International News

Families of dive boat fire victims are suing the US Coast Guard

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Burnt wreckage of a boat - Image credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times
Image credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times

Families of the 34 victims of a California dive boat fire are suing the US Coast Guard alleging the vessel was allowed to operate with faulty electrical and inadequate safety systems.

Built in 1981, the 75’x25′ wooden hulled Conception was engulfed in flames and sank off Santa Cruz Island September 2, 2019, killing 33 passengers and one crew. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited lax oversight by the owner, no roving watch as required by the Certificate of Inspection (COI), insufficient smoke detectors and poor escape routes and faulted the Coast Guard for not requiring safety management systems (SMS) on all U.S.-flag passenger vessels.

Continue reading “Families of dive boat fire victims are suing the US Coast Guard”

ABS and Vanderbilt put spotlight on US waterways decarbonization

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ABS and Vanderbilt put spotlight on US waterways decarbonization
ABS and Vanderbilt put spotlight on US waterways decarbonization

The current GHG emissions profile of the US inland waterway sector is low compared to other freight modes. The American Waterways Operators cites statistics that show that one dry cargo barge can carry the same amount of cargo as 16 rail cars or 70 trucks and that barge transportation produces 30% less greenhouse gas emissions than rail and more than 1,000% less than trucks. Still, that does not mean that decarbonization is an issue that the industry can afford to ignore, and ABS and Vanderbilt University have just published a landmark report analyzing decarbonization strategies for U.S. inland waterways.

Called “Decarbonization of the Inland Waterway Sector in the United States,” the report evaluates the potential for possible future Continue reading “ABS and Vanderbilt put spotlight on US waterways decarbonization”

Volvo to unveil new IMO III solution at Cannes Yachting Festival

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Volvo set to unveil new IMO III solution for large yachts at Cannes Yachting Festival
Volvo set to unveil new IMO III solution for large yachts at Cannes Yachting Festival

Since January 2021, the IMO III nitrogen oxides (NOx) legislation that already applies to commercial vessels has been extended to marine leisure vessels above 24m load line length, which navigate in US waters as well as the North and Baltic Seas. Providing another step towards increased sustainability in the industry, the 2021 legislation is aimed at reducing emissions. To comply, affected yachts now need to be fitted with a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) after-treatment system. This has led Volvo Penta to work on an optimized solution for its yacht customers both for IPS and traditional inboard shaft installations. Continue reading “Volvo to unveil new IMO III solution at Cannes Yachting Festival”

MAIB and DMAIB publish report on ECDIS use

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MAIB and DMAIB publish collaborative report on ECDIS use from the perspective of practitioners
MAIB and DMAIB publish collaborative report on ECDIS use from the perspective of practitioners

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and the Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board (DMAIB) have published a comprehensive 94 page study focusing on the practical application and usability of ECDIS. The study follows a qualitative methodology, primarily based on semi-structured interviews with 155 ECDIS users and observation data gathered between February and July 2018 during sea voyages in European waters on 31 ships of various types.

Challenges

The report showed that while the standardisation and allocation of simple and repetitive tasks (plotting the ship’s position and chart update for example) has brought about tangible benefits, the required user interaction with ECDIS has introduced challenges that cut Continue reading “MAIB and DMAIB publish report on ECDIS use”

Ensuring safe carriage of containers in bulk carriers guidelines issued by Bureau Veritas

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Ensuring safe carriage of containers in bulk carriers guidelines issued by Bureau Veritas
Ensuring safe carriage of containers in bulk carriers guidelines issued by Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas has published a comprehensive set of guidelines to promote and support the safe carriage of containers in bulk carriers. In recent months there has been unprecedented demand for the carriage of containers. This has prompted charterers to explore the possibility of using of bulk carriers for that task. Bulk carriers, in general, are non-cellular vessels compared to container ships.

Whilst the carriage of containers in bulk carriers is possible, but only after extensive planning, assessment and scrutiny, operators must liaise with their insurance carriers, the Class society of their vessel(s) and corresponding Flag Administration for advice and guidance on the necessary modifications and/or additions to satisfy their requirements.

Continue reading “Ensuring safe carriage of containers in bulk carriers guidelines issued by Bureau Veritas”

Energy transition outlook 2021 report published by DNV

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DNV's powerpoint on Energy Transition Outlook 2021 - Executive Summary We are not meeting Paris ambitions; there is a short window of opportunity to close the gap says the new energy transition outlook 2021 report executive summary published by DNV.

Emissions likely peaked in 2019, followed by an unprecedented 6% drop in 2020 due to COVID-19. Emissions are now rising sharply again and will grow for the next three years before starting to decline. While they are being added at great speed, renewables currently often supplement rather than fully replace thermal power generation. By 2030, global energy-related CO2 emissions are likely to be only 9% lower than 2019 emissions, and by 2050 only 45% lower. This is in sharp contrast to ambitions to halve GHG emissions by 2030 and to achieve the net zero emissions by 2050 required to limit global warming to 1.5˚C. Our forecast is that we are most likely headed towards global warming of 2.3˚C by 2100. Continue reading “Energy transition outlook 2021 report published by DNV”

NTSB Safer Seas Digest published and reveals 14 key findings from investigations in 2020

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NTSB Safer Seas Digest published and reveals 14 key findings from investigations in 2020
NTSB Safer Seas Digest published and reveals 14 key findings from investigations in 2020

The latest NTSB Safer Seas Digest report includes lessons learned from US maritime incident investigations. Following analysis of 42 cases NTSB warns that new lithium-ion battery hazards can be every bit as deadly as the worst storms.

NTSB commented, “The real world is a peculiar academy. We hope that this collection of lessons learned in the investigations closed in 2020 helps readers to take a step back and view their own operation with a cold, critical eye, then return to their day-to-day routines ready to take the appropriate action.”

The Safer Seas Digest runs to 112 pages. The key 14 highlights and lessons learnt from the Safer Seas Digest report are: Continue reading “NTSB Safer Seas Digest published and reveals 14 key findings from investigations in 2020”

Ensuring the insurers

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A yacht in mediterreanThe lockdowns of the past 18 months or so have given us all time to think and readjust our priorities. Like never before yacht owners and potential purchasers have been giving thought to their work-life balance, the risks of travelling and where in the world can a vacation actually take place? All of this has had a knock-on effect on the market, making yacht insurers’ lives busier than expected.

Mike Wimbridge, managing director, Pantaenius told Superyacht Investor: “I think in the chain of insurance buying people have had a little more time to reflect, rather than maybe just renew year-on-year. Throw into that the fact that some insurance markets are looking at what they write and possibly increasing prices and changing terms and conditions for risks they’re less concerned about.” Wimbridge is clear he is not talking about “bad risks”, but said some underwriters are looking at their portfolios.

Continue reading “Ensuring the insurers”

UILENSPIEGEL fire caused by oil contaminated insulation panels

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Dredger fire caused by oil contaminated insulation panels reveals FEBIMA report
Dredger fire caused by oil contaminated insulation panels reveals FEBIMA report

The Federal Bureau for the Investigation of Maritime Accidents (FEBIMA) has published its investigation report into the circumstances surrounding a fire onboard the Trail Suction Hopper Dredger ‘UILENSPIEGEL’ whilst she was moored at Lisnave shipyard in Portugal during January 2021. The investigation has established that insulation panels contaminated with oil were installed during the re-assembly of the main engine after dry-dock.

On January 26th, 2021, Trail Suction Hopper Dredger UILENSPIEGEL was moored at pier 0 at Lisnave shipyard, Setubal, Portugal. The vessel was refloated again after a period in dry dock where maintenance had been carried out, including an overhaul of the vessel’s main engines. Continue reading “UILENSPIEGEL fire caused by oil contaminated insulation panels”

The future of maritime safety report published by Inmarsat

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Inmarsat has released a valuable reference document entitled - The future of maritime safety report
Inmarsat has released a valuable reference document entitled – The future of maritime safety report

What does the future hold for safety at sea and how should the maritime industry adapt to prevent serious accidents from occurring and ultimately, save lives? These questions and more are covered in the recently published future of maritime safety report published by Inmarsat.

Any vessel at sea can be exposed to many dangers, from severe weather conditions to equipment failure, piracy, and unpredictable circumstances such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic and crew change crisis, resulting in exhausted crew members.

The latest research by Inmarsat showcases three years of Inmarsat Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) vessel distress Continue reading “The future of maritime safety report published by Inmarsat”

Collision prevention guidelines to protect fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters issued

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The Bahamas Maritime Authority
The Bahamas Maritime Authority

Following two collisions involving Bahamian ships resulting in 24 fatalities in 2018-2019 and in view of the summer fishing ban lifting on 16 August, the Bahamas Maritime Authority has published collision prevention guidelines to be issued by the China Maritime Safety Administration on the prevention of collisions between merchant ships and fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters.

Collisions between merchant ships and fishing vessels and fishing fleet support vessels in Chinese coastal waters continue to result in a large number of fatalities. Continue reading “Collision prevention guidelines to protect fishing vessels in Chinese coastal waters issued”

The State of Yachting 2021 report from SuperYacht Times

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A stack of 'The State of Yachting' guides
A stack of ‘The State of Yachting’ guides

The global superyacht industry started 2020 very well, with a high level of sales. However the Covid-19 pandemic hit the industry severely in the second quarter of the year. Afterwards, superyacht sales recovered rapidly, with the used yacht market in particular posting very impressive results in the third and fourth quarters of 2020. The positive momentum in the superyacht market has carried on into 2021 and we are expecting a very busy year in 2021 for superyacht sales, both new and used.

The fleet

The global fleet over 30 metres in length consisted of 5,245 superyachts in operation at the start of 2021. In addition, there are also around 84 superyachts out of service, while about 195 superyachts have been completely lost since 1945. 84% of the global fleet consists of motor yachts and 16% of sailing yachts. In 2020, 150 superyachts were completed. This is slightly less than 2019 when 158 superyachts were completed. Continue reading “The State of Yachting 2021 report from SuperYacht Times”

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