World’s first autonomous ship completes successful voyage in Japan

Photo credit: Nippon Foundation
Photo credit: Nippon Foundation

The demonstration test of what is claimed to be the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation system was successfully carried out in January in Japan according to the Nippon Foundation.

The large ferry has autonomously navigated over a 149 mile (240 km) stretch of Japan’s Iyonda Sea at the speed of 26 knots (30 mph or 48 kph) and also performed the docking procedures at the end of its voyage.

The technology used in the demonstration was developed by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Nippon Foundation, and it was used Continue reading “World’s first autonomous ship completes successful voyage in Japan”

Problems verifying electronic statutory and class certificates noted by Gard

Problems verifying electronic statutory and class certificates noted by Gard
Problems verifying electronic statutory and class certificates noted by Gard

Ships continue to experience instances of port state control interventions, and sometimes hefty fines, allegedly because the validity of their electronic statutory and class certificates cannot be verified during onboard inspections.

The practice of issuing signed paper certificates to document compliance with maritime rules and regulations may be nearing its end. Recognising that paper certificates are subject to loss or damage and can be impractical to send to globally-trading ships, most major flag administrations, and classification societies, now facilitate the use of electronic certificates. The process has also been formalized through IMO documents, such as the “Guidelines for the use of electronic certificates” (FAL.5/Circ.39) and the harmonised “Procedures for port state control”, and in accordance with the latter, port state control officers (PSCOs) are requested to note that: Continue reading “Problems verifying electronic statutory and class certificates noted by Gard”

Maritime Safety Report 2012-2021

Maritime Safety Report Maritime Safety Report: 2012-2021 released
Maritime Safety Report: 2012-2021 released

Shipping has seen a significant improvement in safety over the past decade as higher standards of ship construction and operation have cut the number of casualties, but emerging risks from new fuels and digital technologies must be mitigated to maintain progress, according to DNV.

It follows the release of a major new analysis, ‘Maritime Safety 2012-2021: a decade of progress’, from Lloyd’s List Intelligence and DNV that shows a marked decline in casualties, losses and detentions over the period.

Between 2012 and 2021, the tally of annual casualties declined 20% from 1922 to 1537 and losses resulting from casualties dropped 56% Continue reading “Maritime Safety Report 2012-2021”

Leading Maritime Cities report 2022 by DNV and Menon published

The 2022 edition of the Leading Maritime Cities (LMC) report was launched at an event hosted by the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF).

There have been many dramatic developments since the last edition of the LMC report was published in 2019. For one, we are still living with the pandemic. Two years of fluctuating restrictions have caused severe trade and travel upsets. Extreme weather events have made us all more acutely aware of the climate crisis, another major driver of change. Shipowners, charterers, cargo owners and lenders are gearing up for a decarbonized future, with rapid adoption of zero-carbon fuels expected over the next decade. Ongoing digitalization, including Continue reading “Leading Maritime Cities report 2022 by DNV and Menon published”

New guidance published to help reduce pilot transfer fatalities

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) along with the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) published the guide “Shipping Industry Guidance on Pilot Transfer Arrangements”, updating maritime pilot transfer safety procedures amid industry concerns about poorly rigged ladders causing severe injuries or fatalities.

Seafarers should always check the condition of the ladder before it is rigged and ensure it is secured to the ship. While this is done, seafarers should always take care of their own safety, wearing all appropriate PPE. If seafarers are uncertain about any of the Continue reading “New guidance published to help reduce pilot transfer fatalities”

Recent MCA documentation amendments released in December 2021

The UK maritime regulator, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), has issued and distributed the following new documentation over the past few weeks.

02 December 2021
SI 2021 No. 1316 – The Merchant Shipping (Radiocommunications) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
View details Continue reading “Recent MCA documentation amendments released in December 2021”

Hapag-Lloyd adopts Hazcheck Detect cargo screening tool for misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods

NCB Group, the New York based cargo inspection company and the leading provider of transportation software has announced that Hapag-Lloyd, one of the leading liner shipping companies, has signed an agreement to adopt the Hazcheck Detect cargo screening tool to detect misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods in containerised shipments. The solution has been developed and will be delivered by NCB’s software division, Exis Technologies, global leaders in IT solutions for the management of dangerous goods in sea transport.

Hazcheck Detect scans all cargo booking details for keywords and includes an industry library to enable suspicious bookings to be Continue reading “Hapag-Lloyd adopts Hazcheck Detect cargo screening tool for misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods”

Carriage of bagged rice: An overview for the maritime sector

The carriage of bagged rice cargo is a potentially hazardous undertaking, with claims potentially running to millions of dollars when problems arise, says the Britannia P&I Club. The major issue with cargoes of bagged rice is the formation of mould or caking which can often be attributed to condensation due to inadequate ventilation, water ingress, moisture migration and improper dunnaging.

Other issues include:
– Shortages due to pilferage;
– Damage to bags which are torn;
– Slack or lost overboard during stevedore operations; Continue reading “Carriage of bagged rice: An overview for the maritime sector”

Fuel oil tank vent pipes should be inspected regularly

Image credit: The American Club
Image credit: The American Club

In its most recent Good Catch series, the American Club provides lessons learned from corroded or damaged fuel oil vent pipes in cargo holds.

A bulk cargo vessel experienced a serious problem when some of the clay cargo entered fuel oil tanks through holes in the fuel oil tank vent pipes located in the cargo holds. The problem was first noticed by the engineers when the fuel oil filters became heavily clogged with what appeared to be cargo. After the engineers shifted to a different fuel oil tank, the problem stopped. After offloading the clay and cleaning the cargo holds, the vent pipes were closely inspected in each cargo hold. Continue reading “Fuel oil tank vent pipes should be inspected regularly”

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

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

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

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”

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