News

First Maersk methanol fuelled containership floated out in South Korea

Maersk continues the build toward the introduction of the world’s first methanol fuelled containership. The shipping company released a short video showing the float out of the vessel from the building dock in South Korea reporting that work remains on schedule for delivery this summer.

“The launching was successfully completed at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and the construction is continuing,” says Henrik Ekmann Head of Newbuilding & Retrofit at Maersk during the video. He notes that reaching this milestone has taken, “extensive product and design development from a large number of key suppliers and driven forward by our Procurement and Fleet Technology teams.” Continue reading “First Maersk methanol fuelled containership floated out in South Korea”

Anonymous benefactor contributes £1 Million for restoration of the TS Queen Mary

An incredible £1 million donation has been given anonymously in support of the TS Queen Mary’s journey back to the River Clyde. The 90-year-old ship, built in Dumbarton, carried 13,000 holidaymakers and was famously visited by the Queen Mother and King George VI. This anonymous gift will “turbo-charge” the refurbishment project as it brings donations to the halfway mark of the £10 million estimate.

Iain Sim, chairman of Friends of TS Queen Mary, is elated with this incredible donation: “Our donations now stand at £4.8million, and we are beyond ecstatic about this anonymous contribution. Continue reading “Anonymous benefactor contributes £1 Million for restoration of the TS Queen Mary”

Sunseeker launches new boatbuilding skills academy

Sunseeker International has recently announced the launch of a new training initiative to address a national skills shortage affecting the marine industry in the UK. The Sunseeker Skills Academy, developed in partnership with Bournemouth and Poole College, is open to those seeking a career change, offering individuals the opportunity to undertake a fully-paid, 12-week intensive boat-building course.

Successful applicants will learn trade skills across five boat building specialisms, comprising carpentry, plumbing, composite bonding, engineering and electrical installations. Continue reading “Sunseeker launches new boatbuilding skills academy”

CHIRP 2022/23 annual digest published

Welcome to the eighth annual review of CHIRP Maritime reports, covering all the cases we published during 2022 and including some in-depth articles specially commissioned to highlight important safety topics.

This was our first full year under the guidance of Adam Parnell as Director, Maritime, and Dave Watkins as his deputy, and you will see their influence in the way we analyse reports and seek to extract key points for our readers. As always, they benefit from the wise counsel of our Maritime Advisory Board (MAB) and feedback from our growing band of Ambassadors, who volunteer their time to spread the safety message as widely as possible. Continue reading “CHIRP 2022/23 annual digest published”

Key items to check for enhanced fire safety on small passenger vessels

Tambrey Laine/Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, via Associated Press
Tambrey Laine/Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, via Associated Press

Over the past year, fires on several small passenger vessels (SPVs) have highlighted the need for a renewed focus on fire safety, says the US Coast Guard (USCG) and consequently has issued a Marine Safety Information Bulletin to address key areas of concern.

USCG has initiated a focused self-assessment by owners and operators of all small passenger vessels, and a Coast Guard-led concentrated inspection campaign. The Coast Guard’s concentrated inspection campaign will include additional inspections of some SPVs initially certificated prior to 1996 that carry 100 or more passengers.

The focus of the inspection aligns with the list below. Continue reading “Key items to check for enhanced fire safety on small passenger vessels”

Improper use of heat cables is a fire hazard

The US Coast Guard (USCG) has recently investigated a fire on board an inspected towing vessel which resulted in the vessel suffering a loss of propulsion. The source of the fire was determined to be heat cables (also referred to as heat tracing cable or heat tape), which were improperly installed to prevent condensate from forming and freezing within hoses used to transmit compressed air for the vessel’s air-operated engine throttle control system.

The heat cables were designed to be installed on fixed piping systems. They were not designed to be used on hoses or in applications which subjected the heat cables to movement. This installation had the heat cables wrapped around hoses connected to a retractable pilot house, which would move whenever the pilot house was raised or lowered. This movement subjected the cables to stresses from flexing and bending for which they were not designed. Continue reading “Improper use of heat cables is a fire hazard”

AMSA Inspection Report 2022 published

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has published its 2022 Inspection Report. It reveals that container ships are in the top five detained ship types for three years in a row, accounting for nearly 15 per cent of arrivals during last year. In 2022, 1,181 bulk carriers were inspected with 3,446 deficiencies issued resulting in 76 detentions. The detention rate for bulk carriers increased to 6.4 per cent from 6.1 per cent in 2021.

According to the report, the average Port State Control (PSC) deficiencies per inspection increased from 2.2 per cent in 2021 to 2.58 per cent in 2022. This is significantly higher than the 10-year rolling average of 2.3 deficiencies per inspection. Continue reading “AMSA Inspection Report 2022 published”

Holland Shipyards Group to develop autonomous 3D printed ferry

Photo credit: Holland Shipyards Group
Photo credit: Holland Shipyards Group

The Holland Shipyards Group has started work on building the largest ever 3D printed ferry as part of a new project sponsored by France to highlight innovations in sustainable and autonomous shipping. In December last year, Holland Shipyards Group, Sequana Développement and Roboat were designated as winners in a national call for autonomous passenger boat projects initiated by the French inland waterways authority, Voies Navigables de France.

The concept ferry proposed by the winning consortium will be 3D printed and with its dimensions of 9m by 3.90m, is the largest printed autonomous ferry ever. Continue reading “Holland Shipyards Group to develop autonomous 3D printed ferry”

AMSA focusing on watertight and weathertight integrity at Port State Control

Photo Credit: AMSA

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has announced they are carrying out ongoing watertight and weathertight integrity inspections during routine Port State Control (PSC) throughout 2023.

The aim of this PSC campaign is to support foreign-flagged and regulated Australian ships with information to help operators avoid water ingress and the associated safety and financial risks. Ship inspection data shows that watertight and weathertight integrity remains a persistent and concerning issue for ships in Australian ports, making up 9% of detainable deficiencies in 2021. Continue reading “AMSA focusing on watertight and weathertight integrity at Port State Control”

MAIB Safety Digest April 2023 published

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has published the MAIB Safety Digest April 2023, the first of its two biannual publications featuring a wide selection of case studies.

Andrew Moll OBE, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, MAIB writes in his introduction as follows:

Welcome to MAIB Safety Digest April 2023. In my opinion, this is the more important of the MAIB’s biannual Safety Digests because it is published as the northern hemisphere emerges from winter. This is not simply an observation Continue reading “MAIB Safety Digest April 2023 published”

New safety films to benefit first-time boaters on UK inland waterways

A new series of animated films designed to help first-time boaters navigate the UK’s inland waterways safely has been jointly launched by the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency.

The five short, animated videos, available on YouTube, are designed primarily for those who are new to the waterways, including hire boaters. They give straightforward guidance on staying safe when boating, mooring, and using locks. There is also information about bridges, tunnels, weirs and sluices, and advice to help boaters protect the waterway network’s unique heritage and wildlife. Continue reading “New safety films to benefit first-time boaters on UK inland waterways”

Targets set for end-of-life boat recycling

A roadmap has been launched for the European boating industry aimed at increasing end-of-life boat recycling as a matter of urgency. The plan, launched by the European Boating Industry (EBI), is based on a three-year process involving all public and private stakeholders, with the boating industry committing to phasing out unsustainable recycling practices and targets set for the period up until 2030.

The ‘Roadmap on the implementation of the circular economy for end-of-life boats’ follows several dismantling and recycling schemes already set up in many European countries. Continue reading “Targets set for end-of-life boat recycling”

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