The Marine Department of the Hong Kong SAR has published note on the amendments to the International Life-Saving Appliance Code (LSA Code) and the Revised Recommendation on Testing of Life-Saving Appliances.
The amendments, which will enter force on 1 January 2026, decisions made following the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee 108th session earlier this year. Continue reading “Hong Kong SAR note on amendments to LSA code”
The International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) has partnered with the Canadian National Centre of Expertise on Maritime Pilotage (NCEMP) and the Canadian Coast Guard to rigorously explore remote pilotage to ground-truth its feasibility, readiness, and impacts on safe navigation practices and systems.
Launched this summer, the study is specifically designed to deliver unbiased, science-based and authoritative insights into pilotage as a socio-technical system and the readiness, risks, impacts, benefits, opportunities, and prerequisites of remote pilotage.
A crucial part of the work is to conduct trials which will take place over the next two years in three different ways to ensure Continue reading “IMPA study on remote pilotage reaches out to manufacturers and system integrators”
The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has released a Unified Interpretation on CO2 fire extinguishing systems in alcohol-fuelled ships machinery spaces.
Within the update it states machinery space and fuel preparation space where methyl/ethyl alcohol-fuelled engines or fuel pumps are arranged should be protected by an approved fixed fire extinguishing system in accordance with SOLAS regulations. The system should also be able to extinguish methyl/ethyl alcohol fires.
The interpretation says that where CO2 is used to suppress Continue reading “IACS guidance on CO2 fire extinguishing systems in alcohol-fuelled ships”
The Liberia Maritime Authority has updated Marine Notice SAF-004 on lifeboat and emergency drills. The amended notice includes changes on drills and training sessions.
The notice provides guidelines for the safe conduct of abandon ship drills using lifeboats and alternative method for lifeboat drills on mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs). It applies to owners, masters, ships officers, nautical inspectors, and recognized organization surveyors when performing drills and surveys on board Liberian flag ships and MODUs. It also addresses several SOLAS requirements established by the office of the deputy commissioner.
Every crewmember should take part in at least one abandon ship, and one fire drill each month. This increases to at least each week for passenger ships, however, the entire does not have to be involved in every drill. Continue reading “Liberia: Updated guidelines for Marine Notice SAF-004”
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has published a safety bulletin regarding Lithium Storage Solutions.
It reads: “As the UK Market Surveillance Authority for marine equipment, [the MCA] is aware that Lithium Storage Solutions Ltd claim on their website https://www.lithiumstoragesolutions.com/ that their product, the Lithium Safety Store® is “Fully compliant with MGN 681 (M), Fire safety and storage of small electric powered craft on yachts, section 4 storage and charging” and also claims “Fully certified for sea and air transport and storage” under MGN 681. Continue reading “Lithium Storage Solutions safety bulletin published by the MCA”
The Paris MoU is emphasising the importance of fire door compliance after a recent Focused Inspection Campaign (FIC) recorded a 13.9% non-compliance rate.
As part of an ongoing investigation into possible efficiency improvements regarding inspection campaigns, the member authorities of the Paris MoU held an unannounced FIC on fire doors from 1 to 28 July this year.
The findings of this FIC raised concerns for the Paris MoU, as 13.9% of non-compliance was recorded. Of this 13.9%, 30% was considered to be a lack of implementation of the ISM Code. Continue reading “Paris MoU concerned over FIC on fire doors results”
The Isle of Man Ship Registry has published Technical Advisory Notice 005-24 regarding enclosed space entry, gas detection, and CO2 hazards. The advisory primarily targets dry cargo operators, as they experience the highest incidence of enclosed space accidents. It emphasizes the need to assess hazards from cargoes before loading, particularly those that emit CO2, such as organic cargoes like coal. A recent incident resulted in the deaths of three stevedores, highlighting the risks of oxygen depletion and CO2 toxicity from organic materials.
This advisory serves as a supplement to previous Technical Advisory Notices (007-19 and 008-19), which also addressed issues related to enclosed space safety. Continue reading “Isle of Man advisory on enclosed space entry and CO2 hazards issued”
Liberia Maritime Authority has published a marine notice with an update to safety inspections of Liberian ships.
The update now includes an annex with a separate form for additional checklist to be used for passenger ships only. The notice was published 30 September and supersedes Marine Notice INS-001, dated 05/24.
The checklist for passenger ships contains 14 parts with questions focusing on: Continue reading “Liberia: New checklist for safety inspections of Liberian ships”
ClassNK has released its Guidelines for Liquefied Hydrogen Carriers (Edition 3.0), which covers essential details to examine the safety of carriers to spur related technological developments.
To construct a supply chain for hydrogen, which is expected to be a clean energy source in a decarbonized society, the development of liquefied hydrogen carriers that enable large-scale and efficient transportation is progressing actively.
IMO has worked on establishing safety requirements for liquefied hydrogen carriers that must keep cargo at an extremely low temperature Continue reading “ClassNK releases updated Guidelines for Liquefied Hydrogen Carriers”
Leading global classification societies Lloyd’s Register (LR), RINA, DNV, Bureau Veritas (BV) and ABS, announce the establishment of the Yacht Safety and Environmental Consortium (YSEC) at the Monaco Yacht Show 2024.
The new consortium is committed to driving forward the safety and environmental performance of yachts, promoting and advising on achieving the best practices in the industry.
The yacht sector has a considerable need for a unified consortium Continue reading “Classification societies join forces to form YSEC: Yacht Safety and Environmental Consortium”
The Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) explains that charcoal is a widely used material for various purposes, including cooking, heating, and industrial processes and it is often transported in shipping containers. The carriage of charcoal in containers poses significant fire risks due to the potential for self-heating and spontaneous ignition.
Charcoal is described in the IMDG Code as “Black material originating from organic sources. Particularly includes carbon blacks, of animal or vegetable origin other non-activated carbon materials and Continue reading “CINS releases Comprehensive Guidelines for Carriage of Charcoal in Containers”
The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) has issued an update for transporting biological liquid cargo following explosion after hot work was carried out near a vent from a tank containing fish silage.
Fish silage is fresh fish residue and formic acid. The acid conserves the residue and delays the process of decomposition. When organic material decomposes in environments where there is little air, hazardous gases may form. Continue reading “Hazards when transporting biological liquid cargo”
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