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Haphazard News

20 Nov 2020

In Focus: Talking Workboat Safety with AWO's Brian Bailey

Brian Bailey (Photo: AWO)

Brian Bailey, Director of Safety and Environmental Stewardship for the American Waterways Operators (AWO), was recently named a 2020 Rising Star of Safety by the National Safety Council (NSC), a nonprofit public service organization promoting health and safety in the U.S. Marine News spoke with Bailey about workboat safety and the AWO’s mission to protect industry workers, assets and the environment.Please tell us a bit about yourself and your role at AWO.I’ve been with The American Waterways Operators as its Director of Safety & Environmental Stewardship since 2016…

21 Mar 2019

Ferry Capsizes in Mosul, 80 Feared Dead

At least 79 people died when an overloaded ferry carrying families on an outing sank in the Tigris river in Mosul in northern Iraq, medical sources told Reuters on Thursday.Most of the casualties on the ferry were women and children who could not swim, said the head of Mosul's Civil Defence Authority Husam Khalil.He said the ferry had been loaded to several times its capacity. "It can normally carry 50 people. There were 250 on board before the incident," he said.Five ferry workers were arrested after late on Thursday, security sources said. Rescue workers were still looking for missing passengers.The boat was ferrying people to a man-made island used as a recreational area by families…

24 Sep 2018

Fouling Control on Workboats

(Biofouling photo - U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Christopher Frost/Released [A sailor scraping barnacles from the bottom of a rigid-hull inflatable boat aboard an aircraft carrier.])

As the domestic offshore energy industry stirs ever so lightly, the task of reactivating long-dormant vessels – some with extensive hull fouling – will become Job ONE. That’s easier said than done.Care and Preservation of Ship Hulls: Workboats vs. Deepwater VesselsNever before has there been such a wealth of data on the processes relating to the fouling of ship hulls. The formation of biofilms and subsequent micro- macro-and bio-fouling has been examined in minute detail and the…

08 Aug 2016

Effective Maritime Instructors: What Are They?

Modern training centers balance between theory, practical and assessment, with modern teaching techniques.

Poor training can lead to catastrophic accidents both financially and with loss of life, an unavoidable fact. The maritime industry is sadly far behind its counterparts in the aviation industry with regards to the importance placed on good quality, practical, effective training, a matter that urgently needs to be addressed. But where does this start? With the crew? With the ships? With the companies? I believe it begins with the trainers; Good quality training must come from passionate, dedicated instructors who understand their responsibly to the maritime community.

05 Aug 2015

Nigeria's Tanker Ban Underscores Local Industry Disarray

The Nigerian president's sudden, unexpected and seemingly unilateral decision to ban nearly 100 oil tankers from the country's waters has sown confusion in the operations of Africa's largest crude exporter. The edict directly from President Muhammadu Buhari's office appeared to be part of a campaign pledge to crack down on oil industry corruption and theft. But the disarray it has caused, even three weeks on, underscores the problems Buhari faces in trying, as an oil industry outsider, to tackle problems in the sector head on. "It's a mess," one trader said of the ban. Buhari has kept the oil portfolio for himself for now, and said that he would not appoint ministers until September.

26 Sep 2013

Where is Government Transparency?

President Obama pledged in his first four years of office to have a more transparent government. He issued a memorandum on transparency and open government on his second day in office directing agencies to make information more available to the public in a timely manner. Sadly, the Administration has failed to achieve this goal and its decision making processes have become more opaque. The public has a right to know how the Administration develops its policies and this can only occur if the Administration is open and transparent.

12 Jul 2012

Open Ocean Launches Maritime Security Program

Chenega UK Managing Director Murray Hammick

Aboard the HQS Wellington in London yesterday, Chenega UK Ltd. launched its fully integrated maritime security system to combat piracy and provide the ship owning community with a holistic, single point of contact security program to mitigate the risk of piracy. The system was received with excitement by the shipowners, managers, insurers, flag states and others engaged in transporting more than 90% of the world's goods, as "currently, it is the maritime industry itself that is being held hostage", stated an Open Ocean representative.

12 Nov 1999

Shipyards Multitask to Gain Experience

Worldwide, the road to success in the ship and boatbuilding market is literally paved with companies that have gone belly up, been acquired or are currently hanging by a literal thread. Many factors -- from too many booms and busts, to foreign shipbuilding subsidies, to political power plays - have conspired to make the business of building boats and ships increasingly difficult. But in the end analysis, the process of building vessels remains an industrialized manufacturing process, and the companies that have survived and prospered are the ones that have invested in the latest technologies to make the process more efficient. Improved steel processing - from cutting through parts marking to final installation - more so than ever determine a yard's marketability…

19 Nov 1999

Shipbuilders Multitask To Gain Experience, Stay Competitive

Worldwide, the road to success in the ship and boatbuilding market is literally paved with companies that have gone belly up, been acquired or are currently hanging by a literal thread. Many factors - from too many booms and busts, to foreign shipbuilding subsidies, to political power plays - have conspired to make the business of building boats and ships increasingly difficult. But in the end analysis, the process of building vessels remains an industrialized manufacturing process, and the companies that have survived and prospered are the ones that have invested in the latest technologies to make the process more efficient. Improved steel processing - from cutting through parts marking to final installation - more so than ever determine a yard's marketability…