The Black Sea MoU has published its Annual Report for 2024, detailing its actions and presenting key Port State Control (PSC) data. The 2024 reporting period was significantly impacted by the ongoing armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, which continued to pose serious risks to the safety and security of crews and vessels operating in the region, conflicting with the BS MoU’s objectives. Continue reading “Black Sea MoU Annual Report 2024”
I have often spoken about sea blindness, both in my professional and personal life. By that I mean that most people have little idea, or concept, of what actually goes on at sea, the accidents and incidents that occur and the inherent dangers of the water. So, with that in mind, perhaps the findings of this research, which was commissioned through Bangor University’s Impact and Innovation Fund, do not surprise me, shocking though they are.
The study surveyed 1,368 participants across the UK and Ireland. It revealed that approximately 15 per cent of respondents Continue reading “What caught my eye: May 2025”
The key headline from the Bayesian interim report is that the yacht took less than 15 seconds to heel irrecoverably.
The UK-based Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report is the first official such document to be published into the sinking of the Bayesian which resulted in seven deaths off Sicily, including that of the yacht’s owner Mike Lynch, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah in August 2024.
As part of the Bayesian interim report, MAIB investigators have pieced together the sequence of events, the movements of the 10 crew and 12 guests onboard, and the rapid timeline of the sudden tragedy. Continue reading “MAIB issues interim report on the sinking of the Bayesian”
In a significant move to strengthen maritime safety across the UK, the Department for Transport has issued an updated version of the Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) with clear expectations that marinas and other non-statutory marine facilities bring their safety practices in line with the national framework as the Port Marine Safety Code extends reach to UK Marinas.
Originally introduced in 2000, the PMSC has long applied to statutory harbour authorities. However, the latest revision now explicitly includes all marine facilities, including privately operated marinas, piers, jetties, and terminals, even when located outside of traditional harbour jurisdictions. Continue reading “Updated Port Marine Safety Code extends reach to UK Marinas”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
The 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”
Britannia P&I Club has published loss prevention guidance on the consequences that need to be considered regarding hull fouling.
Hull fouling refers to a condition when marine organisms such as barnacles, algae, and mussels attach themselves to a ship’s underwater hull surface area. When operating in tropical or seasonal tropical waters the higher temperatures and sunlight provide ideal conditions for the rapid growth of marine organisms, particularly when the ship is stationary at anchorage for a longer period. Furthermore, during seasonal tropical periods, ocean currents transport nutrients from deeper waters to the surface in coastal areas, promoting the growth of photosynthetic organisms. Continue reading “Understanding hull fouling with Britannia P&I Club”
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