NTSB Issues Investigative Update for Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Exemplar terminal block identical to model removed from ship. (Source: WAGO)
Exemplar terminal block identical to model removed from ship. (Source: WAGO)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released an update for its ongoing investigation on the shipping incident that caused the Baltimore Bridge Collapse following a collision with the container ship MV Dali.

The Dali was leaving Baltimore Harbor on 26 March when it lost electrical power and propulsion and struck the southern pier supporting the central truss spans of the bridge. A portion of the bridge subsequently collapsed. Six construction crewmembers on the bridge at the time of the contact were fatally injured, one construction crewmember was seriously injured and one crewmember on the Dali was injured. Continue reading “NTSB Issues Investigative Update for Baltimore Bridge Collapse”

IIMS President meets Sailors’ Society in Goa

Capt Manoj Joy (left) and Johan Smith (right) from Sailors' Society with Capt Ruchin Dayal in the eDOT office in Goa, India
Capt Manoj Joy (left) and Johan Smith (right) from Sailors’ Society with Capt Ruchin Dayal in the eDOT office in Goa, India

Recently I was delighted to meet with Captain Manoj Joy and Johan Smith from Sailors’ Society, my chosen charity as President of the IIMS, for the next two years, at my offices in Goa. Sailors’ Society is a vital organization that provides comprehensive support to seafarers and their families around the world. Their work encompasses a wide range of services, from emotional and practical assistance to crisis response, Chaplaincy support, and so on. Captain Manoj, their representative in India, and Johan, Head of Wellness from South Africa, presented an overview of their work, highlighting their commitment to seafarers’ well-being. Continue reading “IIMS President meets Sailors’ Society in Goa”

MERI crane collision and bridge damage in Kiel canal

BSU has published a report on an accident involving the Finnish-flagged heavy-lift vessel MERI
BSU has published a report on an accident involving the Finnish-flagged heavy-lift vessel MERI

The German Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) has published a report on an accident involving the Finnish-flagged heavy-lift vessel MERI while transporting a mobile harbour crane from Rostock to Esbjerg via the Kiel Canal.

Documentation indicates the ship and cargo exhibited a permissible height to pass the bridges on the NOK safely. However, while passing beneath the first bridges, the high bridges at Holtenau, on 30 November 2022, the mobile Continue reading “MERI crane collision and bridge damage in Kiel canal”

Ensuring compliance of oil filtering equipment on ships

AMSA has outlined detailed guidelines for the installation and testing of oil filtering equipment
AMSA has outlined detailed guidelines for the installation and testing of oil filtering equipment

In an effort to enforce strict environmental standards, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has outlined detailed guidelines for the installation and testing of oil filtering equipment, specifically oily water separators, on ships.

In particular, oil filtering equipment installed on a ship on or after 1 January 2005 must be approved to meet Resolution MEPC.107(49) to comply with MARPOL Annex I Regulation 14.

The requirements include:
– a truly representative sample of the effluent with adequate pressure and flow is supplied to the 15ppm bilge alarm; Continue reading “Ensuring compliance of oil filtering equipment on ships”

Performance lists Paris MoU

The Paris MoU Committee approved at its 57th meeting the 2023 inspection results
The Paris MoU Committee approved at its 57th meeting the 2023 inspection results

The Paris MoU Committee approved at its 57th meeting the 2023 inspection results and adopted new performance lists for flag States and Recognized Organizations. These lists will be used from 1 July 2024.

The “White, Grey and Black (WGB) List” presents the full spectrum, from quality flags to flags with a poor performance that are considered high or very high risk. It is based on the total number of inspections and detentions during a 3-year rolling period for flags with at least 30 inspections in that period. Continue reading “Performance lists Paris MoU”

IIMS AGM, Conference and Dinner 2024

In the first week of June, attendees from around the world gathered for this year’s IIMS AGM, Conference and Dinner.

Held at the beautiful Chilworth Manor Hotel near Southampton, the dinner was a chance for professionals from the marine surveying industry to meet and network.

Incoming President of the Institute, Captain Ruchin Dayal, addressed delegates that evening and announced his chosen charity the Sailors’ Society.

He said, “They are a recognised international organisation worthy of our collective support. Continue reading “IIMS AGM, Conference and Dinner 2024”

ABS Port State Control Q1 Report 2024 published

ABS has published its Port State Control Report
ABS has published its Port State Control Report

ABS has published its Port State Control Report which comes out quarterly, providing information to owners on deficiencies identified on ABS vessels during inspections carried out by the various PSC regimes globally during the First Quarter of 2024.

Top categories for grounds for detention
For period 1 January to 31 March 2024, the top categories for Port State Control (PSC) detentions on ABS vessels in the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Tokyo MoU and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) database are are the following:
– ISM Continue reading “ABS Port State Control Q1 Report 2024 published”

New Zealand Ship Noise Specification delayed but a Noise Label Score is required

All container vessels visiting a New Zealand port will be required to provide a Noise Label Score
All container vessels visiting a New Zealand port will be required to provide a Noise Label Score

All container vessels visiting a New Zealand port will be required to provide a Noise Label Score according to the Environmental Ship Index (ESI), following the NEPTUNES protocol, or confirm that a reactive silencer is fitted to one of ancillary engines used while at berth. If either of these requirements is not met, then from 1 June 2024 the vessel will be refused entry to any New Zealand port.

During late May, New Zealand’s ports announced that the NZ Ship Noise Specification won’t Continue reading “New Zealand Ship Noise Specification delayed but a Noise Label Score is required”

Paris MoU 2023 CIC on Fire Safety

Paris MoU 2023 CIC on Fire Safety
Paris MoU 2023 CIC on Fire Safety

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU) on Port State Control (PSC) carried out a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety in collaboration with the Tokyo MOU from 1 September to 30 November 2023.

During the CIC, member Authorities focused on compliance with areas specified by the CIC during PSC inspections.

A CIC questionnaire was devised and approved by the Paris MoU Port State Control Committee. The intention of the questionnaire was to provide a supplementary series of questions to the regular inspection process to specifically address areas where there are reoccurring deficiencies with respect to fire safety. Continue reading “Paris MoU 2023 CIC on Fire Safety”

Contact of containership Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge: Preliminary report

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after the containership Dali collided with it
Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after the containership Dali collided with it

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary investigation report on the accident where the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed following a collision with the container ship MV Dali.

The Dali was propelled by a single, slow-speed, 55,626-hp (41,480-kW) diesel engine manufactured by Hyundai MAN B&W. The engine was directly connected to a single, right-turning propeller. To run the main engine, one of the vessel’s four diesel generators must be operating and supplying the vessel with electrical power. The emergency generator alone Continue reading “Contact of containership Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge: Preliminary report”

The Baltimore Bridge Black Swan Event and its effect on the insurance markets

Photo credit: US Coastguard/Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles
Photo credit: US Coastguard/Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles

Learning from this tragedy could prove an invaluable lesson in risk mitigation with complex maritime operations, writes John Butler. In the early morning of 26 March 2024 the container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore forcing its dramatic collapse which was captured and circulated on television and social media across the world. This is a textbook example of a Black Swan Event, an unexpected incident that has disproportionately created a social and economic impact on a local area. This incident also shines a light on the offshore industry, maritime insurance, and the importance of Marine Warranty Surveyors. Continue reading “The Baltimore Bridge Black Swan Event and its effect on the insurance markets”

ABS issues technical and operational advisory for methanol bunkering

technical and operational advisory for methanol bunkering issued by ABS
Technical and operational advisory for methanol bunkering issued by ABS

The maritime industry faces several substantive challenges driven by increasingly stricter gaseous air emission legislation and increased efforts by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships. The adoption of low-flashpoint fuels and gases which can be produced from renewable and sustainable sources, such as methanol, is expected to become one of the means to meet those challenges.

Accordingly, owners, operators, designers and shipyards around the world are considering Continue reading “ABS issues technical and operational advisory for methanol bunkering”

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