April 2013 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 23. Port Safety Forum Continued from Page 6.


Iceland will be calling at Portland with a container vessel on a regular basis. This will open up markets in Eastern Canada and northern Europe. The fi rst vessel arrived in Portland in mid-March and the fi rst imported cargo will arrive there the end of March. This should generate additional markets for our seafood and agriculture industries as well as other products who now do not have access to European markets. Over time this service should grow. Presently they will be operating every other week and arriving on Fridays. They have also moved their head- quarters from Norfolk, Virginia to Portland. Pan Am rail is planning to partner with Merrill and Sprague terminals and bring the rail line to the container terminal. This will benefi t everyone involved.


It was mentioned that there is another group that has formed an alliance and they will be sailing out of St. John, New Bruns- wick.


The Port of Eastport said that they had signed a deal with Thermogen, a subsidiary of Cate Street Capital, who are planning to build a torrefi ed wood pellet processing plant there. This could mean an additional eight or nine ships per year for exporting the product. This would increase the number of ships visiting Eastport to approximately 100 a year. It was said that Cate Street would take approximately two years to get everything up and running. What was also mentioned is that there would be a high demand for raw materials to arrive at Eastport and it was fortunate that the conveyor system works both ways. This could mean an additional 25 ships.


Next up was the United States Coast Guard, who were to cover several topics. The fi rst dealt with enforcements over the last couple of years. One regarded a vis- iting commercial vessel to Eastport in 2010. A whistle blower had made a statement that someone on board had discharged oil from the engine room. The initial civil penalty was $50,000, but this was dropped to $10,000. However it is still being fought by their attor- ney who is hoping to get the case dismissed. In June 2010 off New Harbor two lob- ster boats were involved in a collision. It was deemed that one of the vessels was negligent and was assessed a $30,000 fi ne. This was dropped to $15,000 and his lawyer hopes to have this case dismissed.


On Lake Champlain a complaint was


fi led by a number of legal charter boat own- ers about another boat that was unlicensed and doing charters. Apparently the captain of that boat told passengers to say that he was doing this for free. His fi ne was $25,000, but was later dropped to $6,000, which he paid. Off Mount Desert a disabled sailing vessel asked for assistance. A commercial


boat offered to tow the sailboat in at a cost of $1,000. On investigation, the commercial boat did not have a commercial towing li- cense and was cited for the violation. On 24 October the tug BENJAMIN


BAILEY capsized while working on the construction of the Memorial Bridge in the Piscatagua River between Kittery and Ports- mouth. She was working next to a barge and as she tried to move away the stern dipped and she rolled. Fortunately everyone on board the tug was able to get safely off. With Hurricane Sandy approaching salvaging the tug was put into high gear. They fi rst tried to use a pull boat, but she did not have enough power. A light sheen was seen on the water and this was coming from the fuel vents. An attempt was made to cap the vents, but they were only successful in covering one. There are two barges with cranes capable of lifting a tug of this size in New England. The one in Boston refused to come to Portsmouth due to Hurricane Sandy and the one in Portland was in dry dock. The next attempt tried using lifting bags but this didn’t work very well. Then a truck wrecker service came in and was able to pull the tug closer to shore. Along with the use of a crane they were able to get her up right and dewater. After fi ve days the salvage operation was complete and she was moved to her Elliot berth to weather Hurri- cane Sandy. She was later sold and repaired in Portland and is now for sale. The Coast Guard said that the reason for the accident was that fuel had moved from one tank to another and coupled with the current created an unstable situation.


The Coast Guard gave an update on


the Waldo Hancock County Bridge, which is being removed. They showed the area that would be restricted while the bridge was being taken apart. This is being done with a tug and barge with a crane and you must give them a 75 yard berth. The area around the bridge is also a no wake zone. It was also announced that there may be closings for safety reasons however passing arrangements would be made for deep-water vessels and at night the channel would be cleared of all vessels. The concrete piers that are located near each end of the bridge will remain. The US Coast Guard said that they will now be lit with a white fl ashing light. As for the Memorial Bridge in Ports- mouth, NH there is a fi ve day closure coming up. Unfortunately the date is not known but would be announced 30 days before the closure is to take place.


For those that run events along the coast of Maine you must have an event permit from the United States Coast Guard. This is CG form 4423 and needs to be accompanied by a chartlet showing the area your event will take place at. If you are holding an event and do not have an event permit contact the Coast Guard in South Portland.


Maritime History WANTED


MARITIME BOOKS, MAGAZINES, DOCUMENTS, POSTCARDS and PHOTOGRAPHS


International Maritime Library P.O. Box 710, Winterport, Maine 04496 (207) 223-8846


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For those that missed the model show at Owl's Head Transportation Museum on 23-24 March, do not miss it next year. This was my fi rst and I will not miss it again. The RC tug ALEXIS above was built by Fred Walters of Poland Springs and took 15 years to complete. There was also 6-foot model of a destroyer and an LCT with tanks. Besides the boat models there were cars, planes, trains, doll houses and engines. What captured my attention was the cranes all built out of wood.


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