International News

Ship blackouts and consequential loss of propulsion have long been considered a major accident hazard for the maritime industry. Loss of propulsion may, depending on the operational situation, pose an imminent threat to the ship and its passengers and crew.

Most operators of passenger ships occasionally experience blackout with subsequent temporary loss of propulsion. Fortunately, most incidents do not have significant consequences, as they usually occur while in transit in open sea. Research from DNV found that in 2019, the media reported Continue reading “Managing the risk of ship blackouts”

The Paris MoU has published its 2023 Annual Report, providing an overview of the activities and statistics of the Paris MoU in 2023.

One of the important developments during the year was that, as of 1 July 2023, the Maritime Authority of Montenegro became a member of the Paris MoU on Port State Control. This resulted in the strengthening of the safety net formed by the joint efforts of the members of the Paris MoU throughout the region and particularly in the Adriatic Sea. Continue reading “Paris MoU Annual Report 2023”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released an update for its ongoing investigation on the shipping incident that caused the Baltimore Bridge Collapse following a collision with the container ship MV Dali.

The Dali was leaving Baltimore Harbor on 26 March when it lost electrical power and propulsion and struck the southern pier supporting the central truss spans of the bridge. A portion of the bridge subsequently collapsed. Six construction crewmembers on the bridge at the time of the contact were fatally injured, one construction crewmember was seriously injured and one crewmember on the Dali was injured. Continue reading “NTSB Issues Investigative Update for Baltimore Bridge Collapse”

In an effort to enforce strict environmental standards, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has outlined detailed guidelines for the installation and testing of oil filtering equipment, specifically oily water separators, on ships.

In particular, oil filtering equipment installed on a ship on or after 1 January 2005 must be approved to meet Resolution MEPC.107(49) to comply with MARPOL Annex I Regulation 14.

The requirements include:
– a truly representative sample of the effluent with adequate pressure and flow is supplied to the 15ppm bilge alarm; Continue reading “Ensuring compliance of oil filtering equipment on ships”