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Safety Education News

31 May 2023

Career Moves: US Offshore Wind Powering Up

(Photo: STAR Center)

In addition to wind, offshore wind demands human energy, individuals with knowledge and skills first to build and then operate and maintain the dozens of projects required to meet President Biden’s 2030 goal of 30 GW of offshore generation. In an October 2022 National Renewable Energy Laboratory report – “U.S. Offshore Wind Workforce Assessment” – the authors estimate that it will require, on average, between 15,000 and 58,000 employees annually, depending on domestic content scenarios, to build out a huge new wind machine.Mariners and mariner training are integral to offshore wind.

27 Oct 2019

MOL Upgrades VR-based Safety Education Tool

Japanese transport company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced the development of new content for its virtual reality (VR)-based marine safety education program, allowing trainees to virtually capture the sensations of "falling", "hand being caught between something", and experiencing "an incinerator explosion incident".The program uses VR goggles and VR technology created by Tsumiki Seisaku. With the VR tool, trainees can experience onboard operations, with computer graphic simulations of moving around on the ship, in conjunction with their own movements, allowing them to pinpoint dangerous areas and situation.If a crew works without recognizing a danger, there is a higher likelihood of an accident or problem.

31 Jan 2019

OP/ED: Advancing the Passenger Vessel Industry:

Gus Gaspardo, President, Padelford Packet Boat Co.

A Strategic Look Forward.It is my honor to serve as PVA’s President. My company, Padelford Packet Boat Co., Saint Paul, MN, has proudly, and actively, been a member of this organization since its inception almost 50 years ago when it was previously known as the National Association of Passenger Vessel Operators (NAPVO).While PVA is rich in history, it by no means is stuck in old ways. PVA is always evolving to mirror the ever-advancing world of passenger vessel operations. As the voice of the passenger vessel industry…

29 Nov 2018

MOL Adds VR-based Mariner Safety Training

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced the addition of a new training session on "Snap-back zones" to its mariner safety education program using virtual reality (VR) goggles and VR technology created by Tsumiki Seisaku Co., Ltd.Snap-back zones happens when a tow line broke due to improper tension, the rope snapped back instantly. In some cases, this can cause life-threatening injuries.The tool enhances seafarers' risk perception by allowing them to visualize and virtually experience onboard accidents-depicted with advanced computer graphics - that can occur due to unsafe behavior, leading to improved safety awareness.The new session is the fourth in the series, following "Preventing accidental falls", "Cargo falling from cranes," and "Response to onboard fires".

30 Oct 2017

MOL Develops Mariner Safety Education Tool

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines announced that it has developed a mariner safety education tool goggle, which uses virtual reality (VR) technology created by Tsumiki Seisaku. The tool relies on VR technology to replicate various training scenarios and work operations, until now a difficult task, offering a new level of realism and immersion. It works on easily portable VR goggles, which make it possible for seafarers to train safely regardless of location, onboard or in an office or training center. This tool will increase seafarers' safety awareness and contribute to the elimination of onboard industrial accidents caused by unsafe behavior in actual operation by using VR technology and defining safety measures.

28 Jun 2017

Meet OSCAR, the Water Rescue Training Dummy

Photo: Emerald Marine

Recovering someone who has fallen into the water is no easy task, especially if the victim is unconscious or lethargic due to cold temperatures. Training is essential to prepare potential rescuers for how difficult it can actually be. The OSCAR Water-Rescue Training Dummy from Emerald Marine Products is used by safety instructors across North America for teaching people what it's like to retrieve a lifeless, 180 lb. adult. "It's definitely eye-opening," says Alaska Marine Safety…

09 Feb 2017

NTSB Reports on Safety Risks in Shared Waterways

Photo: Larry Dosta / NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board issued a report Thursday identifying the risks associated with the shared use of America’s Marine Transportation System by recreational and commercial vessels. The growth of both commercial and recreational vessel traffic during the last several decades is a significant risk factor. The number of canoers, kayakers and standup paddleboarders increased by nearly 22 percent between 2008 and 2014. The diversity of waterway users and their differences in experience, navigational knowledge, and boat-handling skills exacerbate the safety risk.

11 Nov 2015

DSME Ordered to Halt Production After 2nd Fire

South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME) has received orders from government officials to cease production on five of its ships presently under construction, following a series of deadly shipyard incidents, Yonhap reported. The government orders are in response to a fire which broke out Tuesday inside a gas tanker being built in a shipyard on Geoje Island, killing one worker and injuring at least seven others. The accident follows a similar incident that killed two and injured seven at Okpo Shipyard in August. Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor ordered the shipbuilder to stop construction until safety can be guaranteed aboard the ship that caught on fire Tuesday as well as four others of the same kind, Yonhap reported.

12 Jul 2015

Lifejacket Donations to boost Safety in Torres Strait

Marine safety in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula area is getting a boost with the donation of 1,400 children’s lifejackets as part of the Torres Strait Marine Safety Program (TSMSP) School Based Maritime Safety Education Project. The primary focus of the TSMSP is to improve and promote boating safety in the Torres Strait, which will help reduce the number of search and rescue operations in the area and support the development of the region’s coastal maritime industry. Maritime Safety Queensland Cairns Regional Harbour Master and Chair of the TSMSP Steering Committee, Captain Michael Barnett, said his organisation was proud of the milestone achieved by the TSMSP.

06 Jan 2015

RINA - Lloyd's Maritime Safety Award

The safety of the seafarer and the maritime environment begins with good design, followed by sound construction and efficient operation. Naval architects and engineers involved in the design, construction and operation of maritime vessels and structures can make a significant contribution to safety and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects, with the support of Lloyd's Register, wishes to recognise the achievement of engineers in improving safety at sea and the protection of the maritime environment. Such recognition serves to raise awareness and promote further improvements. The Maritime Safety Award is presented annually to an individual…

04 Nov 2013

Coast Guard Completes Arctic Shield 2013

Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo

The U.S. Coast Guard completed Arctic Shield 2013 after a successful summer season of sustained operations and outreach efforts in the Arctic region Friday. Arctic Shield focused on Western Alaska and the Bering Strait and consisted of a three-pronged approach of operations, outreach and an assessment of the Coast Guard's capabilities in the Arctic. This regional operation aligns with the Coast Guard Arctic Strategy and its three key objectives: improving awareness, modernizing governance and broadening partnerships.

23 Sep 2013

Safety in Numbers

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently cited a shipyard for 61 alleged violations of workplace safety and health standards. Faced with $293,450 in proposed fines, the shipyard’s alleged violations include electrical hazards, such as failure to guard lights from damage, failure to provide effective electrical grounding for equipment, failure to provide covers on electrical box openings, and failure to ensure wiring was protected from abrasion and strain.

26 Mar 2013

MOL Training Ship Retired

Photo: MOL

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced that the training ship Spirit of MOL has recently completed its final training voyage. Since its first training voyage in 2007, more than 2,200 cadets from such countries as India, the Philippines and Russia have been trained aboard the ship. It also made important contributions to society through activities such as relief efforts after typhoon disasters, and received an award from House of Representatives of the Philippines, Lloyd’s List Safety at Sea International Awards 2008, and others.

21 Mar 2013

WSS Earns Global ABS Approval for Safety Services

John Sandford

Wilhelmsen Ships Services (WSS) late last month obtained global approval for its safety services from ABS (American Bureau of Shipping). The approval comes after a two year process involving the entire safety services team and covers all safety services worldwide. “Along with Radio Holland, we are now the only maritime service provider in the world with global approval from ABS, and indeed, the only service provider within the safety sector. We are immensely proud of this,” said John Sanford, Technical Sales Manager Safety for the Americas.

06 Mar 2013

MOL Introduces Onboard New Seafarer Training Program

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) has announced that the company has built additional training facilities and cabins on CADET training vessels and started a new onboard intensive training program, called Cadet Actual Deployment for Education with Tutorial (CADET Training). Maximum number of trainees per year: 330 (Max. MOL provides the CADET training program for cadets (officer candidates) aboard the vessels that are actually in service. This allows cadets who will support safe operation in the future to acquire basic safety education…

23 Oct 2012

RigNet Gets Brazil Offshore Communications Contract

RigNet wins 6-year contract from major contractor for managed remote communications services on an ultra-deepwater drill rig. "It is a pleasure to bring the Brazilian oil and gas market high-quality, leading managed communications services," said Mauricio Rubinsztajn, RigNet's Brazil General Manager. Through VSAT technology solutions, RigNet is able to meet two priorities for the oil and gas community: high-performance and security. The demands on reliable offshore and onshore communication systems require dependable and efficient support around the clock. RigNet's Network Operation Center provides 24/7 network monitoring and can dispatch local field technicians when required.

05 Oct 2012

Australian Maritime Regulatory Landscape to Change

Australian Parliament's new maritime legislation will revamp Australian maritime regulatory responsibilites in 2013. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) will become the national regulator for all domestic commercial vessels in Australia, with state and Northern Territory maritime agencies exercising AMSA delegations in administering national standards. The new Navigation Act 2012 will modernise the way international shipping is regulated by AMSA, providing for high levels of safety and protection of the marine environment through transparent and flexible regulation. The Regulatory Affairs and Reform Division will become the Domestic Vessel Division.

20 Jun 2002

Fontaine Appointed as Head of Government Relations at NMMA

Monita W. Fontaine has been appointed Vice President of Government Relations for the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), working in the Washington D.C. office. She replaces Mick Blackistone who left the association earlier this week. Fontaine has been executive director of NMMA-affiliate the Personal Watercraft Industry Association (PWIA) since 2000. An attorney, she has a Master’s degree in Maritime Law and more than 25 years of lobbying experience in Washington D.C. and at the state and local levels. She is also an avid boater, and has skippered her wooden sailboat, Hither, Thither and Gone, across the Atlantic and throughout the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

10 Jun 2011

LNG Gains Traction as Alternative Fuel

As Cargo, Fuel or both; LNG is emerging as the clear and clean way forward for the maritime industry. The use of LNG as a marine fuel is not new. Vessels trading cryogenic LNG have burned boil-off natural gas in steam boilers for many years as a simple solution to maintaining necessary temperatures and pressures within cargo spaces. The use of the fuel varied according to the size of the ship and a boil off rate ranging between 0.10 to 0.18 percent of the total cargo. As a result of the variable quantities…

14 Jun 2011

Alternative Fuel: Defrosting LNG

As Cargo, Fuel or both; LNG is emerging as the clear and clean way forward for the maritime industry. The use of LNG as a marine fuel is not new. Vessels trading cryogenic LNG have burned boil-off natural gas in steam boilers for many years as a simple solution to maintaining necessary temperatures and pressures within cargo spaces. The use of the fuel varied according to the size of the ship and a boil off rate ranging between 0.10 to 0.18 percent of the total cargo. As a result of the variable quantities…

11 Aug 2011

Kongsberg Supplies STAR Center with DP Technology

STAR Center, located in Dania Beach, FL, is launching into the Dynamic Positioning (DP) Training market, expanding its simulation training services to the offshore, cable laying and cruise ship markets in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. In a contract signed with Kongsberg Maritime Simulation (Mystic, CT), STAR Center will acquire a dual-redundant Advanced K-Pos DP trainer capable of being integrated with its existing Polaris© Ship Bridge Simulator, in addition to six Basic K-Pos trainers, to be used in a classroom setting with a separate instructor station.

09 Dec 2011

Ferry Safety Forum for Developing Nations

A blueprint for safer ferry operations in developing nations has been drawn up at the inaugural Regional Forum on Domestic Ferry Safety - organised by the IMO and trade association Interferry under their ongoing joint project to stem ferry fatalities in the developing world. Aimed at national maritime administrations and ferry operators in south-east Asia, the event was hosted by Indonesia in Bali on December 6-7 and attracted 74 participants. After two days of presentations and debate, they agreed an action plan ranging from accident reporting and investigation to guidelines on buying and running second-hand vessels. Delegate attendance was supported by additional funding from South Korea…

18 Jan 2009

Maersk Line, Achieves 7yr Safety Milestone

M/V LTC John U.D. Page, one of two Maersk Line, Limited-operated ammunition prepositioning ships in Military Sealift Command's Prepositioning Program, marked a safety milestone on December 28, 2008, as the ship's crew celebrated seven years of operations without suffering a lost time accident (LTA). An LTA is defined as an accident that results in a crew member sustaining an injury requiring him or her to miss at least one shift of work. The number of LTAs occurring aboard a ship are a maritime industry standard for measuring safety performance. M/V Page is named for LTC John U.D. Page, a U.S. Army officer who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War in 1950.