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Safer Seas Digest 2021 published by NTSB

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published its 96 page Safer Seas Digest 2021, highlighting the most important lessons learned from 31 maritime tragedies that took place over the course of last year including capsizings, contact, collisions, fires, flooding and groundings.

Among the key investigations included in the report are the sinking of Scandies Rose, where five lives were lost, and the capsizing of Golden Ray, one of the most expensive marine accidents in history.

In brief, some of the key lessons learned from the Safety Digest are: Continue reading “Safer Seas Digest 2021 published by NTSB”

New proposed Workboat 3 code from the Maritime & Coast Guard Agency is open for consultation

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Rules governing workboats, pilot boats and remotely operated vessels have been revised and remade to support innovation in industry. The revised Merchant Shipping (Workboats, Pilot Boats and Remotely Operated Unmanned Vessels) Regulations 2022 and accompanying Code is now going out for consultation across the marine industry.

It is felt the new version of the Code will help clarify the survey and inspection requirements and also addresses the growing autonomous Continue reading “New proposed Workboat 3 code from the Maritime & Coast Guard Agency is open for consultation”

Canal & River Trust Annual Report 2021/22 published

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The Canal & River Trust 2021/22 Annual Report & Accounts document a continued rise in use of the towpath with nearly 800 million individual visits across the year and a record summer for boating once the waterways were able to re-open in May 2021 for unrestricted navigation. It is also the second year to be severely affected by Covid-19.

Accounting for variances relating to the pandemic, income for the year remained broadly stable, and the Trust was able to increase the amount spent on core maintenance and repair works Continue reading “Canal & River Trust Annual Report 2021/22 published”

AMSA: Effective and regular vessel maintenance can prevent machinery failures

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The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has published a Maritime Safety Awareness Bulletin to highlight that a lack of planned maintenance can have a significant impact on the safety of the vessel, the people, and the marine environment.

Maintenance related issues do not always receive the attention they deserve, as these are often difficult to detect and can be regarded as entirely technical matters, unrelated to safety and pollution prevention. As a result, maintenance matters may not be reported or addressed Continue reading “AMSA: Effective and regular vessel maintenance can prevent machinery failures”

MAIB safety digest 2/2022 published

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Andrew Moll OBE, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents at the Marine Accident Investigation Branch writes, “Welcome to MAIB’s second Safety Digest of 2022. I will start in the usual manner by thanking Julian Hughes, Jim Portus and Rachel Andrews for their respective introductions to the merchant, fishing and recreational sections of this edition. Each is an expert in their own field, and their industry insights to safety help bring contemporary context to the cautionary tales in the following pages. I hope you will find time to read the whole edition – there is something here for every mariner – but please do read the section introductions. And, when you have finished, please pass the digest on so others can benefit too. Continue reading “MAIB safety digest 2/2022 published”

Dutch tall ship accident resulting in three deaths caused by wood rot says investigation

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three deaths caused by wood rot says investigation
three deaths caused by wood rot says investigation

An investigation into the fatal accident onboard the Amicitia where its mast broke and killed three people has revealed wood rot as the cause. The Dutch Safety Branch report revealed that there was no maintenance plan for the mast in question. The mast certificate issued in 2012, which was valid until 2018, caused the captain to think that this safety critical part of the ship met all safety requirements.

”In order to guarantee the safety of passengers, the historic ships sector must professionalise. With the commercial growth of the past decades, a backlog has been built up in knowledge and expertise about the safe maintenance of these special ships,” said the report. Continue reading “Dutch tall ship accident resulting in three deaths caused by wood rot says investigation”

BSU report into death of a crew member who fell from a cargo hold ladder on Seoul Express

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BSU report into death of a crew member who fell from a cargo hold ladder on Seoul Express
BSU report into death of a crew member who fell from a cargo hold ladder on Seoul Express

On 27 March 2021, the Seoul Express was approximately 52 nm off the coast of Mexico en route from Manzanillo to Long Beach in the United States. The ship was engaged in regular service between various ports in the Mediterranean, Central America and the west coast of North America.

At the end of his morning watch, the later deceased first watchman of the 4-8 watch (deployed at sea as a lookout, referred to below as ‘watchman’) began the usual inspection of the temperatures of the loaded fish meal containers at 0700 on the instructions of the chief mate, who was in charge of the navigational watch. This involved checking 11 containers in Bays9 10, 29 and 31 during the voyage in question. Continue reading “BSU report into death of a crew member who fell from a cargo hold ladder on Seoul Express”

Lithium-ion batteries contributed to fire on MY Siempre reveals MSIU report

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The release of the Malta’s Marine Safety Investigation Unit (MSIU) report into the fire onboard MY Siempre has once again brought the subject of Lithium-ion batteries into sharp focus. The report says that it can’t exclude the fact that the Lithium-ion batteries on board were either the cause of the fire, and/or a contributing factor to the intensity and spread of the fire. Neither can it exclude the possibility that the fire may have started due to a short circuit in the electrical power socket of the yacht’s water scooter.

On 6 September 2021, at 1.28am, the CCTV camera captured smoke escaping from Siempre’s aft deck, soon followed by intermittent bright flashes, resembling open flames. Continue reading “Lithium-ion batteries contributed to fire on MY Siempre reveals MSIU report”

Excessive container and cargo weight putting stress on containerships

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Excessive container and cargo weight putting stress on containerships
Excessive container and cargo weight putting stress on containerships

According to Peter Peltenburg, CEO of Dutch-based Cargo Care Solutions, the weight of extra containers and cargo is placing massive amounts of stress on ships’ hatch covers and lashing gear. Containership owners are placing more emphasis on the repair and maintenance of their hatch covers and container lashing equipment as the full loading caused by trong market conditions impacts the condition of their ships.

“With the current strong market conditions, shipowners cannot afford to incur any downtime of their vessels due to a lack of maintenance. And it is the same when it comes to vessel damage impacting on the vessel’s cargo carrying capacity. If you lose any capacity then vessel Continue reading “Excessive container and cargo weight putting stress on containerships”

Electrical failure leading to loss of steering on bulk carrier

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Background image: J Claverie
Background image: J Claverie

An electrical failure caused a bulk carrier to lose steering and crash into a barge near New Orleans last year, resulting in an estimated $6 million in damages, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report reveals.

The bulk carrier Jalma Topic was transiting upriver on the Lower Mississippi River on July 12, 2021, when it lost steering and struck a stationary barge that was being used for office space. No injuries were reported.

During the voyage, the rudder became stuck at port 10 degrees. According to the report, when the pilot noticed the rudder was not responding he took immediate Continue reading “Electrical failure leading to loss of steering on bulk carrier”

Reducing container loss guidance published by Britannia P&I Club

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Britannia P&I Club has published guidelines for containerships to deal with parametric roll motions. In the guidance, Britannia explains how ships can successfully identify parametric roll and what is triggering it.

Unfavourable combinations of rolling period, vessel speed, heading and wave conditions can trigger sudden and extremely rapid increases in roll motions, which might lead to excess loading on container securing devices and, in the worst cases, container stack collapses and container losses overboard. Continue reading “Reducing container loss guidance published by Britannia P&I Club”

Corrosion causes holes to ship’s hatch covers

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In its most recent loss prevention series “Good Catch”, the American Club provides lessons learned from a vessel carrying containers that had several holes in its hatch covers due to corrosion.

A vessel carrying containers was found to have several holes in its hatch covers as a result of corrosion. When the vessel arrived, it was discovered that one cargo hold had 12-14 inches (30-35 cm) of water at the aft end of the hold. Sixteen containers had water ingress.

The cargo was not damaged in 4 of the containers, but in the other 12 containers, the cargo was declared a total loss. Several of those containers were loaded with consumer electronics. Continue reading “Corrosion causes holes to ship’s hatch covers”

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