Health & Safety

Potential regulator failure promts BSS to back Clesse’s product recall

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The Clesse regulator product number BP1803 is subject to a recall by the company
The Clesse regulator product number BP1803 is subject to a recall by the company

Following extensive field sampling and testing, Clesse Industries has taken the decision to implement a recall on its regulator product family BP1803 because of concerns about the potential of regulator failure in certain operational and environmental conditions.

Used with propane and butane LPG cylinders, the recall involves all directly cylinder mounted, wall mounted single cylinder and two cylinder manual changeover versions manufactured between June 2010 and September 2015.

Speaking on behalf of Boat Safety Scheme, who are backing the recall, BSS manager, Graham Watts, said:
“Please treat this recall seriously and make the checks. Clesse has provided support for anyone concerned with a dedicated website and a toll-free recall helpline: 0800 088 5545.”

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DNV GL, Gard and The Swedish Club work together to help reduce anchor losses

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Anchor losses are becoming a bigger problem says recent research
Anchor losses are becoming a bigger problem says recent research

The root cause of many groundings and collisions is lost anchors which are also among the top five reasons for claims costs overall. A rising number of anchor losses reported over the last several years prompted DNV GL, Gard and The Swedish Club to investigate this issue. Based on an analysis of damage cases involving anchor and anchor chain losses, the project partners have issued a presentation identifying the most frequent technical and operational causes, and some steps crews and operators can take to address them.

“One of the key takeaways of our investigation is the importance of the officers and crew being aware of the environmental loads their equipment is designed for,” says Håkon Skaret, Senior Principal Engineer at DNV GL. “If these limits are not taken account of in shipboard anchoring procedures, there can be significant damage to the vessel – even beyond the loss of anchor and chain. Many anchor losses are avoidable, if the proper maintenance and handling procedures are adhered to.”

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Alert issued about the recall of Kidde and Lifesaver fire blankets 

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Surveyors should be aware that Kidde Safety Europe Ltd has issued a recall for some of its products. Furthermore, the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) is supporting Kidde Safety Europe Ltd to alert any boaters to the immediate product recall on its “Kidde” or “Lifesaver” fire blankets following concerns regarding their effectiveness in the event of an oil pan fire.

Kidde Safety Europe Ltd has identified a potential safety issue with regard to fire blankets sized 1m² which may impact upon the fire blankets’ effectiveness in the event of an oil pan fire. Kidde states that no reports of any adverse incidents have been received to date, however, testing of certain fire blankets has identified a risk that the affected fire blankets may not fully extinguish an oil pan fire and/or may allow the fire to re-ignite very soon after application of the fire blanket. Accordingly, a recall has been initiated on a precautionary basis to ensure end-user safety.

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Issues caused by poorly constructed heaving lines

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Shipowners’ P&I Club warns about the weight capacity of heaving lines. This image was released by the United States Navy
Shipowners’ P&I Club warns about the weight capacity of heaving lines. This image was released by the United States Navy

The Shipowners’ P&I Club is keen to draw the attention of operators to the use of poorly constructed heaving lines with particular focus on the weights being used on the end of them. These can cause severe injury to crew or damage to the vessel on impact. The same can be said for heavy objects enclosed within monkeys fists which can result in similar injuries.

The ‘Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers’ Chapter 26 section 26.3.5 states:
“To prevent personal injury to those receiving heaving lines, the ‘monkey’s fist’ should be made with rope only and must not contain added weighting material. Safe alternatives include a small high-visibility soft pouch, filled with fast-draining pea shingle or similar, with a weight of not more than 0.5 kg. Under no circumstances is a line to be weighted by items such as shackles, bolts or nuts, or twist locks”.

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Maritime New Zealand releases safety bulletin on IHI crane block failures on log ship deck cranes

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Maritime New Zealand warns of IHI deck crane issues on log ships
Maritime New Zealand warns of IHI deck crane issues on log ships

Maritime New Zealand has released a Safety Bulletin to draw attention to a number of recent crane block failures on IHI and IHI-WMMP deck cranes on log ships. Advice from the manufacturer is available as to the correct operation of the cranes and their recommended remedial action.

There have been a number of failures of crane blocks on 30 tonne IHI deck cranes on log ships in New Zealand in previous years. Fortunately there have been no serious injuries as a result of these failures to date, but any crane failure is potentially very serious.

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MCA issues MGN 543: Safety of Navigation: Offshore Renewable Energy Installations

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windfarmThe UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency has issued guidance note MGN 543 to highlight issues that need to be taken into consideration when assessing the impact on navigational safety and emergency response (search and rescue, salvage and towing, and counter pollution) caused by offshore renewable energy installation developments. It applies to proposals in United Kingdom internal waters, Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone.

Offshore Renewable Energy Installations (OREI) include offshore wind farms, tidal energy converters (including tidal range devices), wave energy converters and any associated infrastructure with the potential to affect marine navigation and emergency response, proposed in United Kingdom (UK) internal waters, Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

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Closer inspections for corrosion of kill cord metal components essential

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Surveyors are urged to make close inspections to identify weakening of this vital piece of equipment
Surveyors are urged to make close inspections to identify weakening of this vital piece of equipment

One third of skippers have experienced kill cord or kill switch failure, according to the results of a recent survey. The survey also showed that closer inspection of the emergency engine cut-outs is needed to reduce the likelihood of failure.

The majority of respondents stated that they had never experienced a kill cord or kill switch failure, however a third described experiencing a failure of either the kill cord, kill switch or both, with problems occurring across the board in terms of engine size (sub-4hp to 150+hp) and with 73% of problems reportedly occurring in engines aged 2-10 years.

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Skuld P&I Club warns of dangers of entering an enclosed zinc concentrate cargo hold

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Recently the Skuld P&I club noted a crew fatality incident caused by entering an enclosed zinc concentrate cargo hold. A chief officer of a bulk carrier was found lying unconscious in the cargo hold after he entered the hold alone without ventilation and tragically lost his life. It was later established that the cause of death was asphyxiation. Measurements performed the day after the accident showed that the level of oxygen in the air at the stairwell was 2.6%.

Due to the cargo’s nature of oxidation, ventilation and atmosphere tests are vital before entering holds and breathing apparatus is needed. At sea-level, humans require air that contains minimum 19.5% oxygen. Below that an Continue reading “Skuld P&I Club warns of dangers of entering an enclosed zinc concentrate cargo hold”

New publication from London P&I Club on deck crane inspections and maintenance

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The London P&I Club has published an article on deck crane inspections and maintenance in its newsletter LP Focus, which looks in detail at particular claims issues prompted by the Club’s experience and feedback from Members.

Deck cranes are an important item of a ship’s equipment and when they break down this can result in loss of hire claims. Furthermore, failure of a deck crane can result in serious injury or death. Depending on the trade of the ship, the cranes may be used in every port or they may be used infrequently.

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ABS assesses the issues associated with jackup safety

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The key to jackup safety operations is constant risk management
The key to jackup safety operations is constant risk management

The key to jackup safety operations is constant risk management and with this in mind, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has released a white paper to present some of the challenges facing the global jackup fleet along with the research and development (R&D) efforts.

ABS highlights that reliable technology, a strong safety culture and effective operational procedures are critical to creating a safe work environment. As operating environments and operational expectations change, technologies are introduced, and new ways of doing things emerge. Today, the global jackup fleet comprises more than 650 units, and more than 50% of these units are more than 30 years old. Evolution in the sector is inevitable, but as operational expectations change, there has to be a clear understanding of how new challenges may be leaving these older assets behind and how lower-specification units could continue to perform safely on many challenging sites.

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Advice issued about the routine fumigation of agricultural products on ships

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Cargo-FumigationNorth P&I Club has published a new free-to-download loss prevention briefing warning its members of the hazards associated with routine fumigation of agricultural products on ships.

The warning follows an explosion of pesticide gases on a panamax vessel, loading corn at Paranagua, Brazil, at the end of December 2015. This resulted in significant structural damage and was one of number of similar incidents reported during the last five years in Brazil and the USA. According to North’s loss prevention director Tony Baker, ‘The application of fumigant on vessels carrying cargoes such as grains, seed cakes and logs is common practice. However, failure to disperse the fumigant pellets properly has led to self-heating problems.

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MAIB report on collapse of a mezzanine deck on board ro-ro passenger ferry published

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The report relates to the MAIB’s investigation of the collapse of a mezzanine deck on the Wightlink ferry St Helen, at Fishbourne ferry terminal, Isle of Wight, on 18 July 2014. The passengers and vehicles on board the cross Solent roll-on roll-off passenger ferry St Helen were in the process of disembarking at Fishbourne ferry terminal on the Isle of Wight when the vessel’s starboard forward mezzanine deck collapsed. The deck collapsed because one of its steel wire lifting ropes parted. The lifting rope parted because it had not been routinely lubricated and the mezzanine deck had not been properly maintained.

A crewman and 11 cars, with their seated passengers, were on the deck when it collapsed. The crewman suffered a minor head injury and was temporarily rendered unconscious; several passengers suffered minor impact related injuries. The mezzanine deck was structurally damaged and was later removed from the vessel.

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