Following two collisions involving Bahamian ships resulting in 24 fatalities in 2018-2019 and in view of the summer fishing ban lifting on 16 August, the Bahamas Maritime Authority has published guidelines to be issued by the China Maritime Safety Administration on the prevention of collisions between merchant ships and fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters.
Collisions between merchant ships and fishing vessels and fishing fleet support vessels in Chinese coastal waters continue to result in a large number of fatalities. Continue reading “Collision prevention guidelines to protect fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters issued”
The global superyacht industry started 2020 very well, with a high level of sales. However the Covid-19 pandemic hit the industry severely in the second quarter of the year. Afterwards, superyacht sales recovered rapidly, with the used yacht market in particular posting very impressive results in the third and fourth quarters of 2020. The positive momentum in the superyacht market has carried on into 2021 and we are expecting a very busy year in 2021 for superyacht sales, both new and used.
In the June edition of the Report Magazine, Jeffrey Casciani-Wood submitted a letter to the editor and invited Karen Brain to give a comment on the following, when he wrote: ‘Perhaps the most common of the errors that I have seen over the years is the use of so-called reported dimensions, not measured ones. I should point out that the marine surveyor’s report is a legal document and therefore requires content that he/she has measured, weighed, tested, or examined, whatever, not what he/she has been told by a third party who may, or may not, have given him/her valid and correct information. Reported dimensions are hearsay and, as such, are not admissible in Court, except under very special circumstances.
The P&I Club, Steamship Mutual, has received a number of enquiries concerning the carriage of containers on vessels not primarily designed to carry containers on deck and/or inside cargo holds, such as bulk carriers and general cargo vessels. The Club is aware of at least one instance where carriage of containers in this manner on a bulk carrier has resulted in a container stack collapse within the hold, necessitating a return to port in order to restow the containers.
The Merchant Shipping HSOSC Regulations 2021 and accompanying code of practice apply to HSOSC of less than 500gt, allowing no more than 60 persons to be on board subject to a vessel’s safety certification. This mirrors the International High Speed Craft Code (HSC) for vessels over 500gt.
At about 0800 on 31 May 2020, the 12m wooden-hulled recreational boat Globetrotter sank in 5m of water during a sea-angling trip off the coast of Fleetwood, England. Its owner made a Mayday call shortly before he, his son, and a friend all entered the water. None of the sea anglers were wearing lifejackets or buoyancy aids, but they were able to use Globetrotter’s two lifebuoys to help them remain afloat.
National Park Rangers on Loch Lomond can now be seen but not heard as they cruise the water on a new fully electric boat. The zero direct emissions vessel is the latest addition to the National Park Authority’s marine fleet and is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. Unlike the distinctive hum heard from a traditional diesel powered boat, the electric maintenance boat is almost silent as it moves across the loch, creating less disturbance to surrounding wildlife and zero water pollution. The boat is three times more efficient than a traditional petrol or diesel boat.