Hong Kong authorities have issued an investigation report following a fatal accident that happened on board a bulk carrier following an incident hatch covers, when it was en route to Port Hedland, Australia to load a cargo of salt in bulk.
During the voyage, the crew of the vessel was engaged with the main deck cleaning work and the cargo hold lime-coating work, while the C/O was co-ordinating the lime-coating operation on the main deck. When the C/O placed his body underneath the partially opened folding type hatch cover to check the condition of the cargo hold and take photos, the hydraulic oil hose of the hatch cover operating system ruptured, resulting in the sudden closure of the hydraulic operated hatch cover. The C/O was crushed to death by the hatch cover on the spot. Continue reading “Onboard training for operating hatch covers is essential”
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (
New Zealand port safety has taken an important step forward when employers, unions, the Port Industry Association and government regulators, working together as the Port Health and Safety Leadership Group, published detailed new port safety guidelines issued by New Zealand for setting up a fatigue risk management system.
At approximately 1315 on 3 April 2021, a deckhand on board the workboat Annie E was injured when he was struck by a grid buoy that had been lifted out of the water by the workboat’s forward crane at a fish farm off the Isle of Muck, according to 
The risks posed by poor conditions of storage of this common compound, which is used extensively in the Fertilisers and Explosives industries, have been well documented but awareness of the dangers of fire during transportation by sea is less well known. The objective of this guide, entitled ‘Ammonium Nitrate Fire Risk on Board Ships’ is to outline best practice with respect to the management of risk on vessels chartered to ship the compound through ports around the world.
The House of Commons parliamentary debate opened with Michael Fabricant MP setting out the unique contribution the waterways make from the economic impact through to the huge social and environmental benefits to society. The debate heard how the outcome of the UK Government’s review of the funding contract beyond 2027 is awaited. The current grant is fixed until 2027 and is declining both in real terms and as a proportion of total income. MPs spoke about how, with the increased threat from climate change events not envisaged in 2012, expenditure is increasing on the core national infrastructure.