Marine News

Carbon Tetrachloride found in St Petersburg bunkers

Posted on by News Hound
FOBAS confirms the presence of Carbon Tetrachloride in the contaminated fuel
FOBAS confirms the presence of Carbon Tetrachloride in the contaminated fuel

Following a late June alert regarding contaminated bunkers that were supplied in St Petersburg, Russia, the Lloyd’s Register Fuel Oil Bunkering Analysis and Advisory Service (FOBAS) has published an update on 12 July, in which it confirms the presence of Carbon Tetrachloride in the contaminated fuel.

On 26 June, FOBAS issued an alert to say it was investigating a number of samples bunkered in St Petersburg, Russia, taken from mid-April to the beginning of May. During the use of these fuels, vessels reported a range of, including damage to plungers and M/E and A/E filter damage.

Investigation showed that the operational problems resulted from damage to fuel injection equipment of main and auxiliary engines, as Continue reading “Carbon Tetrachloride found in St Petersburg bunkers”

IIMS played a leading role in the ‘Trailblazer’ scheme

Posted on by News Hound
ew Marine Surveyor 'Trailblazer' apprenticeship scheme
Marine Surveyor ‘Trailblazer’ apprenticeship scheme

IIMS has played a leading role as part of a small but dedicated team that has worked hard over the past two years to develop the framework for an apprenticeship scheme (‘Trailblazer’) for the marine surveying profession in the UK.

The working group has been chaired by Alan Cartwright, Blabey Engineering Ltd, with Mike Schwarz, IIMS CEO, in attendance from the outset. More recently, Alan Larsen, SCMS, joined the working group to help shape its direction. Di Fitch from John Moores University in Liverpool in conjunction with Mark Aberdein has been ever present and has brought her considerable specialist knowledge in the area of Continue reading “IIMS played a leading role in the ‘Trailblazer’ scheme”

Smart fuel hose set to enhance safety at sea

Posted on by News Hound
Smart fuel hose set to enhance safety at sea
Smart fuel hose set to enhance safety at sea

“A fire in the engine room is any seafarer’s worst nightmare,” says Tom Backlund, Wärtsilä’s General Manager Large Bore Engines and why smart fuel hose are so important.

This is especially true when it comes to fuel leakages in vessel engine rooms. This is why the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulation, enforced by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), stipulates a number of minimum safety standards for operations throughout the vessel, including the engine room, with a strict limit for splash guards’ surface temperatures that could ignite liquid and cause fires.

Wärtsilä continuously delivers improvements to its engines and has introduced a variety of new solutions to comply with the hot surface Continue reading “Smart fuel hose set to enhance safety at sea”

Hapag-Lloyd tests ship-painting robots

Posted on by News Hound
Ship-painting robot in motion
Ship-painting robot in motion

Traditional manual work is increasingly being replaced by automated processes, such as self-driving Automated Guided Vehicles in container terminals. Thanks to robots, the quality of ship painting can also be improved and the docking time shortened. Hapag-Lloyd is currently testing the process with nine ships.

Keeping barnacles, mussels and algae off the hull – the subject of fouling is as old as shipping itself. Fouling dramatically increases drag, which results in high fuel consumption and makes it harder to achieve climate targets. So, it’s a question that repeatedly arises: How can fouling be efficiently and reliably prevented over a period of five years, when a vessel will have to go into a shipyard anyways for its regular classification survey? Continue reading “Hapag-Lloyd tests ship-painting robots”

Wavefoil is set to give ferries wings to optimize wave power

Posted on by News Hound
Photo by Wavefoil
Photo by Wavefoil

The boat wings (wavefoil) started as an unfinished idea in Eirik Bøckmann’s head. Now they’re being mounted on a ferry in the Faroe Islands.

Actually, he doesn’t call them boat wings, but wavefoils. Eirik Bøckmann won the regional finals of the NTNU Researchers’ Grand Prix with a lecture on wave-propelled ships in 2013.

The wavefoils on the front of the ship enable the waves to contribute to propelling the ship forward. This reduces fuel consumption. At the same time, the foils can dampen some of the pitching and heaving motion from the waves and provide a more comfortable journey.

Continue reading “Wavefoil is set to give ferries wings to optimize wave power”

Archaeologists have uncovered Viking-era boat burial in Sweden

Posted on by News Hound
The Viking-era boat burial site with a skull in the ground - Image courtesy Arkeologerna
The Viking-era boat burial site with a skull in the ground – Image courtesy Arkeologerna

Archaeologists in Sweden have uncovered two rare Viking-era boat burial sites during an excavation in Uppsala. It has been five decades since the last similar find in the area, and national archaeology agency Arkeologerna described the discovery as “sensational.”

The team stumbled upon the Viking-era boat burial sites during the excavation of more modern ruins in Old Uppsala. The boat graves were buried beneath a well and a cellar from later eras. One of the two graves was quite intact, with remains of a man at the stern of the boat and those of a horse and a dog found towards the bow. Personal items – a sword, a spear, a shield and a comb – were also laid within the vessel. Continue reading “Archaeologists have uncovered Viking-era boat burial in Sweden”

MAIB issues urgent bulletin for owners of boats with retractable keels

Posted on by News Hound
A retractable keel - Photo courtesy of MAIB
Photo courtesy of MAIB

The MAIB has issued a safety bulletin on retractable keels after the capsize of a sailing boat on Windermere with the loss of one life on 12 June 2019. The bulletin contains details on the background of the accident, initial findings, action taken and a safety lesson.

At approximately 1220 on 12 June 2019, a RS Venture Connect sailing boat fully inverted, its crew comprised an assistant instructor and an experienced disabled crewman. The boat was knocked down in the windy conditions on the day and heeled to such an extent that the keel fully retracted. During the subsequent capsize, the disabled crewman became trapped under the inverted boat. The safety boat crew saw the accident and attended the scene quickly, but had difficulty righting the boat and so were unable to reach the crewman in sufficient time to effect a successful rescue. Continue reading “MAIB issues urgent bulletin for owners of boats with retractable keels”

USCG raises awareness on towing vessel’s unsafe conditions

Posted on by News Hound
USCG logo
USCG logo

The US Coast Guard has published Findings of Concern 009-19, entitled Corrosion Caused Casualties. The purpose of this release is to bring awareness to towing vessel’s unsafe conditions. Discovered during 2018 on a Louisiana towing vessel during a marine casualty investigation.

On September 25, 2018, an Inspected Towing Vessel (ITV), pushing a loaded tank barge, experienced a loss of steering and ran aground.

The marine casualty investigation decided the initiating event to the incident to be the port shaft propeller nut that was wedged into the rudder, which obstructed the free and full movement of the steering gear.

Continue reading “USCG raises awareness on towing vessel’s unsafe conditions”

Reflections on a memorable 2019 IIMS London Conference

Posted on by CEO
Mike Schwarz (right) welcomes Toastmaster, Richard Palmer, to 10/11 Carlton House Terrace

Great venues. Brilliant speaker content on a range of relevant surveying topics. Meeting old friends and colleagues. Excellent food and the odd beer or two. What’s not to like about an IIMS London Conference? OK so we had non stop rain and a train strike to contend with, but that did not put a dampener on proceedings! Judging by my email inbox, the event would seem to have been a great success not only for those who joined us in person, but also for our increasing number of online delegates who joined online from far afield via Zoom. If I have one regret it is simply that only 75 of our near 1,000 members were present and exposed to some wonderful and pertinent content.

These events are not easy to get right and they require detailed preparation. The IT is always a challenge – trust me I know! Making the right food choices is equally challenging. So my thanks to my colleagues who worked so hard behind the scenes to deliver this year’s Continue reading “Reflections on a memorable 2019 IIMS London Conference”

Sunseeker appoints Andrea Frabetti as new CEO

Posted on by News Hound
Andrea Frabetti
Andrea Frabetti

Andrea Frabetti has taken over as Sunseeker International CEO following the resignation of Christian Marti.

Andrea Frabetti, formerly chief technical officer at Sunseeker, will work with chief financial officer Mike McMillan and chief operations officer Michael Straughan to form a new strategic committee focusing on developing a strategic framework for the business.

The committee will continue to work with the current executive management team of Adrian Powell, Sean Robertson, Barbara Baker (as interim HR director) and Sian Dodds on return from maternity leave, to formalise a more ‘product-facing organisation structure and a robust global distribution network’. Continue reading “Sunseeker appoints Andrea Frabetti as new CEO”

Aisling Patrick accident caused by lack of compliance

Posted on by News Hound

Aisling Patrick sailing boatIreland’s Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has published an investigation report on a fatal incident involving the fishing vessel ‘Aisling Patrick’ 15 nm off Broadhaven, Co Mayo, on 10th April 2018. The accident resulted in one fatality. The report highlighted poor training and maintenance, as well as inefficient EPIRB.

On the 10th April, 2018 at approximately 07.00 hrs, the ‘FV Aisling Patrick’ departed from Ballyglass, Co. Mayo, with three persons on board to fish for mackerel between Erris Head and Eagle Island. Around 12.30 hrs the vessel began listing to starboard. The Skipper entered the wheelhouse and the speed was reduced to ascertain the cause of the list. A wave struck the vessel on the port quarter which pushed the starboard bulwark under water and flooded the deck. Almost immediately a second wave struck the port side again and capsized the vessel. Continue reading “Aisling Patrick accident caused by lack of compliance”

Ammonia comes under the spotlight as a potential new low emissions fuel

Posted on by News Hound
Ammonia fueled ship
Ammonia fueled ship

Ammonia can be safely and effectively applied as a marine fuel to reduce harmful emissions according to new research published by C-Job Naval Architects.

The ground-breaking research uses a new concept design, a carrier fuelled by its own cargo, to study the concept of using ammonia as a marine fuel and achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in shipping. It shows ammonia can be used as marine fuel if a number of safety measures are included in the design.

Niels de Vries, Lead Naval Architect at C-Job Naval Architects and research lead, said: “Reviewing all ammonia power generation options, the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is clearly the most efficient. However, it does have practical challenges as the power density and load response capability are not on an acceptable level yet. “Therefore, in the short term applying the internal combustion engine is the way to go.” Continue reading “Ammonia comes under the spotlight as a potential new low emissions fuel”

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