ICOMIA has produced a Ceramic Coating Yacht Industry Guideline as a result of their work with leading manufacturers, paint manufacturers, independent inspectors, supervisors and surveyors. The aim is to provide objective industry guidance on ceramic use on large yachts.
The yacht market has identified the need for an industry guidance document detailing key areas of information and considerations when using ceramic coatings or treatments on large yachts.
ClassNK publishes guideline for LNG bunkering ships survey and equipment
Class NK, the leading Japanese classification society, has published its Guideline for Survey and Facilities/Equipment of LNG Bunkering Ships, which outlines the additional safety requirements of liquefied gas carriers that supply LNG fuel at sea.
There are currently no established international conventions for the facilities/equipment of ships that transfer LNG to other ships at sea, and additional safety equipment has been considered individually. Based on the examinations conducted so far, ClassNK has developed the guideline which compiles the requirements for additional equipment for the safe transfer of LNG, a cryogenic substance, between ships, and surveys.
Limiting liquefaction – Photo credit: London P&I Club
Although the IMO provides the official regulations and guidance notes on cargo liquefaction, P&I Clubs such as The London P&I Club offer complementary advice to ship’s masters to raise awareness of the issue and to suggest practical steps to reduce the danger.
IMO has identified 75 bulk cargoes that have the potential to liquefy under certain conditions – these are known as Group A cargoes. If the Moisture Content (MC) of a Group A cargo exceeds the Transportable Moisture Limit (TML) then vibration and the motion of the vessel might cause that cargo to behave as a liquid rather than a solid when it is being transported in the hold. When in liquified form, and in a heavy sea, the cargo can easily flow from one side of the hold to the other. This affects the vessel’s stability and can lead to a vessel capsizing. Therefore it is vital that the crew are fully aware of this issue and are able to spot warning signs as early as possible.
Report into fatal accident on board Sunbeam published by MAIB
MAIB has released a report on the fatal accident on board the trawler Sunbeam. On 14 August 2018, a second engineer on board was asphyxiated and died in one of the vessel’s refrigerated saltwater tanks. The report found that entering Sunbeam‘s tanks without safety precautions had become ‘normalised’ by the crew and had been done ‘without consequence’ over a period of many years.
Sunbeam was in Fraserburgh getting ready for a refit and the refrigerated saltwater tanks had been emptied of water in preparation for cleaning. Entry into the tanks, which were enclosed spaces, was routine business for the crew, both when operating the tanks at sea and during maintenance in harbour.
The second engineer was found collapsed inside a refrigerated saltwater tank. The available evidence, says MAIB, strongly indicates that he’d entered the tank to sweep away residual water. When he was found, three of his crew mates went into the Continue reading “Report into fatal accident on board Sunbeam published by MAIB”
The UK P&I Club has released a video on cyber security, featuring Russell Kempley, chief security officer at CyberOwl, ahead of new IMO regulations in January 2021.
The new IMO resolution requires shipping companies to incorporate cyber security into their safety management systems. Captain Anuj Velankar, senior loss prevention advisor talks with Russell Kempley, an expert in the field of cyber security, about the implications of the upcoming changes for shipowners and wider marine industry.
The video examines the driving forces behind the changes within marine cyber security and discusses the various areas in which the marine industry can improve to ensure compliance, the current gaps in cyber security and its outlook in the near future. Continue reading “UK P&I Club releases video on cyber security”
Cargo fumigation remains a challenging operation onboard. An investigation by the Bahamas Maritime Authority found that the crew had been exposed to the fumigant gas – which had been used to treat a cargo of corn – after positive pressure in the accommodation was lost when the ventilation system was stopped by a large wave flooding the galley and store through the ventilation trunking.
Due to the fumigant gas leak, one seafarer died and three others had to be evacuated from their ship after exposure to hydrogen phosphide gas, it has prompted calls for a radical overhaul of the rules governing fumigated cargoes.
With a total of 1,816 containers lost overboard during the Apus incident and what looks to be thousands more collapsed throughout the deck of ONE Apus, cargo losses, on the basis of average containerized cargo values, may reach USD200 million or more, according to shipping claims consultancy WK Webster, which is involved in the case.
The ship lost the containers overboard during severe inclement weather on 30 November in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,600 nautical miles northwest of Hawaii. WK Webster has conducted a drone survey as the vessel approached Kobe Port. This shows the extent of the damage and has been used by Websters as vital evidence in helping to determine the cause of the incident. Continue reading “Cargo losses claim from ONE Apus incident may reach USD200 million”
The National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) has published its 104 page Safer Sea Digest in pdf format which can be downloaded at the foot of this article. The Safer Sea Digest shares lessons learned as a result of the Board’s many incident and accident investigations in 2019. The aim of the Digest is to focus those who read it on what can and does go wrong and how it can be prevented in the future.
Organisational oversight
In over a third of all accidents reported on in 2019, insufficient organisational oversight was the primary or a contributing cause. Insufficient organisational oversight was a factor in the cases of the Stretch Duck 7, Buster Bouchard-B. No. 255, John S McCain–Alnic MC, Imperial, Dredge200–R.E. Pierson 2, Miss Roslyn, Jeanette, Ram XVIII, PTC 598, Atlantic Giant II, Jonathon King Boyd–Bayou Chevron, Natalie Jean, Emsworth Locks and Dams, Yochow–OSG Independence/OSG 243, and Ms Nancy C accidents. Continue reading “NTSB publishes its Safer Sea Digest with lessons learned from US marine accident investigations in 2019”
EU delayes Inventory of Hazardous Materials obligations until the 30 June 2021
Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) is a document package that shows the quantities and locations of hazardous materials onboard a vessel. Once on board the IHM should be updated when changes occur on board until the end of life of the vessel.
The European Union (EU) has given some support on the obligations under the EU Ship Recycling Regulation to have the IHM on board by the 31st December 2020. This is due to the multiple challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The European Commission (EC) has suggested to EU member states to apply a harmonised approach for six months after the entry 31st December 2020 into application of the IHM-related obligations for existing EU flagged ships and non-EU flagged ships calling at EU ports or anchorages. On this basis Members will have up until 30th June 2021. Continue reading “EU delayes Inventory of Hazardous Materials obligations until the 30 June 2021”
Dangerous Goods containers among 1,900 lost and damaged containers from ONE Apus
On the 1st December 2020, the Japanese flagged containership, ‘ONE APUS’ lost a number of containers, some of which are believed to be Dangerous Goods containers, as a result of severe weather conditions on the night of Monday 30th November 2020 at 2315LT approximately 1600NM North West of Hawaii, USA.
World Health Organisation offers free Covid-19 management courses
The World Health Organisation has developed two (free access) e-learning courses. The first, Promoting Public Health Measures in Response to Covid-19 on Cargo Ships and Fishing Vessels, will enable learners to describe the public health measures that may protect seafarers throughout their journey to the vessel, on the vessel, and on the way home. It also looks at preventing and managing an outbreak of Covid-19 disease on board a cargo ship or fishing vessel.
This course is primarily for seafarers, shipowners, unions and associations, and competent authorities for health and transport and can be accessed online.
Fire on RoRo linked to accidental fuel spill says accident report
Transport Malta has published an investigation report into the engine-room fire onboard the Maltese-registered RoRo cargo vessel Eurocargo Trieste, following departure from the port of Livorno in November 2019. The investigation identified an accidental fuel spill onto a hot surface as the most likely cause of the incident.
At around 0123 on 21 November 2019, ro-ro cargo, motor vessel Eurocargo Trieste had left Livorno for Savona, Italy. There were 25 crew members onboard and the vessel was laden with trailers.
At around 0220, shortly after dropping off the outbound pilot, a fire broke out around the starboard main engine. The engine-room crew initially tried to fight the fire but soon had to vacate the space. The crew members were then mustered, and the firefighting team tried to enter the engine-room to fight the fire.
