Maritime And Coastguard Agency News

The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) has published new guidelines to support the safe operation of ships using wind-assisted propulsion systems, as the shipping industry increasingly adopts technologies aimed at reducing fuel use and emissions.The guidelines provide recommendations for developing and implementing safety management systems tailored to vessels equipped with wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS), including rotor sails, suction sails and wing sails.The report highlights the need to address operational…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the loss of propulsion in heavy weather experienced by Spirit of Discovery in the Bay of Biscay which led over 100 injuries and one fatality. Shortly after 1230 on 4 November 2023, the passenger vessel Spirit of Discovery lost propulsion in heavy weather while crossing the Bay of Biscay, France. Over 100 passengers were injured during this period. Eight of the seriously injured passengers were taken…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its investigation report into the collision between the crude oil tanker Apache and the stern trawler Serinah (GH 116) in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland on 25 April 2024.At about 1503 on 25 April 2024, the crude oil tanker Apache and the stern trawler Serinah collided in the Firth of Clyde resulting in Serinah sinking rapidly. All three of the fishing vessel’s crew were able to abandon ship to the liferaft and were uninjured.When the collision happened Serinah was fishing a seabed depression in the middle of the Firth of Clyde…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the flooding and foundering of the stern trawler Opportune off Scotland, with uncertainty remaining about the cause.On 24 March 2024, the 23.95m UK registered Opportune foundered 36 miles east of Lerwick, Scotland. Opportune’s eight crew were later rescued uninjured from the vessel’s liferafts by coastguard helicopters. The vessel was not recovered. The key safety issues identified were:• The vessel foundered due to a rapid and uncontrolled engine room flood.• The source of the flood could not be established.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the death of a pilot while attempting to board Finnhawk from the pilot vessel Humber Saturn, in Humber Estuary on 8 January 2023.The Humber pilot fell from a pilot ladder after likely suffering a cardiac event while boarding the roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel Finnhawk from the pilot vessel Humber Saturn. The pilot hit the deck of Humber Saturn before falling into the water and losing consciousness.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its preliminary assessment of a cargo fire on the bulk carrier Atlay on June 27, 2025.The Marshall Islands registered vessel was loading scrap metal into its aft cargo hold at Albert Dock, Hull, England.At 0948, the master observed smoke rising from the cargo and immediately activated the general alarm and called for the shore grab operator to discharge cargo to remove or expose the source of the fire. Meanwhile…

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has saved more than three thousand hours following the successful rollout of a data upskilling program in partnership with Multiverse. The training of the 68-strong cohort has enabled the MCA to develop a data-first culture, supporting the organization’s goal to harness data to improve safety at sea and to make the oceans cleaner.Using new insights from machine learning and statistical modeling, data apprentices have started to drive significant value for the MCA…

Building on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Peninsula and the University of Gibraltar earlier this year, the two organizations have taken their collaboration to the next level with the creation of the Peninsula Maritime Simulation Suite, a high-tech facility, funded by Peninsula, set to support cadet education and professional development.This investment not only fulfills mandatory UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) training requirements but positions Gibraltar as a rising global hub for maritime excellence.

The U.K. will launch a Maritime Innovation Hub in April 2026, aimed at accelerating the development of new technologies across the shipping sector while maintaining safety standards.The initiative, hosted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), will support vessel operators, shipbuilders, start-ups and technology developers in bringing novel ideas into real-world operations.Plans for the hub were unveiled earlier this year under the Department for Transport’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy.

ACUA Ocean's hydrogen-powered unmanned surface vessel (USV) PIONEER has successfully completed the world's first continuous, remote 24-hour offshore operation on zero emissions, marking a breakthrough in the decarbonization of the global maritime sector.The sea trials demonstrate the commercial potential of hydrogen power for maritime operations while supporting the UK's ambition to become a world leader in clean maritime innovation.During the trial, PIONEER sailed to the Eddystone Lighthouse…

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has issued the UK’s first certification for a remotely operated and unmanned vessel (ROUV) under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) Workboat Code Edition 3 (WBC3) Annex 2, with hydrogen-powered PIONEER from ACUA Ocean becoming the first vessel to achieve compliance.Introduced by the MCA in December 2023, the WBC3 requirements set out safety and operational standards for ROUVs operating in UK waters. LR was the first certifying authority to be authorised…

UK-based bunker operator John H. Whitaker (Tankers) Limited secured chemical certification from Lloyd’s Register (LR) on behalf of the Isle of Man Flag Administration for its tanker Whitchampion to load, carry and blend Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME B100) onboard under IBC Code and MARPOL Annex II regulations.The certification allows Whitchampion to perform onboard blending of biofuels with petroleum distillates and residual fuel oils. The operation is authorized within UK coastal…

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has expanded the capacity and capabilities of its Undertun commuter ferry evacuation system, as part of development work which also confirms the solution surpasses open sea performance requirements in SOLAS and the IMO code for High Speed Craft.After acquiring all Undertun design, production and supply rights last year, VIKING has made two key upgrades to a system that is widely used in sheltered waters in Norway. It has added a 203-person capacity life raft to the 101- and 153-person units previously available…

Fortescue’s Green Pioneer, billed as the world’s first ammonia dual-powered vessel, left Singapore in January of this year on voyage past the Cape of Good Hope en route initially to Southampton, both for Port State Control and to demonstrate the use of ammonia in its engines to the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and then on to London’s Canary Wharf where is stayed through mid-April, before travelling to other north European ports.At the time when the IMO’s Marine Environment…

The investigation into the deaths of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, banker Jonathan Bloomer and members of their families who perished when a luxury yacht sank last year will take many months, a British inquest was told on Tuesday.Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah and Morgan Stanley International chairman Bloomer and his wife Judith died when the superyacht "Bayesian" sank during a severe and sudden storm off the port of Porticello, near Palermo in Sicily on August 19, 2024.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued its report on the deaths of three stevedores in a cargo hold access space on board the bulk carrier Berge Mawson.On the morning of 27 June 2022, three unconscious stevedores were found in a cargo hold access space on the Isle of Man registered bulk carrier Berge Mawson at Bunyu Island Anchorage, Indonesia. Despite prompt medical attention all three men died.Berge Mawson was loading coal from barges using a floating crane. During a pause in loading due to heavy rain, all hatches were closed.

Stena Bulk, the owner of the Stena Immaculate oil tanker, said it is working closely with the manager of the vessel Crowley and U.K. agencies following the last week’s allision with incident the container ship Solong.Salvage experts from SMIT Salvage are continuing with their detailed onboard assessments of Stena Immaculate.As of March 16, the third-party salvage team has confirmed that damage resulting from the containership Solong striking the Stena Immaculate was limited to one cargo tank containing Jet A-1 fuel and one ballast tank containing sea water.At the time of the allision…

A fire onboard the Stena Immaculate oil tanker has greatly diminished with no visible flames, as initial salvage activities begin in the North Sea, the manager of the vessel Crowley reported.Crowley said it is working closely with U.K. agencies to support the incident response, salvage and environmental impact mitigation operations resulting from container ship Solong striking the tanker Stena Immaculate while at anchor on Monday, March 10.Worth noting, Solong’s owner has characterized…

Crowley, the manager of oil tanker Stena Immaculate that was struck on its port side by the container ship Solong, causing a blaze, has reported that all 23 members of the ship’s crew are safe and without reported injuries, as it launches spill containment response efforts.On March 10, 2025, while stationary and anchored off the North Sea coast near Hull in the United Kingdom, the Crowley-managed tanker Stena Immaculate was struck on its port side by the container ship Solong.Crowley…

The Singapore-flagged dual-fuel ammonia-powered vessel Fortescue Green Pioneer has arrived in the U.K. to demonstrate the viability of ammonia as a sustainable marine fuel.The vessel is the first of its kind, powered by four-stroke engines, two of which are capable of being fueled by ammonia and diesel.Ammonia, a zero-carbon fuel, has the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions when used for shipping.An ammonia-powered vessel exemplifies how shipping can become more sustainable, an ambitious but essential mission fully backed by U.K.

HFW - with a global shipping practice comprised of more than 220 lawyers - strengthened its shipping practice by hiring Master Mariner Mike Bunton.Bunton has almost 20 years of shipping experience and joins HFW in London from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, where he was Head of Navigation. He previously held a variety of roles at TechnipFMC, including Vessel Master and Senior Chief Officer, and also worked at WightLink Isle of Wight Ferries.HFW now has 14 Mariners and Master Mariners across the Americas…

This week at Maritime Reporter...The importance of safety on ro-ro vessels comes under the spotlight.The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch released its report into the engine room fire on board the ro-ro Stena Europe and concluded that the ship’s crew were insufficiently trained to inspect engine fuel systems and the temperature measuring equipment used by the crew to monitor the engine exhaust insulation did not effectively identify any hot spots.The Maritime and Coastguard…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the engine room fire on board ro-ro passenger ferry Stena Europe as it approached Fishguard, Wales.At 2115 on 11 February 2023, a fire broke out in the engine room of the vessel while on passage from Rosslare, Ireland, to Fishguard, Wales. The fire caused significant damage to the engine room but nobody was injured and there was no damage to the environment. The fire was extinguished by the crew.The…