Auxiliary engine damage is mostly caused by human error says Swedish Club
The majority of all auxiliary engine damage takes place immediately after maintenance work according to an investigation by The Swedish Club. A key finding in their investigation is that 55% of casualties occur within only 10% of the time between overhaul corresponding to the first 1,000 hours or so of operation after overhaul. In most cases, the damage occurs only a few hours after start up, the Club noted.
New regulations from the Danish Maritime Authority for operating personal watercraft come into force
Following the launch of new regulations from the Danish Maritime Authority, effective from 1 January 2018, operators of personal watercraft must complete a theoretical as well as a practical test.
As part of the Danish Government’s efforts to enhance the safety of those using the sea for recreational purposes, the Danish Maritime Authority will now require operators of personal watercraft and the like to hold a special personal watercraft license.
The sailing yacht CV30 was taking part in the third leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race having left Cape Town on 31 October 2017 bound for Fremantle, Western Australia. At about 1414 local time on 18 November 2017, the yacht was in position 42°30.3’S, 087°36.3’E, approximately 1500nm from Fremantle, when a crew member, Simon Speirs, fell overboard. He was attached to the yacht by his safety harness tethers. The hook at the end of the tether that was clipped to a jack-line, deformed and released resulting in him becoming separated from the yacht. Simon Speirs was recovered unconscious onto the yacht but sadly could not be resuscitated.
A high vis vest that says ‘MCA Surveys and Inspections’
The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) has published an updated version of the ‘Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seafarers’. The amendments give advice on improving health and safety of seafarers, primarily for those on board UK registered ships. But surveyors should also take note.
The Code provides guidance on safe working practices for the many and numerous situations that occur on ships.
DNV GL has announced that IMO has introduced new requirements for the maintenance, examination, operational testing, overhaul and repair of lifeboats and rescue boats, relevant for shipyards, suppliers, owners/managers, flag states of all ship types. From 1 January 2020, personnel carrying out maintenance, thorough examination, operational testing overhaul and repair of the following items shall be certified by an authorized service providers:
MAIB issues report and safety flyer about gas explosions on general cargo ship Nortrader
On 13 January, at 1447, Nortrader, anchored off Plymouth with a cargo of unprocessed incinerator bottom ash (U-IBA), suffered 2 explosions in quick succession. The first explosion was in the forecastle store and the second in the cargo hold. The chief engineer, in the forecastle store at the time, suffered second degree burns requiring 4 months to recover. The vessel suffered extensive damage putting it out of service for over 3 months.
Safety lessons
Sea transportation of a cargo that was not included in the schedule of authorised cargoes of the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code
Not conducting appropriate tests that could have identified the propensity of the cargo, U-IBA, to release hydrogen when wet
The inadequacy and the inappropriateness of United Nations Test N.5 for the detection of flammable gases from non-homogeneous material Continue reading “MAIB issues report and safety flyer about gas explosions on general cargo ship Nortrader”
MAIB report published into the cargo collapse on bulk carrier Graig Rotterdam resulting in one fatality. Image courtesy of shipspotting.com
On 18 December 2016, there was a cargo collapse on bulk carrier Graig Rotterdam. The carrier was discharging a deck cargo of packaged timber at anchor in Alexandria Port, Egypt. At 1109, the bosun, a Chinese national, fell overboard and into a barge that was secured alongside after the timber deck cargo stack on which he was standing partially collapsed. Although the ship’s crew provided first-aid following the accident, the bosun later died of his injuries.
Safety Issues
Poor stevedoring practices probably contributed to the unsecured cargo stack collapsing, and no measures were in place to prevent the bosun from falling overboard as a result
With the deck cargo lashings removed, the cargo packages had insufficient racking strength to counter the effects of ship movement, cargo repositioning, dunnage displacement, barges securing to deck cargo stacks, and cargo discharge operations over a prolonged period
Poor stevedoring practices that had previously been witnessed by the ship’s crew were not discussed and so were allowed to continue Continue reading “MAIB report published into the cargo collapse on bulk carrier Graig Rotterdam resulting in one fatality”
The International Group of P&I Clubs together with The Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) has published a new guide with advise on the safe carriage of charcoal and carbon cargoes.
According to data, the local production of wood charcoal and carbon for domestic and export markets is about 53 million tonnes per year. These cargoes need to comply with the IMDG Code compliance and the aim of the guide is to highlight additional precautions to enhance their safe carriage.
MAIB report published into an accident during pilot transfer resulting in loss of one life
At 1812 on 5 October 2016, a Port of London Authority sea pilot was in the process of boarding the Bahamas registered general cargo vessel Sunmi from the pilot transfer Patrol when he fell and was crushed between the two vessels. He died at the scene despite prompt medical attention from Royal National Lifeboat Institution and local ambulance crew.
The US Coast Guard has issued an interim safety alert to address its concerns regarding vessel stability and watertight integrity, especially in light of a recent marine casualty in the Bering Sea that resulted in multiple fatalities and the total loss of the fishing vessel involved.
Although the investigation is not complete, testimony and fact finding indicate that vessel owners, operators, and crews should give special consideration to vessel stability concerns.
The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) has published its investigation report concerning the cargo handling fatality of two workers onboard the cargo vessel ‘BBC ASIA’. The incident happened in October 2016 at Hanshin Port. The report provides a description of what happened and provides important safety issues to prevent similar accidents in the future.
The incident
The accident occurred at around 11:31 on October 30, 2016, on the cargo ship BBC ASIA when, during work to load pipes with a crane at Shinko East Quay T Wharf, Kobe Section, Hanshin Port, three workers who were working in a cargo hold were caught between pipes being hoisted by the crane and a side wall. Two of the workers were killed and one was seriously injured.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) examines and investigates all types of marine accidents to, or on board UK vessels worldwide and other vessels in UK territorial waters. This Safety Digest (02/17) draws the attention of the marine community to some of the lessons arising from investigations into recent accidents and incidents. It contains information which has been determined up to the time of issue.
In his introduction to the Safety Digest, Steve Clinch, Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents for the MAIB says, “A fire is one of the most frightening things that can happen at sea. Often, seafarers have no ready access to the emergency services when a fire breaks out and will need to rely on their own resources, courage and training to tackle and extinguish the blaze quickly to ensure the safety of the ship and everyone on board. After reading one of the cases while editing this edition of the Safety Digest, I found myself thinking about the recent fire that engulfed Grenfell Tower, a west London residential tower block. This was an horrific incident; 80 people are currently presumed to have died but the ferocity of the fire means that the final death toll may never be known for sure. Why the Grenfell Tower fire spread so quickly is the subject of intense debate but its source was attributed to a domestic fridge/freezer that overheated. Case 10 provides a reminder that fires can quite easily start in a similar way on a ship. In that case a fire was caused when a travel fridge was placed on the carpeted area of the deck in a cabin; the lack of air circulation around the unit caused the fridge to overheat… fortunately the crew were able to extinguish the fire without too much damage being done.” Continue reading “MAIB issues an essential Safety Digest featuring 25 cases”
