Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published by The Maritime Executive

Published Sep 29, 2022 10:55 PM by The Maritime Executive

As the U.S. Navy works its way towards a full resolution of the fuel-in-water incident at the Red Hill tank farm, the crew of the carrier USS Nimitz have been dealing with another. After jet fuel was detected in USS Nimitz's potable water system on September 16, the carrier has been working to cleanse its tanks and pipes of contaminants.

A preliminary investigation determined that one of the ship's two dozen potable water tanks was contaminated with JP-5 jet fuel. The ship returned to the pier in San Diego, and the crew has been using piped-aboard municipal water and bottled drinking water while troubleshooting continues, according to Navy Times.

Follow-up testing still showed "detectable traces of hydrocarbons" in potable water tanks as recently as Tuesday. The ship's planned deployment has been delayed until the completion of "further testing and evaluation," a spokesperson said. 

Five sailors have reported health effects potentially related to contaminated water, and four have been cleared, a 3rd Fleet spokesperson told Navy Times. 

Trace fuel contamination in the potable water supply is an occasional part of carrier life, according to some Navy veterans. Nimitz-class carriers can carry about three million gallons of JP-5 on board, and it gets moved, used up and replenished while under way - creating technical opportunities for contamination.

Navy fined for sewage leakd

In addition to its liabilities for the Red Hill spill, the U.S. Navy's Hawaiian command now faces a multimillion-dollar fine for “repeated discharges of untreated or partially treated sewage to state waters.”

Hawaii's Department of Health has fined the Navy $8.8 million for 766 counts of alleged sewage pollutant discharges in excess of permitted limits, along with 212 counts of alleged operational and maintenance failures. It has also ordered corrective action, to include repairs of a UV disinfection system and a structural integrity assessment for some equipment. The facility in question was already on an improvement plan with the U.S. EPA.

“We are taking action to protect our state’s water resources and to hold the Navy accountable to make critical repairs and prevent a potential catastrophic failure of the facility," said Kathleen Ho, the department’s deputy director of environmental health.

Published Oct 2, 2022 11:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

Siemens Gamesa intends to lay off 2,900 employees after revealing that inflation and supply chain issues are affecting its bottom line. Rising costs for energy, raw materials and transport are cutting into margins, while shortages of components, port congestion and supply delays are impacting production.  Three days after the world’s largest offshore wind turbine maker called for EU governments and regulators to provide the wind industry with “simple safeguards” to enable it deliver energy security and timely energy transition, the...

Published Oct 2, 2022 10:16 PM by The Maritime Executive

New York may soon join the list of major cities that have chartered cruise ships to augment overflowing shelter systems for migrants. Norwegian Cruise Line has confirmed that it has discussed the possibility of a charter with city officials, though no deal has yet been finalized. If it goes through, the deal would reportedly cover a single vessel moored in Staten Island for a term of six months.  New York's capacity to house and shelter the homeless is limited, and...

Published Oct 2, 2022 9:08 PM by Gemini News

[By Idun Haugan] In earlier times, cities like Trondheim and Bergen had a ferryman who rowed people from place to place. They were the taxi drivers of the waterways. Now, a new, future-oriented form of water transport will be available to the public. The autonomous passenger ferry milliAmpere 2 is now running shuttle traffic across the main channel in Trondheim until mid-October. The public can jump on board during the trial period and test the new technology, while researchers survey the...

Published Oct 2, 2022 7:08 PM by The Maritime Executive

The Gibraltar government has asked the owner and insurers of the bulker OS 35 to remove the wreck and its contents from the territory's waters within six months, and it has requested compensation for costs related to the grounding.  After taking measures to prevent further pollution by locating and removing trapped oil, the Gibraltar Port Authority (GPA) said it has issued a Wreck Removal Notice to the vessel’s owner. The notice requires the complete removal of the wreck and its...

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