Check out a few of the latest headlines in the maritime world!
Historic 2019 Mississippi River flood officially done
Source: WVUE
NEW ORLEANS, La. – For the first time this year, there are no flood warnings on the southern Mississippi River, marking a historic 226-day span with the river in flood.
The gauge at Red River landing dropped below the minor flood stage of 48 feet at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, (Aug. 10) for the first time since last December. During that time, a number of milestones occurred, including the longest time for the Baton Rouge gauge to record flood levels at 211 days, outlasting the 135-day record in 1927.
Oil spill reported near Plaquemines Parish; 120,000 sq-ft of marshland affected, Coast Guard says
Source: Nola.com
An estimated 200-foot by 600-foot area of marshland near Plaquemines Parish has been impacted by an oil spill, the Coast Guard reported late Thursday night.
Officials said a report Thursday morning relayed seeing oil discharge in Cox Bay, which is part of Brenton Sound.
Public Safety: Operator Was Unaware Barge Had Crashed Into Boat, 3 People Evaluated
Source: KDKA
PITTSBURGH — Two people were injured earlier this month when a barge crashed into a boat carrying three people.
According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, crews with River Rescue responded to the scene around 12:15 a.m. on the Ohio River, below The Point and above the West End Bridge.
Authorities say the collision happened somewhere along the Monongahela River, and the boat then became wedged under the barge.
‘Dead zone’ along Louisiana coastline smaller than initially feared. The reason? Hurricane Barry
Source: Nola.com
The 2019 summertime “dead zone” along the Louisiana and Texas coastline covered 6,952 square miles — the eighth largest in the 33-year history of scientists’ observations, but smaller than initially feared.
Scientists with LSU and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that the low-oxygen area, referred to as the dead zone, was almost 1,000 square miles smaller than had been estimated in a study of nutrients entering the Mississippi River watershed during the unusually long 2019 high river period, which actually dates back to November 2018.
Study cites oil spill health issues
Source: Daily Comet
NEW ORLEANS — Coast Guard members exposed to oil while responding to the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico were twice as likely to experience headaches and dizziness than those who were not, a new study has found.
It’s among the findings by researchers with the Uniformed Services University, a health science university in Maryland run by the federal government.
Previous studies have examined lung and skin irritation in relation to exposure to oil and dispersants.
Man killed in port accident identified as New Jersey native
Source: NJ.com
An electrical worker killed in a Savannah, Georgia, port accident has been identified as William “Billy” Krautwald, a 37-year-old born in Marlton, New Jersey.
Krautwald and another worker fell overboard when their boat crashed into a barge in the Georgia Ports on July 31, according to the Savannah Morning News. The other worker was rescued.
Report on 2017 Destroyer Crash Prompts Navy to Ditch Touchscreen Controls for Mechanical Ones
Source: Gizmodo
The U.S. Navy announced plans to revert its destroyers’ throttle and helm controls from touchscreens back to mechanical systems starting in 2020, USNI News reported this week, after the release of a federal accident report that cited the system’s poor design as a contributing factor to a fatal 2017 crash.
In August 2017, the USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore, killing 10 sailors and injuring dozens more. This crash came just two months after seven sailors died in a similar incident between another guided-missile destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, and a cargo ship near Japan.
Near accident at Port Aransas landing underscores concern of Harbor Island export terminal critics
Source: Kris 6 News
PORT ARANSAS, Texas — Passengers ran for safety yesterday when a large LNG tanker nearly hit a ferry boat at the Port Aransas landing.
Nobody was hurt, but opponents of a planned export terminal just across the channel on Harbor Island say the close call underscores their concerns.