International News Archives - The International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS)

India DGS: Marine Safety Investigation Report 2024 published

Posted on July 16, 2025July 16, 2025 by News Hound

India DGS has published its 2024 Marine Safety Investigation Report — India’s DGS has published its 2024 Marine Safety Investigation Report

India’s Directorate General of Shipping Marine Safety Investigation Report 2024 has been published — which highlighted a 21.6% escalation in reported casualties compared to the previous year.

Last year, there was a total of 186 incidents with 78 marine casualties and 108 non-operational incidents. In 2023, there were 153 incidents with 74 casualties and 79 non-operational incidents. This showed a 21.6% increase in reported casualties in 2024 from 2023. Continue reading “India DGS: Marine Safety Investigation Report 2024 published”

West P&I Club on phased banning of scrubbers in North-East Atlantic waters

Posted on July 10, 2025July 15, 2025 by News Hound

Historic phased banning of scrubbers in North-East Atlantic agreement

West P&I Club has highlighted the OSPAR Commission, composed of 15 governments and the European Union, which has agreed to a historic phased banning on scrubbers in the North-East Atlantic waters, marking the first regional regulation of its kind.

The decision was made at the OSPAR Ministerial Meeting in June 2025, with ministers expressing concerns about hazardous discharges from exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) on ships, Continue reading “West P&I Club on phased banning of scrubbers in North-East Atlantic waters”

BMA investigation of capsizing of Master Ru, four presumed dead

Posted on June 26, 2025June 27, 2025 by News Hound

BMA investigation of capsizing of ferry, four presumed dead

The Bahamas Maritime Authority has published a report into the investigation of a Ro-Pax vessel, master Ru, which capsized and sank in The Bahamas in 2024.

On 11 July 2024, the Tanzania (Zanzibar) flagged passenger/ro-ro vessel, Master Ru, was carrying a cargo of bulk aggregate and construction equipment through the territorial seas of The Bahamas. After encountering a heavy squall, Continue reading “BMA investigation of capsizing of Master Ru, four presumed dead”

German government authorises trial of remote-controlled inland vessel

Posted on June 24, 2025June 26, 2025 by News Hound

German government authorises trial of remote-controlled inland vessel

Shipping company HGK Shipping has been authorised to conduct the first remote-controlled inland waterway vessel on the German canal network for six months.

After the push barge combination consisting of “Niedersachsen 2” and “Hannover” had completed test operations on one part of the route without any problems at the beginning of May, Europe’s largest inland waterway shipping company has now been given the green light for Continue reading “German government authorises trial of remote-controlled inland vessel”

Guidance on vetting bunker suppliers

Posted on June 20, 2025June 20, 2025 by News Hound

P&I Club, Steamship Mutual, issues guidance on vetting bunker supplies

Steamship Mutual Club has issued an alert about vetting bunker supplies, which offers valuable guidance about managing and reducing the risks associated with purchasing marine fuel amid the growing complexity of the issue due to different Emission Control Area (ECA) regulations.

While considerable time and resources are dedicated to addressing fuel related Continue reading “Guidance on vetting bunker suppliers”

Panama implements new Precheck for vessels joining its registry

Posted on May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 by News Hound

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has implemented an additional safeguard called Precheck, a screening process that aims to ensure only compliant vessels join the Panama Ship Registry. The Precheck process involves a thorough risk assessment of various aspects related to the vessel, its owner, operator, and/or charterer before applying for the entry into the Panama Ship Registry to ensure that the vessel meets the international standards regarding safety, environmental protection, crew welfare, and to promote cooperation and best practices in the maritime industry.

According to the PMA, a key benefit of Precheck is its ability to prevent “flag-hopping”, a practice where vessels jump from one registry to another to avoid compliance, evade sanctions, or engage in illicit activities. Continue reading “Panama implements new Precheck for vessels joining its registry”

Consultation on changes to requirements for through hull openings following flooding incident

Posted on May 8, 2025May 8, 2025 by News Hound

Cayman Islands Registry issue safety alert

The Cayman Islands Shipping Registry (CISR), on behalf of the Red Ensign Group (REG), has released an urgent safety flyer to the yachting industry following a serious flooding incident caused by the hull openings involving a commercially operated 375 GT motor yacht during a routine personal watercraft (PWC) recovery.

The incident occurred during calm sea conditions but escalated rapidly when the vessel, engaged in water sports operations, was struck by a series of large, unexpected waves. At the time, the transom and port side shell doors were open, and the yacht had developed a port list due to lifting operations. The sudden water ingress overwhelmed the bilge system, disabled the hydraulics, and rendered the shell doors inoperable, ultimately forcing the vessel’s Master to beach the yacht to prevent capsize. No injuries or environmental damage occurred thanks to decisive onboard actions. Continue reading “Consultation on changes to requirements for through hull openings following flooding incident”

Tokyo MOU Annual Report 2024 published

Posted on May 2, 2025May 7, 2025 by News Hound

The Tokyo MOU has released its Annual Report 2024, which conducted 32,054 inspections, which is four times the number of inspections undertaken three decades ago.

The Tokyo MOU noted that the detention rate has decreased 0.6 percentage points in 2024, continuous attention and emphasis needs to be paid as the level of detentions is still higher than that of the pre-pandemic period and almost the same level as that of ten years before. Furthermore, in 2024, the number of under-performing ships are nearly double that of the previous year, which indicates the condition of ships in the region is becoming worse. An analysis Continue reading “Tokyo MOU Annual Report 2024 published”

Investigators publish report on 2024 containership blast in China’s Ningbo Port

Posted on April 17, 2025April 17, 2025 by News Hound

The China Maritime Safety Administration (CMSA) has published a report on its investigation into the explosion and subsequent fire on the Taiwanese-owned container vessel YM Mobility at China’s Ningbo Port on 9 August 2024. An explosion occurred in a container loaded with dangerous goods on board near the ship’s bow. According to the shipper’s declaration, the container was a reefer used as a substitute for a dry container, without requiring power connection. The estimated economic loss resulting from in the incident was about CNY90 million (US$13 million). Continue reading “Investigators publish report on 2024 containership blast in China’s Ningbo Port”

New Arbitration Act 2025: Key changes for maritime arbitrations

Posted on April 16, 2025April 17, 2025 by News Hound

According to West P&I Club, the new UK Arbitration Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 24 February 2025 and will come into force most likely at some point later this year. The 2025 Act will not be a standalone Act but, rather, inserts amendments to the 1996 Act so as to enact the recommendations of the Law Commission codifying the common law position and eliminating ambiguity. As such, the 2025 Act will modernise arbitration in London to maintain its competitiveness as a seat for international arbitrations. Continue reading “New Arbitration Act 2025: Key changes for maritime arbitrations”

Lloyd’s Register summary report on MEPC 83

Posted on April 16, 2025April 16, 2025 by News Hound

The IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 83 session was held from 7-11 April 2025. The IMO MEPC is where the reduction of shipping’s impact on the marine environment is discussed. MEPC oversees the work of several sub-committees and influences subjects which cut-across the work of several committees, covering many key regulations.

And Lloyd’s Register has published a summary of the outcomes from the meeting. Continue reading “Lloyd’s Register summary report on MEPC 83”

Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum publishes guidance on fire response

Posted on April 16, 2025April 22, 2025 by News Hound

The Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum (VCSF) publishes its second industry good practice guidelines entitled ‘Fire Response – High Level Guidelines’. The VCSF recognises that responding to vehicle fires onboard PCCs, PCTCs, RoRo and Ro-Pax vessels is both dangerous and challenging. These guidelines have been designed to reduce the risk to the safety of crews, passengers, the environment, the vessel and the cargo. The guideline’s sole aim is to assist vessel operators and crews to be better prepared to meet the challenges presented by vehicle fires. Continue reading “Vehicle Carrier Safety Forum publishes guidance on fire response”

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