The Nautical Institute News

If you think the human element is the only cause of enclosed space deaths, think again.Enclosed space incidents are cited as the largest cause of on-duty fatalities in commercial shipping. The risks can’t simply be engineered out, but there’s a powerful coalition wanting action nonetheless.There’s a tendency to blame failure to follow procedures, they say. Investigations seldom focus on the practicality of those procedures or the influence of the operating environment and vessel design, they say.

Captain David J.F. Bruce, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and Senior Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs, RMI Maritime Administrator passed away on Friday, 29 September 2023. He was a loving husband to Alison for 53 years, father to Gwendoline, and grandfather to Alison and Alexander. Captain Bruce had a storied career and connection with the sea, first going to work at sea in 1957 after his studies at Melville College in Edinburgh…

The Nautical Institute (NI) has announced Rei Misa as the winner of its 2023 Lüddeke Prize.The Lüddeke awards were made possible by a generous legacy endowment from the estate of Captain Christof Lüddeke. The prize recognises an exceptional maritime student – many previous winners have gone on to become leading practitioners in their field with some becoming President of The Nautical Institute.Misa already has wide-ranging maritime experience having worked as a Deck Cadet, Marine…

To mark the start of Maritime Safety Week in the UK starting July 3, The Seafarers’ Charity has funded five episodes of a new maritime safety podcast “Sea Views” in collaboration with The CHIRP Charitable Trust.The podcast is hosted by Julia Gosling, who brings her extensive 20-year experience in maritime safety and search and rescue. She is joined by co-host Adam Parnell, Director of the CHIRP Maritime Programme.“CHIRP's mission is to share insights, raise awareness, and save more lives at sea.

From the beginning of 2024, The Nautical Institute will require that all Dynamic Positioning Operators (DPO) and Dynamic Positioning Vessel Maintainers (DPVM) show evidence of Continuing Professional Development as well as experience in order to renew their certificate.This means that all DPOs and DPVMs will be required to demonstrate a yearly undertaking of an NI-approved CPD program and pass the NI revalidation online exam or take the NI DP Refresher and Competency Assessment Course.Captain John Lloyd…

Japanese firms Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and MOL Marine & Engineering Co (MOLMEC) have been granted basic approval from ClassNK for two new training courses related to offshore wind power generation. The courses, for power cable laying and anchor handling training, use Dynamic Positioning (DP) simulator, which is owned by MOL and MOLMEC,They are currently being prepared for launch - expected by June 2023, and will be the first such courses offered in Japan.MOL and MOLMEC installed the DP simulator on the lobby floor of MOL's Head Office in June 2022…

Kongsberg Digital (KDI) has delivered a full mission K-Sim Dynamic Positioning (DP) Simulator to MOL Marine & Engineering (MOLMEC) for the new MOL Dynamic Positioning Training Centre (MOL DPTC) in Tokyo, Japan. MOL DPTC is the first DP training center in Japan to be accredited by the Nautical Institute (NI) to provide NI-approved dynamic positioning training courses.“We Installed Kongsberg DP simulator and were able to open a quality DP training center in Tokyo, Japan” said Nakashima Takashi, President, MOL Marine and Engineering Co., Ltd.

San Marino Ship Register said it has hired Rear Admiral Giovanni Greco to develop institutional relations and national maritime legislation.A graduate of the Genoa Nautical Institute, R. Adm. Greco’s career started on board merchant ships in Europe, the United States, the Persian Gulf, and the Far East. In 1991, he joined the Italian Coast Guard until his retirement in May 2022. During his service, he was harbor master in Fano, Ortona, Crotone, and Vice Commandant in Ravenna.

A guide to maritime pilot transfer safety has been updated amid industry concerns about poorly rigged ladders causing severe injuries or fatalities.The ‘Shipping Industry Guidance on Pilot Transfer Arrangements’, produced by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in partnership with the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA), features a new section with the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s guidance on combination embarkation platform arrangements. Provisions for a ‘trapdoor arrangement’ in combination ladders…

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) announced Capt. Michael R. Burns Jr. as the first Executive Director of the Academy’s Maritime Center for Responsible Energy (MCRE). In this new role, Capt. Burns will oversee the MCRE that was established in August 2021 to deliver training to the renewable energy industry, develop robust, collaborative relationships with renewable energy stakeholders, and coordinate all the Academy's renewable energy efforts. Capt. Burns will lead all aspects of the Center’s work…

A remote simulation solution for Dynamic Positioning (DP) Induction Courses developed by Kongsberg Digital (KDI) to support training centers worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns has been approved by The Nautical Institute.Since the start of the pandemic, KONGSBERG has been ramping up the delivery of cloud-based eLearning and remote training solutions to support education and training institutes and meet the challenges imposed by the impossibility of carrying out tuition in a physical classroom situation.

Training budgets for seafarers continue to rise around the world, and seafarers themselves increasingly are paying the price, according to the MarTID 2020 Training Practices Report.Responses (278) to the 2020 MarTID report, the third in the series, rose 60% versus 2019, and again included insights from seafarers (accounting for 53% of the response), vessel operators (24%) and METIs (23%).The survey for MarTID 2020 was concluding just as COVID-19 was starting to spread rapidly…

The newly elected President of The Nautical Institute, Jillian Carson-Jackson has vowed to help the Institute and wider maritime community meet three important challenges – those of diversity and inclusion, branch engagement and managing the impact of technology.Speaking at today’s Nautical Institute Annual General Meeting she announced a pledge from the Institute on diversity and inclusion saying: “There has been a concerted effort over the past years to raise visibility of not just women, but the overall role of diversity and inclusion in maritime.

As the maritime world continues to turn to digital technologies to help maintain business operations amid the coronavirus pandemic, Kongsberg Maritime is planning to digital platforms to ramp up remote delivery of targeted training.The Norwegian tech company says it is now offering basic Dynamic Positioning Operator (DPO) courses fully remotely from start to finish, including the practical part of the training.Using virtual machines, students can engage in practical exercises with a remote K-Pos trainer, in addition to completing theory and assessment modules online.

A new crowdfunding campaign aims to raise funds for developing world seafarers and their families that have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.The world's seafarers, especially those from poorer countries, are facing a number of challlenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many are in lockdown with casual contracts and unable to work; others are facing difficulties due to lockdowns when they leave ships and are unable to return to their families with costs and little income coming in…

ONE SEA has appointed Capt Eero Lehtovaara as its new Chairman. Lehtovaara, a Master Mariner and Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute, is Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs at ABB Marine & Ports.He brings a wealth of experience to the expanding ONE SEA alliance where he has been a Board member for two years, as well as Vice Chairman. His past experience at sea provides a unique understanding of the challenges set by new regulations, human resource management and technological developments…

Dynamic Positioning has been around for a while, it is evolving and it is here to stay. Here to sort it all out are two of industry’s more familiar stakeholders who also explain what might come next.When it comes to critical offshore operations and vessel handling, this is not your grandfather’s marine industry, and it hasn’t been for some time. That’s because the bridge layout and equipment commonly found on any recently delivered offshore service vessel would be unfamiliar to the typical deck officer of just 20 years ago. Much of that can be attributed to the advent of dynamic positioning equipment systems.DP – perhaps like no other skill at sea – has changed the role of the deck officer. The technical requirements to qualify and operate this equipment are vast.

As the Offshore Service Vessel Dynamic Positioning Authority’s new dynamic positioning operator (DPO) certification body evolves, its pathway to training and certification gives mariners options, and a seat at the table.The other day I was thinking about what makes me a captain. What I came up with as the relevant points were the ability to handle the vessel and read the environmental conditions, leadership abilities, risk detection and mitigation, managing peers, and mentoring my crew.

As in most if not all industries, the maritime sector experiences many more near-misses than actual casualties. And yet, information regarding near-misses is seldom shared outside the particular company or vessel/facility involved. This is a needless waste of valuable learning opportunities.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established the first formal confidential near-miss reporting system in the federal government in 1975. The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) was transferred in 1976 to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for collection of information…

After 10 years at the helm, Harry Bolton handed over command of the Training Ship Golden Bear Wednesday at California State University Maritime Academy.Bolton, a 1978 graduate of the Academy, returned to Cal Maritime on May 1, 2008 after a 30-year career with American Maritime Officers. Twenty of those years were with American Overseas Marine Corporation (AMSEA) aboard the original preposition ships based out of Guam, Saipan and Diego Garcia. Bolton began sailing as Master in 1985, only seven years after graduation.Dr.

Coltraco Ultrasonics Chief Executive, Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter, has been welcomed onto the Board of Trustees at The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), an internationally renowned professional institute at the heart of surface and sub-surface ship design.Formed in 1860 and established by Royal Warrant RINA occupies a central and essential role at the heart of British and global maritime with 70% overseas members and Consultative Status at the International Maritime Organisation.Commenting on the appointment, RINA Chief Executive, Trevor Blakeley says, “The Royal Institution of Naval Architects is very pleased to welcome Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter as a member of its Board of Trustees.

Setting out to increase fairness, equality and inclusion within the maritime sector, Maritime UK has established a Women in Maritime Taskforce, a move welcomed by the U.K.’s new Maritime Minister, Nusrat Ghani MP. “I am delighted to see Maritime UK taking action to attract more women into our maritime industries, and I welcome this taskforce as an important first step,” said Ghani, who is only the second woman to hold the Department for Transport portfolio for the U.K.’s £40 billion maritime sector.

A new voice for today’s workboat professional emerges. As the captain of an OSV, I’ve spent a great deal of my life waiting. Waiting at the dock, at anchor, at the 500. Wherever one could wait, I have waited there. I can wait with the best of them. Now, just out of habit, I’ll wait when doing so is not required or helpful. Because of this waiting I, like most mariners, can gripe with the best of them. I also excel at grumbling, grousing, and my bellyaching is hard to beat. I guess mariners develop this skill while we wait (or maybe because we wait).