Marine News

USCG PSC Report 2022: 63 ships detained for environmental protection, safety, and security deficiencies

Posted on by News Hound

The US Coast Guard’s Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has published the U.S. Port State Control Annual Report for 2022. USCG reported that the total number of ships detained in 2022 for environmental protection, safety, and security related deficiencies increased from 63 to 78.

The main findings:
– In 2022, the Coast Guard conducted 8,706 SOLAS safety exams with a total of 78 detentions. Continue reading “USCG PSC Report 2022: 63 ships detained for environmental protection, safety, and security deficiencies”

EMSA remotely piloted aircraft flying over North Sea

Posted on by News Hound
Photo credit: EMSA
Photo credit: EMSA

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) announced recently that a remotely piloted aircraft will be flying over North Sea for enhanced maritime surveillance in support of Danish Authorities. EMSA RPAS operational flights started in mid-April delivering enhanced maritime surveillance capabilities over the North Sea region in support of coast guard functions. Given the positive outcome of last year’s RPAS campaign in the region, EMSA has returned to the region following a request from the Royal Danish Navy in cooperation with the Danish Customs and Danish Fisheries Agency. Continue reading “EMSA remotely piloted aircraft flying over North Sea”

What caught my eye: March 2023

Posted on by CEO

Well here’s another collection of slightly off-piste marine-related stories that might have passed you by during March.

Philippines charges 15 crew members for smuggling P400 million worth of sugar

Now here’s a strange tale indeed. Smuggling the ‘white stuff’ usually has a very different connotation, but in this instance, it refers to nothing more harmful than sugar! Apparently, on Friday 17th February, the Philippines Agricultural Department charged 15 crew members of a cargo ship for smuggling sugar. The sugar cargo with a value of P400 million led authorities to charge the captain of MV Sunward and the rest of the crew with smuggling.

The incident happened in Batangas. The arrested persons’ identities are said to be 7 Chinese, 6 Indonesian Continue reading “What caught my eye: March 2023”

Marine scrubber market to reach $20.3 billion by 2031

Posted on by News Hound
Image courtesy of Meyer Werft
Image courtesy of Meyer Werft

Allied Market Research has published a report revealing the global marine scrubber industry was valued at $4.9 billion in 2021 and is estimated to generate revenue of $20.3 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 16.2% from 2022 to 2031.

The report demonstrates that the global marine scrubber systems market is driven by the implementation of the 2020 sulfur rule, air pollution prevention policies & laws imposed by governments to protect the environment, the growth in international marine freight transport, and an increase in demand for cargo transportation through ships. Continue reading “Marine scrubber market to reach $20.3 billion by 2031”

RSG Guidelines 2023 Version 2 published

Posted on by News Hound
RSG Guidelines 2023 (version 2) published
RSG Guidelines 2023 (version 2) published

The most recent revised version of the RSG Guidelines 2023 (version 2) has been released and contains a number of updates.

These guidelines are the go-to document for boatbuilders and boatyards, detailing the RCD requirements, and supporting ISO Standards which clarify certain areas of the regulations.

The RSG Guidelines 2023 are prepared to assist with the conformity assessment procedures undertaken by Notified Bodies for recreational craft, personal watercraft, their components and their engines, in accordance with Directive 2013/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, dated 20 November 2013 on recreational craft and personal watercraft and repealing Directive 94/25/EC Continue reading “RSG Guidelines 2023 Version 2 published”

A unique international maritime collection goes online

Posted on by News Hound
Dunedin (pictured) was an iron sailing ship of 1,320 tons built in 1874
Dunedin (pictured) was an iron sailing ship of 1,320 tons built in 1874

Over one million maritime archival records, documenting nearly 100,000 ships, are now available online for the first time following a five-year digitisation programme by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Heritage and Education Centre (HEC).
The collection includes maritime technical records such as ship plans and survey reports for famous ships including the Carpathia – the Cunard passenger liner that rescued survivors of the Titanic – and other material such as wreck data, correspondence, photographs and certificates. Alongside the digitised collection of Lloyd’s Register of Ships from 1764 to 2000, it provides a fascinating insight into the history of maritime safety, the development of Lloyd’s Register, Continue reading “A unique international maritime collection goes online”

Maritime & Coastguard Agency appoints Virginia McVea as Chief Executive Officer

Posted on by News Hound
Virginia McVea has been appinted as the MCA's Chief Executive Officer
Virginia McVea has been appinted as the MCA’s Chief Executive Officer

Virginia McVea will become the new Chief Executive Officer of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), overseeing the work of the agency as it responds to tens of thousands of incidents at sea every year, inspects thousands of UK-registered ships and protects over 11,000 miles of our coastline.

Her appointment comes at an important time for the MCA, as it continues working to ensure the UK is the world’s best-performing coastal state and takes a leading role in both the international and domestic maritime arenas. Continue reading “Maritime & Coastguard Agency appoints Virginia McVea as Chief Executive Officer”

Are lithium-ion batteries safe on yachts – and other vessels?

Posted on by News Hound
Image credit: Stevie-Iona Vaughan/Facebook
Image credit: Stevie-Iona Vaughan/Facebook

Authored by Mike Schwarz, IIMS Chief Executive Officer

“Mike’s suffering from mild hysteria”, they said. Well, perhaps I have been, yes. The cause of my hysteria? Lithium-ion batteries and fires caused by them! There are believed to have been nearly 70 fires last year alone involving large and superyachts. As more new information on this subject comes to light on a regular basis, I simply have to come back to it time and time again and share what we know. It is a massive and worrying subject and one that is consuming the finest technical minds in the marine world right now. We all need to be aware of the phenomenon for it will not resolve any time soon. As always, I say I understand fully the need to decarbonize and embrace this Continue reading “Are lithium-ion batteries safe on yachts – and other vessels?”

What caught my eye: February 2023

Posted on by CEO

So here we go again with an eclectic mix and round-up of the news stories and events that grabbed my attention and caught my eye during February 2023.

Robots to collect litter from surface and deeper regions of the Mediterranean
Photo credit: Subsea Tech
Photo credit: Subsea Tech

Once again, I take my hat off to the ingenuity of people. Here is yet another fine example of innovation at work that deserves to succeed. After the success of the first autonomous robotic system designed to search for, identify, and collect seafloor litter, a consortium of European researchers will develop a team of robots to collect litter from the surface and deeper regions of the Mediterranean. Continue reading “What caught my eye: February 2023”

What caught my eye: January 2023

Posted on by CEO

For the past 18 months or so, I have published a regular column in the monthly IIMS news bulletin entitled ‘what caught my eye’, but have now decided to share this content here through my blog additionally.  Some of the maritime stories I have souced have been important ones, some fascinating and some just downright daft. But I hope you will enjoy what I have chosen for you this month (and in future months to come too). Continue reading “What caught my eye: January 2023”

Safety alert issued after flare explosion fatality

Posted on by News Hound
Image for illustrative purposes only
Image for illustrative purposes only

The Dutch Safety Board has published an urgent Safety Alert following a recent accident that killed a sailor as he fired a flare. The incident happened on board a Dutch sailing ship in the Pacific Ocean.

Complying with the flare’s requirements and instructions, the experienced sailor fired the flare. The flare did not launch as intended, but exploded immediately with fatal consequences.

After becoming aware of the accident, the Dutch Safety Board started a preliminary investigation. From the initial analysis of the Continue reading “Safety alert issued after flare explosion fatality”

Reckless UK jet skiers to face prison and unlimited fines thanks to law change

Posted on by News Hound

New legislation is being introduced to crack down on the dangerous misuse of watercraft such as jet skis, with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) being granted more powers to prosecute perpetrators of accidents.

The new law comes into force on 31 March 2023 in time for the busy summer period and will enable watercraft users to be prosecuted and bound by the same laws that apply to ships in order to help to prevent accidents. This follows a boom in the watercraft industry during the pandemic with the number, size, power and availability of watercraft like jet skis increasing, and their use in UK waters rising significantly. Continue reading “Reckless UK jet skiers to face prison and unlimited fines thanks to law change”

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