Post Construction Assessment papers trigger official policy review

Paper 2 on Post Construction Assessment by Tom Keeling attracts encouraging response
Paper 2 on Post Construction Assessment by Tom Keeling attracts encouraging response

Throughout 2025, work continued on Recreational Craft Directive (RCD), Recreational Craft Regulations (RCR) and Post Construction Assessment (PCA) research, with a newly drafted paper by Tom Keeling – known as PCA 2 – receiving an encouraging response from Graham Russell MBE, Chief Executive of OPSS (Office for Product Safety & Standards). The paper is due for wider release in early 2026.

Since the release of the PCA 1 paper in 2024, IIMS has remained engaged with Continue reading “Post Construction Assessment papers trigger official policy review”

NTSB says lithium-ion batteries caused Genius Star XI fires

NTSB says lithium-ion batteries caused Genius Star XI fires
NTSB says lithium-ion batteries caused Genius Star XI fires

Heavy weather and an improperly secured cargo of lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) units led to two fires on board the cargo vessel Genius Star XI – causing $3.8 million in damages, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

What happened

​On December 25, 2023, at 0830, while the cargo vessel Genius Star XI was transiting the North Pacific Ocean in heavy weather with a cargo of lithium-ion battery energy storage system units on board, a fire was discovered in a cargo hold. Continue reading “NTSB says lithium-ion batteries caused Genius Star XI fires”

ABS shares guidance on revised recommendations for entering enclosed spaces aboard ships

ABS shares guidance on revised recommendations for entering enclosed spaces aboard ships
ABS shares guidance on revised recommendations for entering enclosed spaces aboard ships

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has provided an overview of IMO Resolution MSC 581 (110) – Revised Recommendations for Entering Enclosed Spaces Aboard Ships.

These new recommendations supersede and revoke Resolution A.1050(27), replacing them with updated safety measures, definitions, and procedural requirements aimed at reducing fatalities during enclosed space entry. Continue reading “ABS shares guidance on revised recommendations for entering enclosed spaces aboard ships”

Gard – Beware of backflush filter failures

Gard - Beware of backflush filter failures. Photo source: Gard
Gard – Beware of backflush filter failures. Photo source: Gard

P&I club Gard has warned that a serious source of engine damage can come as a result of automatic backflush filter failure.

Automatic backflush filters are designed to protect engines by keeping fuel and lubricating oil clean. The filters generally consist of one or more chambers with a set of candles of fine wire mesh that the oil flows through. Larger particles get stuck on the surface while smaller particles flow through the filters and back into circulation. Continue reading “Gard – Beware of backflush filter failures”

Prawn trawler Odyssey sank after crew left wash pumps running

Prawn trawler Odyssey sank after crew left wash pumps running. Image courtesy of Fishing News
Prawn trawler Odyssey sank after crew left wash pumps running. Image courtesy of Fishing News

Six crewmembers were forced to abandon ship after prawn trawler Odyssey capsized and sank in the North Sea on 29 October 2024. Its crew were rescued from a liferaft uninjured.

According to the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), the accident occurred after high-capacity deck wash pumps were left running unattended, while the crew recovered the fishing gear, discharging water onto the vessel’s weathertight shelter deck. It is likely that a blocked tonnage valve prevented the water from escaping, resulting in rapid flooding and a catastrophic loss of stability. Continue reading “Prawn trawler Odyssey sank after crew left wash pumps running”

MV Estonia investigation closed as incident due to bow failure

MV Estonia investigation closed as incident due to bow failure
MV Estonia investigation closed as incident due to bow failure

Authorities have concluded the investigation into the 1994 sinking of the MV Estonia citing the failure of the ferry’s bow section as the cause of the incident.

On September 28, 1994, the Estonian-flagged ferry Estonia sank during the regular route from Tallinn to Stockholm.

There were 989 people on board – only 137 survived. 852 people died in the accident and the bodies of 95 drowned people were found. Most of the victims were Swedish (501) and Estonian (285) citizens. Continue reading “MV Estonia investigation closed as incident due to bow failure”

Report released on fatal mooring incident aboard motor tanker

Report released on fatal mooring incident aboard motor tanker
Report released on fatal mooring incident aboard motor tanker

The HM Government of Gibraltar has published an accident report into the death of a pumpman on board a motor tanker at the Port of Gibraltar due to a fatal mooring incident.

On the afternoon of the 20 May 2025, the pumpman of the Gibraltar Registered tanker Nisyros was fatally injured whilst operating the port forward mooring winch during heaving in excess rope becoming entrapped in the mooring rope around the winch and sadly died of multiple injuries. Continue reading “Report released on fatal mooring incident aboard motor tanker”

Rotten wood and poor inspection caused historic Maine schooner demasting

This Schooner photograph for illustration only
This Schooner photograph is for illustration only

The is a distressing case about a fatal accident that should never have happened. And as the investigation has revealed, a series of poor, inadequate and ineffective inspections and surveys that failed to discover serious rotten wood, would appear to be largely to blame and caused historic Maine schooner demasting.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has released a critical report on the demasting of a historic schooner, blaming the catastrophic incident on rotten wood that had gone unnoticed for years due to poor inspections. About three years after the mainmast of the 144-year- old schooner Grace Bailey broke during a routine voyage, causing the death of one passenger and leaving five others injured, a detailed investigation has established that the structural integrity of the mainmast had long been compromised by rot. Continue reading “Rotten wood and poor inspection caused historic Maine schooner demasting”

MCA publishes update on new Fixed Aerosol Fire Extinguishing Systems guidance

MCA publishes update on new Fixed Aerosol Fire Extinguishing Systems guidance
MCA publishes update on new Fixed Aerosol Fire Extinguishing Systems guidance

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency has released an amendment to MGN 657 (M+F) Amendment 1 requirements for fixed aerosol fire extinguishing systems for use in small vessel machinery spaces.

The update clarifies that the design density should be calculated based on the net volume of the protected space, as well as clarifying the test criteria including the pass/fail criteria and arrangements for the test mock-up. Continue reading “MCA publishes update on new Fixed Aerosol Fire Extinguishing Systems guidance”

DNV and WMMF collaborate on net-zero guide for shipping companies

DNV and the World Maritime Merchants Forum (WMMF) have worked together to create the Net-Zero Guide: Practical approaches for shipping companies.

The maritime industry is entering a decisive decade of transformation, driven by evolving regulations, commercial pressures, and a general global shift towards reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Continue reading “DNV and WMMF collaborate on net-zero guide for shipping companies”

Operator modifications blamed by shipbuilder for Dali blackout

Operator modifications blamed by shipbuilder for Dali blackout . Phoot credit: USACE
Operator modifications blamed by shipbuilder for Dali blackout . Photo credit: USACE

The fallout following the M/V Dali accident which caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore in March 2024 continues to make the news headlines and is likely to do so for many months to come. Now the vessel’s builder, HD Hyundai, has weighed in to respond. It says changes made after delivery bypassed critical redundancies, triggering the second Dali blackout that left the ship without propulsion or steering in the critical moments before the bridge strike. Continue reading “Operator modifications blamed by shipbuilder for Dali blackout”

How a tragic pilot ladder accident led to regulation changes

How a tragic pilot ladder accident led to regulation changes
How a tragic pilot ladder accident led to regulation changes

In a milestone for maritime pilots’ safety, on June 26 2025, the International Maritime Organization(IMO) significantly improved Pilot Transfer Arrangement (PTA) requirements by adopting amendments to International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulation V/23, as well as new mandatory PTA Performance Standards. The Performance Standards are incorporated into SOLAS, giving them the full force of international law. The path to this achievement began on a tragic day more than five years ago. On December 30, 2019, Captain Dennis Sherwood, a New York State- licensed pilot, was killed in a tragic pilot ladder accident. He fell while embarking a container ship using a combination arrangement with a trapdoor. Continue reading “How a tragic pilot ladder accident led to regulation changes”

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