Lithium-ion batteries – should we be concerned?

Six stacks of battery modules in one of the battery rooms. Illustration: The battery contractor
Six stacks of battery modules in one of the battery rooms. Illustration: The battery contractor

An opinion article by Mike Schwarz, IIMS Chief Executive Officer.

I have written this short article following the publication of a report into a Lithium-ion battery fire onboard the ‘MS Brim’ which generated the investigation by the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority. The vessel in question is the ‘MS Brim’, a 2019-built all-electric excursion catamaran offering excursion tours in the Norwegian fjords. Although not a technical man, I am troubled by some of the report findings, and forgive me as I have cherry-picked the bits that concern me most from a lengthy report. Continue reading “Lithium-ion batteries – should we be concerned?”

MAIB Annual Report 2021 published

The MAIB Annual Report for 2021 has been published
The MAIB Annual Report for 2021 has been published

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its 2021 annual report. One of the main findings to note is the number of fatalities in the fishing vessel fleet, which hit a 20-year high. In his annual report statement, Chief Inspector of Accidents, Capt. Andrew Moll OBE, says, “I am pleased to introduce MAIB’s annual report 2021. It was another busy and successful year for the branch improving safety at sea by our sustained output of safety investigation reports, safety digests, and safety bulletins despite lockdown conditions affecting work early in the year. The branch raised 1530 reports of marine accidents and commenced 22 investigations in 2021. Continue reading “MAIB Annual Report 2021 published”

Visually inspecting lifeboat prior to testing crucial

Lifeboat hanging of the side of a shipThe US Coast Guard (USCG) has published a safety alert addressing the importance of visually inspecting lifeboat and davit installations prior to testing with crewmembers onboard, and ensuring crew familiarity with company policy related to lifesaving equipment testing. As USCG said, the remote control wire may be overlooked, yet weaknesses within the linkages or poor spooling of the wire itself can lead to catastrophic failures in the lifeboat launching systems. Continue reading “Visually inspecting lifeboat prior to testing crucial”

Seadogz interim accident investigation report 2021 published by MAIB

SeadDogz SpeedboatOn 22 August 2020 at 1011, the commercially operated high speed passenger craft Seadogz collided with the North-West Netley buoy in Southampton Water at a speed of 38.4kts. On board was the skipper and 11 passengers. During the collision two passengers were ejected overboard into the water where their lifejackets inflated. The remaining passengers and the skipper suffered varying degrees of impact injuries. A 15-year-old girl, was fatally injured when she was thrown against the handrail directly in front of her bench seat. Continue reading “Seadogz interim accident investigation report 2021 published by MAIB”

Loss of lubrication supply to engines crankshaft journal bearings and crankpins leads to Wight Sky engine failures

Report published on Wight Sky engine failures
Report published on Wight Sky engine failures

The UK Marine & Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its report on the two catastrophic engine failures on board ro-ro passenger ferry Wight Sky, one of which resulted in a fire.

At 1823 on 26 August 2018, Wight Sky left Yarmouth on its regular route across the Solent to Lymington. On board were a range of commercial and private vehicles, 117 passengers and 10 crew. ME1 and ME2 drove the VSP at the bow and ME3 drove the VSP at the stern. All three MEs were operating at their 1800rpm full speed setting. Continue reading “Loss of lubrication supply to engines crankshaft journal bearings and crankpins leads to Wight Sky engine failures”

Hot work failures led to fire on a commercial fish processor the Aleutian Falcon

The Aleutian Falcon moored before the fire
The Aleutian Falcon moored before the fire

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published a report about a fire on the commercial fish processor Aleutian Falcon while the vessel was docked for repairs at the Trident Seafoods shipyard in Tacoma, Washington.

Firefighting crews from the Tacoma Fire Department responded, and the fire was extinguished four days later. No one was on board the vessel at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries reported. An estimated 20–30 gallons of hydraulic oil leaked into the water but were captured by a containment boom. Continue reading “Hot work failures led to fire on a commercial fish processor the Aleutian Falcon”

Parametric rolling responsible for Maersk Essen loss of containers says DMAIB report

Parametric rolling is the suspected cause of the loss of containers from Maersk Essen. Photo credit: DMAIB
Parametric rolling is the suspected cause of the loss of containers from Maersk Essen. Photo credit: DMAIB

The Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board (DMAIB) has published its report on Maersk Essen, the ship that lost approximately 250 containers on 16 January 2021 while the ship was en route from China to Los Angeles. The number of lost containers was later adjusted to 750.

At approximately 0600, some of the crew were woken by the sound of cups and laptops sliding and falling off tables in their cabins as the ship took a few heavy, slow rolls. On the bridge, the chief officer saw from the inclinometer that the ship had rolled 15° to each side. The Continue reading “Parametric rolling responsible for Maersk Essen loss of containers says DMAIB report”

Interim investigation report resulted in loss of life reveals BSU report

Sling construction for evacuation via the access hatch (simulated on 19/10/2021). Photo credit: BSU
Sling construction for evacuation via the access hatch (simulated on 19/10/2021). Photo credit: BSU

The German Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation published its interim investigation report (BSU report) about an accident with subsequent loss of life on board the Containership SEOUL EXPRESS, on 27 March 2021. On 27 March 2021, the container ship SEOUL EXPRESS was about 52 nm off the Mexican coast en route from Manzanillo, Mexico, to Long Beach, USA. The vessel was operating on a liner service between various ports in the Mediterranean, Central America and the west coast of North America. Continue reading “Interim investigation report resulted in loss of life reveals BSU report”

Starter issue aboard tanker led to $7M in property damage

Start issue led to the contact between an oil tanker and a loading dock
Start issue led to the contact between an oil tanker and a loading dock

The National Transportation Safety Board published a report of an incident during which an incorrect solution to address a main engine start issue led to the contact between an oil tanker and a loading dock in the Port of Corpus Christi. Damage to the vessel was estimated at $550,000, while the estimated property damage to the facility was $7M.

On March 15, 2021, at 10:18, two pilots from Aransas-Corpus Christi Pilots boarded the Riverside to assist with maneuvering the vessel out of the port. Continue reading “Starter issue aboard tanker led to $7M in property damage”

Mooring buoy failure caused grounding causing damage of $4.5M reveals NTSB report

SM-3 mooring buoy: failed padeye (with three shackles) that separated from buoy (left), damaged top with padeye missing (center), and undamaged bottom padeye (right). (Source: Alaska Marine Surveyors and Northline Seafoods).
SM-3 mooring buoy: failed padeye (with three shackles) that separated from buoy (left), damaged top with padeye missing (center), and undamaged bottom padeye (right). (Source: Alaska Marine Surveyors and Northline Seafoods).

The fatigue failure of an unrated mooring buoy led to the grounding of a fishing tender during a storm near Bristol Bay, Alaska in 2020, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

On August 30, 2020, the fishing tender barge SM-3 broke free from its mooring buoy in a storm and went aground. No injuries were reported, but the vessel sustained $4.5 million in damage and left a three-mile-long debris field scattered along the waterfront. Continue reading “Mooring buoy failure caused grounding causing damage of $4.5M reveals NTSB report”

Unfortunate events led to oil spill on deck

Britannia PandI club has been recently made aware of an oil spill on deck
Britannia P&I club has been recently made aware of an oil spill on deck

Britannia P&I Club recently became aware of an incident where a number of unfortunate events, including the fall of the vessel’s spare main engine cylinder liner, led to an oil spill on deck.

A ballasted crude oil tanker arrived at its load port early in the morning and contacted the local Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) who instructed the vessel to drift ten nautical miles off the coast to await berthing. The vessel’s main engine was kept on ten minutes’ notice and used to occasionally reposition the ship while drifting. The following night the wind picked up with reported gusts of up to 60 knots and the master decided to use the main engine to counter the heavy rolling. Continue reading “Unfortunate events led to oil spill on deck”

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