Shipping

New one-shot publication from IIMS: 2021 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium

Posted on by News Hound

The International Institute of Marine Surveying has published a special new one-shot, 100-page publication, entitled the IIMS 2021 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium.

Download the compendium: 2021 Safety Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium

The broad aim of this compendium is to showcase incident and accident reports, and loss prevention measures/guidance that were issued in 2021, all easily accessible in one pdf document. Much of the content is distressing and covers carnage, destruction and sadly deaths. This new publication is an essential reference resource for any marine surveyor’s online library as well as those whose work touches the surveying profession and for the wider maritime world. The many links in the publication are clickable, meaning readers can easily access more details about an item of particular interest.

Introductions by Yves Vandenborn, Director of Loss Prevention at Standard P&I Club and Geoff Waddington, IIMS President, add informative and valuable context to the publication. Continue reading “New one-shot publication from IIMS: 2021 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium”

AMSA announces focused inspection campaign on planned maintenance

Posted on by News Hound
Photo credit: AMSA
Photo credit: AMSA

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has published a marine notice to provide information to ship owners, operators and masters about the Focused Inspection Campaign (FIC) on planned maintenance which will run from 15 January 2022 to 30 March 2022. Planned and corrective maintenance is deemed by AMSA to be a critical component of seaworthiness.

The purpose of the FIC is to determine the level of compliance with the maintenance requirements of the International Conventions. This FIC has been initiated by AMSA and is specific to Australia. It will apply to foreign flagged ships and Regulated Australian Vessels (RAVs) arriving at an Australian port. The FIC will be conducted from 15 January 2022 to 30 March 2022. Continue reading “AMSA announces focused inspection campaign on planned maintenance”

Report finds failure to properly disconnect vehicle batteries led to fire

Posted on by News Hound
Improperly disconnected vehicle batteries led to fire, report finds
Improperly disconnected vehicle batteries led to fire, report finds

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) published its report on the fire aboard vehicle carrier Höegh Xiamen that resulted in $40 million worth of damage.

On June 4, 2020, about 1530 eastern daylight time, the crew of the 600-foot-long, Norwegian-flagged roll on/roll-off vehicle carrier Höegh Xiamen were preparing to depart the Blount Island Horizon Terminal in Jacksonville, Florida, en route to Baltimore, Maryland, when they saw smoke coming from a ventilation housing for one of the exhaust trunks that ran from deck 12 (the weather deck) to one of the cargo decks. Continue reading “Report finds failure to properly disconnect vehicle batteries led to fire”

ABS published life extension for ageing offshore assets guidance

Posted on by News Hound

Classification society, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), has refined its approach to ageing offshore assets with the publication of new guidance entitled ‘Life Extension of Floating Production Installations’.

The offshore assets guidance supports operators looking to extend the operational life of a floating production installation (FPI) by outlining clear Class requirements with a focus on safety. It is informed by lessons learned from ABS supported life extension projects and the findings of a series of FPI life extension joint development projects. Continue reading “ABS published life extension for ageing offshore assets guidance”

Report reveals diesel generator engine failure led to fire onboard offshore supply vessel

Posted on by News Hound
Damaged section of the engine (left) from where the connecting rod from the no. 3 DG (right) was ejected. (Credit: Oceaneering International)
Damaged section of the engine (left) from where the connecting rod from the no. 3 DG (right) was ejected. (Credit: Oceaneering International)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published a Marine Accident Brief on its investigation into a diesel generator engine failure and fire onboard an offshore supply vessel near Honolulu, Hawaii, last year. The incident took place on the Ocean Intervention on December 19, 2020. No pollution or injuries to the 16 crew members were reported in connection with the mechanical failure, which resulted in a fire in the engine room. The crew isolated the fire before it could spread throughout the vessel.

Damage to the Ocean Intervention came to more than $3 million. Continue reading “Report reveals diesel generator engine failure led to fire onboard offshore supply vessel”

Excessive reliance is placed on procedures for enclosed space entries, research says

Posted on by News Hound
University of Tasmania, Australian Maritime College
University of Tasmania, Australian Maritime College

Enclosed space deaths continue to be one of the biggest occupational hazards aboard ship, says the Human Element Industry Group (HEIG), which has set up the Enclosed Space Project.

Several years ago, InterManager launched a survey on enclosed space deaths, to which 5000 seafarers responded. A number of issues were raised, in particular:
– Procedures often seem to seafarers, difficult to understand, confusing, and do not take account of the resources, equipment and time available aboard the vessel.
– Investigations of fatalities point to failures in the victims and in particular their failure to follow procedures. Continue reading “Excessive reliance is placed on procedures for enclosed space entries, research says”

Frequent failures of thermal oil circulation pump leads to fire says report

Posted on by News Hound

The Bahamas Maritime Authority published its report on the ro-ro passenger ferry Pride of Hull, which suffered a fire on 20 October 2020, in the Humber Estuary, UK.

At approximately 20:01 on 20 October 2020, Pride of Hull sailed from the river terminal in Hull, UK, on its scheduled service to Europoort (Rotterdam), Netherlands. The bridge team consisted of the master, chief officer and two ABs. The chief engineer was in the engine control room with the engineer officer of the watch (EOOW).

At 20:35 the vessel’s fire detection system alarm sounded, with the bridge’s fire panel indicating a fire on Deck 1, zone 4: Oil treatment Continue reading “Frequent failures of thermal oil circulation pump leads to fire says report”

Unfamiliarity with fire extinguisher equipment let fire spread to the bilges

Posted on by News Hound

The American Club has published some lessons learned from an incident where a general cargo vessel’s generator experienced a catastrophic failure while underway resulting in a fire that spread immediately to the bilges under the generator.

A senior and a junior engineer were in the engine room and both heard a loud bang. The two engineers investigated and saw the fire. The automated alarm system sounded shortly after the fire started. The senior engineer saw the fire was in the bilges and knew that the foam fire extinguisher was appropriate to use.

The senior engineer ran to the control room to notify the bridge and the Chief Engineer. He sent the junior engineer to the large semi- Continue reading “Unfamiliarity with fire extinguisher equipment let fire spread to the bilges”

Two small fires onboard caused by crankcase failure

Posted on by News Hound

The Marine Safety Forum has published an alert focusing on a case where a vessel experienced crankcase failure. The vessel suffered a crankcase failure on one of their four diesel generators (DG) which resulted in two small fires and excessive damage to the pistons, con-rods, and the engine block.

Fortunately, no personnel were injured during this event and due to the swift actions from the crew and additional barriers already in place it made sure that the situation was quickly and effectively controlled within minutes, plus any potential secondary damage to surrounding machinery was prevented. Continue reading “Two small fires onboard caused by crankcase failure”

Cygnus 1 ultrasonic thickness gauge certified to Class 1

Posted on by News Hound
Cygnus Instruments Ltd - Cygnus 1
Cygnus Instruments Ltd – Cygnus 1

The Cygnus 1 ultrasonic thickness gauge is certified to Class 1, Div 1 (“Zone 0”) for ATEX, IECEx and CSA-US. The Cygnus 1 is specifically designed for measuring metal thickness to determine wastage or corrosion in Zone 0, Zone 1 hazardous and potentially explosive environments. It has a highly durable, shock-proof and splash-proof (IP65 rated) construction – this heavy-duty unit is supplied ready to use, and offers up to 12 hours continuous testing before recharge is necessary, with no plant shutdown or hot work permit required.

The exterior houses a set of components, viewed via a bright LED display with polarised filter, in either metric or imperial measurement to suit the user’s preference. These features include an echo strength indicator to aid measurement, measurement self-verification to ensure Continue reading “Cygnus 1 ultrasonic thickness gauge certified to Class 1”

Small cargo losses increasing, larger losses on the decline reveals IUMI 2021 Stats Report

Posted on by News Hound
The IUMI 2021 Stats Report is available to download
The IUMI 2021 Stats Report is available to download

The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has published its 2021 analysis of the global marine insurance market. The report presents a range of statistical data to give an insight into the marine insurance market within the context of global trade and shipping.

Global premiums reported from the offshore energy sector in 2020 were USD 3.6 billion representing an 8.6% increase on 2019. Premium income mirrors the global oil price and it is thought that the bottom of the premium decrease cycle has been reached and that income is now on the rise. However, the oil price remains volatile and was impacted negatively in 2020 due to the pandemic. 2021 has seen an oil price rally but the effects of events such as Hurricane Ida are yet to be known. Continue reading “Small cargo losses increasing, larger losses on the decline reveals IUMI 2021 Stats Report”

Improper maintenance procedures can cost lives

Posted on by News Hound

UK P&I Club has released a video describing the dangers of refrigeration machinery following an enclosed space casualty. During a third-party survey, the surveyor made a request to test the emergency fire pump, which was arranged with the assistance of the chief engineer. The emergency fire pump was located in a recessed well in the steering gear compartment, approximately 3 metres deep and accessed by an inclined stairway.

At the commencement of the test, the surveyor asked to observe the pump being started locally and operating before proceeding on deck to check the hoses rigged fore and aft. Shortly after descending into the fire pump well, the chief engineer urgently ordered the surveyor to Continue reading “Improper maintenance procedures can cost lives”

Instagram Posts from the IIMS @iimsmarine