Disaster Management News

Nine days after a slick was first spotted by Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard, an oil leak from a capsized barge remains unplugged, according to first responders and authorities, prompting nations across the Caribbean to coordinate a response.The spill has spread miles from Tobago's shore, the area first hit by the incident. Trinidad this week alerted neighbors Venezuela and Grenada on possible impact to their coasts.The Caribbean Disaster Management Agency, dependent on regional group Caricom…

Predictability is the aim of every human, company, or society.Humanity simply strives to increase its level of predictability whether as a person, or as a group of people. When humans attain a certain level of predictability, their hope for the future goes up and their level of anxiety goes down.Oddly, conservatives and progressives both strive for predictability, they just do it in different ways. A conservative will say: If nothing changes, then my predictability for the future will go up.

The Sri Lankan navy said on Wednesday it had extinguished another fire on a stricken supertanker loaded with 2 million barrels of oil and is towing it to deeper water.The navy's disaster management team put out the fire that reignited on Monday on the MT New Diamond, and there were currently no fires burning on the ship which is 41 nautical miles (76 km) off Sri Lanka's east coast.Officials were working to assess any damage to the environment from the incident, which began on Sept.

Indian authorities are preparing to evacuate 300,000 people along the western coast as a severe cyclone is expected to make landfall on Thursday morning in the state of Gujarat.Storm Vayu, which formed in the Arabian Sea, is likely to cross the Gujarat coast with gust speeds as high as 135 kmph (84 mph), the India Meteorological Department said in a statement.It also warned the cyclone could further delay the progress of the annual monsoon rains over the rest of India, as the storm was drawing rain clouds from over the sea.The arrival of the monsoons on the southern coast of Kerala was already about a week late this year.Gujarat Chief…

HudsonAnalytix, announced that Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard retired, has joined their operation as a Senior Executive Advisor.Admiral Allen served as the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard from 2006 to 2010. He will be focusing on risk management for the global maritime transportation sector served by Hudson. Focus areas include regulatory and policy issues, crisis response and disaster management, environmental compliance, and cyber risk to shipping, ports, and supply chains.

A cyclone barrelled into eastern India on Friday, bringing down trees and power lines and "extensively" damaging the tourist town of Puri, but there were no early reports of casualties with a million people evacuated before it made landfall.Tropical Cyclone Fani, the strongest to hit India in five years, spent days building up power in the northern reaches of the Bay of Bengal before it struck the coast of the state of Odisha at around 8 a.m., the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.Howling winds gusting up to 200 kph (124 mph) whipsawed trees, uprooting scores, and driving rain impacted visibility, while streets were deserted in the state capital Bhubaneswar and Puri."Damage in Puri is extensive…

India has evacuated more than 300,000 people along its northeast coastline by boat, bus and train ahead of a severe cyclone due to make landfall on Friday, with many villagers piling household possessions on to trucks before fleeing their homes.Severe cyclonic storm Fani was churning up the Bay of Bengal about 320 km (198 miles) south-southwest of the Hindu temple town of Puri where special trains were put on to evacuate tourists and the beaches were empty.In total, about 1.2 million people are expected to be evacuated from low-lying areas of 15 districts in the eastern state of Odisha to cyclone shelters, schools and other buildings…

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has officially handed over marine geospatial data to the Guyanese Government after a campaign of hydrographic surveying.Delegates from the UKHO presented the data to government officials at a special event to celebrate the completion of the survey. Two workshops were held to brief ministers and provide technical support for applications of the data, which will help Guyana support the development of its marine economy.The data, which was collected over a period of four months between 2016 and 2017, will initially be used to update nautical charts of the Demerara River. This will enable ships to confidently reduce under-keel clearance and maximise cargo-carrying capacity…

From the sinking of the Titanic to the current piracy phenomenon plaguing the world's oceans, Maritime challenges requires a conserted and collaborative global effort at maintaining safety of live and protection of property at sea.To this the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) collaborated with its global partners from the European Uninon Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network (EU-GoGIN), and the Inter-Regional Coordination Centre (ICC) and organized a four-day crisis response training for security experts and players in the maritime sector.Participants were drawn from the Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Army, Ghana Navy, Airforce, National Security, National Disaster Management Organisation and Ghana Immigration Service.

How to implement the Aktau Protocol on regional preparedness, response and cooperation in combating oil pollution incidents was the subject of a workshop in Baku, Azerbaijan this week (18-20 June). The event brought together the five littoral states (Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Turkmenistan) of the Caspian Sea to test the Caspian Sea Plan concerning regional cooperation in dealing with oil pollution in cases of emergency, and guidelines on future regional oil spill exercises were developed. Discussions were held on integrating international assistance offers into the national preparedness and response system.

Since mid 2015 when MCA first approved a Thailand based seafarer training facility, that destination has experienced growth as a popular focus for both advanced seafarers and also entry level crew to complete STCW 2010 and the new updating STCW courses.Anthony Gould, CEO and major investor in Galileo Maritime Academy, said at the recent launch of their Survival Craft and Fast Rescue Boats training facility in Phuket, “Over the last three years international professional seafarers coming to Phuket…

Thick black smoke rose from a fire at sea near Indonesia's Balikpapan Bay on Saturday (March 31) which had claimed the lives of at least 2 fishermen, local media reported police as saying. Video footage uploaded to a social media website showed thick plumes of dark smoke rising from the fierce fire as people on fishing boats watch from a distance. Indonesia's state owned oil and gas company Pertamina, who have an oil refinery nearby, said in a statement that they had found no leaks at their refinery and that the incident had not halted their operations.

Just two weeks after accepting the U.S. Coast Guard’s congratulations on a military career spanning almost three decades, Rob Nakama drove from Washington D.C. to Seattle to join Foss Maritime as the company’s Manager of Contingency Planning and Emergency Response. “I’ve been in the military for the majority of my life; the transition has been surreal,” he said. Nakama was born in Hawaii, growing up on the island of Maui as the son of a taro farmer who worked for the Aloha Poi Factory.

Abu Dhabi Ports, the master developer, operator and manager of the Emirate's commercial and community ports, as well as Khalifa Industrial Zone, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Jaheziya, the brand name for Tawazun’s Safety, Security and Disaster Management City. The Emirates News Agency WAM reported that Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports, and Jamal Mohamed Al Shamsi, Jaheziya Managing Director signed the MOU at Abu Dhabi Ports Headquarters. The agreement is structured to initiate cooperation between the two companies to work on strategies and introduce a range of maritime training courses and programs, as well as attracting students and interested parties to enroll in them.

HMAS Choules has sailed for northern Queensland waters in support of communities which may be affected by Tropical Cyclone Debbie. The amphibious ship, left Sydney on 27 March as part of broader Australian Defence Force support to Queensland emergency services responding to the cyclone, which is expected to make landfall early on 28 March. The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin said Defence was prepared and ready to respond with immediate assistance to local communities within the storm zone in coordination with state and local disaster management authorities. “Australian Defence Force personnel are highly trained, well equipped and experienced in providing assistance to Australian communities affected by natural disasters,” Air Chief Marshal Binskin said.

Collaboration between the Ports of East London and Ngqura, together with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), helped avert another potential maritime disaster in the Eastern Cape during the past week. Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) towed the BBC Shanghai, a 101 meter long general cargo vessel with 11 crew members on board, safely into the Port of East London on Friday, March 17, after she suffered engine failure en route from Durban to Lagos. One of TNPA’s new tugs – Shasa – which has a bollard pull of 70 metric tons…

The Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) on National Waterway-1 (NW-1) is being implemented with the financial and technical support of the World Bank. The Project envisages preparation of Disaster Management Plan (DMP) and Emergency Management Plan (EMP) to take care of activities like navigation, terminal and jetty operation, oil spill, disaster contingency, etc. after the commissioning of the project and while operating cargo and passenger vessels on NW-1. The Project entails development of fairway with 3 meters depth between Varanasi and Haldia (Phase-I) covering a distance of 1380 km at an estimated cost of Rs. 5369 crore (USD 821 million) with target for completion in six years.

The joint effort undertaken by a Disaster Management team at the Port of Ngqura has helped to avert a potential maritime disaster and ultimately saved the container vessel APL Austria, which caught fire last weekend. Transnet National Ports Authority, Transnet Port Terminals, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Fire Department, South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), South African Police Services (SAPS), National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and a stevedoring company, worked together to battle the blaze, and the fire was eventually extinguished on Wednesday, February 15.

Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) being implemented with technical and financial assistance of the World Bank envisages preparation of Disaster Management Plan (DMP) and Emergency Management Plan (EMP) to take care of the activities like navigation, terminal & jetty operation, oil spill, disaster contingency etc. after the commissioning of the project and while operating cargo and passengers vessels on National Waterway-1 (NW-1). The mechanically propelled inland vessels are governed by the Inland Vessels Act, 1917 (1 of 1917) and rules framed by State Governments have provisions for Life Saving Appliances to be kept on board. The registration of inland mechanically propelled vessels by the State Government is also mandatory.

India and Thailand are set to firm up cooperation to combat terrorism, and boost maritime security, defence ties and trade during Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha’s maiden visit to India, reports PTI. Prayut has earlier said that maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean would be put on the table for talks with his Indian counterpart. The expected cooperation will include military exercises, information exchange and operations to eradicate terrorism and piracy, he said. India’s Vice-President Hamid Ansari told the leadership of Thailand that India-Thailand collaboration is necessary to ensure freedom of navigation and connectivity in the Southeast Asian region, says the South Indian news paper Hindu.

A cyclone battered coastal Bangladesh on Saturday, killing at least 21 people and injuring many more, but has now weakened into a depression that the weather office said could still bring brief periods of violent wind or rain. Authorities in low-lying Bangladesh have moved about 500,000 people into 3,500 shelters, the disaster minister said. Cyclone Roanu has killed people in house collapses, landslides and a storm surge that broke embankments at two places in the Chittagong port city in the southeast. "We've shifted most of the people who are vulnerable," said Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, adding that people were working "all-out" to contain and tackle the damage.

HMAS Canberra has returned  to Australia  following its successful maiden deployment to Fiji in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Winston. Following a request from the Fijian Government, HMAS Canberra was deployed to Fiji on 1 March to deliver much needed humanitarian aid and assistance. HMAS Canberra was loaded with 60 tonnes of emergency relief supplies, three MRH-90 helicopters and around 760 Australian Defence Force personnel including engineers, carpenters, electricians and plumbers.

Lessons learned from recent international search and rescue operations, including the ongoing search for MH370, were discussed during an East Asia Summit (EAS) seminar in Sydney this week. Co-chaired by Australia and Thailand, the EAS Rapid Disaster Response: Search and Rescue Lessons Learned Seminar considered the challenges of coordinating search and rescue operations in response to mass-casualty disasters, drawing on the experiences of EAS member states. The seminar focused on search and rescue operations requiring interagency and international coordination and cooperation, particularly those with joint civilian and military contributions.