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Consultation on changes to requirements for through hull openings following flooding incident

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Cayman Islands Registry issue safety alert
Cayman Islands Registry issue safety alert

The Cayman Islands Shipping Registry (CISR), on behalf of the Red Ensign Group (REG), has released an urgent safety flyer to the yachting industry following a serious flooding incident caused by the hull openings involving a commercially operated 375 GT motor yacht during a routine personal watercraft (PWC) recovery.

The incident occurred during calm sea conditions but escalated rapidly when the vessel, engaged in water sports operations, was struck by a series of large, unexpected waves. At the time, the transom and port side shell doors were open, and the yacht had developed a port list due to lifting operations. The sudden water ingress overwhelmed the bilge system, disabled the hydraulics, and rendered the shell doors inoperable, ultimately forcing the vessel’s Master to beach the yacht to prevent capsize. No injuries or environmental damage occurred thanks to decisive onboard actions. Continue reading “Consultation on changes to requirements for through hull openings following flooding incident”

USCG uncovers significant lack of hazardous material compliance

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Men from USCG checking containers - Photo credit: USCG
Men from USCG checking containers – Photo credit: USCG

US Coast Guard Sector New York personnel conducted three warehouse spot checks at the Port of New York and New Jersey during the last week of April, uncovering a 60% deficiency rate which is a significant lack of hazardous material compliance.

The targeted inspections, driven by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) container screening data, are part of an expanded effort to detect undeclared hazardous cargo before it can pose a threat to port safety or vessel crews. When CBP identifies anomalies or items of interest during targeted container inspections, they now routinely notify Coast Guard Sector New York personnel, who follow up with specialized checks focused on undeclared hazardous materials. Continue reading “USCG uncovers significant lack of hazardous material compliance”

BSU report into Endurance collision with pier

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BSU investigation Endurance collision report published
BSU investigation Endurance collision report published

The German Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) has released its report into the collision with a pier/dry dock by the car carrier Endurance due to broken lines in Bremerhaven on 13 March 2021.

What happened?

The car carrier Endurance was moored starboard side in Bremerhaven’s Verbindungshafen connecting port on 13 March 2021. Continue reading “BSU report into Endurance collision with pier”

USCG PSC Annual Report 2024

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USCG PSC Annual Report 2024
USCG PSC Annual Report 2024

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has released the U.S. Port State Control (PSC) Annual Report for 2024. The report said in 2024, a total of 11,273 individual vessels, from 79 different flag administrations, made 84,034 port calls to the U.S. 8,710 PSC exams were conducted. These exam numbers increased over the 2023 total of 8,278. The total number of ships detained in 2024 for environmental protection, safety, and security related deficiencies decreased from 101 to 82. Continue reading “USCG PSC Annual Report 2024”

NTSB report on fire on board towing vessel Johnny M

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Fire aboard Towing Vessel Johnny M (Source: East Marshall Fire Department)
Fire aboard Towing Vessel Johnny M (Source: East Marshall Fire Department)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said a catastrophic engine failure led to a fire aboard a towing vessel, Johnny M, on the Tennessee River last year.

An engine-room fire broke out on January 30, 2024, aboard the towing vessel Johnny M, which was pushing four barges on the Tennessee River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky. The six crewmembers aboard were unable to extinguish the fire using the CO2 fixed-fire-extinguishing system and abandoned ship to a Good Samaritan vessel. Continue reading “NTSB report on fire on board towing vessel Johnny M”

Tokyo MOU Annual Report 2024 published

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Tokyo MOU 2024 annual report published
Tokyo MOU 2024 annual report published

The Tokyo MOU has released its Annual Report 2024, which conducted 32,054 inspections, which is four times the number of inspections undertaken three decades ago.

The Tokyo MOU noted that the detention rate has decreased 0.6 percentage points in 2024, continuous attention and emphasis needs to be paid as the level of detentions is still higher than that of the pre-pandemic period and almost the same level as that of ten years before. Furthermore, in 2024, the number of under-performing ships are nearly double that of the previous year, which indicates the condition of ships in the region is becoming worse. An analysis Continue reading “Tokyo MOU Annual Report 2024 published”

Lightning protection at sea

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Lightning breaking across the dark sky
Lightning breaking across the dark sky

Venturing across the expansive open sea is an exhilarating yet unpredictable experience, with ever-changing weather patterns constantly threatening the safety of boats, their crew and passengers. Among the most dreaded natural occurrences faced by boat owners are lightning strikes. Fortunately, the advent of advanced technologies, like the Sertec CMCE (Compensador Múltiple de Campo Electroatmosférico) Lightning protection at sea de-ionising technology, now offers boat owners a dependable solution to shield their vessels from the destructive impact of lightning strikes. A technology that does not allow the conditions for a lightning strike by de-ionisation, creating a protected area into a balanced stable state, so that no build-up of opposite charge exists even in the most severe storm and while under motion; a technology that is passive and requires no power. Continue reading “Lightning protection at sea”

Transportation of electric vessels containing lithium batteries

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Boat on fire with the red words EV floating above it
Boat on fire with the red words EV floating above it

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued this safety advisory notice to inform the public and raise awareness of the risks involved in Transportation of electric vessels containing lithium batteries that may have been damaged due to submersion in waters during extreme weather events. When transported in commerce, EVs containing these damaged batteries may present particularly significant hazards to the public, including property damage, injury, and even death. Our intention with this notice is to prevent those things from happening. Continue reading “Transportation of electric vessels containing lithium batteries”

Bills of Lading: Basic concepts and issues

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Introduction to Bills of Lading: Basic concepts and issues

A bills of lading is a contractual document issued by the carrier by sea of goods which such carrier takes possession of and transports. Generally, a bill of lading would contain details about the transported goods such as the type, quantity, weight, value, and date of shipment of such goods. From a definitional perspective, it is difficult to give a precise definition of a bill of lading, but it could certainly be said to possess the following essential attributes:

(i)It serves as a transport receipt which the carrier gives to the seller for transporting his goods;

(ii)It serves as evidence of contract between the carrier and the exporter; and

(iii)It serves as a document of title for the importer or the buyer.

From the above, it is evident that there are the following parties primarily involved: Continue reading “Bills of Lading: Basic concepts and issues”

LPG safety on Inland Waterways boats

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River canal boat
River canal boat

The aim, with LPG, was to improve boater safety by reviewing key elements of gas safety, while linking design, commissioning and maintenance together as crucial factors to gas system success. There is scant academic work existing that relates to the inland waterways, and virtually no academic research into gas safety on boats. It is hoped this project will open the debate and encourage other projects and ensure LPG safety on Inland Waterways boats. Continue reading “LPG safety on Inland Waterways boats”

Introducing the history of ceramic coatings

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A man spraying ceramic coating on a yacht
A man spraying ceramic coating on a yacht

Ceramic coatings, or to give them their full and correct technical name, Polysilazanes, were introduced into the superyacht sector in the early years of the 21st century, as a transparent, durable protective coating. This article will be introducing the history of ceramic coatings.

Many industrial coating applications of Polysilazanes in their various formulations are well documented and researched. In the plastics and composites industry they were developed and utilised as a release agent for moulds. Most homes are familiar with them as a nonstick coating for pans and knives. In the superyacht industry they were introduced as a surface paint protection, after being used as an anti-graffiti paint for trains in Northern Europe. They are renowned for their high adhesion to most substrates, and their excellent anti- adherent properties. They are also extremely hard, cure well at low temperatures, and have excellent chemical crosslinking that ensures high chemical and thermal stability. Continue reading “Introducing the history of ceramic coatings”

Enclosed Space Entry Joint Workshop meets for the fourth time

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man in an enclose spaceThe fourth Enclosed Space Entry Joint Industry Workshop took place at OCIMF’s London office in late March, where a working group drawn from maritime organisations gathered to identify measures to reduce or eliminate deaths in enclosed spaces onboard vessels.

In the previous three meetings, the cross-industry working group’s review of prior enclosed space incidents identified operational, commercial, technical and training related issues as recurring contributing factors. This review also included an analysis of incidents to understand the relationship between vessel type, incident location onboard and the rank or role of the victims. Continue reading “Enclosed Space Entry Joint Workshop meets for the fourth time”

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