Fire spread due to unfamiliarity with fire extinguisher equipment

The American Club Logo
The American Club Logo – unfamiliarity with fire extinguisher led to fire spreading

The American Club has published some lessons learned from an incident where a general cargo vessel’s generator experienced a catastrophic failure while underway resulting in a fire that spread immediately to the bilges under the generator but couldn’t be fixed due to unfamiliarity with the fire extinguisher.

A senior and a junior engineer were in the engine room and both heard a loud bang. The two engineers investigated and saw the fire which quickly spread to the bilges. The automated alarm system sounded shortly after the fire started. The senior engineer saw the fire was in the bilges and knew that the foam fire extinguisher was appropriate to use. Continue reading “Fire spread due to unfamiliarity with fire extinguisher equipment”

Crankcase failure causes two small fires

Crankcase fire
Crankcase fire

The Marine Safety Forum has published an alert focusing on a case where a vessel experienced crankcase failure. The vessel suffered a crankcase failure on one of their four diesel generators (DG) which resulted in two small fires and excessive damage to the pistons, con-rods, and the engine block.

Fortunately, no personnel were injured during this event and due to the swift actions from the crew and additional barriers already in place it made sure that the situation was quickly and effectively controlled within minutes, plus any potential secondary damage to surrounding machinery was prevented. Continue reading “Crankcase failure causes two small fires”

Cygnus 1 ultrasonic thickness gauge certified to Class 1

Cygnus Instruments Ltd - Cygnus 1
Cygnus Instruments Ltd – Cygnus 1

The Cygnus 1 ultrasonic thickness gauge is certified to Class 1, Div 1 (“Zone 0”) for ATEX, IECEx and CSA-US. The Cygnus 1 is specifically designed for measuring metal thickness to determine wastage or corrosion in Zone 0, Zone 1 hazardous and potentially explosive environments. It has a highly durable, shock-proof and splash-proof (IP65 rated) construction – this heavy-duty unit is supplied ready to use, and offers up to 12 hours continuous testing before recharge is necessary, with no plant shutdown or hot work permit required.

The exterior houses a set of components, viewed via a bright LED display with polarised filter, in either metric or imperial measurement to suit the user’s preference. These features include an echo strength indicator to aid measurement, measurement self-verification to ensure Continue reading “Cygnus 1 ultrasonic thickness gauge certified to Class 1”

IUMI Stats Report: Small cargo losses increasing, larger losses declining

The IUMI 2021 Stats Report is available to download
The IUMI 2021 Stats Report is available to download

The International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI) has published its 2021 analysis of the global marine insurance market in the IUMI Stats report. The report presents a range of statistical data to give an insight into the marine insurance market within the context of global trade and shipping.

Global premiums reported from the offshore energy sector in 2020 were USD 3.6 billion representing an 8.6% increase on 2019. Premium income mirrors the global oil price and it is thought that the bottom of the premium decrease cycle has been reached and that income is now on the rise. However, the oil price remains volatile and was impacted negatively in 2020 due to the pandemic. 2021 has seen an oil price rally but the effects of events such as Hurricane Ida are yet to be known. Continue reading “IUMI Stats Report: Small cargo losses increasing, larger losses declining”

Improper maintenance procedures can cost lives

Screenshot from the animated video UK P&I Club has released a video describing the dangers of refrigeration machinery and other improper maintenance procedures following an enclosed space casualty. During a third-party survey, the surveyor made a request to test the emergency fire pump, which was arranged with the assistance of the chief engineer. The emergency fire pump was located in a recessed well in the steering gear compartment, approximately 3 metres deep and accessed by an inclined stairway. Continue reading “Improper maintenance procedures can cost lives”

Pre-load steel surveys – recommended only for finished steel products

A man loaded steel rodsFor their mutual members, Gard P&I Club covers the cost of pre-load steel surveys (after any contribution from charterers). Only finished steel cargos justify the costs. In this short article, the Club highlights the type of cargo that is covered by the pre-load steel surveys recommendation.

As a general guideline, the Club will cover the costs involved in owners’ entries pre-loading survey on finished steel products. Accordingly, it is normally recommended that pre-loading surveys be carried out on the following products: Continue reading “Pre-load steel surveys – recommended only for finished steel products”

Conducting an oil tanker operational risk assessment

Graph of oil tanker operation claims 2019-2020Oil tanker operations are extremely critical due to the significant impact they can have on life, property and the environment should anything go wrong, Shipowners Club has said.

To assist in mitigating the risk involved with this trade, several measures are already in place including regulations governing the carriage of oil and the mandatory requirement for all crew to undergo specialised training courses prior to sailing on tankers. Continue reading “Conducting an oil tanker operational risk assessment”

Tristar Safety at Sea Conference – Promoting welfare seafarers

Tristar safety at sea conferenceTristar Group will host its Third Annual “Safety At Sea” conference on 8th December 2021 (1330 UAE time) at the Dubai Expo Site in the India Pavilion. This continued initiative by Tristar, supported by IIMS, Nautical Institute, and IMarEST, is to draw industry and global attention to crew mental health issues and to improve the general well–being of all seafarers.

As business owners and leaders in the maritime industry, the onus is on us to take a leading role to ensure that the mental health of seafarers is no longer a taboo subject and that we create platforms to discuss and put in place an ecosystem that will enable seafarers to Continue reading “Tristar Safety at Sea Conference – Promoting welfare seafarers”

Hong Kong investigates fatality during steel pipe loading

Hong Kong investigation reveals lessons learned from fatality during steel pipe loading
Hong Kong investigation reveals lessons learned from fatality during steel pipe loading

The Hong Kong authorities have concluded and released details of an investigation into a fatality during a steel pipe loading that took place onboard a Hong Kong registered bulk carrier when loading its cargo of steel pipes in various sizes at a pier.

A Hong Kong registered bulk carrier was berthed at a pier to load its cargo of steel pipes in various sizes. During the crane operation, the stack of steel pipes below was displaced by lowering a heavy steel pipe. It caused the nearby stevedores to lose their balance and fall into the gaps between the steel pipes. Although the two injured workers were rushed into the port hospital for medical treatment, one of the stevedores responsible for unhooking the cargo was declared dead the day after the incident, and the other stevedore responsible for cargo securing was seriously injured. Continue reading “Hong Kong investigates fatality during steel pipe loading”

Need to knows about preventing fires onboard containerships

What you need to know about preventing fires onboard containerships
What you need to know about preventing fires onboard containerships

A collaboration between Standard Club and David Townsend, Principle Fire Investigator at Andrew Moore & Associates Ltd, has resulted in a helpful loss prevention alert for preventing fires onboard containerships while offering some suggestions for dealing with and improving the situation.

According to Mr. Moore, there has been an increasing number of fires onboard containerships in recent years, some with disastrous consequences, not only for the shipowner and the crew on board but also for the environment and the shipping industry’s reputation. Continue reading “Need to knows about preventing fires onboard containerships”

Guidelines for the shipment of petroleum cargoes issued

Guidelines for the shipment of petroleum cargoes issued
Guidelines for the shipment of petroleum cargoes issued

The Swedish Club has published helpful cargo guidelines, focusing on petroleum cargoes shipments. The Club said that they wanted to give advice on the shipment of petroleum cargo specifically. A variety of refined petroleum cargoes are transported via the shipping industry. These cargoes are classified by the hydrocarbon range of the products. As the club explains, a common contamination found in refined petroleum products is the presence of particulates. This often leads to a failure in the appearance parameter which states that the cargo should be ‘clear and bright’ and typically leads to further cargo processing operations.

Pre-loading

The ‘HM 50 Guidelines for the cleaning of tanks and lines for marine tank vessels carrying petroleum and refined products’, published by the Energy Institute provide tank cleaning guidelines for switching between various dirty and clean/refined petroleum product grades. Continue reading “Guidelines for the shipment of petroleum cargoes issued”

Call for applications for appointment as MCIB Investigator

MCIB LogoThe MCIB (Marine Casualty Investigation Board) was established in 2002 under the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000. The purpose of the MCIB is to investigate marine casualties with a view to learning lessons to prevent them from happening again. It is not the purpose of an investigation to attribute fault or blame. The MCIB invites applications from suitably qualified investigators to carry out contracted marine casualty investigations on behalf of the Board.

To date the MCIB has published approximately 243 accident investigation reports and now wishes to engage additional investigators to carry out accident investigations on its behalf and to develop reports for the MCIB. Continue reading “Call for applications for appointment as MCIB Investigator”

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