Health & Safety

A culture of poor maintenance practices led to Caribbean Fantasy fire says report

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The fire could not be contained, so the master ordered the ship to be abandoned.
The fire could not be contained, so the master ordered the ship to be abandoned.

A poor safety culture and the ineffective implementation of a safety management system were identified as the most likely causes of the 2016 fire aboard the RoRo vessel Caribbean Fantasy.

The vessel’s main engine room was hit by fire in the morning hours of 17 August 2016, when fuel spraying from a leaking flange came in contact with a hot surface on the port main propulsion engine, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a report.

The fire could not be contained, so the master ordered the ship to be abandoned. At the time of the incident, the Baja Ferries-operated vessel was 2 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Continue reading “A culture of poor maintenance practices led to Caribbean Fantasy fire says report”

Specialist rescue system for overboard crew launched

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One of the rescued crewmembers with a life jacket on
One of the rescued crewmembers with a life jacket on

A specialist system to rescue crew members who fall overboard has been developed by boat builder Goodchild Marine Services.

The Man Overboard Recovery Platform (MOB) has been designed to reduce the risk of cardiac arrest in anyone that has fallen overboard by lifting the casualty horizontally rather than vertically.

“This has become one of our bestselling products with widespread interest in the UK and abroad,” said Alan Goodchild, Goodchild Marine MD.

“Key features include an automatically-hinged propeller guard to prevent injury to the casualty, manual back-up and self-cleaning tracks.

Continue reading “Specialist rescue system for overboard crew launched”

BSU report shows that MSC Katrina fire was caused by self-heating

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The MSC Katerina
The MSC Katerina

The German Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation has released its reports about two non-connected fires on container ships. The MSC Katrina was in the Elbe estuary when the fire was detected on 20 November 2015. The second ship, the Ludwigshafen Express was in the Red Sea when fire was noticed during an inspection in February 2016.

The first incident

The MSC Katrina was located in the Elbe estuary when its smoke detection system discovered fire. As a result, the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies had the ability to deploy specially trained firefighters.

Continue reading “BSU report shows that MSC Katrina fire was caused by self-heating”

Stainless steel bolts at offshore facility fail due to corrosion cracking

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A number of strain-hardened, Type 304 stainless steel bolts, (ASTM A193 B8, Class 2) failed unexpectedly at an offshore facility
A number of strain-hardened, Type 304 stainless steel bolts, (ASTM A193 B8, Class 2) failed unexpectedly at an offshore facility

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) published an alert regarding an unexpected failure of certain kinds of strain-hardened Type 304 stainless steel bolts. The failure happened at an offshore facility during a pneumatic leak test of gas piping exiting a test separator.

The incident

A number of strain-hardened, Type 304 stainless steel bolts, (ASTM A193 B8, Class 2) failed unexpectedly at an offshore facility while a pneumatic leak test of gas piping exiting a test separator was being conducted.

Strain-hardening austenitic stainless steel nuts and bolts to increase their strength may increase their sensitivity to chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC) and reduce their safe upper temperature limit. Other factors such as Continue reading “Stainless steel bolts at offshore facility fail due to corrosion cracking”

Ethylene vapors activate carbon monoxide alarm says safety alert

Posted on by News Hound
A certified marine chemist traced the source of the vapors to an eight inch crack on a cargo vapor line
A certified marine chemist traced the source of the vapors to an eight inch crack on a cargo vapor line

The USCG has published a safety alert informing marine inspectors that ethylene vapors on LNG carriers can activate Carbon Monoxide alarms. Specifically, during an examination of a LNG carrier whose cargo tanks contained ethylene vapors, PSC Officers (PSCOs) received alarms on their portable four gas meters giving a reading of 60 to 100 parts per-million (PPM) Carbon Monoxide (CO).

A certified marine chemist traced the source of the vapors to an eight inch crack on a cargo vapor line. PSCOs initially thought the alarm was related to a combustion event and did not suspect the ethylene vapors were the source, because they did not get a Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) reading on their monitors.

The chemist indicated that the LEL most likely never alarmed because of high winds on deck. He further explained that the molecular weight of Ethylene (28 g/mol) was identical to the molecular weight of CO which accounted for the CO PPM readings. USCG personnel contacted the manufacturer who confirmed that Continue reading “Ethylene vapors activate carbon monoxide alarm says safety alert”

Incorrect oxygen welding gas hose led to fire

Posted on by News Hound
The hose had been recently replaced, but the replacement hose was a hydraulic oil service hose with oxygen fittings.
The hose had been recently replaced, but the replacement hose was a hydraulic oil service hose with oxygen fittings.

In its latest Safety Flashes, IMCA presents a case of a fire due to incorrectly selected oxygen welding gas hose, during a routine cutting job onboard a ship. There were no injuries or ship damage, but investigation later revealed that the hose had been recently replaced with one that did not comply with ISO 14113 specification.

The incident

The ship’s welder opened the Oxygen and Acetylene gas bottle valves in order to do a cutting job on deck. These gas bottles were attached to the vessel’s integrated welding gas system. Opening the valve on the Oxygen bottle caused an explosion to a short, high pressure hose delivering oxygen from the bottle to the oxygen gas regulator. The end of the hose caught fire and was quickly extinguished by turning off the oxygen bottle. Nobody was injured and the only damage was to the hose that completely separated.

Findings

The hose had been recently replaced, but the replacement hose was a hydraulic oil service hose with oxygen fittings. The replacement hose was not Continue reading “Incorrect oxygen welding gas hose led to fire”

Sinking raises safety issues on bilge alarms

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Sinking raises safety issues on bilge alarms
Sinking raises safety issues on bilge alarms

In its latest Safety Digest, the UK MAIB provides learnings about an 8.13m fibreglass fishing vessel that was engaged in picking up its fleets of creels when it began to take on water and subsequently sank, no bilge alarms sounded. The skipper, who was working alone, managed to deploy the boat’s liferaft and climb into it as the boat was sinking and was later rescued without injuries.

The incident

The skipper went out to sea shortly after daybreak to recover his two fleets of creels. The weather was good. As soon as he arrived at the fishing grounds, he hauled in the first fleet of creels and stowed it on the aft end of the deck. He then headed at speed toward the second fleet of creels.

Continue reading “Sinking raises safety issues on bilge alarms”

Life Cell wins top boating magazine award

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Life Cell wins top boating magazine award
New innovation wins top boating magazine award

Life Cell, which stores essential safety gear together in a buoyant, high-visibility floating case for quick and easy access in emergencies, has received a 2018 Top Product Award from Boating Industry magazine.

Designed by a survivor of a rapid sinking off the coast of Sydney, Australia, Life Cell is redefining how safety equipment is stored on boats and creating a new category of safety equipment in an attempt to save lives. It is like combining a life ring and a ditch kit in one device, two items that have undergone little innovation in recent history.

“Life Cell has had significant success in Continue reading “Life Cell wins top boating magazine award”

Wet damage the most costly claim says The Swedish Club

Posted on by News Hound
Ship on the sea - Image Courtesy: Empros Lines
Ship on the sea – Image Courtesy: Empros Lines

The Swedish Club has published a report warning bulk carrier owners to pay extra attention to the basics. The Club has concluded that for bulk carrier operators, wet damage is the most costly claim type and the second most common claim that they experience.

The report is entitled Wet Damage on Bulk Carriers and has been prepared in cooperation with DNV GL, and MacGregor. It identifies heavy weather and leaking hatch covers as the most common and the most costly type of claim and the average cost for a wet damage cargo claim being almost $110,000.

Whilst weather routeing minimises the effects of Continue reading “Wet damage the most costly claim says The Swedish Club”

London P&I Club reveals key causes of container loss claims

Posted on by News Hound
Containers on a ship - Photo credit: London P&I Club
Containers on a ship – Photo credit: London P&I Club

A recent run of container loss claims by the London P&I Club has highlighted some of the common contributory factors that emerge as part of the investigation process. The Club noted that the subject of misdeclared container weights continues to be a problem. But with this particular run of claims it was the attending surveyor’s observations about cargo securing equipment that caught the eye.

In these container loss claims, it became clear that several manual twist locks were not correctly locked at the time of the incident. The causes for this were considered to be two-fold – some twist locks were damaged (specifically with locking levers either bent or missing), or the units in service were a mixture of right and left-hand locking units, leading to confusion over the observed status of the twist lock.

Upon investigation, a number of container corner castings and container foundations showed no signs of having a locked twist lock forcibly removed during the collapse, the natural conclusion being Continue reading “London P&I Club reveals key causes of container loss claims”

IMO adopts GHG emissions strategy for shipping

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Nations met at the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London recently to talk GHG emissions
Nations met at the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London recently to talk GHG emissions

Nations meeting at the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London recently have adopted an initial strategy on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships, setting out a vision to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping and phase them out, as soon as possible in this century.

The vision confirms IMO’s commitment to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and, as a matter of urgency, to phasing them out as soon as possible.

Continue reading “IMO adopts GHG emissions strategy for shipping”

Martek Marine provides superyacht D-Fence from drone threat

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Martek Marine provides superyacht D-Fence from drone threat
Martek Marine provides superyacht D-Fence from drone threat

The superyacht fraternity are waking up to the growing threat that drones pose to privacy, safety & security on-board their yachts. Recent years have seen a massive advance in drone endurance, range and payload capacity whilst the price has also plummeted, leading to a proliferation of drones expected to reach 12 million by 2020.

Terrorist use of drones deploying explosives and poison gas attacks are well documented. The potential for a drone to deliver an explosive charge or even payloads such as nerve-gas on-board a superyacht is a stark reality. Paparazzi intrusion using drones approaching superyachts is already a recognised and growing problem. Yachts in port, at anchor or on coastal transits are simply ‘sitting ducks’ and currently powerless to know if/when they’re going to be attacked, let alone be in a position to defend against the threat.

To combat this emerging threat Martek Marine have Continue reading “Martek Marine provides superyacht D-Fence from drone threat”

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