As long ago as 1999, the US based naval architect, Eric Sponberg, raised the alarm within the recreational boating community with his outspoken article entitled ‘Recycled Dead Boats.’ To quote his actual words, he said: “The industry has ‘shot itself in the foot’ by building boats out of such a durable and almost indestructible material as fibreglass (GRP.)”
Almost a quarter of a century later, the Centre for Aquatic Environments at Brighton University in the UK has picked up the baton and recently produced a video that vividly emphasises the same ongoing challenge. The film features academic research information, and real-life contributions from various stakeholders around the world, clearly making the point; that not enough has been done to address the threats to the environment, or to the future sustainability of boating. Continue reading “Recycled dead boats – an environmental threat in pictures”
The potential catastrophic impact arising from the deterioration of abandoned cargo cannot be disregarded as a remote risk. However, the considerable costs accruing from container demurrage, detention, storage and disposal regularly result from cargo that, for a variety of reasons, is no longer required by the original receiver or consignee, and is simply abandoned at a port terminal or cargo facility. Increased risks of safety and regulatory infraction are inevitably consequent, as well as significant demand on management and operational resources to resolve individual cases. 
During an annual lifeboat safety inspection it was discovered that the on-load cable release could not easily be moved, and the release lever required extreme force to operate. The forward hook cable release also did not operate properly. A replacement cable release arrangement was procured locally, and repeated tests were conducted to confirm that it was once again fully operational.