International News

Charges of culpable homicide to be brought against owner of tug lost in Tauktae Cyclone

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Divers at the scene of the sunken tug. Photo credit: Indian Ministry of Defence
Divers at the scene of the sunken tug. Photo credit: Indian Ministry of Defence

Indian authorities have confirmed that charges of culpable homicide are being brought against the owner of the ocean-going tugboat that sank during a powerful storm off the coast of India last month. The barge P305 and the tugboat Varaprada were two of the vessels that found themselves caught on May 17 as Cyclone Tauktae passed offshore near Mumbai.

Both vessels were working for the state-run oil company operating in the offshore oilfields near Mumbai. The barge sank with 261 people aboard with 186 survivors. It captured international attention during the search and rescue operation staged by the Indian Navy. The storm had intensified with the winds reaching 110-mph. Media reports said that the crews had initially believed the Tauktae Cyclone would be far weaker and that they would be able to handle winds expected to be in the range of 25-mph. Continue reading “Charges of culpable homicide to be brought against owner of tug lost in Tauktae Cyclone”

Are your containers fit for purpose under the CTU Code?

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TT Club's Mike Yarwood
TT Club’s Mike Yarwood

At a time of container supply imbalance leading to shortages, international freight transport insurer TT Club warns against cutting corners when it comes structural integrity, cleanliness and cargo-worthiness of those that are loaded and complying with the CTU Code. The responsibilities of container operators providing empty boxes and those packing them with cargo should not be forgotten in a period when such equipment is in short supply and temptations to forego security and safety measures are strong.

Containers have numerous touch points in any given supply chain, becoming the responsibility for shorter or longer periods with a variety of stakeholders. During these unprecedented times, TT’s continued message to all parties is one of resilience and continuity of robust practices. This challenging period, for those reliant upon the container, provides an opportunity to reflect on the roles and responsibilities defined within the Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code), as well as the necessary safety properties of a container and its suitability to carry its intended cargo. Continue reading “Are your containers fit for purpose under the CTU Code?”

Paris MOU updates the list of white, gray and black lists

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The new 2021 Paris MOU Lists of flag states have been published
The new 2021 Paris MOU Lists of flag states have been published

The Paris MoU on Port State Control has updated its White, Gray, and Black lists and, from 1 July 2021, the 27 national maritime administrations that are parties to the agreement will be using an updated version of the list in targeting ships for inspections.

For several years the Paris MoU Committee has closely monitored the performance of recognized organizations (ROs), mostly classification societies acting on behalf of flag States. To calculate the performance of ROs, the same formula to calculate the excess factor of the flags is used. A minimum number of 60 inspections per RO is needed before the performance is taken into account for the list. In 2020, 32 ROs were recorded on the performance list.

Continue reading “Paris MOU updates the list of white, gray and black lists”

With a life span of 25 years what is to be done with decommissioned turbine blades?

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The turbine blades lined up
The turbine blades lined up

There is no clear strategy of what to do with decommissioned windfarm turbine blades that are set for scrapping. At the moment one environmentally disastrous option is landfill, and industry body WindEurope has recently called for a Europe-wide landfill ban on decommissioned wind turbine blades by 2025. Europe’s wind industry actively commits to re-use, recycle, or recover 100% of decommissioned blades. This comes after several industry-leading companies announced ambitious plans for blade recycling and recovery. A landfill ban would further accelerate the development of sustainable recycling technologies for composite materials, says WindEurope.

Continue reading “With a life span of 25 years what is to be done with decommissioned turbine blades?”

Failure or accidental release of the lifeboat hooks can be fatal

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Gard P&I Club
Gard P&I Club

Lifeboats are designed to save lives, but over the years there have been many serious casualties that have occurred during drills, routine maintenance operations and inspections of davit suspended boats fitted with on-load lifeboat release hooks. These accidents have also resulted in seafarers losing confidence in the lifeboat launching systems. Continue reading “Failure or accidental release of the lifeboat hooks can be fatal”

AMSA to consider Conception fire NTSB findings when reviewing commercial vessel regulatory requirements

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Photo credit: Ventura County Fire Department - AMSA to consider Conception fire NTSB findings when reviewing commercial vessel regulatory requirements
Photo credit: Ventura County Fire Department – AMSA to consider Conception fire NTSB findings when reviewing commercial vessel regulatory requirements

Following the NTSB investigation into the fatal fire and loss of the passenger vessel Conception off California in September 2019, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has identified key points of concern for Australian vessels. As a consequence they have said it will consider the NTSB report in full when reviewing the current domestic commercial vessel regulatory requirements, including the standards for fire safety and accommodation.

The US-flagged passenger vessel Conception was at anchor off Santa Cruz Island, California, when a fire broke out in the early morning hours of 2 September 2019. Five crew members were asleep in the crew berthing area on the upper deck. One crew member and all 33 passengers were asleep in the bunkroom below. Continue reading “AMSA to consider Conception fire NTSB findings when reviewing commercial vessel regulatory requirements”

Greek customs acknowledge UK yachts to retain EU VAT status

Posted on by News Hound
Greek Flag
Greek Flag

Following a complaint formally made to the European Union (EU) by the Cruising Association (CA) on the post Brexit VAT Status of UK yachts in Greece after returning from outside EU waters, the latest announcement received from the Greek Customs authority acknowledges the rights of UK yachts to return to Greek waters and retain their EU VAT Status.

Greek customs authorities have announced on 3rd June 2021 that, following a request to the EU Commission for clarity on this matter, they have followed EU advice and will allow UK yachts returning from non-EU Countries to regain their Union Goods Status, provided they return within three years under the same ownership, with no changes to the vessel. Continue reading “Greek customs acknowledge UK yachts to retain EU VAT status”

MAIB’s Annual Report 2020 published

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MAIB's Annual Report 2020 published
MAIB’s Annual Report 2020 published

“I am pleased to introduce MAIB’s annual report 2020. It was another busy and successful year for the Branch improving safety at sea by our sustained output of safety investigation reports, safety digests, and safety bulletins despite lock-down conditions affecting work for much of the year. The Branch raised 1,217 reports of marine accidents and incidents and commenced 19 investigations in 2020,” said Capt Andrew Moll in his opening statement.

In 2020, the MAIB published two investigation reports into the collapse of container stacks on large container ships, both of which were transiting the North Pacific Ocean in heavy weather at the time. Such accidents are challenging to investigate due to the multiple inter-related factors involved and that critical evidence could be lost overboard during the accident. There have been more accidents involving Continue reading “MAIB’s Annual Report 2020 published”

Report published on the a fatality due to improper crane lifting

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Report published on the a fatality due to improper crane lifting
Report published on the a fatality due to improper crane lifting

Belgium’s FEBIMA has published an investigation report into the fatality of a crew member onboard the general cargo ship ATLANTIC PROJECT II while in the Port of Antwerp in February 2021. The investigation stressed that the contingency plan on crane lifting operations was not fully implemented.

On February 8th, 2021, stevedores were unloading the MV ATLANTIC PROJECT II while moored at the Port of Antwerp. When tween-deck cargo hold N°3 on PS was empty, the tween-deck pontoons had to be removed by the ship’s crew, using ship’s gear, to allow access to the cargo stowed below.

After the first pontoon was hoisted and moved using the ship’s crane to its stacking position at the aft part of the Continue reading “Report published on the a fatality due to improper crane lifting”

Shipping Risk Survey results published by BDO

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Shipping Risk Survey results published by BDO
Shipping Risk Survey results published by BDO

Traditionally, maritime risks have been relatively predictable such as human error, mechanical failures and natural disasters. The continual growth of international trade and the introduction of new technologies mean that shipping industry risks are evolving fast. But is risk management within the sector evolving to meet these challenges? The industry’s recent experiences, for example in managing the grounding of mv Ever Given in the Suez Canal and the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrate significant embedded resilience within the sector. However this does not mean that there are not opportunities to improve risk management practices in the shipping industry. BDO’s 2020 shipping risk survey results showed that where shipping industry leaders may once have viewed risk Continue reading “Shipping Risk Survey results published by BDO”

The IIMS Report Magazine June 2021 edition published

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The Report cover
The Report cover

Read the June 2021 Report Magazine online in e-reader format or in pdf format.

The highlights and feature articles of this special 136 page edition of The June 2021 Report (the biggest ever) to mark the 30th anniversary of IIMS include:
– The design of cathodic protection schemes for canal craft
– Seafarers ‘N’ Ever Given respect. What will we do this time so that history is not repeated?
– Containers overboard – is theory overtaking practice?
– Stitch by stitch: The art of sailmaking is alive and flourishing
– Could our ‘old friend’, the wind, be the solution to reducing the fuel consumption of ships?
– Seaman’s Manslaughter: An arcane US statute turned enforcement risk
– Elevators on ships – failures, service, and maintenance
– How well does Cathodic protection negate corrosion when used in seawater filtration?
– A personal account of gender diversity at sea
– A look back at 30 years of IIMS history and articles by a number of Past Presidents
– A day in the life of Nick Parkyn

 

Ever Given – What happens now?

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Photo credit: SCA
Ever given – Photo credit: SCA

The containership Ever Given ran aground while transiting the Suez Canal on March 23, 2021, lodging herself against both banks of the waterway. The blockage caused vessels backed up in the Mediterranean to the north and the Red Sea to the south. It is estimated that the costs to global trade was about $400 million per hour based on the approximate value of goods that are moved through the Suez every day, according to shipping data and news company Lloyd’s List.

For six days, the world watched as a multi-national team of salvors, tug operators and the Suez Canal Authority Continue reading “Ever Given – What happens now?”

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