Most marine craft represent Systems of Systems (SoS) and are an ensemble of complex systems, which have the potential for an extraordinary amount of structural and technical complexity and improving survey practice and process.
Because of this, a SoS can be vulnerable to sudden catastrophic collapse because of small and insignificant partial functionality losses in one of the constituent systems. Continue reading “Swiss Cheese? Improving Survey Practice and Process”
In its Shipping and Safety Review 2023, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty reported that the second top cause of loss of vessels in 2022 was fire or explosion. There were 209 ship fires reported during 2022, the highest in a decade and 17% more than in 2021. Of those fires, 13 occurred on car carriers. Fire was also reportedly the most expensive cause of marine insurance claims furthering the point that electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries at sea at potent fire risks. Continue reading “Carrying electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries at sea and the fire risks”
An increasing number of vessels have encountered unexpected port state issues related to sulphur emissions limit exceedance caused by inaccurate readings. These false readings are of exhaust monitoring equipment. This technical news emphasizes the importance of calibration and maintenance routines, and of monitoring equipment performance. Continue reading “How to identify false readings of exhaust monitoring equipment”
Over one third of ballast water treatment systems fail PSC inspections despite 95% of systems having successfully passed commissioning tests.
Information submitted by Global TestNet to the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee MEPC82, which took place last year, revealed that 29% to 44% of operational systems are failing to remove invasive species in the >50µm range, with more than 100 organisms of this size routinely found in every 1m3 of treated water. Continue reading “One third of ballast water treatment systems fail PSC inspections”
New guidance on achieving stable lifting operations has been developed by a sub-working group of the Heavy Lift Exchange Forum, a DNV-initiated round table for heavy-lift shipping companies. Members of the working group are from the companies BBC Chartering, BigLift Shipping, DNV, Heerema, Jumbo Maritime, SAL Engineering and United Heavy Lift.
What is best practice when it comes to cranes lifting loads onto, off and between ships in port or at sea? New guidance from an industry forum initiated by DNV dives into the key considerations and calculations to help ensure these hazardous operations are performed safely to reduce the risk of loss to life, property and the environment. Continue reading “New guidance on achieving stable lifting operations”
Britannia P&I Club has issued information about what actions to take when loading different bulk cargoes to meet the requirements of the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code. The shipper is responsible for providing the master (or their representative) with sufficient information in advance to allow safe preparation for loading, stowage, and carriage of the nominated cargo under the requirements of the IMSBC code. Continue reading “Meeting the requirements of the IMSBC Code”
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in its newest series of reports regarding the safety of ammonia use in ships has reviewed critical causes and patterns in ammonia-related maritime accidents. Among the alternative fuel options, anhydrous ammonia has drawn a lot of interest from the marine industry for its potential to become a long-term solution for decarbonisation. The comprehensive review of accidents however, highlighted on EMSA’s report “Safety of Ammonia for Use in Ships”, has underscored critical causes of these incidents that allow identifying recurring patterns and highlighting critical areas for preventive or corrective measures for application in the maritime sector. Continue reading “Valve failures is the lead cause of ammonia-related maritime accidents”
The is a distressing case about a fatal accident that should never have happened. And as the investigation has revealed, a series of poor, inadequate and ineffective inspections and surveys that failed to discover serious rotten wood, would appear to be largely to blame.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has released a critical report on the demasting of a historic schooner, blaming the catastrophic incident on rotten wood that had gone unnoticed for years due to poor inspections.
About three years after the mainmast of the 144-year-old schooner Grace Bailey Continue reading “Rotten wood caused historic Grace Bailey demasting”
The London P&I Club has renewed its warning to shipowners, operators, and charterers over the risks linked to loading dry chemicals in Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBCs), and the incorrect storage and handling of jumbo bags with the launch of a new video that provides loss prevention advice.
The alert follows several incidents involving cargo fires and damage—particularly on bulk carriers and general cargo ships, with many cases reported at Chinese ports. The Club warns that failure to strictly comply with all relevant International Maritime Organization (IMO) Continue reading “Incorrect storage and handling of jumbo bags can lead to significant claims”
Lloyd’s Register (LR) has issued a regulatory update stating that, PFOS will be banned in fire extinguishing media from January 2026 – including firefighting foam. This applies to both fixed and portable systems and equipment.
In particular, the IMO developed amendments to SOLAS Chapter II-2 and the High Speed Craft (HSC) Codes (1994 and 2000) which were adopted in the following resolutions: Continue reading “PFOS banned in fire extinguishing media from January 2026”
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has issued a safety notice highlighting the risk of green patina build-up on high-pressure water mist nozzles, which can compromise the effectiveness of onboard firefighting systems. According to the notice, while witnessing routine testing of a fixed firefighting system during an annual exam aboard a foreign passenger vessel, the Coast Guard discovered multiple high-pressure water mist nozzles that were incapable of discharging water. Consequently, the firefighting system failed to activate in multiple accommodation spaces. Continue reading “Safety alert issues about green patina build-up on water mist nozzles”
Given that 90% of international trade is transported across oceans, maritime safety is critical, and the shipping industry has made significant improvements in recent years. During the 1990s, the global fleet lost 200+ vessels a year. This total had halved by 10 years ago and is now down to a record low of 27 as of the end of 2024 is a key finding of the Allianz Safety and Shipping Review 2025.
This compares with 35 a year earlier (vessels over 100 gross tonnage [GT]), down by around 20%, with a 75% decline in total losses over Continue reading “Allianz Safety and Shipping Review 2025”
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