News

A study by Maersk and ABS finds hazards affecting the safety on containerships

Photo credit: Maersk

Hazards associated with dangerous goods stowage on containerships were identified on a range of boxship designs, a study conducted by Maersk Line and ABS has revealed.

The Danish shipping major giant selected ABS to lead a comprehensive Hazard Identification (HAZID) study in the aftermath of the Maersk Honam fire on March 6, 2018.

The workshop, which was launched in an effort to identify and evaluate potential hazards from dangerous cargoes stowage, identified hazards on a range of containership designs, many which are not fully addressed by the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.

Continue reading “A study by Maersk and ABS finds hazards affecting the safety on containerships”

A culture of poor maintenance practices led to Caribbean Fantasy fire says report

The fire could not be contained, so the master ordered the ship to be abandoned.
The fire could not be contained, so the master ordered the ship to be abandoned.

A poor safety culture and the ineffective implementation of a safety management system were identified as the most likely causes of the 2016 fire aboard the RoRo vessel Caribbean Fantasy.

The vessel’s main engine room was hit by fire in the morning hours of 17 August 2016, when fuel spraying from a leaking flange came in contact with a hot surface on the port main propulsion engine, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a report.

The fire could not be contained, so the master ordered the ship to be abandoned. At the time of the incident, the Baja Ferries-operated vessel was 2 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Continue reading “A culture of poor maintenance practices led to Caribbean Fantasy fire says report”

Specialist rescue system for overboard crew launched

A specialist system to rescue crew members who fall overboard has been developed by boat builder Goodchild Marine Services.

The Man Overboard Recovery Platform (MOB) has been designed to reduce the risk of cardiac arrest in anyone that has fallen overboard by lifting the casualty horizontally rather than vertically.

“This has become one of our bestselling products with widespread interest in the UK and abroad,” said Alan Goodchild, Goodchild Marine MD.

“Key features include an automatically-hinged propeller guard to prevent injury to the casualty, manual back-up and self-cleaning tracks.

Continue reading “Specialist rescue system for overboard crew launched”

AMC designs true new hybrid vessel for wind farm crew transfer sector

The systems incorporated within the design are all available and proven, they have been brought together in one innovative design.
The systems incorporated within the design are all available and proven, they have been brought together in one innovative design.

Isle of Wight UK shipbuilder, Aluminium Marine Consultants, recently announced a new 24m true hybrid wind farm crew transfer vessel design.

Six months ago AMC sought to take a step back and look closely at the feasibility of producing a truly innovative and radical vessel that would combine the durability of the existing aluminium crew transfer catamaran and the advances in hybrid power, not just related to marine, but to look beyond into automotive technology.

The vessel is based on proven design and exciting technology, but AMC stresses, one that will go Continue reading “AMC designs true new hybrid vessel for wind farm crew transfer sector”

Fire onboard ‘BBC Xingang’ stresses hazards associated with hot work

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has published its investigation report on the fire onboard the general cargo ship ‘BBC Xingang’, while berthed at Mayfield number four berth in Newcastle, New South Wales, in December 2017. The incident highlights that, prior to hot work, cargo coverings should be carefully assessed and adequate protection against damage or fire due to hot material should be provided.

The incident
At about 0600 on 11 December, a site supervisor and a boilermaker from a local engineering firm (Varley) boarded the ship. The process of Continue reading “Fire onboard ‘BBC Xingang’ stresses hazards associated with hot work”

Reasons for the demise of the London Boat Show and why the five day format was deemed wrong

British Marine has cancelled the 2019 London Boat Show citing insufficient support, but what do exhibitors think happened and what impact will it have?

Following a year which saw the LBS reformatted from ten to five days and a tenth year of falling attendance figures, British Marine last month cancelled the 2019 show at ExCel London, claiming research showed ‘insufficient support from a large proportion of the marine industry’ for the show’s ‘current format, duration and location’. This, said BM, made the show commercially unviable.

A non-starter
It’s well-known that Earls Court was favoured as a venue but the show has been held at ExCel for 14 years with plenty of other issues Continue reading “Reasons for the demise of the London Boat Show and why the five day format was deemed wrong”

Netherlands to impose degassing ban on inland navigation vessels

This ban aims to make the air quality around shipping routes better.
This ban aims to make the air quality around shipping routes better.

The Netherlands will impose a nationwide degasification ban for inland navigation vessels. The Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Van Nieuwenhuizen, wants the degasification ban to be introduced in the Netherlands by mid-2020.

This ban aims to make the air quality around shipping routes better. Inland shipping vessels often leave harmful emissions in the open air while sailing. The degassing ban must provide about 95% less emissions of harmful volatile substances by 2023.

A taskforce will be created in order to ensure along with the business community that the introduction of this national degassing ban runs Continue reading “Netherlands to impose degassing ban on inland navigation vessels”

German authority report suggests containers on two ships caught fire probably from self-heating

The German Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation has released its reports about two non-connected fires on container ships. The MSC Katrina was in the Elbe estuary when the fire was detected on 20 November 2015. The second ship, the Ludwigshafen Express was in the Red Sea when fire was noticed during an inspection in February 2016.

The first incident
The MSC Katrina was located in the Elbe estuary when its smoke detection system discovered fire. As a result, the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies had the ability to deploy specially trained firefighters.

Continue reading “German authority report suggests containers on two ships caught fire probably from self-heating”

DNVGL issues three free to read publications on tankers, bulk and gas carriers

DNVGL has released a series of publications with updates on the tanker, bulk carrier and gas carrier industry sectors.

Tanker Update 2018
Articles on: market development, alternative fuels and technologies, cybersecurity and TMSA3, tail shaft notation, batteries on small tankers, environmental regulations, eco …
DNV GL Tanker Update 2018

Bulk Carrier Update 2018
Continue reading “DNVGL issues three free to read publications on tankers, bulk and gas carriers”

Key errors leading to inaccuracies in draught surveys

The West of England P&I Club has said that it regularly receives claims arising from alleged shortages of solid bulk cargoes as a result of discrepancies between draught survey results. Draught surveys by their very nature are not an exact science and the accuracy of the calculated cargo figure may vary typically by between 0.5% and 1.0%. However, there are occasions when considerable differences in the cargo figures derived from the draught surveys have been obtained.

The commonly forgotten weights are:
– Bilge water present in the cargo holds, machinery spaces, duct keel, void spaces and the chain lockers.
Continue reading “Key errors leading to inaccuracies in draught surveys”

Propulsion system being prepared for Australian icebreaker Nuyina

An artist's impression of Nuyina, Australia's new icebreaker
An artist’s impression of Nuyina, Australia’s new icebreaker

More than 8,600 tons of steel has now been shaped, welded and assembled into the hull of Australia’s new icebreaker RSV Nuyina.

A few key pieces of the ship’s propulsion system have recently arrived at the Damen Shipyard at Galati, including the propellers, propeller hubs and the sterntubes.

RSV Nuyina, will make her maiden voyage to Antarctica in 2020-21. The ship will be the main lifeline to Australia’s three Antarctic research stations and its sub-Antarctic station on Macquarie Island, and will support Australia’s leadership role in Antarctic and Southern Continue reading “Propulsion system being prepared for Australian icebreaker Nuyina”

Stainless steel bolts at offshore facility fail due to corrosion cracking

A number of strain-hardened, Type 304 stainless steel bolts, (ASTM A193 B8, Class 2) failed unexpectedly at an offshore facility
A number of strain-hardened, Type 304 stainless steel bolts, (ASTM A193 B8, Class 2) failed unexpectedly at an offshore facility

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) published an alert regarding an unexpected failure of certain kinds of strain-hardened Type 304 stainless steel bolts. The failure happened at an offshore facility during a pneumatic leak test of gas piping exiting a test separator.

The incident
A number of strain-hardened, Type 304 stainless steel bolts, (ASTM A193 B8, Class 2) failed unexpectedly at an offshore facility while a pneumatic leak test of gas piping exiting a test separator was being conducted.

Strain-hardening austenitic stainless steel nuts and bolts to increase their strength may increase their sensitivity to chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC) and reduce their safe upper temperature limit. Other factors such as Continue reading “Stainless steel bolts at offshore facility fail due to corrosion cracking”

Instagram Posts from the IIMS @iimsmarine

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

Show details
Performance & Marketing Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages. This also helps us optimise our marketing campaigns. User data sent to Google Analytics may be used for ad personalization and measurement of our ad campaigns. Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Show details