Electrical component failure causes flame discharge

Ship on the water - Photo credit: ATSB
Photo credit: ATSB

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has published its investigation report on the liquified hydrogen (LH2) carrier Suiso Frontier. According to the report, the failure of an incorrectly-fitted electrical solenoid valve led to the brief propagation of flame.

While berthed on the evening of 25 January 2022, the chief mate and cargo engineer made plans to start the ship’s gas combustion unit or GCU (see the section titled Gas combustion unit and Figure 1) to burn excess boil-off gas (BOG) from the LH2 cargo tank. 2 They notified the wharf operator and followed standard Continue reading “Electrical component failure causes flame discharge”

AMSA published its Compliance Strategy 2023/27

AMSA Compliance Strategy 2023-7The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has published its Compliance Strategy 2023/27. It builds on the modern regulatory foundations laid out in its predecessor and sets out six key elements. It is a data-driven, risk-based and proportionate approach to compliance that minimises impact on industry while maximising safety and environmental outcomes.

On a practical level, the strategy is implemented through AMSA’s annual National Compliance Plans which detail specific inspection and education focus areas for a given 12-month period. AMSA Executive Director of Operations, Michael Drake, Continue reading “AMSA published its Compliance Strategy 2023/27”

Safety alert issued after flare explosion fatality

Prop flares - Image for illustrative purposes only
Image for illustrative purposes only

The Dutch Safety Board has published an urgent Safety Alert following a recent flare explosion fatality. The incident happened on board a Dutch sailing ship in the Pacific Ocean.

Complying with the flare’s requirements and instructions, the experienced sailor fired the flare. The flare did not launch as intended, but exploded immediately leading to the flare explosion fatality. Continue reading “Safety alert issued after flare explosion fatality”

Smooth Sea 22 was not the ship it claimed to be

Smooth Sea 22 fire aftermathWhen Thai-flagged oil products tanker Smooth Sea 22 (IMO 9870991) suffered an explosion and a subsequent fire on 17th January, few realised that the event would expose a case of potential ship-identity fraud.

On January 24th the International Maritime Organization was reported to have declared the ship’s IMO number to be non-valid after it emerged that the ship that was masquerading as 2018-built ship was in fact built in 1986 and was suspected of previously being known as the 4,4821 gt Hai Zhou 168 (IMO 8514045), and before that as the Smooth Sea 28. Continue reading “Smooth Sea 22 was not the ship it claimed to be”

Response vessel damaged the hull of Almirante Storni

Cracking and indentation on the hull of Almirante Storni
Cracking and indentation on the hull of Almirante Storni

During the response to a serious fire aboard the lumber carrier Almirante Storni in 2021, a Swedish Coast Guard vessel intentionally pressed its stern into the bulker’s hull, bending in plating and nearly causing flooding, according to the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority (SHK).

On December 4, 2021, a fire broke out in a deck cargo of lumber aboard the wood carrier Almirante Storni at an anchorage outside of the port of Gothenburg, Sweden. The vessel was taking on fuel oil at the time, and the bunkering vessel’s crew saw flames towards the Storni’s bow and raised the alarm. Continue reading “Response vessel damaged the hull of Almirante Storni”

How to ensure optimal efficiency of purifiers onboard

SKULD LogoDick Farrel Camoying, Assistant Vice President, Technical Manager, Skuld Club, focuses on the subject of ships’ purifiers, and says that they are one of the most important pieces of auxiliary machinery.

According to Mr. Camoying, the main purpose of purifierss is to separate water and other contaminants in the oil mixture using the principle of density difference. Therefore, good maintenance of purifiers is important for smooth and accurate operation of the units. Some factors that influence a good working purifier are temperature, feed rate, the type of gravity disc, and oil density. Continue reading “How to ensure optimal efficiency of purifiers onboard”

IACS develops new wave data scatter diagram

Cargo ship in stormy seas collecting wave dataNew scatter diagram and wave spectra defining design environmental conditions will be used for wave load, fatigue, and seakeeping calculations. As part of IACS’ ongoing commitment to safe ships and clean seas, a long-term review of wave data has now concluded with the publication of a revised version (Rev.2) of IACS Recommendation No.34 which provides advice on sea states as well as wave spectrum, spreading, heading distribution and vessel speed.

Accurate Wave data remains of paramount importance as this data is used to represent the ocean environment, underpinning wave load prescription, which in turn, greatly impacts hull structural requirements. Continue reading “IACS develops new wave data scatter diagram”

Antifouling performance is being enhanced

A chemist in a lab making antifoulingThe biocide, Selektope, is being introduced into marine antifouling coatings to enhance the performance of self-polishing co-polymer (SPC) marine coatings. I-Tech’s team of R&D scientists have been working on the technology for the last five years and say they have discovered new ways in which the first-of-its-kind biocide, Selektope can be introduced to marine antifouling coatings in combination with other biocides with little or no effect on formulation chemistry or performance.

The technology works by improving the dispersion of the active substance via adsorption to paint pigment particles. Continue reading “Antifouling performance is being enhanced”

Risk and resilience guidelines for ports, harbors and terminals published

IAPh - Risk and ResilenceThe International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH) has published its new risk and resilience guidelines for ports, as well as details of a new risk inventory portal aimed at sharing best practices on risk mitigation and management for ports.

According to ISO 31000 (2018), risk is the effect of uncertainty on achieving the objectives, often quantified as the Likelihood of the occurrence of an event multiplied by its Impact (L x I). While risk is generally perceived as a negative thing, we should keep in mind that it can just as well be a positive outcome, linked to a certain likelihood (i.e. an opportunity). Continue reading “Risk and resilience guidelines for ports, harbors and terminals published”

New ‘smart yacht’ forum planned for Monaco

Aerial view of Monaco HarborA new event focusing on smart yachts from 24m (79ft) and above is scheduled to be held from March 23-24 at the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM).

The 1st Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous is being organised by M3 (Monaco Marina Management), a Monegasque consultancy specialised in eco-marinas, and follows on from the success of its Monaco Smart & Sustainable Marina Rendezvous held in advance of the Monaco Yacht Show 2022.

With this new event, M3 wants to promote sustainable solutions for superyachts, Continue reading “New ‘smart yacht’ forum planned for Monaco”

IMB Piracy Report January-December 2022

IMB Piracy reportThe International Maritime Bureau (IMB) calls for efforts to be sustained worldwide as maritime piracy and armed robbery attacks reached their lowest recorded level in almost three decades.

The IMB’s annual piracy report recorded 115 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in 2022 – compared to 132 in 2021 – with half of them occurring in Southeast Asian waters, particularly in the Singapore Straits, where incidents continue to rise. Continue reading “IMB Piracy Report January-December 2022”

New report reveals that the use of digital tools onboard is positively perceived

Commander centerAs part of this project, the two partners, The European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) and the Euopean Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) wanted to investigate the increased use of digital tools on board and the possible benefits and /or improvements to shipboard safety and welfare. As a result of the survey, there are a number of recommendations made which are summarised at the end of this article.

The research starting point was a desk-based exercise to map out and analyse existing research findings. To get detailed insights as regards life on board, and the impact of increased digitalisation, the research targeted those with first hand experience through online surveys. Continue reading “New report reveals that the use of digital tools onboard is positively perceived”

Instagram Posts from the IIMS @iimsmarine

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

Show details
Performance & Marketing Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages. This also helps us optimise our marketing campaigns. User data sent to Google Analytics may be used for ad personalization and measurement of our ad campaigns. Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Show details