News Hound

The historic ferry Tourist II partially sank at a pier in Astoria, Oregon on Friday July 28. The vessel went down at her berth, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. A containment boom was deployed around the ferry to reduce the risk of pollution, and an oil spill response organization was contracted to provide cleanup services. No one was aboard at the time of the sinking.

The Tourist II has a long history in the Pacific Northwest. She was built in 1924 for a lucrative private ferry route between Astoria and Megler, Washington, near the mouth of the Columbia River. Continue reading “Historic ferry sinks”

The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA) has published its report on the fire on board ‘MS Brim’ in the outer Oslofjord on 11 March 2021.

Immediately before the fire broke out on the MS Brim, the battery system was disconnected as a result of a ground fault, which was indicated on the panel on the bridge. Ground faults had been a recurring problem since the vessel was new. The crew therefore perceived the alarm as ‘one of many’, and did not consider it to be serious. They had no possibility of identifying the point of origin of the ground fault alarm or ascertaining how serious it was. Continue reading “Fire due to seawater on MS Brim reveals NSIA investigation”

ABS and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have signed a joint development project (JDP) to enhance hull safety with smart ship technology for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) using a hull sensor package that will allow for more informed and targeted hull surveys.

SHI’s Hull Stress Monitoring System (HSMS) will be developed in accordance with the ABS Smart Functions Guide. The system will be installed on a new build container ship scheduled for delivery in 2024. Continue reading “Smart hull monitoring software to be developed”