While PressurePores are suitable for all types of vessel, they are particularly suitable for naval vessels, fishing fleets, offshore vessels and cruise ships operating in sensitive environments.
A new technology aimed at reducing the underwater radiated noise (URN) generated by ships’ propeller cavitation has been developed by Strathclyde University and Oscar Propulsion.
The patented Oscar PressurePores system reduces propeller tip vortex cavitation by applying a small number of strategically bored holes in the propeller blades.
The addition of these pressure-relieving holes now allows ships to operate with a more silent propeller with a minimum of compromise on its efficiency or having to slow steam. Reducing cavitation also reduces its associated erosive effect.
If a vessel continues to carry HFO as cargo over a period of successive years, the Club is not obliged to carry out a survey every year.
As part of the industry’s efforts to ensure higher ship standards, the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG Clubs) continues to implement survey triggers for seagoing vessels of 10 years of age or more carrying HFO, the American P&I Club has reminded the industry in a bulletin.
As a consequence, all sea-going vessels aged 10 years or more which have carried heavy HFO as cargo within the previous 12 months will be subject to condition survey, unless:
– the vessel has undergone a P&I club condition survey during the previous 12 months; or
– the vessel has undergone a Special Survey during the previous 6 months; or
– the vessel has a valid Condition Assessment Program (CAP) rating of 1 or 2 with a classification society having membership in the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).
– HFO is defined as residual fuel with a kinematic viscosity of 380 centipoises when measured at 50 degrees Celsius by the ISO 3104 test method.
During the meeting of the IMO Sub-Committee, a correspondence group was established.
The IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment held its 6th Session from 4 to 8 March 2019. The meeting focused on improvements in ventilation conditions of survival craft that will be achieved by finalising draft amendments to the LSA Code on ventilation requirements for survival craft and draft amendments to the ‘Revised recommendation on testing of life-saving appliances’.
Mainly, the Sub-Committee discussed the draft amendments to the LSA Code, relating to ventilation requirements of totally enclosed lifeboats.
In the meantime, the meeting made progress in developing draft amendments to the revised recommendation on testing of life-saving appliances regarding the ventilation of survival craft, aiming to ensure a habitable environment is maintained in such survival craft.
Around 0900 on 9 April, the mate, who was on watch, noticed that the vessel was not fully returning upright when it was heeled over by the swell
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has published an investigation report on the sinking of the fishing vessel ‘Western Commander’ off Triple Islands, Dixon Entrance, British Columbia, in April 2018. The report highlighted issues related to safe loading practices and proper risk identification.
In April 2018, the vessel was under contract to sea urchin buyers to transport urchins for 11 different harvesters. From 4 April to the morning of 6 April, the vessel remained at anchor in Parry Passage due to inclement weather.
Around 0900 on 9 April, the mate, who was on watch, noticed that the vessel was not fully returning upright when it was heeled over by the swell. Water was coming over the port railing and remaining on deck, and the vessel developed a port list. At some point, water had entered the port forward fish hold. In an attempt to Continue reading “Safe loading practices highlighted in fishing vessel sinking”
The US Coast Guard has published its Findings of Concern with essential information it wishes to share about unsafe conditions that investigators have identified as causal factors such as vessel stability in a casualty that could contribute to future incidents. The Findings of Concern follow the sinking of a fishing vessel in February 2017.
In February 2017, immediately after 27 days of cod fishing, a 98-foot commercial fishing vessel carrying 200 crab pots with a crew of six departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and proceeded towards St. Paul Island to drop off bait with the intent to transit to the Opilio crab fishing grounds.
The vessel got underway despite multiple National Weather Service (NWS) marine forecasts indicating areas of freezing spray throughout the vessel’s planned route.
The draft SOLAS amendments and draft guidelines/guidance will now be forwarded to the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in June, for approval.
As part of its work to make ships mooring safer, IMO’s Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC 6), which took place on 4-8 February 2019, has introduced new requirements for appropriate and safe-to-use designs of mooring arrangements, a maintenance and inspection regime, as well as proper documentation.
The submissions at the meeting highlighted that mooring operations continue to pose a risk to ships’ crews, but also shore-based mooring personnel.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued an investigation report on the sinking of the towing vessel ‘Ricky Robinson’ on the Lower Mississippi River, in December 2017, which caused death of the two crewmen onboard, oil discharge and significant damage of the vessel.
On 8 December 2017, about 11:26 local time, the Ricky Robinson capsized and sank on the Lower Mississippi River at mile 732.8 near Memphis, Tennessee, with two crewmembers on board, after the towing vessel began taking on water.
The pilot made a distress call just before the sinking; neither crewmember was found during the search and rescue operations that followed.
The speed of which the fire grew to encompass the engine room and the location of primary fire equipment within that same space together eliminated the opportunity for the crew to effectively fight the fire.
The NTSB issued an investigation report on the engine room fire and explosion onboard the towing vessel ‘J.W. Herron’ on Big Bayou Canot near Mobile, Alabama in December 2017. The report identified leaking lube oil from a propulsion diesel engine hose or tubing fitting that was ignited off an exposed hot engine surface, as the key cause of the accident.
About 1340 local time on 13 December 2017, the towing vessel J.W. Herron was shifting barges on Big Bayou Canot near Twelvemile Island, approximately 8 miles north of Mobile, Alabama, when a fire began in the lower engine room and quickly spread.
One of the containers came loose and hit one of the flat racks with jerry cans.
The Swedish Club has released details about a cargo fire caused by moving cargo due to inclement weather conditions. The case has highlighted the importance of detailed planning and discussions among Master, Chief Officer, technical manager or charterer, when it is about critical cargo operations.
The RoRo vessel was underway and expected to sail through heavy weather with up to Beaufort scale 10 winds and eight metre high waves. The cargo onboard consisted mainly of vehicles, containers and jerry cans with fuel on flat racks.
Before loading, the Chief Officer went ashore to inspect the cargo. He inspected the jerry cans that were secured with quick lashings through the handles of each row and secured to bars on the flat racks.
He was concerned that the jerry cans were placed on flat racks and not in containers, as there were no walls around the racks to protect the jerry cans. The flat racks and containers were Continue reading “Fire caused by moving cargo”
At 1438 on 27 March 2018, the Bahamas registered general cargo vessel Celtica Hav grounded on a stone training wall in the approach channel to the River Neath, Wales.
The vessel had a harbour pilot on board at the time who had control of the steering and speed. Celtica Hav was quickly re-floated and manoeuvred clear of the training wall.
It suffered extensive shell plate damage to the bottom of its hull, which resulted in water ingress to several ballast tanks and flooding in the engine room.
The flooding was contained using the vessel’s bilge and ballast pumps, and submersible salvage pumps provided by the harbour authority.
February 2017, on board the passenger cruise ship Emerald Princess, a nitrogen cylinder burst resulting in one fatality.
New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has published its report on the accident in Port Chalmers, Dunedin in February 2017, on board the passenger cruise ship Emerald Princess. A nitrogen cylinder burst resulting in one fatality. The core of the report highlights a lack of global minimum standards for inspection, testing and rejecting pressure cylinders for stored energy systems on lifeboat launching installations, a common system on cruise ships.
On February 9, 2017, while the Bermuda-flagged passenger vessel ‘Emerald Princess’ was berthed at Port Chalmers in Dunedin, its crew was conducting maintenance procedures on one of the lifeboat launching systems.
According to the guidelines, the transport of DVB without any temperature control generally relies on the DVB being at a low enough temperature when shipped.
The Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS), the International Group of P&I Clubs and the TT Club have published industry guidelines for the carriage of Divinylbenzene (DVB) in containers.
DVB is a chemical prone to polymerization (a form of self-reaction). When shipped in bulk, DVB polymerization can lead heat and flammable gas to be generated. Thus, the stowage of containers carrying DVB aboard vessels can present a risk of explosion and fire, if they are not properly presented for carriage.
As a series of polymerization incidents took place from the carriage of DVB by sea in 2018 the IMO approved changes to the way that polymerizing substances, like DVB, are carried, by amending the IMDG Code. These changes are included in amendment 39-18 of the IMDG Code, which will be mandatory from 1 January 2020, but may be applied voluntarily from 1 January 2019.
