magic to undergo hull cleaning due to oil spill Moving to another pier to allow Carnival Triumph to disembark / embark passengers Carnival Triumph embarkation 8 PM UPDATE: March 24, 2014   Noon Carnival Magic, Carnival Triumph and Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas are all being held at the Galveston port. Magic and Navigator of the Seas were scheduled to depart yesterday, while Triumph was supposed to leave today. Princess' Caribbean Princess has now been stuck in Houston's Bayport terminal since Saturday.

Update 5: Texas City “Y” incident response

Update 3: Texas City "Y" incident response

The Bolivar ferry remains closed to traffic, and a safety zone, established on Saturday to ensure the well-being of response workers and prevent the further spread of oil, has been extended from lighted buoy 40 to lighted buoy 3 on the Houston Ship Channel. This safety zone restricts the transit of vessels not involved in the response from entering the area.

Coast Guard officials did allow two cruise ships to travel through the incident area by late afternoon to minimize inconvenience to the thousands of passengers aboard and limit economic impacts from the spill. However, neither vessel will be allowed to leave the port again until deemed safe to do so.

Persons with questions regarding the cruise ships’ transit plans are urged to contact those individual cruise lines for specific information.

There are several response vessels on site attempting to protect the environment from this spill.
Read More

References:

U.S. Coast Guard

Port of Galveston

Perhaps it is ironic, but this incident occurred just 2 days prior to the 25th Anniversary of the Exxon Valdez disaster.

Here is a video published by Greenpeace:
The United States of Oil Spills (25th Anniversary of Exxon Valdez)

Fire Onboard Grandeur of the Seas

Grandeur of the Seas Fire     Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Current Cruise Terminated

Cruises Cancelled

Early Memorial Day morning, a fire broke out onboard Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas while it was sailing in the Bahamas.  The fire caused extensive damage to the aft mooring deck of the ship as you can see in this image courtesy of Royal Caribbean.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the incident and the ship was diverted to Freeport in the Bahamas.   Passengers were awakened and instructed to go to their muster stations.   The fire broke around just before 3 AM and was completely extinguished around 5 AM.

Grandeur of the Seas was just refurbished last year.  You may recall that we were onboard the ship for a special Revitalization Debut last November  (search Grandeur of the Seas for articles)

We will continue to monitor this story and report any further developments.  

AP Image of Grandeur Of the Seas in Freeport after fire (click here) shows the extent of the damage.

Grandeur of the Seas Update May 29, 2013, 5:00 p.m.

Click this link for ongoing updates from Royal Caribbean

On Monday, May 27, Grandeur of the Seas experienced a fire in the mooring area in the aft of the ship. Unfortunately, due to the time needed to repair the damage caused by the fire, it is necessary to cancel Grandeur of the Seas' next six sailings. The ship is expected to return to service with the July 12 sailing. Grandeur of the Seas' cancelled sailings include: June 7, 2013 June 14 2013 June 21, 2013 June 28, 2013 July 5, 2013 We are deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ upcoming vacation. Royal Caribbean International will provide affected guests with a full refund of their voyage. For their convenience, all monies paid will automatically be processed back to the original form of payment within the next three weeks. Guests who are ready to rebook onto a future sailing, and prefer to reapply the funds prior to the refund process being completed, should do so prior to June 12. For guests or travel agents rebooking by June 12, please contact us at 888-824-0012. Otherwise, you may book at your convenience. Royal Caribbean International will also provide these guests with a future cruise certificate for 25% of the cruise fare paid. This certificate may be used for a future cruise on Royal Caribbean International. Guests that have booked with a travel professional should contact their original travel agent with any general questions related to the cancelled sailings. Guests who have booked directly with Royal Caribbean should contact us at 888-824-0012.

May 27, 2013, 8:00 p.m. EST

Grandeur of the Seas – Current Sailing Unfortunately, the damage caused by the fire on Grandeur of the Seas will require us to cancel the rest of the current sailing. We are currently working on making the necessary arrangements to return all guests to Baltimore, Maryland, tomorrow. Royal Caribbean International is deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ vacation. We understand that this may have been a very stressful time for them. And we also know that it has significantly impacted their vacation experience. We appreciate their patience and cooperation in dealing with this unfortunate situation. Grandeur of the Seas – May 31, 2013 Sailing Unfortunately, due to the time needed to repair the damage caused by the fire, it is necessary to cancel Grandeur of the Seas’ next voyage, which was scheduled to depart Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, May 31. We are deeply sorry for this unexpected development in our guests’ upcoming vacation. A dedicated telephone hotline has been established for guests on these two sailings. Guests may call us at 1-888-824-0012 in the U.S. or +1-408-916-9000 internationally. We continue to assess the situation onboard Grandeur of the Seas and gather the necessary information in order to make a decision regarding future sailings. We encourage guests on future sailings of Grandeur of the Seas to monitor this website or our Twitter handle @RoyalCaribbean for an update on your voyage.

U.S. Coast Guard Response 

According the the USCG website:   The Coast Guard responded early Monday morning to a fire aboard the 917-foot cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas, 35 nautical miles northwest of West End, Bahamas. At approximately 3 a.m., Coast Guard Sector Miami received a report of a fire aboard a Bahamian-flagged cruise ship carrying 2,224 passengers and 796 crew en route to CoCoCay, Bahamas.

The fire began on the third deck of the aft mooring area of the ship and spread to the fourth deck crew lounge area. Around 5 a.m., the fire was reported to have been extinguished by the ship’s fire response crew.

Coast Guard Sector Miami issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast (UMIB) and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Cormorant, the Coast Guard Cutter Sitkinak, and the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered to respond to the emergency. The Coast Guard also launched a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft and a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk to respond.

The cruise ship Carnival Sensation and a motor vessel from the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER), the Hagen, also diverted to stand by and assist if needed.

 The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are joining the flag state to begin conducting a joint investigation of the vessel to determine the cause of the fire.

USCG Reserve Anniversary

72 Years of Service to America


Today we recognize the United States Coast Guard Reserve, on the occasion of its 72nd anniversary, for its contributions to the safety of the industry we love so dearly, cruising.

The Coast Guard Reserve was established Feb. 19, 1941

 Today, the Coast Guard Reserve consists of nearly 8,000 dedicated men and women who support the Coast Guard roles of maritime homeland security, national defense – domestic and expeditionary – and response to natural and man-made domestic disasters. Reservists are always ready to mobilize with critical competencies in boat operations, contingency planning and response, expeditionary warfare, marine safety, port security, maritime law enforcement and mission support.

Thank you for your service to our Nation - keeping our waterways safe and responding to national disasters like  Hurricane Sandy.

Triumph Fire Investigation

Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

Carnival Triumph

Fire Investigtion

Launched

Coast Guard investigators from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center and the Investigations Center of Expertise examine the cruise ship Carnival Triumph's engine room, Feb. 14, 2013, to determine the cause of a fire that broke out Feb. 10 and stranded the ship with its passengers for days in the Gulf of Mexico. The results of the joint international investigation may take months, but could possibly help prevent the same type of incident from happening in the future. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Jerry Federer)

The U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding a fire aboard the Carnival Triumph, that ocurred Sunday, February 10, 2013. Because the Carnival Triumph is a Bahamian flagged vessel, the Bahamas Maritime Authority is the primary investigative agency. In accordance with international guidelines, the U.S. will participate in this investigation as a Marine Safety Investigative State.

Preliminary Results 

In a statement released to the media on Monday by the U.S. Coast Guard, the fire on the Carnival Triumph cruise ship was caused by a leak in a fuel oil return line. The complete investigation will last approximately six months according to the USCG.

The leak appears to have been in an oil return line that stretches from the ship's No. 6 engine to the fuel tank. Based on the ignition marks on the wall, the fire broke out in front of one of three generators in the engine room. It will take at least a week before determining if this was the same generator that had mechanical issues in January.

Legal Proceedings

As the investigation continues, so too begins legal proceedings that seem to follow incidents like this. To date there have been two lawsuits filed by passengers on the Carnival Triumph. We will follow both of these developing stories and update you periodically as information is released to the public.

Carnival Triumph Statement

U.S.C.G. photo by Lt. Cmdr. Paul McConnell

CARNIVAL TRIUMPH
STATEMENT FROM GERRY CAHILL, PRESIDENT & CEO, CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES

February 11, 2013, 8:30pm ET

The Carnival Triumph, while on a four-day cruise that departed Galveston last Thursday, experienced an engine room fire on Sunday morning and has been without propulsion in the Gulf of Mexico since that time. The ship’s automatic fire extinguishing systems activated and the fire was successfully extinguished. Fortunately, there were no injuries to guests or crew members.

Earlier this evening, the first of two tugboats arrived and is tied up to the ship with the second expected in the early hours of Tuesday morning. We had originally planned to tow the ship to Progreso, Mexico, the closest port to the ship’s location early Sunday. Since that time, the ship has drifted about 90 miles north due to strong currents. This now puts the ship nearly equidistant to Mobile, Alabama and given the strength of the currents, it is preferable to head north to Mobile, rather than attempt to tow against them. We now expect to arrive in Mobile sometime on Thursday, roughly the same time the ship would have arrived in Progreso given the distance the ship has traveled. From there, we will provide the necessary transportation to get our guests home. Mobile also provides simpler re-entry, particularly for the 900 guests onboard traveling without passports.

We have maintained constant contact with the ship’s officers. All of our guests are safe, and we’re doing everything we can to make them as comfortable as possible. The ship has maintained emergency generator power since the fire occurred and the technical team on board has been successful in gradually restoring auxiliary power to operate some basic hotel functions. Currently, public and cabin toilets are operational in certain sections of the ship, power has been restored to a limited number of elevators, and some power in the Lido dining area is providing for hot coffee and limited hot food service.

All guests on the current Carnival Triumph voyage will receive a full refund for the cruise, along with transportation expenses. In addition, they will receive a future cruise credit equal to the amount paid for this voyage, as well as reimbursement of all shipboard purchases during the voyage, with the exception of gift shop and casino charges.

We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience, discomfort, and frustration our guests are feeling. We know they expected a fantastic vacation, and clearly that is not what they received. Our shipboard and shoreside teams are working around the clock to care for our guests and get them home safely.


Photo Credit: 

GULF OF MEXICO - The Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous stands by to assist the cruise ship Carnival Triumph in the Gulf of Mexico, Feb. 11, 2013. The Carnival Triumph lost propulsion power after an engine room fire Feb. 10, 2013. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Cmdr. Paul McConnell.

Course Deviation With Good Outcome

Seabourn Odyssey

Rescues 3 Fishermen

In the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster, there has been much press coverage about the course deviation which the captain made as he approached the island of Giglio.   

Course deviations occur all the time, for various reasons:   

Most often course deviations occur because of sea and weather conditions, in order to provide a safe and comfortable cruise experience for the passengers and crew.  Rarely, a more radical deviation might occur to avoid a port in the wake of a disaster, political unrest, or increase in crime.  Equally rare are deviations in response to a distress call.  Under maritime law, the captain of a vessel is required to provide assistance under those circumstances.

Rescue boat from Odyssey approaches fishing boat

Somewhere in the Pacific

On Sunday, February 19th, Seabourn Odyssey was sailing the Pacific Ocean some 150 miles southwest of Pago Pago, America Samoa during it's World Cruise journey.  Unbeknownst to the Captain and crew at that time, three men had set out to sea in a small fishing boat from Apia in Western Samoa three weeks earlier, with the goal of bringing back a chest full of fresh seafood.  Unfortunately, they ran out of fuel and drifted further and further away, surviving on their catch of fish and rain water.

Feared Lost at Sea

Families of the three fishermen had been preparing funeral services as earlier rescue efforts, led by the New Zealand Air Force and the United States Coast Guard, had been called off.  The men had no distress flares or means of radio communication, so they were literally on their own in the middle of the largest body of water on earth.

Captain Dexter Changes Course

The portside bridge watch alerted Captain Mark Dexter to something in the distance which appeared to be a boat.  Not finding any missing vessel reports, the captain still wondered why this boat would be so far from land. He deviated from his course to investigate further and spotted a small boat adrift some miles away from the ship. As they drew closer, they saw three men jumping and frantically waving their clothing, clearly trying to catch the attention of Seabourn Odyssey.


The Rescue

The ship deployed one of its rescue boats and, after determining that they were no threat, rescued the three fishermen who had been lost at sea for nearly three weeks!  The men were transferred from the rescue craft to the ship and immediately examined by the ship's doctor.  They were in surprisingly good health considering the amount of time they were exposed to the elements in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.   Upon examination, it was found that the men were dehydrated, hungry, and had a few skin sores from the sun.

Returning Home - Good Outcome

After getting examined, changing into fresh clothes, and eating, the fishermen told of their ordeal and provided contact information for their employer. When he was notified, he bust out into joyful tears.  The families changed their funeral plans to welcome home plans.

The Odyssey notified the U.S. Coast Guard who assisted in returning the men home when the ship docked in Pago Pago Monday morning.

The captain had kept the passengers informed throughout the rescue exercise.   The passengers were so moved by the whole experience that they collected funds to give to the fishermen.  When the men disembarked the ship, they each had $800 donated by the guests to help them purchase a new fishing boat.

Bravo Captain Dexter & Crew !! 

Thanks to the watchful eyes of Seabourn Odyssey’s bridge watch, and the curiosity of Captain Dexter, the three fishermen were saved and will live to tell their terrifying tale. This course deviation had a happy ending.

From Seabourn's account of the event:

 

This is the second rescue involving a Seabourn ship in less than a year. 

It is another example of the amazing skills of our seagoing staff and the timeless code of seamen to look out for each other, which does not change from generation to generation. As the Coast Guard captain put it: “the PV Seabourn Odyssey and its crew deserve a Bravo Zulu for securing these fishermen’s lives!”

Photos: Courtesy of Seabourn Cruise Line Ltd.

Source: Seabourn Odyssey Rescues Three Men Adrift in the World’s Largest Ocean

USCG Generates Recommendations Following Splendor Fire

Fire Control Panel

Carnival Splendor

Fire Investigation

Generates Recommendations

The USCG has released CO2 system safety concerns in the wake of the Carnival Splendor fire.   The investigation is ongoing, but the following two reports discuss preliminary findings and associated recommendations.

WRONG DIRECTIONS: A RECIPE FOR FAILURE

As stated in this report, "A machinery space fire onboard a relatively new vessel was effectively responded to and
extinguished by the vessel’s quick response team firefighters using portable extinguishing equipment.
However, before it was declared completely extinguished and approximately five hours after the fire
started, the master of the vessel made the decision to release CO2 from the vessel’s fixed firefighting system. It failed to operate as designed. Subsequently, crew members were unable to activate it manually and CO2 was never directed into the machinery space. "

In short, the report indicates that there were various discrepancies in the vessel’s Firefighting Instruction Manual (FIM) and therefore made the following recommendation:

Because of these and other issues, the United States Coast Guard strongly recommends that
Vessel Builders / Shipyards, Classification Societies, Insurers, Owners / Operators, System Service
Personnel, and others involved with these systems:

• Ensure that all supporting documentation, piping schematics, plans, manuals, component labeling and instructions are consistent with each other and relevant to the systems, equipment, and components installed onboard the vessel.

SIMPLE FAILURES RENDER CO2 SYSTEM INOPERATIVE

During the investigation, several issues pertaining to the CO2 system were discovered leading to the following recommendation:

Because of these and other issues, the United States Coast Guard strongly recommends that
Vessel Builders / Shipyards, Classification Societies, Insurers, Owners / Operators, System Service
Personnel, and others involved with these systems:

• Carefully and critically review, routinely inspect and maintain, verify and test their Fixed Fire Fighting installations to ensure that they will operate correctly during an emergency.

Both of these reports were

Developed by the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarter’s Office of Investigations and Analysis, Washington, DC. Questions may be addressed to HQS-PF-fldr-G-PCA@uscg.mil.


The cruise industry is carefully watching the investigation of the Carnival Splendor fire incident.  It is hoped that through reports like the ones just released by the USCG, passenger and crew safety can be enhanced as a result.  The industry takes safety very seriously and has an excellent record overall.


Carnival Splendor's sailings have been canceled until February 20, 2011 as a result of the fire.

For more details and additional related blog posts, see:

Carnival Splendor Cruise Cancellations Extended

 

 

Keeping Us Safe

September 10, 2001 we sailed out of Southampton (London), England on the inaugural voyage of Norwegian Sun. This 17-night cruise was a Trans-Atlantic crossing which followed the Path of the Vikings. The final port of call was to be New York, NY but as you might expect, that was not possible.

On September 11, 2001, the cruise industry, along with every other travel industry, was changed forever by the events that took place in New York city. While safety had always been a cruise line concern, it was never at a higher level than it was when we returned to the United States.

A few days before our scheduled return to the United States, we learned that we would be diverting to Boston instead of New York. NCL would make arrangements for everyone to get home from there. They even opened up the phone lines free of charge so that everyone could call home and let their loved ones know about the change of plans.

These were extraordinary times during the entire cruise. The majority of the passengers were from New York, and you can just imagine the emotions onboard the ship.

It was shortly after dawn as we entered Boston Harbor. We immediately got our first glimpse of how the world had changed. A U.S. Coast Guard gunboat was alongside our ship escorting us into harbor. In fact, there were several of the gunboats alongside our ship. It was an eerie sight to see the boats, however it was also very comforting.

Travel had changed dramatically from the time we left on this cruise until the time we returned home. We had met people in Canada that had helped to shelter passengers that had been stranded when the airplanes were grounded. We got our first experience with the new security checking at Logan Airport.

Fortunately, the travel industry recovered and resumed operations following the devastating events of 9/11. Security is now a fact of life, both at the airports, and at cruise terminals. You'll look out from the upper decks of your ship and you'll always see U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Homeland Security, and other police agencies present while the ship is in harbor. We have witnessed them chase down supsicious boats and turn them away. Thanks to their presence, we can feel safe onboard the ship while we are in harbor.

Thank you to all the members of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Homeland Security and other agencies that keep the cruise passengers safe. Next time you are on a ship, be sure to wave a thank you to the men and women that keep us safe.