News

Red Ensign Group brings together expertise to focus on supporting maritime

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An ongoing commitment to pioneering technology, sharing resources and continuing improving the expertise it offers to the maritime world at large as well as its own members was the focus of the recent REG Technical Forum.

The Red Ensign Group Technical Forum was held in Southampton (UK) and included delegates from Anguilla, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands and the UK. Continue reading “Red Ensign Group brings together expertise to focus on supporting maritime”

IMO Ship Systems and Equipment 9: Key highlights

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The IMO Ship Systems and Equipment Sub-Committee (SSE) Session 9 took place from 27 February to 3 March 2023. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the technical and operational requirements for systems and safety equipment on ships.

Lloyd’s Register has issued a helpful summary report that includes an executive summary for those requiring a general overview, but also more technical information for those who would like more detail on the discussions that took place.

Key highlights and outcomes from SSE 9:
– Finalisation of the draft International Code of Safety for Diving Operations (Diving Code). Continue reading “IMO Ship Systems and Equipment 9: Key highlights”

Has the post Covid boating boom bubble burst?

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There are signs that the global boating market is returning to normal after sales surged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Online marketplace, Boats Group, reports that the total number of boats sold worldwide decreased last year for the first time since before the pandemic.

The change towards more typical market conditions emerged in 2022 as the total number of boats sold dipped by just 4.3% compared to the same period pre-pandemic in 2019. By comparison, boats sold in 2020 and 2021 were down 15.9% and 11.8% respectively, compared to 2019.

“For the first time in three years, we’re seeing consumer demand soften,” said Courtney Chalmers, vice president of marketing at Boats Group. Continue reading “Has the post Covid boating boom bubble burst?”

Rescue boat lifting arrangement failure

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The deterioration of the rescue boat release hook support structure is shown
The deterioration of the rescue boat release hook support structure is shown

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime Administrator has recently been notified of a marine casualty which occurred aboard an RMI-registered ship’s rescue boat that resulted in the injury of two crewmembers.

During a planned drill, the ship’s rescue boat was being lowered to the water with two crewmembers aboard when the release hook support post failed. The rescue boat and two crewmembers fell about 9 meters to the water. The two crewmembers were quickly recovered from the water and transported ashore for medical treatment. Immediately prior to the incident, the rescue boat had been hoisted, swung over the side, and lowered several meters without anyone on board. Continue reading “Rescue boat lifting arrangement failure”

Maritime & Coastguard Agency appoints Virginia McVea as Chief Executive Officer

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Virginia McVea has been appinted as the MCA's Chief Executive Officer
Virginia McVea has been appinted as the MCA’s Chief Executive Officer

Virginia McVea will become the new Chief Executive Officer of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), overseeing the work of the agency as it responds to tens of thousands of incidents at sea every year, inspects thousands of UK-registered ships and protects over 11,000 miles of our coastline.

Her appointment comes at an important time for the MCA, as it continues working to ensure the UK is the world’s best-performing coastal state and takes a leading role in both the international and domestic maritime arenas. Continue reading “Maritime & Coastguard Agency appoints Virginia McVea as Chief Executive Officer”

Are lithium-ion batteries safe on yachts – and other vessels?

Posted on by News Hound
Image credit: Stevie-Iona Vaughan/Facebook
Image credit: Stevie-Iona Vaughan/Facebook

Authored by Mike Schwarz, IIMS Chief Executive Officer

“Mike’s suffering from mild hysteria”, they said. Well, perhaps I have been, yes. The cause of my hysteria? Lithium-ion batteries and fires caused by them! There are believed to have been nearly 70 fires last year alone involving large and superyachts. As more new information on this subject comes to light on a regular basis, I simply have to come back to it time and time again and share what we know. It is a massive and worrying subject and one that is consuming the finest technical minds in the marine world right now. We all need to be aware of the phenomenon for it will not resolve any time soon. As always, I say I understand fully the need to decarbonize and embrace this Continue reading “Are lithium-ion batteries safe on yachts – and other vessels?”

EMSA plans to streamline Flag State Inspections

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The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has announced it has developed and released the Flag State Inspection functionality in RuleCheck. The objective of this innovative functionality is to support the work of flag state inspectors performing periodic flag state inspections (not statutory).

RuleCheck facilitates the work of the PSCOs by filtering the applicable requirements of the international instruments and regional procedures for a specific ship according to its type, Continue reading “EMSA plans to streamline Flag State Inspections”

Major shipping carriers set to join forces to tackle safety of cargo

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Safetytech Accelerator has launched a collaborative technology acceleration initiative with Evergreen Line, HMM, Lloyd’s Register, Maersk, the Offen Group, ONE (Ocean Network Express) and Seaspan as ‘Anchor Partners’ aiming at reducing cargo fires and losses overboard.

Some of the world’s biggest maritime cargo carriers have joined forces with the world’s first industrial safety technology accelerator to launch a fresh initiative to reduce cargo loss at sea.

The scale and breadth of the challenges facing operators is growing and continues to evolve. These include the increasing carriage of lithium-ion batteries either in containers or within electric vehicles on car-carriers Continue reading “Major shipping carriers set to join forces to tackle safety of cargo”

Safe handling and carriage of scrap metal in bulk

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In recent years, Gard P&I Club has handled a number of claims involving the carriage of scrap metal in bulk and, from time to time, they get enquiries from Members for guidance on the handling and carriage of this cargo. Ship operators and masters should be aware of the risks related to scrap metal carriage and take risk mitigation actions accordingly.

There are two main categories of scrap metal covered in the IMSBC Code, namely scrap metal and ferrous materials in the form of iron metal borings, shavings, turnings or cuttings. Described in the IMSBC Code – “Scrap” iron or steel covers an enormous range Continue reading “Safe handling and carriage of scrap metal in bulk”

Recent fire draws safety alert on engine room exhaust hazards

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Following a recent marine casualty resulting in an engine room fire onboard a commercial fishing vessel, the US Coast Guard (USCG) has published a Safety Alert to address the importance of installing noncombustible materials in machinery space boundaries with dry exhaust systems.

The incident highlighted the significant hazards associated with main engine dry exhaust systems coming in direct contact with combustible materials, such as general purpose resin on a wood Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) vessel. Some commercial fishing vessels are required to insulate combustibles from heated surfaces in accordance with 46 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 28.380(b) and ABYC P-1 requires fittings in contact with uncooled exhaust carriers to be noncombustible. Continue reading “Recent fire draws safety alert on engine room exhaust hazards”

Canal & River Trust launches consultation on boat licence fees

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The Canal & River Trust (CRT) is carrying out a consultation with boaters to gather feedback on boat licence pricing over the next ten years to help support the long-term future of the 2,000 miles of waterways that they manage across England and Wales.

Faced with the growing pressures of maintaining ageing waterways and the increased threat of climate change, the CRT is raising money for vital maintenance from a number of sources to help protect and preserve the network. This includes income from boat licences, government funding, investments, donations, and other income streams. Continue reading “Canal & River Trust launches consultation on boat licence fees”

New sensors could make stress monitoring cheaper and more efficient

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Ships, bridges and wind turbines can all be made safe using sensors that are just a few millimeters across. Researchers have borrowed the principle behind the technology from a vibrating guitar string.

Research scientist Guido Sordo compares the technology with a guitar string. But whereas the string has to vibrate at a given frequency to give precisely the right tone, oscillations in the sensor will vary depending on the behavior of the structure to which it is attached. These variations can provide warnings that something is wrong.

In this way it is possible for the sensor to identify Continue reading “New sensors could make stress monitoring cheaper and more efficient”

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