News Hound

Wärtsilä’s divers make the need for unscheduled dry-dockings avoidable

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Vessels’ repair needs do not always match with planned maintenance schedules. With specialist underwater teams, no vessel is far from fast, high-quality repair and refurbishment that enable operators to avoid the potential loss of income related to dry-docking.

As the first global operator in the underwater services market, the technology group Wärtsilä is uniquely positioned to offer marine service and maintenance, regardless of the vessel’s location. Maintenance and repair services performed by specialist divers add to Wärtsilä’s comprehensive service offering and allow for operators to minimise or eliminate vessel downtime.

“Reduced fuel consumption, efficiency improvements, and higher utilisation rates are always on the top of operators’ agenda. With our in-house specialist teams of certified diver technicians and propulsion experts, we are equipped to offer our customers underwater services Continue reading “Wärtsilä’s divers make the need for unscheduled dry-dockings avoidable”

Maud makes a welcome return to her homeland in Norway after 100 years

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Image courtesy of Maud Returns Home
Image courtesy of Maud Returns Home

Maud, the ship that Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen tried to reach the North Pole with, returned to Norway on Monday after nearly a century.

The vessel arrived in Bergen, where she spent two days back in July 1918 on her way to the high Arctic.

Maud was raised from the seabed in Cambridge Bay, Canada, over the summer of 2016 by the Maud Returns Home project.

Named for Queen Maud of Norway, she was built for Amundsen’s second expedition to the Arctic and launched in June 1916. In the summer of 1918, Amundsen departed Norway. His ambition was to sail into the high north and deliberately get stuck in the ice so the ship Continue reading “Maud makes a welcome return to her homeland in Norway after 100 years”

Lively Lady back on the water after refit 50 years on from her global circumnavigation

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Classic yacht Lively Lady is back in the water 50 years after her first single-handed global circumnavigation, following a full repaint and extensive refit at Hayling Yacht Company.

The refit work to restore the 36ft cutter was carried out by volunteers from the charity Around and Around and included replacing the deck, reassembling the wheelhouse, installing new electrics and an interior refit, alongside a repaint using Jotun Yachting paint products.

“The hard work carried out by the volunteers at Around and Around has certainly paid off, with Lively Lady looking better than new and in a condition which will see her through the next 50 years,” said Jim Brickwood, business development manager at Jotun Yachting UK.

Continue reading “Lively Lady back on the water after refit 50 years on from her global circumnavigation”

River Canal Rescue reports a record number of emergency call-outs

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River Canal Rescue has responded to a record number of call-outs this summer.

From June 1 to July 31 the breakdown and emergency assistance firm responded to 902 call-outs and undertook 223 major rescues or repair jobs.

During the same period last year, there were 833 call-outs and 208 major rescues or repairs.

One of its recent major rescues – on July 20 – was to raise a 70ft narrowboat from Macclesfield Canal.

The boat sank in lock nine of Bosley’s 12 lock flight after appearing to have got caught on the lock gate cill. It was the owners first day out on their first boat.

Continue reading “River Canal Rescue reports a record number of emergency call-outs”

Cargo must be stowed according to approved arrangements says AMSA

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All cargo, whether carried on or under deck, should be stowed and secured in accordance with the vessel’s Cargo Securing Manual as approved under Regulation 5.6 of Chapter VI of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.
All cargo, whether carried on or under deck, should be stowed and secured in accordance with the vessel’s Cargo Securing Manual as approved under Regulation 5.6 of Chapter VI of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has published a marine notice, reminding vessel owners, operators, masters and surveyors of the importance of stowing cargo in accordance with the approved arrangements and regulations.

All cargo, whether carried on or under deck, should be stowed and secured in accordance with the vessel’s Cargo Securing Manual as approved under Regulation 5.6 of Chapter VI of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention. This includes the way in which cargo is secured and the weight distribution of cargo within the stow.

In Australia, Chapter VI of the SOLAS Convention is given effect through Marine Order 42 (Carriage, stowage and securing of cargoes and containers) 2016.

AMSA has experienced incidents in recent years in which the Continue reading “Cargo must be stowed according to approved arrangements says AMSA”

ISO updates guidelines for sea anchors on survival craft and rescue boats

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A sea anchor is a vital component to a rescue boat, reducing the likelihood of it drifting away or spinning around, and keeps it steady in the wind.
A sea anchor is a vital component to a rescue boat, reducing the likelihood of it drifting away or spinning around, and keeps it steady in the wind.

As more people are heading out to sea over summer, safety both onboard and overboard is under the spotlight. For this reason, an ISO has been updated for the effectiveness of sea anchors for rescue boats known as ‘ISO 17339:2018, Ships and marine technology – Life saving and fire protection – Sea anchors for survival craft and rescue boats.’

A sea anchor is a vital component to a rescue boat, reducing the likelihood of it drifting away or spinning around, and keeps it steady in the wind. The updated ISO for the performance and safety of sea anchors brings them in line with the IMO’s International Life-Saving Appliance Code.

The International Life-Saving Appliance Code prescribes the carriage and use of sea anchors for survival craft and rescue boats, yet the revised recommendation on testing of lifesaving appliances does not provide requirements of performance and testing procedure for the sea anchors. This document addresses those areas, which the IMO recommendation does not address, in order to enable consistent implementation by maritime Administrations.

The new ISO addresses the performance and testing of Continue reading “ISO updates guidelines for sea anchors on survival craft and rescue boats”

USCG issues fated duck boat’s Certificate of Inspection in an unusual move

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The COI reports operational limitations which may have been exceeded while the voyage took place.
The COI reports operational limitations which may have been exceeded while the voyage took place.

The US Coast Guard released the Certificate of Inspection (COI) for the ‘Stretch Duck 07’, the amphibious tour boat that sunk in Table Rock Lake, Missouri on July 2018 with the loss of 17 lives.

The COI reports operational limitations which may have been exceeded while the voyage took place. The limitation included limits on permissible weather and surface conditions.

It also indicates that the boat’s stability letter was issued on March 2009, and its last “drydock” was carried out in January 2017. Its operations were to occur in Table Rock Lake and nearby Lake Taneycomo, and it was not permitted to operate on the water “when winds exceed thirty-five (35) miles per hour, and/or the wave height exceeds two (2) feet”.

In addition, the US Coast Guard established a Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) after the sinking of the Stretch Duck 07 boat in Branson, Missouri on July 19. An MBI is USCG’s highest level of investigation, and it was last used for the ‘El Faro’ and the disappearance of the fishing vessel ‘Destination.’

USCG also released a guidance to ensure Continue reading “USCG issues fated duck boat’s Certificate of Inspection in an unusual move”

Fire in cargo hold caused by light bulb reveals Maritime NZ report

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Maritime NZ describes a fire in the cargo hold of a container ship caused by the heat from a 500 watt light bulb as the ship was berthed in port on New Zealand's East Coast in late 2017.
Maritime NZ describes a fire in the cargo hold of a container ship caused by the heat from a 500 watt light bulb as the ship was berthed in port on New Zealand’s East Coast in late 2017.

Maritime NZ has published its Lookout report. In it they present a range of of maritime casualties, offering some clear lessons that have been learnt. In this incident, Maritime NZ describes a fire in the cargo hold of a container ship caused by the heat from a 500 watt light bulb as the ship was berthed in port on New Zealand’s East Coast in late 2017.

The cargo hold fire incident

The floodlight was unintentionally left on after the hold was filled with timber packs. Some of the timber was destroyed in the fire and other packs charred, but the ship suffered only cosmetic damage. No-one was injured.

The cut timber had been loaded during the day and the 148 metre vessel was due to sail at the change of tide, when the cargo hold fire alarm sounded just before midnight.

Crew donned breathing apparatus to check the site, and reported smoke coming out of Continue reading “Fire in cargo hold caused by light bulb reveals Maritime NZ report”

Warilda: The Hospital ship sinking that shocked the nation remembered 100 years on

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His Majesty's Australian Transport (HMAT) Warilda was transporting hundreds of wounded soldiers from the French port of Le Havre to Southampton
His Majesty’s Australian Transport (HMAT) Warilda was transporting hundreds of wounded soldiers from the French port of Le Havre to Southampton

A Southampton-based maritime charity will lower its flag to half-mast today (3 August) to commemorate the sinking of hospital ship (HMAT) Warilda 100 years ago, which caused outrage across the nation when it was torpedoed in the English Channel, killing 123 people.

His Majesty’s Australian Transport (HMAT) Warilda was transporting hundreds of wounded soldiers from the French port of Le Havre to Southampton when, despite being clearly marked with the Red Cross, it was struck by a single torpedo from a German U-boat.
Upon impact the ship’s starboard propeller was disabled, the engine room flooded and the steering gear obliterated. Unable to steer, the Warilda continued moving in a circle at 15 knots – making it difficult for those on board to escape in lifeboats.

The ship remained afloat for almost two hours before sinking into the channel.

Survivors were taken to Continue reading “Warilda: The Hospital ship sinking that shocked the nation remembered 100 years on”

MAIB issues urgent safety bulletin after keel failure to a commercial yacht

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The MAIB is investigating the keel failure and capsize of the UK registered commercial yacht Tyger of London while on passage from La Gomera to Tenerife, on 7 December 2017. The five persons on board were rescued from the water by the crew of a nearby yacht.

Tyger of London was a Comar Comet 45S designed by Vallicelli & C and built in 2007 by Comar Yachts s.r.l, at Fiumicino, Italy. In common with other vessels built by the shipbuilder, the Comet 45S could be fitted with a choice of two keels:
Continue reading “MAIB issues urgent safety bulletin after keel failure to a commercial yacht”

RCR launches new decontaminating bilge water filter

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River Canal Rescue has developed a new filter that removes oil, fuel and other hydrocarbons from bilge water before it’s pumped into canals, rivers or the sea.

Bilge Away can be retro-fitted to pre-installed bilge pumps and as the bilge water passes through the filters, a patented active component absorbs hydrocarbons, storing the compound in an environmentally-friendly cartridge that can be composted or incinerated.

Continue reading “RCR launches new decontaminating bilge water filter”

Following the report by Maritime NZ into a fatal accident new regulations are introduced

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Photo credit: Maritime NZ
Photo credit: Maritime NZ

In the aftermath of the report published into a fatal accident in which two crew members of the yacht Platino died back in June 2016, Maritime NZ has announced regulatory changes. These apply to safety requirements for recreational vessels leaving New Zealand ports and for other recreational vessels operating in New Zealand waters.

The incident
Platino is a 19.78 metre-long sailing yacht built in 1997-98 Continue reading “Following the report by Maritime NZ into a fatal accident new regulations are introduced”

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