Health & Safety

An improperly tightened fastener led to a diesel engine failure on a Washington State Ferries passenger and car ferry near Bainbridge Island, Washington are the findings of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report.

Marine Investigation Report 22/06 details the NTSB’s investigation into the April 22, 2021, catastrophic failure of the no. 3 main engine aboard the Wenatchee during a sea trial in Puget Sound. The failure led to the ejection of components from the engine and resulted in a fire in the no. 2 engine room. No injuries or pollution were reported, while damages were estimated at nearly $3.8 million. Continue reading “Error in maintenance led to diesel engine failure reveals NTSB report”

The IMO’s Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE) has finalized prohibition of perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid from fire-fighting systems on board ships.

This prohibition will protect the crew against exposure to dangerous substances that are used in fire-fighting systems and will minimize the negative consequences on the environment.

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) sub-committee on ship systems and equipment (SSE) met for the 8th session from 28 February to 4 March. It is important Continue reading “IMO agrees to ban perfluoro-octane sulfonic acid from firefighting systems on board ships”

AMSA has launched a new construction barge safety campaign focused on the importance of regularly reviewing risks as part of the safety management system to protect lives on these types of vessels.

All domestic commercial vessels are defined as workplaces in Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws. This includes construction barges which must meet the risk assessment requirements of state and territory WHS regulations, as well as the risk assessment requirements under the National Law administered by AMSA.

“These barges undertake different and high-risk activities daily Continue reading “AMSA launches campaign to improve construction barge safety”

On 19 September 2021, a fire broke out in the auxiliary engine room on board the Finland registered roll-on/roll-off cargo ship Finnmaster while departing Hull. In an attempt to extinguish the fire, the ship’s crew activated the machinery space’s carbon dioxide (CO2) fire extinguishing system, but only half of the system’s gas cylinders opened. The initial investigation identified that one of the CO2 system pilot hoses was blocked due to a manufacturing defect. Several coupling leaks were also found in the pilot lines.

Safety Issues

– The quality assurance processes of the pilot hose assembly supplier failed to identify that the hose couplings had not been fully bored through Continue reading “MAIB issues safety warning after discovery of blocked fixed CO2 fire extinguishing system pilot hoses”

AMSA conducted a Safety of Navigation Focused Inspection Campaign (FIC) over the period 1 August to the 8 September 2021 and, extremely concerning, they found that a significant number of ships failed to comply to basic navigation safety requirements.

The campaign focused specifically on:
– The level of compliance with the safety of navigation requirements of International Conventions;
– The familiarity of the master and officers with their processes for ensuring safety of navigation. Continue reading “Significant number of ships do not comply with basic navigation safety requirements is finding from the AMSA FIC”