The German Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU) has published its report on the German flagged ferry BERLIN, which suffered a fire en route to Rostock on 13 August 2020 due to a pressure gauge pipe.
At about 0245, when the ferry was in the approach fairway about 2.6 nm off the sea channel, alarms sounded in the engine control room (ECR) and in the workshop. The IMAC Alarm, “gear oil sump level low” sounded first. The ship’s mechanic 1 (SM 1) acknowledged the alarm in the workshop and proceeded to the source of the alarm at main engines (ME) 1 and 2 (the two main engines that drive the controllable pitch propeller together with ME 3, via a common reduction gearbox). There he detected a leakage from a double nipple on top of the gearbox (from the pressure gauge connection). Continue reading “Material fatigue of pressure gauge pipe causes ferry fire”
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. 
The London Club published guidance regarding Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBCs) and Dry Chemicals. The guide presents common hazards, as well as lessons learned for a safe operation onboard.
The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has published its 2022 global marine insurance market analysis known as the IUMI Stats Report. The report presents various statistical data from multiple sources, including IUMI’s data, to provide insight into the marine insurance market within the context of global trade and shipping. For the third year, IUMI Stats contains analysis from its major claims database, which now comprises 11,000 claims records amounting to USD 17.3 billion of major losses.
