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Safety Alert News

26 Feb 2024

Many Different Vessels but One Goal – Passenger Safety

© Olivier / Adobe Stock

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

30 Jan 2024

NTSB Issues Safety Alert on Personal Locator Devices for Mariners

Exemplar personal locator beacon (left) and satellite emergency notification device (center), and a personal locator beacon attached to a lifejacket (right). (Source: Bluewatersailing.com (left), Powerandmotoryacht.com (center), and Varen (right))

A new safety alert issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urges vessel owners and operators to provide each crewmember with a personal locator device. These devices improve a mariner’s chance of rescue during an emergency.During an emergency at sea, a mariner’s chance of survival decreases if search and rescue cannot quickly and accurately identify their location. Personal locator devices, such as personal locator beacons (PLB) or satellite emergency notification devices (SEND), can accurately pinpoint a person’s location.

02 Aug 2023

Inadequate Lookout Leads to Collision Between Coast Guard Cutter and Small Boat -NTSB

The Desakata’s bow section adrift immediately after the collision. (Source: U.S. Coast
Guard)

The fatal collision between the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Winslow Griesser and a small boat off the coast of Puerto Rico last year resulted from the failure of either vessel to maintain a proper lookout, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.On August 8, 2022, the cutter Winslow Griesser and the center-console boat Desakata collided about four miles off the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The cutter, with a crew of 21, was traveling westward along the coast. The 23-foot boat, with two aboard, was heading northbound.

05 Jun 2023

US Coast Guard Warns on Open Flames and Hidden Hatches

Source: US Coast Guard

The US Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis Commandant has released US Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 07-23, Critical Insight from Ongoing Investigations into Small Passenger Vessel Fires.The Safety Alert was prepared in response to multiple ongoing investigations being conducted by the U S Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into fires onboard two certificated small passenger vessels. Both vessels sustained millions of dollars in structural damages.The alert highlights the risk of the open flames that can be used during dinner cruises.

09 May 2023

US Coast Guard Warns on Load Line Regulations

© H. Ozmen / Adobe Stock

The Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis has released U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 06-23: Avoiding Load Line Requirements.The safety alert cites a recent marine casualty resulting in the total loss of a crane barge, estimated at over $6 million, and cautions about the risks associated with not complying with load line regulations.The incident occurred approximately 18 miles offshore of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico while the crane barge was being towed in calm weather conditions.

16 Mar 2023

Multiple Failures Led to Pacific Khamsin Drillship Fatality

Multiple training and personnel safety failures led to a 2020 worker casualty on board the Pacific Khamsin drillship in the Gulf of Mexico, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said in a recent report..A rig crewmember was killed on August 23, 2020 while assisting his team in breaking out bolts and pulling riser joints to the surface as the Pacific Drilling drillship crew prepared to secure the well and evacuate the location ahead of incoming storms. The drillship was under contract with Total E&P USA, conducting well operations in Garden Banks Block 1003, approximately 174 miles offshore Louisiana at the time of the incident.A panel comprised of BSEE subject matter experts…

01 Nov 2022

DPS Safety Alert Follows DP3 Drillship Blackout Investigation

Copyright donvictori0/AdobeStock

The United States Coast Guard issued the following Marine Safety Alert rergarding Dynamic Positioning Systems.Dynamic positioning (DP) systems1 meeting equipment class 2 (DP2) and equipment class 3 (DP3) have control features and redundancies that are often regarded by the crews of vessels using these systems as infallible. A recently investigated DP incident revealed that a DP system may still have weaknesses, even when the design and testing of the system aims to remove or mitigate those weaknesses through engineering controls.

07 Jun 2022

Marine Insurance: Cargo Fires are a Burning Issue for Shipping

Copyright burnstuff2003/AdobeStock

Commercial insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty released its Safety & Shipping Review, an annual analysis of shipping losses and accidents worldwide. The 2022 report reveals that the maritime sector continues its long-term positive safety trend over the past year with 54 total losses of vessels reported globally, compared with 65 a year earlier. This represents a 57% decline over 10 years (127 in 2012); while during the early 1990s the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year.The 2021 loss total is made more impressive by the fact that there are an estimated 130…

13 Sep 2021

USCG Issues Safety Alert on Accommodation Ladders

Figure 1: Pin location on the
Accommodation Ladder Turntable (Image: USCG)

A recent marine casualty resulting in an injury of a crewmember on board a foreign freight vessel brought to light a potentially dangerous situation involving the turntable pin on accommodation ladders, the U.S. Coast Guard pointed out in a recent safety alert developed by the Investigators of Sector Delaware Bay and distributed by the Office of Investigations and Analysis. Currently, there are no established timelines or requirements to replace turntable pins. Without proper and periodic examination and replacement…

15 May 2020

USCG Issues AIS Safety Warning Following Towboat Collision

© mavi / Adobe Stock

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a safety alert highlighting the importance of accurate Automatic Identification System (AIS) data entry and display to safe navigation following a recent towboat collision on the Mississippi River.Although the investigation into this casualty is not yet complete, the Coast Guard said the incident shows the hazards created by inaccurate AIS data and should prompt owners and operators to review and update their procedures to prevent similar casualties from occurring.Before sunrise, two towing vessels were approaching a bend on the Mississippi River.

15 Oct 2019

Cyber Hack: Fortifying Maritime, Port Security

© denisismagilov/Adobe Stock

The United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 06-19 (USCG MSA 06-19) outlines a February 2019 incident aboard a deep draft commercial vessel that called on the Port of New York / New Jersey after experiencing a significant cyber incident that impacted their shipboard network. The Safety Alert stated in part:“An interagency team of cyber experts, led by the Coast Guard, responded and conducted an analysis of the vessel’s network and essential control systems. The team concluded that although the malware significantly degraded the functionality of the onboard computer system…

11 Jul 2019

Operators Cannot Turn a Blind Eye to Cyber Security

Photo: Gard

Whilst investigating a cyber incident onboard a ship the USCG found that the security risk presented by the shipboard network was well known among the crew before the incident.In its recent Marine Safety Alert 06-19, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) shares its findings from an investigation into a cyber incident onboard a commercial vessel:“In February 2019, a deep draft vessel on an international voyage bound for the Port of New York and New Jersey reported that they were experiencing a significant cyber incident impacting their shipboard network.

28 Mar 2019

USCG: Have a Regime When the Current’s Abeam

File Image: CREDIT AWO

Ensure adequate maneuvering space!Recently there were three marine casualties that resulted in the sinking of towing vessels on the Lower Mississippi River. One of the casualties resulted in a fatality. These cases are all under investigation by the Coast Guard, but the preliminary fact finding indicates there are some similarities between the three incidents. In all three cases towing vessels became pinned against another object in an aspect that exposed the vessel broadside to very strong currents.

13 Nov 2018

U.S. Flag Vessel Safety

Image: NTSB

Congressional and Agency Actions to Implement Changes to U.S.-Flag Vessel Safety Requirements Three Years after the M/V El Faro IncidentOctober 1, 2018 marked three years since the tragic sinking of the M/V El Faro – ranking as one of the worst maritime disasters in U.S. history and resulting in the highest death toll for a U.S. commercial vessel sinking in almost 40 years. Following this incident, both the  National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and U.S. Coast Guard spent considerable  effort to investigate this incident.

06 Oct 2017

USCG: Remain Upright by Fully Understanding Vessel Stability

Photo: Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation

This Safety Alert addresses concerns related to vessel stability and watertight integrity. Recently, a marine casualty involving a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea resulted in multiple fatalities and complete loss of the vessel. A Marine Board of Investigation is currently analyzing the various circumstances surrounding the casualty. Although the investigation is not complete, testimony and fact finding indicate that vessel owners, operators, and crews should give special consideration to vessel stability concerns.

03 Jul 2017

El Faro Investigators Call for Better Weather Forecasting

The eye of Hurricane Joaquin is visible in the lower left corner of this image taken from the International Space Station October 2, 2015. (Photo: NASA)

New recommendations coming out of the investigation into the 2015 sinking of U.S. cargo ship El Faro call for efforts to improve the weather information available to mariners. All 33 crew on board died when the 790-foot El Faro sank close to the eye of Hurricane Joaquin near the Bahamas on October 1, 2015, two days after leaving Jacksonville, Fla. en route to Puerto Rico. Now, as part of its ongoing investigation into the incident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)…

31 Mar 2017

Op/Ed: Shiphandlers Beware

Chemical tanker Carla Maersk and bulk carrier Conti Peridot off Morgan's Point, Texas, March 10, 2015, after being involved in a collision March 9, 2015. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Dustin R. Williams)

Was the closing of the Houston Ship Channel for over three days in March 2015 due to the use of Ultra Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (ULSFO)? After reviewing the testimony, and evidentiary material presented by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) regarding the 2015 Conti Peridot’s collision with the Carla Maersk, it is the authors' opinion the report fails to address significant contributing factors. The NTSB has overlooked a serious threat to vessel operations throughout the world.

18 Oct 2016

Safety Alert: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone

This safety alert reminds vessel owners, operators, charterers, merchant mariners, passengers, and all others throughout the maritime domain of safety concerns associated with Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone. This alert includes phones recently replaced by manufacturer. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as of last month there have been at least 92 reports of batteries overheating, including 26 reports of customer burns and 55 reports of property damage. The primary concern is the phone's Lithium-ion battery which stores significant energy. During normal use and charging, devices have overheated and ruptured.

22 Aug 2016

Green Ships & Compliance

Environmental regulations for ships are getting more stringent, but automated sensor technology could help ship operators remain in compliance. The recent agreement signed in Paris, at the UN Climate Change Conference, will require all industries to keep reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although there was no specific mention of shipping, the aim of keeping global temperature rises below 2ºC this century will require the industry to play its part – as it is responsible for about 2% of global CO2 emissions.

25 Apr 2016

Kannad SAFELINK EPIRBs Recalled

Image: USCG

Kannad Marine has issued a recall of all SAFELINK EPIRBs due to a possible defect that could result in the beacon not operating in emergency situations, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a marine safety alert. Those who own or use a SAFELINK EPIRB automatic or manual model as included in the attached SAFELINK Recall Safety Notice you should NOT use it as a primary Search and Rescue beacon onboard your vessel. Kannad recommends that all owners of SAFELINK EPIRBs register their ownership, location and contact details via the dedicated website: http://www.safelinkepirbsupport.co.uk .

25 Jan 2016

Voluntary Recall of SAFELINK EPIRBs Announced

Safety Alert- Kannad Marine has instigated a voluntary global recall program for its SAFELINK auto and manual emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs).   This is due to a potential issue where the SAFELINK EPIRB’s yellow body plastic may prematurely age when subjected to specific environmental conditions. This has the potential to impact on its long-term effectiveness in the field and could result  in the beacon not operating in an emergency situation.   Orolia Limited, Kannad Marine’s owner, has released a Recall Procedure which has further details, and includes a link for owners to follow and complete.

14 Dec 2015

Containers Lost in Rough Seas

The search is on for 12 containers swept overboard from motor vessel Manoa in heavy weather and seas late Friday evening. An environmental contractor has been hired by the shipper to recover discharged debris and containers, which are empty with the exception of miscellaneous packing material, according to the U.S. Coast guard (USCG). The environmental contractor is in the process of removing the container and miscellaneous packing contents from one of the containers that came ashore at Baker Beach. The Coast Guard has issued a safety alert urging mariners to exercise caution and is working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)…

20 Nov 2015

Hong Kong Safety Alert: Canoe Race on Saturday

A canoe race will take place on 21 November 2015 (Saturday) from Clear Water Bay, Sai Kung to Stanley Main Beach, Hong Kong Island. About 130 outrigger canoes are expected to participate in the race. The race will start off Clear Water Bay at 0900 hours and all participants are expected to arrive in Stanley Main Beach at 1200 hours on the same day, via South Ninepin Island and Cape D’Aguilar. Masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels navigating in the vicinity should proceed with caution, giving practical consideration to the contestants. Compliance with the provisions of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 is mandatory. Source: Government of Hong Kong SAR Marine Department Notice No.160 of 2015

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