CE marking acceptance for boats extended until 2023 by UK government

The UK government has announced an extension to the start date for the new post-Brexit certification rules for CE products by 12 months. This extension means that the CE mark will continue as a recognised trademark into next year, after the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy agreed to push back the deadline for the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) stamp until 1 January 2023.

Any CE marked goods that meet EU requirements may continue to be placed on Great Britain’s (GB) market for another year.

The UKCA marking is a new UK product marking that is used for goods being placed on the market in GB. UKCA gives the UK control over its goods regulations and covers most goods that previously required the CE marking, known as ‘new approach’ goods. The UKCA marking Continue reading “CE marking acceptance for boats extended until 2023 by UK government”

Ensuring the insurers

The lockdowns of the past 18 months or so have given us all time to think and readjust our priorities. Like never before yacht owners and potential purchasers have been giving thought to their work-life balance, the risks of travelling and where in the world can a vacation actually take place? All of this has had a knock-on effect on the market, making yacht insurers’ lives busier than expected.

Mike Wimbridge, managing director, Pantaenius told Superyacht Investor: “I think in the chain of insurance buying people have had a little more time to reflect, rather than maybe just renew year-on-year. Throw into that the fact that some insurance markets are looking at what they write and possibly increasing prices and changing terms and conditions for risks they’re less concerned about.” Wimbridge is clear he is not talking about “bad risks”, but said some underwriters are looking at their portfolios.

Continue reading “Ensuring the insurers”

Safety bulletin issued by MCA over concerns with lifting equipment inspections on fishing vessels

A chain link used in the lifting equipment of a fishing vessel showing fractures identified during inspection
A chain link used in the lifting equipment of a fishing vessel showing fractures identified during inspection

Following a number of near misses and accidents during lifting operations onboard UK fishing vessels, the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has published a safety bulletin.

It is a requirement of the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Lifting Equipment and Lifting Operations Regulations) 2006 (SI 2006/2184) that the owner and/or employer shall ensure all lifting equipment is thoroughly inspected, as a minimum, at least every 12 months with regular inspections in between. Depending on the findings of the Company risk assessment, in certain applications, the frequency of inspection may need to be increased. Specifically, the attention of the inspection regime, established by the owner, may need to be increased in areas of high load, high wear rates, and high impact. Continue reading “Safety bulletin issued by MCA over concerns with lifting equipment inspections on fishing vessels”

New Marine Conservation Society report: Decarbonising the UK fishing fleet

Photo credit: Fishing for mussels. @Pauleinerhand © Unsplash.com
Photo credit: Fishing for mussels. @Pauleinerhand © Unsplash.com

The UK regards itself as a leader on the world stage as far as preventing climate change is concerned. The UK has set a high standard so far showing the way with an impressive roadmap to cut its greenhouse gas emissions. It was the first country in the world to set statutory carbon emissions reduction targets in its climate Change Act of 2008, and in 2019 passed a law on net-zero emissions.

In a new report, a group of NGOs – WWF UK, MarFishEco Fisheries Consultants, Marine Conservation Society and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) – have reviewed the UK fishing industry’s response to climate change mitigation. Shipping companies are already working hard to reduce their emissions, and the orders for retrofitting and design for energy-efficient ship propulsion systems is at an all-time high. It is likely the fishing industry will be the next focus.

Continue reading “New Marine Conservation Society report: Decarbonising the UK fishing fleet”

RYA publishes Pathways to Zero – a plan for the recreational boating sector to reach zero carbon by 2050

Pathways to Zero is a new report from the RYA reacting to the climate change emergency
Pathways to Zero is a new report from the RYA reacting to the climate change emergency

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has published Pathways to Zero: The RYA’s Vision for a Zero Carbon Recreational Boating Sector by 2050. It is an ambitious document and outlines the key actions and milestones that will need to be reached by both the organisation and the wider maritime sector to achieve the vision for zero-carbon in response to the climate emergency.

The report has been developed to deliver on the requirement within the RYA’s Sustainability Strategy, launched last year, to set out an Continue reading “RYA publishes Pathways to Zero – a plan for the recreational boating sector to reach zero carbon by 2050”

Port of London Authority Harbour Revision Order consultation now open for comments

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has started its formal consultation on a draft Port of London Authority (PLA) Harbour Revision Order (HRO). The consultation is open until 12 October 2021. HROs amend the existing legislative basis of a port and are consented under the Harbours Act 1964. The MMO has, since 2010, undertaken this process on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Department of Transport.

The HRO is intended to modernise the Port of London Act 1968, under which the PLA operates. It takes into account the nature of modern operations and technology in use on the river today and the continued evolution of the PLA as a modern, transparent organisation. The PLA HRO reflects revisions made after an informal, pre-submission consultation in autumn 2019. More than 50 stakeholders contributed through the informal consultation phase. Continue reading “Port of London Authority Harbour Revision Order consultation now open for comments”

The future of maritime safety report published by Inmarsat

Inmarsat has released a valuable reference document entitled - The future of maritime safety report
Inmarsat has released a valuable reference document entitled – The future of maritime safety report

What does the future hold for safety at sea and how should the maritime industry adapt to prevent serious accidents from occurring and ultimately, save lives? These questions and more are covered in the recently published future of maritime safety report published by Inmarsat.

Any vessel at sea can be exposed to many dangers, from severe weather conditions to equipment failure, piracy, and unpredictable circumstances such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic and crew change crisis, resulting in exhausted crew members.

The latest research by Inmarsat showcases three years of Inmarsat Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) vessel distress Continue reading “The future of maritime safety report published by Inmarsat”

Collision prevention guidelines to protect fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters issued

Following two collisions involving Bahamian ships resulting in 24 fatalities in 2018-2019 and in view of the summer fishing ban lifting on 16 August, the Bahamas Maritime Authority has published guidelines to be issued by the China Maritime Safety Administration on the prevention of collisions between merchant ships and fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters.

Collisions between merchant ships and fishing vessels and fishing fleet support vessels in Chinese coastal waters continue to result in a large number of fatalities. Continue reading “Collision prevention guidelines to protect fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters issued”

The State of Yachting 2021 report from SuperYacht Times

The global superyacht industry started 2020 very well, with a high level of sales. However the Covid-19 pandemic hit the industry severely in the second quarter of the year. Afterwards, superyacht sales recovered rapidly, with the used yacht market in particular posting very impressive results in the third and fourth quarters of 2020. The positive momentum in the superyacht market has carried on into 2021 and we are expecting a very busy year in 2021 for superyacht sales, both new and used.

The fleet
The global fleet over 30 metres in length consisted of 5,245 superyachts in operation at the start of 2021. In addition, there are also around 84 superyachts out of service, while about 195 superyachts have been completely lost since 1945. 84% of the global fleet consists of motor Continue reading “The State of Yachting 2021 report from SuperYacht Times”

Karen Brain responds to Jeffrey Casciani-Wood about the use of reported dimensions in reports

In the June edition of the Report Magazine, Jeffrey Casciani-Wood submitted a letter to the editor and invited Karen Brain to give a comment on the following, when he wrote: ‘Perhaps the most common of the errors that I have seen over the years is the use of so-called reported dimensions, not measured ones. I should point out that the marine surveyor’s report is a legal document and therefore requires content that he/she has measured, weighed, tested, or examined, whatever, not what he/she has been told by a third party who may, or may not, have given him/her valid and correct information. Reported dimensions are hearsay and, as such, are not admissible in Court, except under very special circumstances.

The precise definitions of the principal dimensions of a boat up to 24 metres in length are given in the publicly available document Continue reading “Karen Brain responds to Jeffrey Casciani-Wood about the use of reported dimensions in reports”

Consultation on the Merchant Shipping (High Speed Offshore Service Craft (HSOSC)) Regulations 2021 and accompanying code open

The Merchant Shipping HSOSC Regulations 2021 and accompanying code of practice apply to HSOSC of less than 500gt, allowing no more than 60 persons to be on board subject to a vessel’s safety certification. This mirrors the International High Speed Craft Code (HSC) for vessels over 500gt.

1.1. This consultation seeks your views on a new Statutory Instrument (SI) and Code for High Speed Offshore Service Craft (HSOSC) which will provide a domestic legal underpinning for High Speed Offshore Service to operate and to transport ‘Industrial Personnel’ (IP) to and from offshore energy installations to carry out the construction and maintenance of them.

1.2. The Merchant Shipping (High Speed Offshore Service Craft) Regulations 2021 and accompanying Code of Practice apply to HSOSC of Continue reading “Consultation on the Merchant Shipping (High Speed Offshore Service Craft (HSOSC)) Regulations 2021 and accompanying code open”

Report published into the fatal sinking of the wooden hulled motorboat Globetrotter

At about 0800 on 31 May 2020, the 12m wooden-hulled recreational boat Globetrotter sank in 5m of water during a sea-angling trip off the coast of Fleetwood, England. Its owner made a Mayday call shortly before he, his son, and a friend all entered the water. None of the sea anglers were wearing lifejackets or buoyancy aids, but they were able to use Globetrotter’s two lifebuoys to help them remain afloat.

The legs of the owner’s son became entangled in Globetrotter’s anchor rope and despite the exhaustive rescue efforts of the crews of two nearby boats, he was dragged under the water and drowned. Continue reading “Report published into the fatal sinking of the wooden hulled motorboat Globetrotter”

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