International News

Reports in France say that after a series of explosions and fires, the Prefecture of Pyrénées-Orientales in the south-west of the country has ordered the suspension of sales and recall of all lithium batteries of the ‘Energy Cases’ brand, marketed by SAS P.C.E, based in Perpignan.

The batteries were suspected of causing several explosions and fires that occurred over the past 10 months throughout France.

To date, the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDTM) of the Pyrénées-Orientales has identified at least six incidents involving the batteries. Included in this list was a fire that ravaged three 8m boats in the port of Lavandou in July 2020. Continue reading “Lithium batteries withdrawn following boating fires in France”

The Australian Marine Safety Safety Authority has published new guidelines for complex maritime emergencies. As they stress, complex maritime emergencies are a persistent threat to the global maritime environment, and those who work on and by the sea.

We are periodically reminded of this threat by seemingly-random, catastrophic events ranging from collisions to offshore spills and even the loss of aircraft in remote areas.

AMSA recognises that in order to be truly effective in the management of complex maritime emergencies, we must work in a coordinated and collaborative fashion with numerous partners and stakeholders—many who bring advanced understanding of the operational environment, and many who do not.

This handbook has been designed to provide leaders with cross-jurisdictional, multi-cross-sectoral framework and conceptual guidance for managing complex maritime Continue reading “New Australian national guidelines for complex maritime emergencies”