The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has published a report after cargo on President Eisenhower lost due incorrect cargo weight data.
The input of incorrect container cargo weight data when developing the cargo loading plan led to the shipping containers falling off a cargo ship and others becoming damaged while the vessel was drifting off the coast of California.
On February 6 2024, the U.S.-flagged containership President Eisenhower lost 23 shipping containers overboard and another 10 were damaged as the vessel was drifting about 94 miles south of Oakland, California, while awaiting a berthing assignment. Continue reading “NTSB reveals cargo on President Eisenhower lost due incorrect cargo weight data”
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board have released the results of a report after the installation of an incorrect valve led to a fatal fire aboard a cargo vessel docked in LaPorte, Texas.
Addressing anticipated skill gaps in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and automation is essential to the future of the shipbuilding sector, according to a new report by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), operated by the University of Strathclyde and based at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) in Renfrewshire.
The 2024/2025 Shipping Industry Flag State Performance, published by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), indicates that flag administrations continue to demonstrate high levels of performance with respect to enforcement of global shipping regulations.
In recent years, IIMS has published a number of articles about the growing problem of what to do with end-of-life boats and the challenges of recycling them. It remains a thorny subject and will be discussed in this edition of what caught my eye: February 2025.
On November 27, 2024, approximately 100 nautical miles off the coast of Virginia, a bulk carrier shipping a type of coal called “Bailey High Vol Coking Coal” experienced consecutive explosions in the two forward cargo holds. While still under investigation, the explosions are likely a result of the accumulation of methane gas that created an explosive atmosphere and resulted in significant damage to the two associated cargo holds. It was soon discovered that the other five cargo holds also had highly elevated levels of methane that were 
The Norwegian Maritime Authority has reported an increase in the number of commercial vessel incidents in the past year. A total of 1,154 incidents were registered on commercial vessels in 2024. Half of these were accidents and the other half were near misses. This represents an increase of about six percent in incidents compared to 2023, according to Vegar Berntsen, Section Manager, Risk Management and Analysis, Norwegian Maritime Directorate. According to Berntsen, smaller vessels are primarily the ones that sink, with the majority being fishing vessels.
Safety inspections of ships are a crucial and mandatory part of maritime operations, ensuring compliance with international regulations and safeguarding crew, cargo, vessels and the environment. Understanding how the process of safety inspections of ships is undertaken and maintaining readiness is essential to avoid deficiencies and ensure smooth operations. A well-prepared master plays a vital role in ensuring successful safety inspections. Masters should conduct regular self-inspections to identify and rectify potential deficiencies, maintain an updated checklist covering all inspection areas, and train crew members on emergency procedures and regulatory