Flotation Device News

The US Coast Guard has issued an interim final rule on mandated requirements for DUKW amphibious passenger vessels and requested comments.The statutory mandate was enacted after the sinking of the Stretch Duck 7 on July 19, 2018, which resulted in the loss of 17 lives on Table Rock Lake, Missouri.More than seven hours prior to the accident, the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the area, followed by a severe thunderstorm warning a minute before the vessel departed the passenger boarding facility.

Silver Ships, Inc. said it has collaborated with industry vendors to create an aluminum demonstration fire/rescue boat.Designed and manufactured for firefighting and rescue applications, the vessel will be used to showcase the capabilities and craftsmanship of Silver Ships along with participating vendors, whose parts and components enhance the mission-ready abilities of the vessel.Steven Clarke, co-owner at Silver Ships, said, “We tried to put as many capabilities as possible into this AM800 fire boat…

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB)  released its investigation report (M14P0121) into the June 12, 2014, capsizing and sinking of the fishing vessel Five Star in Johnstone Strait, British Columbia. The Five Star was on its way back to Kelsey Bay, British Columbia, after a three-day crab-fishing voyage, with the master and one crew member aboard. The vessel was carrying approximately 1,250 kg of crabs in 22 holding cages stowed on the deck. While underway, approximately one third of the catch was transferred to a large empty tote positioned on the centerline of the deck and secured to port and starboard of the vessel. Later in the voyage, the vessel encountered increased winds and one-meter waves affecting the vessel on its stern quarters.

Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has called for a sea change in attitudes to maritime safety, as he launched a new consultation process on maritime safety: Sea Change – Building a new Maritime Safety Culture. Minister Varadkar highlighted the 134 maritime fatalities which have occurred since 2002, almost half of which were as a result of leisure activities on recreational craft. He was speaking at the launch of the consultation process in the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport which included stakeholders from shipping, fishing, leisure, passenger operators, maritime safety and many other sectors. Minister Varadkar said: “We all need to take a fresh look at how we use the waters in and around our island…

Cobham Life Support will introduce its new maritime safety system, Survivor+ at OTC 2014, May 5-8 in Houston, Texas. The Survivor+ Personal Overboard Survival System, a new class of ‘wearable’ PFD (Personal Flotation Device), uniquely incorporates both a SOLAS approved inflatable life jacket and a personal life raft into a single system worn as a compact vest for maximum readiness and survivability. “Survivor+ is designed to address key factors during vessel or platform evacuation and Man Overboard scenarios where death through drowning or hypothermia is all too common,” comments Don Blackman, Engineering Research Manager, Cobham Life Support.

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar officially launched the Coast Guard’s new state-of-the-art S92 search and rescue helicopter for the Dublin region in Weston Airport. This is the fourth Sikorsky S92 helicopter base to come into operation for the Coast Guard and means all four Coast Guard bases now have upgraded helicopters. The new S92 helicopters replace the Sikorsky S61 which was in use until recently at the Coast Guard bases in Dublin, Shannon, Sligo and Waterford.

US Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan advises of the dangers as increasingly warmer temperatures weaken ice. The Coast Guard warns that warmer temperatures present the possibility of extremely hazardous ice conditions throughout Lake Michigan, including Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, Lake Winnebago, and other surrounding bodies of water and harbors. Recent trends suggesting decreased stability of ice reveal a danger to citizens ice fishing or transiting on the ice whether by foot or snowmobile. “With the arrival of spring, ice will begin to melt and the risk for people to fall through or become stranded on an ice floe greatly increases,” said Cmdr. Erik Leuenberger, Sector Lake Michigan search and rescue mission controller.

With its shining reputation besmirched in recent years with a list of transgressions, from illegal dumping to sexual assault, the cruise industry has been under the legislative microscope. The International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) works to ensure that its member lines are kept abreast on current issues dealing with topics related to the environment, safety and legislation, to name a few. In order to examine these issues to the core, MR/EN tapped the expertise of Ted Thompson, a retired U.S. Coast Guard captain, who now serves as ICCL's executive director. The cruise industry because of its high profile is constantly under fire regarding various issues…