Feature Articles

The Isle of Man Ship Registry has issued anew shipping notice earlier this year that sets out the minimum level of maintenance and inspection for 13 fire protection equipment items onboard, as required by SOLAS regulation II-2/14.

Overall, all fire protection systems and appliances must be in good order at all times and be readily available for immediate use while the ship is in service. If a fire protection system is undergoing maintenance, testing or repair, then suitable arrangements must be made to ensure safety is not diminished through the provision of alternate fixed or portable fire protection equipment or other measures. The onboard maintenance plan should include provisions for this purpose. Continue reading “13 fire protection equipment items to check manually”

A clear uptick in casualties in 2024, driven by machinery damage/failure and an ageing fleet, stands out in the latest analysis of Lloyd’s List Intelligence casualty data.

The number of maritime casualties rose by 15% in 2024. Coupled with a 7% rise in casualties in 2023, this represents a concerning development for the maritime industry, particularly with the global fleet growing at a considerably slower rate. This trend has now been established for several years. While the overall number of incidents declined by 5% be tween 2014 and 2018, the figure has increased every year since. Between 2018 and 2024, the number of incidents increased by 42%. Over the same period, the number of vessels in the global fleet increased by 10%. Continue reading “Ageing fleet driving increase in incidents”

West P&I Club has published a loss prevention bulletin addressing the issue of cargo contamination claims and highlights best practices on sampling procedures.

According to West, cargo contamination claims are a major risk for tanker operators, often resulting in expensive disputes. Properly taken, sealed, and stored samples are essential to prove cargo quality at the time of loading. As tanker cargoes are loaded through closed systems, pre-loading inspection is not possible. Samples are the shipowner’s main defence in off-spec claims as they provide critical evidence to identify when and where contamination occurred, reducing claim costs and response time. Continue reading “Best practices on sampling procedures”

The growing scale and complexity of marine transportation necessitate a proactive and multi-faceted approach to risk management. While professional expertise, experience, and regulatory frameworks provide valuable advantages, they cannot anticipate all potential risks which is why Understanding effective risk assesments is important.

A review of incidents often finds that opportunities were missed to identify and mitigate the risks. As with any process, risk assessments may be ineffective and unlikely to contribute to safety if they are missing the point, are not understood, or seen merely as a ‘tick box exercise’. Risk assessments should ideally occur on many levels, both as a formal, documented process and as a dynamic, ‘on the job’ activity. Continue reading “Understanding effective risk assesments”