UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) published its annual report for 2022, reporting that the branch received 1,263 reports of marine casualties and marine incidents involving UK vessels worldwide or other nations’ vessels in UK waters and commenced 16 investigations.
Merchant Vessels
The deaths of three stevedores on board the Isle of Man registered bulk carrier Berge Mawson in the middle of the year was a stark reminder that the industry still has much work to do to mitigate the hazards posed by noxious atmospheres. Continue reading “UK MAIB Annual Report 2022 published”
Cargo displacement of 1,900 tonnes of partially liquefied soil was, according to the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority’s (NSIA) assessment, the cause why the bulk carrier MS Bjugnfjord sank on its way out of the Kattegat. According to the NSIA investigation, it is in practice difficult to have an overview of the characteristics of different masses in these type of freight assignments.
Mark Russell, Vice President, Head of Cargo Claims, 
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued its investigation report about the flooding and subsequent sinking of fishing vessel Grace Marie on 8th July 2022.
River Canal Rescue (RCR) is calling upon boaters to be aware of the fire risks on their vessels, after finding more and more cases of poor electrical wiring, including under-sized wiring, overloaded circuits, and sub-standard connections and cable routing, which can rapidly turn into a loom meltdown or a fire.
The London P&I Club has continued to see cargo damage claims arising from the carriage of dry chemicals in Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBCs), more commonly known as “jumbo bags”, which have been stowed in the same holds as breakbulk cargoes. FIBCs have a body of a flexible woven material (typically polypropylene) and is intended for shipping solid materials in powder, flake or granular form.
Recently published, the annual Port State Control (PSC) report from ClassNK reveals that in 2022 a total of 1,214 detainable deficiencies were reported and 313 detentions were made. Issues around fire safety topped the list and worryingly show a big increase over the previous year.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued this safety advisory notice to inform the public and raise awareness of the risks involved in the transportation of electric vehicles (EVs) powered by installed lithium batteries that may have been damaged due to submersion in waters during extreme weather events. When transported in commerce, EVs containing these damaged batteries may present particularly significant hazards to the public, including property damage, injury, and even death. Our intention with this notice is to prevent those things from happening. 
The aim of the tenth edition of this book is to provide those involved in handling shipping disputes with an overview of the key issues relevant to multiple jurisdictions. As with previous editions of The Shipping Law Review, we begin with cross-jurisdictional chapters looking at the latest developments in important areas for the shipping industry, including international trade sanctions, ocean logistics, offshore, piracy, shipbuilding, ports and terminals, marine insurance, environmental and regulatory issues, decommissioning and ship finance.
At a special event to mark UK Maritime Safety Week event, a demonstration of man overboard recovery techniques highlighted how little time there is to effect a successful rescue.
The Black Sea MoU has published its Annual Report on Port State Control in the Black Sea region, covering the period between 1st January and 31st December 2022.
The Paris MoU has published its 2022 Annual Report, which provides an overview of its activities and statistics for last year. According to the report ship inspections have normalised compared to the two previous years. Inspections could be carried out again at a level that is customary for the Paris MoU.