IIMS News

Rudder compartment hull leak causes major capsizing of towing vessel says NTSB investigation

Posted on by News Hound
NTSB determines that the probable cause of the capsizing and sinking of the Gracie Claire was the towing vessel’s decreased stability and freeboard due to undetected flooding through a hull leak in the rudder compartment, which made the vessel susceptible to the adverse effects of boarding water from the wake of a passing vessel.
NTSB determines that the probable cause of the capsizing and sinking of the Gracie Claire was the towing vessel’s decreased stability and freeboard due to undetected flooding through a hull leak in the rudder compartment, which made the vessel susceptible to the adverse effects of boarding water from the wake of a passing vessel.

The US NTSB issued an investigation report on the capsizing of the towing vessel ‘Gracie Claire’, while moored on the Lower Mississippi River in Venice, Louisiana. The report revealed that several factors affecting the stability of the vessel led to its capsizing.

The incident
On 23 August 2017, at 0756, Gracie Claire was moored in Tiger Pass near mile marker 10 on the Lower Mississippi River. While taking on fuel and water, the towboat began to slowly list to starboard. After the wake of a passing crewboat washed onto the Gracie Claire’s stern, the list increased. In a short period of time, water entered an open door to the engine room and flooded the space.

The towboat sank partially, its bow being held above the water by the lines connected to the dock. All three crewmembers escaped to the dock without injury. Approximately 1,100 gallons of diesel fuel were discharged into the waterway. Damage to the Gracie Claire was estimated at $565,000.

Probable cause

NTSB determines that the probable cause of the capsizing and sinking of the Gracie Claire was the Continue reading “Rudder compartment hull leak causes major capsizing of towing vessel says NTSB investigation”

MPA Singapore has issued advice on how to conduct effective marine incident reporting

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Once this is ensured, the owner, manager and shipmaster of the affected Singapore-registered ships should alert MPA of the incident immediately or at the latest, within 2 hours.
Once this is ensured, the owner, manager and shipmaster of the affected Singapore-registered ships should alert MPA of the incident immediately or at the latest, within 2 hours.

MPA Singapore issued a marine notice to inform operators of Singapore-registered ships on the procedure of reporting of any marine casualty, incident or security-related incident involving Singapore-registered ships.

To begin with, the following can be considered to-be-reported marine incidents:
– the death of, or serious injury to, a person;
– the loss of a person from a ship;
– the loss, presumed loss or abandonment of a ship;
– material damage to a ship;
– the stranding or disabling of a ship, or the involvement of a ship in a collision;
– material damage to marine infrastructure external to a ship, that could seriously endanger the safety of the ship, another ship or an individual; or
– severe damage to the environment, or the potential for severe damage to the environment, brought about by the damage of a ship or ships.

As noted, the general principle in any incident is that urgent steps on the ground, in accordance with ships’ and companies’ approved plans, must first be taken by Continue reading “MPA Singapore has issued advice on how to conduct effective marine incident reporting”

An explanation to the mystery of cargo ships that sink when their cargo liquefies

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Solid bulk cargoes are typically “two-phase” materials as they contain water between the solid particles.
Solid bulk cargoes are typically “two-phase” materials as they contain water between the solid particles.

Think of a dangerous cargo and toxic waste or explosives might come to mind. But granular cargoes such as crushed ore and mineral sands are responsible for the loss of numerous ships every year. On average, ten “solid bulk cargo” carriers have been lost at sea each year for the last decade.

Solid bulk cargoes – defined as granular materials loaded directly into a ship’s hold – can suddenly turn from a solid state into a liquid state, a process known as liquefaction. And this can be disastrous for any ship carrying them – and their crew.

In 2015, the 56,000-tonne bulk carrier Bulk Jupiter rapidly sunk around 300km south-west of Vietnam, with only one of its 19 crew surviving. This prompted warnings from the International Maritime Organisation about the possible liquefaction of the relatively new solid bulk cargo bauxite (an aluminium ore).

A lot is known about the physics of Continue reading “An explanation to the mystery of cargo ships that sink when their cargo liquefies”

Frequency of total hull losses at its lowest since 1996 reports Cefor

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Cefor Hull Trends 2018The number and impact of major and total hull losses has remained low since 2016, a trend that has continued into the first half of 2018, according to figures by the Nordic Association of Marine Insurers (Cefor).

The overall claims frequency continues its positive trend and stabilizes at a relatively low level, and total loss frequency reached a minimum again in the first half of 2018, and continues thus the last year’s trend with some oscillation at low levels.

Insured values dropped on average 2.5% on 2018 renewals. The improvement compared to the previous years is especially due to some recovery in the supply/offshore segment in 2018, following a recovery in the bulk market in 2017. However, it should be noted that Continue reading “Frequency of total hull losses at its lowest since 1996 reports Cefor”

Gard releases video about avoiding enclosed spaces accidents

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A screenshot from the GARD video Accidents in enclosed spaces onboard ships have been a source of serious injuries and fatalities for many years, yet still they happen. Analysis of the accidents shows failure to follow established procedures many times leads to such accidents and incidents. In this video published by Gard P&I Club, you will see Gard’s former surveyor, Alf Martin Sandberg’s story, who could have lost his life when he entered Click to w void space onboard a barge without checking the atmosphere inside the space first.

This story is a real-life reminder that accidents can happen in any enclosed spaces. For this reason, every precaution should be taken both before to entry and while inside an enclosed space, and that even trained professionals make mistakes.

Watch the eight-minute video. Continue reading “Gard releases video about avoiding enclosed spaces accidents”

American Club publishes Safety Management Systems help guide

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The booklet is the fourth in a series of coming guides produced by The American Club, which deal with matters of safety, protection of the marine environment and maritime security.
The booklet is the fourth in a series of coming guides produced by The American Club, which deal with matters of safety, protection of the marine environment and maritime security.

The American Club has recently published a helpful new guide which focuses on Safety Management Systems. The aim is to assist both seafarers and shoreside personnel in understanding the basic principles of how to implement local and international safety management systems.

The booklet is the fourth in a series of coming guides produced by The American Club, which deal with matters of safety, protection of the marine environment and maritime security.

A safety management system – or SMS – is a proven and essential tool for achieving loss prevention success for both international shipping under the International Safety Management (ISM) Code and U.S. inland waterway operators and on non-compulsory vessels under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulation Subchapter M, towing vessels safety management system option for compliance.

The new guide is expected to assist operators with Continue reading “American Club publishes Safety Management Systems help guide”

Bahamas Maritime Authority releases safety bulletin following fatality investigation regarding a nitrogen cylinder

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The examination showed that the damaged nitrogen cylinder had suffered significant corrosion at the point of failure.
The examination showed that the damaged nitrogen cylinder had suffered significant corrosion at the point of failure.

The Bahamas Maritime Authority issued a safety alert regarding the potential serious risk for safety on board a ship where nitrogen cylinders are used as a stored kinetic energy system for launching lifeboats. This alert was issued after the authority obtained information from an ongoing maritime incident investigation conducted by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, New Zealand.

The vessel had hydraulically powered davits with six power packs, three on each side of the vessel. A stored energy system consisted of a piston accumulator and a bank of four high pressure (180-210 Bar) nitrogen cylinders were fitted to each lifeboat launching davit.

In February 2017, one of the nitrogen cylinders of a stored energy system onboard exploded while being topped up to maintain the correct pressure. A crew member died as a result of the explosion. The findings of the investigation indicate that significant corrosion affected the structural integrity of the cylinder.

The remains of the exploded nitrogen cylinder and other three cylinders from the same Continue reading “Bahamas Maritime Authority releases safety bulletin following fatality investigation regarding a nitrogen cylinder”

Application Spotlight – Undercarriage Inspection

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Cygnus 4+ general purpose
Cygnus 4+ general purpose

In Construction and Mining, machine performance is integral to a project’s success and cost efficiency. Undercarriage can make up more than 50% of the maintenance costs of a machine. Any component failures could lead to serious delays or costly replacements.

Integrated with Cygnus 4+ Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge, TrackTreads developed an Undercarriage Tool to monitor a machine’s undercarriage quickly and effectively. Thickness Measurements are taken on each undercarriage component using Cygnus Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge – a truly simple to use and accurate thickness gauging device. Connected to a mobile application via  Continue reading “Application Spotlight – Undercarriage Inspection”

British Ports Association rolls out its sustainability charter

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The British Ports Association (BPA) has published its new sustainability charter which commits to supporting the dual aims of a strong and healthy environment and a thriving economy.

Astonishingly, 90 percent of the UK population lives within 30 miles of the coast, and no part of the UK is more than 70 miles from it. The Charter notes action underway for shoreside power with some British ports having already installed shoreside power for smaller vessels such as fishing boats and leisure craft. For the majority of ports, particularly those handling large vessels such as cruise ships and large cargo vessels, the installation cost is currently prohibitively high. However, all major ports in England (and many others in the rest of the UK) will have produced air quality plans that include assessments on shoreside power by May 2019. Continue reading “British Ports Association rolls out its sustainability charter”

World’s first autonomous and electric container ship is one step closer to launch as yard is chosen

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3D image of the Yara BirkelandThe world’s first autonomous and electric container ship is one step closer to launch, with Norwegian agricultural company Yara signing a deal with Vard worth approximately NOK 250 million ($30 million) to build the vessel.

Vard will deliver the 120-TEU Yara Birkeland for launch in early 2020 from its Brevik yard in Norway, and the autonomous electric container ship will gradually move from manned operation to fully autonomous operation by 2022. The hull will be delivered from Vard Braila in Romania.

The project was initiated in an effort to improve the logistics at Yara’s Porsgrunn fertilizer plant. Every day, more than 100 diesel truck journeys are needed to transport products from Yara’s Porsgrunn plant to ports in Brevik and Larvik where the company ships products to Continue reading “World’s first autonomous and electric container ship is one step closer to launch as yard is chosen”

MCA propose a new code of practice to allow pleasure vessels to be temporarily used for business purposes and as race support boats

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A race support boat The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking feedback from the public on a new code of practice for intended pleasure vessels (IPV)

The MCA would like feedback on a new proposal to allow pleasure craft to be temporarily used for business purposes and as race support boats.

The organisation has been working with British Marine, RYA, and the Yacht Brokers, Designers and Surveyors Association (YBDSA) to develop the new code of practice which is due to be published on 1 January 2019.

The code is divided into parts. The first refers to intended pleasure vessels (IPV) to be used for temporary commercial reasons and the second for said craft to be used to support race boats.

Continue reading “MCA propose a new code of practice to allow pleasure vessels to be temporarily used for business purposes and as race support boats”

World’s first ocean solar powered superyacht set to be unveiled

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The solar powered yacht on the waterSwiss company SolarImpact Yacht AG has announced plans to debut its new project. What is believed to be the world’s first solar powered superyacht, which has been in the research phase for five years, is now ready to be unveiled to the world.

The 23.7-metre (78-foot) vessel, designed by Marlena Ratajska, draws power from a solar-based energy supply and uses optimised SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) construction. The concept merges top-end luxury features and comforts with cutting-edge design and sustainability, and can reportedly boast an unlimited cruising range.

SolarImpact Yacht AG’s technological marvels will be unveiled at Cannes Yachting Festival 2018 (at Palais stand 089), and visitors to the show will be able to explore a 3D model of the build. Continue reading “World’s first ocean solar powered superyacht set to be unveiled”

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