The Swedish Club in its monthly safety bulletin describes a case history about the cargo hold flooding which was attributed to a tank missing a gasket to the manhole. Also, the bilge sensor was broken and heavily corroded, although it had been inspected a couple of days previously and found at the time to be in good condition.
When the container vessel arrived in port, it was instructed to anchor and wait until its berth was available. While the vessel was waiting for the berth, the Chief Officer decided to carry out a routine ballast tank inspection. The second completed a Permit for entry into the confined enclosed space and also did the inspection. Continue reading “Missing gasket leads to cargo hold flooding”
Survitec says the service schedule of life saving appliances should be maintained
With an increasing number of vessels returning to service following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, Survitec is advising that ships’ life saving appliances are maintained according to their original service schedules in order to avoid delays.
Operators must have a valid safety certificate in place before their vessels can return to service after lockdown and while some flags have allowed three to five month extensions, there are concerns that there will be a backlog of equipment requiring service, which could render the vessel unable to return to service until certificates of compliance have been issued or extensions approved.
Of course, we have always known that the sea can be and is a treacherous place at times; but the past few weeks have seen a spate of distressing incidents and accidents, seemingly occurring on an almost daily frequency and resulting in the loss of life with substantial damage to vessels and cargoes around the world. Before I became involved in my role as CEO of IIMS, I was blissfully unaware of the sheer number of lives lost at sea, as indeed are most members of the general public. The reason for that is simply that most marine accident, apart from the really major ones, never make the general news agendas. When I tell my friends and family about the tragedies that routinely happen at sea, they are disbelieving.
Procedures for safe bunkering of methanol are included in the new Bunkering Technical Reference on Methanol by Lloyds Register and Methanol Institute
UK-based classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the Methanol Institute (MI) have released a Bunkering Technical Reference on Methanol. The new guidance outlines the procedures required for the safe bunkering of methanol and incorporates dedicated checklists to assist shipowners/operators, ports, bunker suppliers and other stakeholders with safe storage and handling, it said.
LR notes methanol is already in use as a marine fuel on several vessel types. Compared with traditional heavy fuel oil options, its sulphur-free characteristics and lower GHG emissions than conventional fuel can support owners with efforts to meet IMO2020 regulations, it explained.
Following three incident investigations, Transport Malta has issued a safety notice to draw attention to the dangers of sheathed steel wires onboard ships. Their concern surrounds the restricted access to the wire rope for a thorough inspection and the possibility that corrosion might exist.
It is recommended that all concerned must check the condition of all lashings, lifting slings/strops and other loose gear as specified in the manufacturer’s instructions for the use, size and construction of the wire. This advice is in addition to a recent warning by Tokyo MoU, highlighting the dangers of sheathed steel wires on board ships.
The Transport Malta notice also highlights that all Flexible Steel Wire Ropes (FSWR) and Extra Flexible Steel Wire Ropes (EFSWR) should conform to the design requirements recognised by a relevant International Standard.
ABS Guide: Fatigue Assessment of Offshore Structures
ABS has released its updated Fatigue Assessment of Offshore Structures guide, which incorporates updated approaches for addressing fatigue including new S-N curves and guidance regarding fatigue strength based on fracture mechanics.
Fatigue assessment is a process where the fatigue demand on a structural element is established and compared to the predicted fatigue strength of that element. One way to categorize a fatigue assessment technique is to say that it is based on a direct calculation of fatigue damage or expected fatigue life. Three important methods of assessment are the Simplified Method, the Spectral Method and the Deterministic Method. Alternatively, an indirect fatigue assessment may be performed by the Simplified Method, based on limiting a predicted (probabilistically defined) stress range to be at or below Continue reading “ABS updates Fatigue Assessment of Offshore Structures guide”
Barge Alaganik: Photo courtesy of Alex Fefelov for The Cordova Times
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published an investigation report on the explosion and subsequent sinking of barge Alaganik in the Canal Passage, off Alaska in July 2019, which resulted in one fatality. The investigation identified ignition of gasoline vapor from a fuel cargo tank as key cause of the accident.
On 7 July 7 2019 an explosion occurred on the barge Alaganik as it was moored port side to the end of the Delong Dock in Whittier, Alaska. The vessel was serving as a platform for pumping fish cargo ashore from fishing vessels and tenders that came alongside. It also provided diesel fuel and gasoline to the fishing vessels. No cargo operations were ongoing when the explosion occurred.
RMI publishes its annual report on marine casualties
RMI has published its Annual Report on the investigation of Marine Casualties, revealing that it received reports of 806 very serious marine casualties, marine incidents, and occurrences in 2019. Accidental falls, enclosed space incidents and collisions-groundings during pilotage were the main issues of concern last year.
Specifically, during 2019:
– 17 very serious casualties were reported to the Administrator. Two very serious casualties resulted in the constructive total loss of a ship, while 11 others resulted in the loss of one or more lives. Additionally, four occurred on yachts and resulted in their constructive total loss due to fire.
– Accidental falls were the leading cause of death during 2019, with seven lives lost. Four of these fatalities were the result of falls from height and three were falls overboard. Improper enclosed space entry also resulted in the loss of two seafarers
– There were 331 marine casualties.
– Serious injuries (resulting in incapacitation for 72 hours or more) were by far the most frequently occurring marine Continue reading “RMI publishes its annual report on marine casualties”
A new autonomous landing solution for offshore structures, called the Barge Master gangway, is designed to significantly improves both safety and performance.
Through a combination of radar technology, cameras and sensors, Bosch Rexroth’s system automatically attaches the landing from the ship to the required site without the need for manual input. This means that the operation is consistent and reliable, regardless of weather and ocean conditions.
After the automated landing procedure, the Barge Master gangway is held safely in place through a combination of motion compensation and the ship’s dynamic positioning.
Shipping is the backbone of the global economy, responsible for about 90% of world trade. But it also accounts for almost 3% (and rising) of man-made carbon dioxide emissions. The industry’s regulator set a series of emission-cutting targets back in 2018 aimed at driving a transition away from high-polluting fossil fuels. If the more ambitious goals are to be hit, the world’s ships will need to start burning new, clean fuel by 2030; such as biofuels. The question is, which one?
1. What are the bio-bunker options for ships after 2030?
Ships burn about 5 million barrels of fossil fuel every day, pumping a constant stream of CO2 and other chemical nasties into the atmosphere. Yet figuring out the fuel of the future isn’t just about emissions. It’s got to have enough power to propel gigantic tankers around the globe, be storable and transportable, and, of course, not too costly. Here’s a list of the front- Continue reading “What types of biofuels could ships burn in 2030?”
Dealing with misdeclared cargo and its consequences is one of the most challenging issues for the shipping industry at this current time. Known to be at the root of many major marine accidents, including fires causing loss of life and significant damage, shipping lines have been seeking to develop an approach to detect and reduce the risks of misdeclarations.
In July 2020, the National Cargo Bureau (NCB) reported that its recent inspection initiatives revealed an alarming number of containers included misdeclared dangerous cargoes. Citing the fact that on average a containership suffers a major fire every 60 days, the NCB reported that it conducted more than 32,000 dangerous dry and tank good inspections in the US in 2019, finding that more than six Continue reading “Artificial intelligence based system detects misdeclared cargo”
Why oh why oh why are deaths still occurring in enclosed spaces?
Yves Vandenborn, of the Standard Club, asks why deaths in enclosed spaces are still happening on a regular basis. This article is reprinted from the July/August edition of Maritime Risk International.
Despite the well-known risks and the numerous publications and articles available on the topic, deaths in enclosed spaces continue to account for a significant proportion of deaths at sea to date. More drastic measures are required if the industry wishes to turn this tide.
The most recent in a long list of such incidents is the death of a chief officer who entered a fumigated hold to inspect the cargo condition. In this case, detailed instructions for the fumigation of the cargo were given to the vessel clearly stating that the fumigant was potentially dangerous. Even though the chief officer checked the hold atmosphere prior to entry, unfortunately, the gas detector he used was not capable of measuring the concentration of toxic phosphine gas. Further, the confined space entry was made using only a mask, absent was the correct self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), leading to fatal consequences. Hence, it is vital to ensure that all possible risks are taken into consideration before one enters an enclosed space. Despite knowing the dangers and risks, and with the importance of taking appropriate precautions continually reiterated to seafarers, there remain incidents where these precautions have not been followed by the crew. A thorough investigation into these incidences, by industry bodies such as Intercargo and P&I Clubs, reveals that it is not always due to carelessness by the seafarer or a blatant disregard of the precautions. Some of these incidents include instances of ill attempted rescues of co-workers, where the crew in their urgent attempt to render aid to their co-worker, rush into enclosed spaces without proper care for themselves. These circumstances are understandably critical, but it is crucial that proper safety procedures are abided by, otherwise there will be multiple lives at risk and lead to more deaths in enclosed spaces. Continue reading “Why oh why oh why are deaths still occurring in enclosed spaces?”
