Allianz Safety and Shipping Review 2021 published

The Safety and Shipping review by Allianz reveals foundered vessels as the main cause of total losses during 2020
The Safety and Shipping review by Allianz reveals foundered vessels as the main cause of total losses during 2020

Allianz has published its Shipping and Safety Review 2021, identifying loss trends and a number of risk challenges for the maritime sector. According to the report, 49 total losses took place in 2020, representing a 50% decline over a decade.

Foundered (sunk/submerged) was the main cause of total losses during 2020, accounting for one in two. Contributing factors include bad weather, poor visibility leading to contact, flooding and water ingress and machinery breakdown.

The number of fires/explosions resulting in total losses of vessels increased again year‑on‑year, hitting a four‑year high of 10. Collectively, Continue reading “Allianz Safety and Shipping Review 2021 published”

New IIMS small craft remote tonnage measurement surveyor training approved by MCA

IIMS set to roll out remote tonnage measurement training for small craft surveyors
IIMS set to roll out remote tonnage measurement training for small craft surveyors

A proposal by IIMS to extend its popular face-to-face tonnage measurement training into an innovative remote online format has been accepted and approved by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). The innovative approach to delivering this training, which is open to both IIMS members and non-members, marks new ground for the Institute. The first online seminar will be delivered on 22 September from 10.00 (UK time).

To become formally authorized to process tonnages through IIMS you need to be a member, and Part I and Part II must be completed. Those who wish to study Part I only, the UK online tonnage measurement theory, may do so to extend their surveying knowledge.

Continue reading “New IIMS small craft remote tonnage measurement surveyor training approved by MCA”

Britannia sustainability report published for the first time

Published for the first time the Britannia sustainability report sets out its future roadmap
Published for the first time the Britannia sustainability report sets out its future roadmap

With the publication of the first Britannia sustainability report, the P&I Club is defining the starting position of its sustainability initiative and roadmap for the future. The report outlines how Britannia P&I is embedding the management of climate related risk into its business strategy and integrating sustainability into its core processes.

Climate change represents a material financial risk to all regulated firms and the financial system. Britannia P&I, as an insurer, is equally exposed to this risk. However, sustainability encompasses not only climate change but also informs a company’s overall approach to improving corporate social behaviour and demands sound corporate governance. The Britannia sustainability report seeks to apply environmental, social and governance (ESG) concepts to all the strategic choices and operations of the Club. Continue reading “Britannia sustainability report published for the first time”

Joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign on vessel stability to be undertaken

Image credit: Paris and Tokyo MOUs
Image credit: Paris and Tokyo MOUs

Member authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control are to launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on vessel stability. It will be held for three months, commencing from September 1, 2021, and ending November 30, 2021, and inspectors will examine specific areas related to the campaign in conjunction with the regular Port State Control inspection.

The purposes of the campaign are:
– to confirm that the ship’s crew are familiar with assessing the actual stability condition on completion of cargo operations before departure of the ship and on all stages of the voyage;
– to create awareness among the ship’s crew and owners about the importance of calculating the actual stability condition of the ship on completion of cargo operations and before departure of the ship; and
– to verify that the ship complies with intact stability requirements (and damage stability requirements, if applicable) under the relevant IMO instruments. Continue reading “Joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign on vessel stability to be undertaken”

Cargo Integrity Group calls for risk-based measures to prevent pest contamination

The international freight transport organisations of the Cargo Integrity Group are calling for urgent action from actors in global supply chains to reduce the risk of pest transference through international cargo movements. The five partners in the Cargo Integrity Group, known as CIG, recognise the vital importance of focusing on the threat of invasive pests to natural resources across the world, and of the urgency in crafting risk reduction measures that address the situation.

This call to action follows the intentions by pest control experts under the auspices of the International Plant Protection Convention Continue reading “Cargo Integrity Group calls for risk-based measures to prevent pest contamination”

Guidelines for fuel oil sampling and designated sampling points

Guidelines for fuel oil sampling and designated sampling points
Guidelines for fuel oil sampling and designated sampling points

During MEPC-75 meeting, that was held in November-2020, new amendments to MARPOL Annex VI were adopted through Resolution MEPC.324(75). These amendments will enter into force on 1 April 2022. It introduces new requirements for fuel oil sampling points and outline methods for sampling fuel oil to validate its sulphur content.

Essentially, there are three types of fuel oil samples as defined in the IMO guidelines:
-sample of the fuel delivered to the ship during the bunker operation, i.e. ‘MARPOL delivered sample’ (MEPC.182(59))
– sample of the fuel oil in use on a ship, i.e. ‘in-use sample’ (MEPC.1/Circ.864/Rev.1) Continue reading “Guidelines for fuel oil sampling and designated sampling points”

Autonomous ships and safety at sea white paper published

Autonomous ships and safety at sea white paper published
Autonomous ships and safety at sea white paper published

One Sea, the industry alliance that brings together leading exponents of autonomous ship technology, has published an autonomous ships and safety at sea white paper

The paper examines the safety advances achieved by and expected from autonomous ship technology, with the aim of driving the consultative process forward towards a revised set of maritime regulations. It considers today’s safety framework, cybersecurity, views from ship owners and operators, consequences for labour and insurance, and the classification implications for varying levels of autonomy, before offering a proposal for next steps by the industry.

Continue reading “Autonomous ships and safety at sea white paper published”

Shipping: Does location matter anymore?

For centuries the great port cities analysed in the recent Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index report were built on the confluence of trade, people and ideas. Centred around ships and the presence of their owners, managers and charterers, maritime clusters steadily grew across Europe, Asia and the Americas. A combination of talent, time-zone, geography, expertise and government policies has helped locations such as Singapore, London and Shanghai thrive. Successful clusters combine the experience and size of established companies with the energy and drive of smaller and start-up firms. Collectively they have consistently delivered innovation, jobs and tax receipts.

But has the successful shift to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic ruptured the maritime business cluster concept forever? Will like-minded and complementary as well as competing businesses operating in the same field continue to see the advantage of co-locating in the same expensive business districts? Has the theory of clustering, which describes the economic advantages of the concentration of specialised industries in a single location, been overturned by a brave new world of remote meetings and home working? Or will we see a swift return to business as usual and offices in maritime clusters fill up again with shipbrokers, tech-specialists, financiers, insurers and lawyers when the pandemic ebbs? Continue reading “Shipping: Does location matter anymore?”

Australia imposes container fumigation rules for Khapra beetle

With effect from 12 July 2021, the Australian authorities have introduced new fumigation requirements for containers coming from a total of 40 high-risk countries, in a bid to tackle Khapra beetle infestation. The Khapra Beetle has been identified by Australia as a major biosecurity risk. It feeds on grains and other dry foodstuffs, causing damage to the production while also infesting goods with larval skins and hairs that are difficult to remove.

According to data provided by the North P&I Club, containers from 40 designated countries, as listed by the Department for Agriculture, Water and Environment (DAWE), must undergo treatment to prevent the migration of this invasive species – using methyl bromide, heat Continue reading “Australia imposes container fumigation rules for Khapra beetle”

Cargo tank explosion and fire on chemical tanker Stolt Groenland report published

Cargo tank explosion and fire on chemical tanker Stolt Groenland report published
Cargo tank explosion and fire on chemical tanker Stolt Groenland report published

On 28 September 2019, a cargo tank containing styrene monomer on board the MAIC (Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands) registered chemical tanker Stolt Groenland ruptured due to runaway polymerisation. The catastrophic rupture released a large quantity of vapour to the atmosphere, and it subsequently ignited. Fire-fighting efforts by the emergency services took over six hours and involved more than 700 personnel and 117 units of fire trucks, pumps and fire tugs.

The rupture of the styrene monomer tank resulted from a runaway polymerisation that was initiated by elevated temperatures caused by heat transfer from other chemical cargoes. The elevated temperatures caused the inhibitor, added to prevent the chemical’s polymerisation during the voyage, to deplete more rapidly than expected. Athough the styrene monomer had not been stowed directly adjacent to heated Continue reading “Cargo tank explosion and fire on chemical tanker Stolt Groenland report published”

Three individuals to face criminal charges over 2018 Stretch Duck 7 boat sinking at Table Rock Lake

U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison announces the 17-count indictment of Kenneth Scott McKee
U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison announces the 17-count indictment of Kenneth Scott McKee

The captain of a World War II era duck boat and two other employees at Ride the Ducks Branson have been hit with criminal charges in relation to the sinking of the Stretch Duck 7 on Missouri’s Table Rock Lake in 2018, resulting in the death of 17 people. The Missouri attorney general’s office announced a total of 63 charges against Scott McKee, the boat’s Captain, and Operations Supervisor Charles Baltzell and General Manager Curtis Lanham.

According to a probable cause statement, the Stretch Duck 7 was under the command of McKee when it entered Table Rock Lake on July 19, 2018 during a severe thunderstorm warning and later encountered severe weather and rough winds, causing the boat to take on water and sink. Seventeen people died in the accident, including 16 passengers and one crew member. Continue reading “Three individuals to face criminal charges over 2018 Stretch Duck 7 boat sinking at Table Rock Lake”

Guidelines for the shipment of vegetable and edible oil cargoes

Edible oil cargoes are one of the most common types to be involved in cargo claims
Edible oil cargoes are one of the most common types to be involved in cargo claims

The Swedish Club has published guidelines for the shipment of vegetable and edible oil cargoes in an attempt to assist operators in the of their vessels. According to the Club, vegetable and edible oil is one of the most common types of cargo involved in cargo claims.

Edible oil cargoes are commonly shipped under FOFSA contracts. Not only does FOSFA provide guidance regarding contracts covering goods being shipped, but also offers advice regarding cargo tank inspections and assessing tank suitability for carriage of products shipped under FOSFA contracts.

These are covered in the FOSFA ‘Combined Masters certificate’ and FOSFA ‘Certificate of compliance, cleanliness and suitability of vessel’s Continue reading “Guidelines for the shipment of vegetable and edible oil cargoes”

Instagram Posts from the IIMS @iimsmarine

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

Show details
Performance & Marketing Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages. This also helps us optimise our marketing campaigns. User data sent to Google Analytics may be used for ad personalization and measurement of our ad campaigns. Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Show details