2023 Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium published

The third edition of the Safety & Loss Prevention Briefings Compendium, compiled and published by the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS), covers the period between December 2022 and November 2023. It is available to download in pdf format or can be read online in eReader format.

Extending to 172 pages, Edition III builds on the success of the previous versions. The simple aim of the Compendium is to bring together a collection of incident and accident reports that have emerged over the year and to share the learnings. This is coupled with vital loss prevention information published by P&I Clubs and other parties. A calendar of some of the more eye-catching incidents completes the Compendium to highlight the continuing dangers of being at sea or on water, either for work or pleasure purposes.

Click to download the press release

What caught my eye: December 2023

Group of five tourists takes an early bath in Venice whilst taking selfies

If you thought taking selfies was without risk, this bizarre story proves otherwise. Have you ever wondered about the dangers of taking a selfie on an unstable vessel for example? Well, here is one such incident. Fortunately, on this occasion, nobody was seriously injured, but it could have been far worse.

A group of five tourists, from China apparently, had an unscheduled trip into the cold winter waters of the Venice canal system in early Continue reading “What caught my eye: December 2023”

IIMS President raises concerns about the growing tick box culture of marine survey reporting

Marine survey reporting techniques are under the spotlight
Marine survey reporting techniques are under the spotlight

Tick box marine survey reporting is becoming far more common than it used to be. That is the view of Peter Broad, President of the International Institute of Marine Surveying (IIMS). But are tick box marine survey reports fit for purpose, or are they lazy reporting?

There are Advantages and limitations

Advantages:

1. Standardisation: They provide a standardised framework for conducting inspections, ensuring that essential aspects of a vessel are systematically checked. Continue reading “IIMS President raises concerns about the growing tick box culture of marine survey reporting”

What caught my eye: November 2023

Bragging rights up for grabs by the Chesapeake cowboys

Of all the stories I have unearthed this year, this one is one of my favourites and one of the strangest too; and please forgive me for it sounds like something that could only happen in America – a sort of rodeo with boats instead of cattle!

I understand the competitors who participate in this unusual sport are known locally as the Chesapeake cowboys, and their competition draws thousands of spectators along the shores of Maryland and Virginia each year. Apparently, a recent article in The New York Times Continue reading “What caught my eye: November 2023”

Towing and mooring equipment regulation effective from January 2024

According to Korean Register, amendments to SOLAS II-1/Reg.3-8 “Towing and mooring equipment” were adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee at MSC 102
According to Korean Register, amendments to SOLAS II-1/Reg.3-8 “Towing and mooring equipment” were adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee at MSC 102

According to Korean Register, amendments to SOLAS II-1/Reg.3-8 “Towing and mooring equipment” were adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee at MSC 102 and will enter into force on or after 1 January 2024. In particular, these amendments introduce new safety requirements for design, selection, inspection, maintenances and replacement of mooring and towing arrangements in conjunction with MSC.1/Circ.1175/ Rev.1, MSC.1/Circ.1619 and MSC.1/Circ.1620.

New ship designs, and especially the design of large ships, have resulted in optimized performance and a greater degree of complexity. It is a widely recognized fact that the development and design of mooring systems have not adequately followed the development of ships. Despite efforts to improve how safe mooring operations, there is still a high number of accidents during these operations.

Continue reading “Towing and mooring equipment regulation effective from January 2024”

Maritime transport review 2023 published by UNCTAD

The new maritime transport review 2023 has been published
The new maritime transport review 2023 has been published

In a world rife with cascading crises – geoeconomic fragmentation, retreating development, and climate change – maritime trade serves as a stabilizing anchor, holding fast against the turbulent currents of disruption which are reflected in the maritime transport review 2023.

Over four fifths of all trade in the world flows through the high seas. This includes the crucial trade of food, energy, and other essential goods. As recent trade disruptions, and most notably that of Black Sea food exports due to the war in Ukraine have shown, in our interconnected world, billions of people need open ports and steady ships to eat, keep their lights on, and have their hospitals well-stocked. Continue reading “Maritime transport review 2023 published by UNCTAD”

ICOMIA publishes a Smart Marinas Guide

ICOMIA Marinas group logoThe ‘Smart Marinas Initiative’ was introduced in light of a pressing need for the marina industry to respond to the technological developments such as digital transformation processes that enhance efficiency, and seamless user experiences across the transportation and hospitality industries.

The ICOMIA Marinas Group (IMG) realised that there is clearly some considerable scope for ICOMIA to assume a global role in developing programs on crucial marina-related issues such as interconnection, data collection, and sustainability. Continue reading “ICOMIA publishes a Smart Marinas Guide”

Tour boat collision leads to captains imprisonment

collision with a tour boat that left 27 people dead in the Danube River in Budapest.
Collision with a tour boat that left 27 people dead in the Danube River in Budapest.

A court in Hungary has sentenced a Viking cruise ship captain to five and a half years in prison for his role in a collision with a tour boat that left 27 people dead in the Danube River in Budapest.

On Tuesday 26 September, 68-year-old Ukrainian national Yuri Chaplinsky, captain of the Viking Cruises river cruise ship Viking Sigyn, was found guilty of negligence leading to mass casualties after his vessel struck and severely damaged the tour boat Hableány on the night of 29 May 2019. Continue reading “Tour boat collision leads to captains imprisonment”

ICOMIA launches essential new Paint Colour Guide: Yacht Coating Technical Guidelines

New from ICOMIA - the Paint Colour Guide: Yacht Coating Technical Guidelines
New from ICOMIA – the Paint Colour Guide: Yacht Coating Technical Guidelines

The International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) has produced a Paint Colour Guide: Yacht Coating Technical Guidelines as a result of their work with leading yacht coating manufacturers including Akzo Nobel, Hempel, Boero, CMP Chugoku and specialist coating consultants the Safinah Group.

The guide has been produced by ICOMIA members, for their members and the wider marine sector, in conjunction with industry technical experts including yacht paint surveyors, inspectors, chemists and formulators. It aims to provide clear, objective industry guidance on the use of paint colours and yacht coatings.

The days of yachts being painted only with the typical blue hulls and white superstructures are long gone. Continue reading “ICOMIA launches essential new Paint Colour Guide: Yacht Coating Technical Guidelines”

Marine Surveyors Association of Bangladesh celebrating thirty years

The Marine Surveyors Association of Bangladesh conference made the front page of the Chittagong daily paper
The Marine Surveyors Association of Bangladesh conference made the front page of the Chittagong daily paper

On Saturday 16th September 2023, I had the absolute pleasure to attend the one day conference at Hotel Agrabad, Chittagong, Bangladesh, as Guest of Honour, to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Marine Surveyors Association of Bangladesh (MSAB). An audience of more than 100 delegates from the marine surveying profession and wider local shipping industry had assembled to take part in the event. The conference was also broadcast live via Facebook. Continue reading “Marine Surveyors Association of Bangladesh celebrating thirty years”

What caught my eye: August 2023

Young teens launch model boats to circumnavigate Antarctica
The boys with their model boats. Photo credit: MacNeill Ferguson
The boys with their model boats. Photo credit: MacNeill Ferguson

They say you have to catch them young! This is such a wonderfully curious and quirky story, I simply had to bring it to your attention. Ollie Ferguson (13) and his brother Harry (11) of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, have launched replica vessels of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to circumnavigate Antarctica in what is probably a world’s first. The brothers have been inspired by the 1839-43 scientific expedition that discovered the Ross ice shelf. According to an article from The Guardian, the models, both more than 3 feet long, will follow the circumpolar current around Antarctica. The journey is more than 12,500 nautical miles and could take two or more years to complete.
According to their father, MacNeill, the boats have cameras onboard to catch pictures of penguins and whales for Harry.

Continue reading “What caught my eye: August 2023”

Maritime fuel fraud results in approximately $5 billion in losses

Maritime Fuel Fraud is costing the industry 5 billion a yearFuelTrust’s new report finds that in the past year, over 600 vessels were disabled through fuel problems, despite the fuel being ‘on-spec’, resulting in estimated global supply chain losses exceeding $5 billion. FuelTrust’s analysis found that between 2021 and 2022, more than 39% of global bunkers exhibited a fuel content delta of 2% or more compared to the amounts stated in their delivery paperwork. The primary issue identified was the introduction of water into the fuels during the journey from onshore storage tanks to the ship’s bunker tank. This problem typically involved an increase from 0.1% to above 0.25% water content, which, although below the regulated threshold, still resulted in average losses of $14,910 per affected delivery, FuelTrust highlights. Continue reading “Maritime fuel fraud results in approximately $5 billion in losses”

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