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Tuesday, December 24, 2024
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Safety Management News

19 Dec 2024

Spotlight on Ro-Ro Safety

Galaxy Leader (Photo: Screenshot from video shared by Yemeni Armed Forces)

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…

16 Dec 2024

Leveraging Human Factors for Safer Maritime Vessel Ops

Image courtesy ARC

A safety management system, while vital, can only take a company so far. The real change has to be cultural throughout an organization.Many maritime companies can operate effectively under the International Safety Management Code, which governs safety and pollution prevention for ships. Frameworks like these enable carriers to act compliant with basic safety standards, but there is a significant human element not quite covered by such standards. In 2012, Allianz looked at around a century of maritime incidents, estimating that 75% to 96% of marine accidents involved some human error.

04 Dec 2024

AWO at 80: Looking Back, Looking Forward on Safety, Security & Sustainability

Š Matt Gush / Adobe Stock

This year, AWO marks its 80th anniversary as the tugboat, towboat and barge industry’s advocate, resource and united voice for safe, sustainable and efficient transportation on America’s waterways, oceans and coasts. As we celebrate this milestone, we not only recognize and reflect on 80 years of advocacy for our industry as a key driver of the U.S. economy, but also 80 years of vital work as a safety and sustainability leader and security partner – protecting mariners, communities and our waterways from harm.At a time when the men and women of America’s essential workforce…

27 Nov 2024

PREVIEW: IMO Maritime Safety Committee 109th session

(c) Timon / Adobestock

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) will meet for its 109th session at IMO Headquarters in London (in-person with hybrid participation) from 2 to 6 December 2024.The meeting will be chaired by Mrs. Mayte Medina of the United States, supported by Vice-Chair, Capt. Theofilos Mozas of Greece.The MSC deals with all matters related to maritime safety and maritime security which fall within the scope of IMO, including autonomous vessels, safety of alternative fuels and technologies, piracy and armed robbery against ships, cyber security and e-navigation and many others.

18 Nov 2024

TBS, Wombat to partner on Safety Management System

wombat Safety Software (c) TBS / Wombat

TBS Safety, with Wombat Safety Software this week announced new safety and compliance management technology to industrial and maritime businesses.Through this partnership, TBS Safety will serve as an official reseller of Wombat, delivering a digital solution that complies with OSHA standards and regulations, streamlines safety operations, and ultimately enhances workplace safety. The new software combines to offer a simple to use digital platform where companies can access compliance training…

14 Nov 2024

Capsized Tug Raises Pilot Training Concerns

Image courtesy of Ian Catterson. (Source: MAIB)

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report into the girting and capsize of tug Biter with the loss of two lives while assisting passenger vessel Hebridean Princess off Greenock, Scotland.At about 1527 on 24 February 2023, the twin screw conventional tug Biter girted and capsized while attached to the stern of the passenger vessel Hebridean Princess, which was making its approach to James Watt Dock.Girting occurs when high athwartships towing forces…

05 Nov 2024

N-O-S Focuses on Crew Comfort with CTV Newbuild

Photo Credit: N-O-S

As global offshore markets evolve to create a more sustainable future, rising up to meet these challenges is Sweden-based Northern Offshore Services. Offshore engineers won’t be the only beneficiary – but they might be the most important. In August, Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) unveiled its unique I-Class Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV), powered by the first commercial application of Volvo Penta’s IPS Professional Platform. In the cutting-edge IMPRESSER, N-O-S designed a flexible…

31 Oct 2024

Floating Wind and the Taming of Subsea Spaghetti

Subsea Collector connects multiple wind turbines in a star configuration to floating wind’s first subsea power distribution system.
Source Aker Solutions

Preparing for industrialization, the floating offshore wind industry is tackling its unique mooring and cabling challenges.The idea of keeping floating offshore wind platforms in place using dynamic positioning has been considered. The trouble is: it could take up to 80% of the electricity generated by the turbine to do it.So, as Maersk Supply Service said a few years back: In a field of 100 turbines with 4-5 mooring lines each, there is going to be a lot of subsea “spaghetti.” It’s not a problem unique to the industry…

02 Oct 2024

Serious Injury: “Accidents Happen When People Don’t Communicate”

Source: TAIC

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has released its report into the injury of a crew member on the bulk carrier Poavosa Brave on June 23, 2023.The vessel was at anchor outside Tauranga Harbour, preparing to load logs. An on-board crane was hoisting stanchions (vertical posts for securing logs on the main deck) when the crane's block struck an able seaman. The seaman was very seriously injured and was later evacuated to hospital by helicopter.TAIC states that in doing unauthorized work and not telling responsible officers…

29 Sep 2024

Safety and Communication Failures Led to Fatal Fall

Source: MAIB

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its report into the death of a seafarer on the bulk carrier Equinox Seas whilst the vessel was undergoing scheduled maintenance in a yard.On April 17, 2023, a crewman on board Equinox Seas was fatally injured when he fell 10m down an open ventilation trunk where a fan had been removed for maintenance by the shipyard. The fitter was recovered from the base of the ventilation trunk and moved to a local hospital, where…

23 Sep 2024

Unmanned Engine Room Planned for Ammonia-Fueled Ships

Source: ABS

ABS has awarded approval in principle for two new autonomous technologies from HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).The Unmanned Ammonia Engine Room technology allows for a remote propulsion control station with gas safety technology on the navigation bridge of an ammonia-fueled vessel with the capability to monitor the machinery space. The centralized control station can be periodically unattended and can take automated…

03 Sep 2024

NTSB Continues to Push for Safety Management System Mandate

Photo of Conception’s burned hull at dawn on Sept. 2, 2019, prior to sinking. (Credit: Ventura County Fire Department)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is once again calling for safety management systems (SMS) to be required for all U.S.-flagged passenger vessels.On the fifth anniversary of the 2019 Conception dive boat fire that killed 34 people, Jennifer Homendy, chair of the federal safety watchdog, held a media availability with the families of the victims and again called on the U.S. Coast Guard to mandate SMS on passenger vessels such as ferries, tour and sightseeing vessels…

25 Aug 2024

Voyage Optimization Plan Led to Grounding of Bulk Carrier

Source: MAIB

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its preliminary assessment of the grounding of the bulk carrier Indian Partnership on April 23, 2023, and implicated voyage optimization planning.The UK-registered bulk carrier ran aground at 0409 off the coast of Misool Island while transiting the Indonesian archipelago. The grounding caused significant breaches to the hull, leading to water ingress into the duct keel and five ballast water tanks.Indian Partnership had set sail from Skardon River…

22 Aug 2024

Liquified Hydrogen Bunkering will be More Complex than LNG

Š Shawn Hempel / Adobe Stock

The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF), a forum of flag states and classification societies, has released a new report offering guidelines and key safety considerations for developing liquefied hydrogen bunkering systems and procedures.The report underlines the potential use of hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel to meet the IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships by 2050. It acknowledges the challenges associated with bunkering hydrogen as marine fuel and as a maritime cargo…

06 Aug 2024

Bulk Carrier Grounded Due to Inadequate Clearance Guidance

ohn J Boland discharging cargo from its port side using its self-unloading boom in Lorain, Ohio, after the grounding. (Source: NTSB)

Inadequate operating company guidance on underkeel clearance led to the April 2023 grounding of a bulk carrier in Lake Huron, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The 667-foot-long, self-unloading bulk carrier John J Boland—owned by American Steamship Company and operated by Grand River Navigation under charter—grounded twice as it was completing final loading in Port Dolomite, Michigan on April 21, 2023. The crew discovered flooding and damage to the hull after it was underway.

01 Jul 2024

ICS Launches Global Health Emergency Guide

Source: ICS

International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Publications has launched the ‘Global Health Emergency Guide: Helping Shipping Companies Prepare, Act and Recover,’ a comprehensive resource designed to aid shipping companies and crew in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from global health emergencies.The guide draws on the critical lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and other global health emergencies that have significantly impacted shipping operations. It sets out…

01 Jul 2024

IACS Embedding Human Element into Work Streams

Š Jouni Niskakoski / Adobe Stock

The IACS’ Council, meeting last week in Rome for its 89th session (C89) under new Council Chair, Roberto Cazzulo, progressed a wide range of issues, foremost of which was the need for the human element to be considered at the earliest stage across all IACS’ work streams. The requirement for increased awareness and focus on how a ship’s crew can safely operate increasingly sophisticated vessels has led IACS to develop internal guidelines to address this need in a structured and…

19 Jun 2024

New Maritime Cybersecurity Body Launched

Š HTGanzo / Adobe Stock

As digital technologies continue to permeate the international shipping industry, a newly launched organization aims to raise the standard of cybersecurity risk assessment across the maritime sector.The International Maritime Cyber Security Organization (IMCSO) will recognize appropriate cybersecurity professional certifications as well as offer certification for maritime specific knowledge. In addition, the body will maintain a register of maritime cyber security service suppliers, detailing the qualifications and expertise of those working for them.

03 Jun 2024

ABS and Lloyd’s Register Greenlight 3500 TEU Ammonia Container Ship Design

(Credit: MÌrsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping)

The two classification societies American Bureau Of Shipping (ABS) and Lloyd’s Register (LR) have issued an approval in principle (AiP) for a new ship design of an ammonia-fueled 3500 TEU container vessel.A cross-industry taskforce including A. P. Moller-Maersk, MAN Energy Solutions, Deltamarin, Eltronic FuelTech, ABS and LR led by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping is behind the new design.The vessels is 212 meters long, with a breadth of 35 meters. Its ammonia tank capacity is 4300 m3.When awarding an AiP…

13 Jun 2024

BSEE Conducts First Offshore Wind Turbine Inspection

(File photo: South Fork Wind)

The United States' Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said it has conducted an inspection at the South Fork Wind project, marking the agency’s first inspection of an operational offshore wind turbine in U.S. waters. Located offshore New York and Rhode Island, 130 megawatt South Fork Wind is the nation’s first commercial wind farm on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).“This first wind turbine inspection is critical for industry, BSEE, and the nation as domestic offshore wind transitions from installation and commissioning activities to daily clean power production…

03 Jun 2024

Maersk's Ammonia-fueled Box Ship Design Earns Approval in Principle

Left to right: John McDonald, ABS President and COO; Claus W. Graugaard, Chief Technology Officer, Onboard Vessel Solutions at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping; Andy McKeran, Chief Commercial Officer of Lloyd’s Register. (Photo: LR)

A. P. Møller-Mærsk's newly developed design for an ammonia-fuelled 3,500 TEU container vessel has earned approval in principle (AIP) from classification societies Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).Led by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, the design project also involved MAN Energy Solutions, Deltamarin, Eltronic FuelTech.“To unlock the potential of sustainable ammonia as an alternative, low-emissions marine fuel, we must…

23 May 2024

Sixth Edition of Guidelines on the ISM Code Released

Source: ICS

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has released the Sixth Edition of Guidelines on the IMO International Safety Management (ISM) Code.Print and ebook copies of the Guidelines are now available to buy.The sixth edition replaces the Guidelines on the Application of the IMO International Safety Management (ISM) Code, Fifth Edition, which has now been withdrawn from sale.The new edition includes new content:• New chapter on internal audits to help companies improve the SMS on an ongoing basis• Example annual program of drills and exercises• Updated publications list…

28 May 2024

Embracing Human and Organizational Performance: A Paradigm Shift to Address Safety and Workforce Challenges

(Credit: Michel Sauret / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District)

In the ever-evolving landscape of workplace safety, a paradigm shift is underway. Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) represents a natural progression of the safety management system model and its emphasis on continuous improvement. At its core, HOP acknowledges that errors will happen, and when they do, the reaction of management is vitally important: Managers can either seek to assign blame for the error or learn from the mistake, but not both. HOP transforms workplace safety by acknowledging that humans make mistakes.

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