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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Prevention News

27 Mar 2024

Safety of Livestock Carriers Questioned

November 2021, inside the vessel Nader-A.  
© Animal Welfare Foundation

The German animal welfare organization Animal Welfare Foundation and the French environmental organization Robin des Bois have published a report on the safety risks associated with livestock carriers trading from the European Union. This snapshot of the fleet follows one produced by the organizations three years ago.Currently, 64 livestock carriers are permitted to load European animals on EU-ports to then export them to third countries. The report states that nearly half of…

11 Mar 2024

Source of Huntington Beach Oil Spill Uncertain

Source: U.S. Coast Guard

The Unified Command concluded its response to an oil sheen observed offshore of Huntington Beach, California on Monday, but the source of the oil remains unclear.Over the weekend, cleanup crews recovered approximately 85 gallons of product from offshore recovery efforts and removed roughly 1,050 pounds of oily waste/sand and tar balls from the shoreline.The U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR) collected samples from the offshore sheen and tar balls along the shoreline to help determine the source of the oil.

26 Feb 2024

IMO’s PPR11 Agrees Guidance on Key Environmental Issues

Source: IMO

The IMO’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) agreed new guidance on several key environmental issues.Meeting from February 19 to 23, 2024, the following guidance will now be submitted to the Marine Environment Protection Committee for approval this March (MEPC 81) and October (MEPC 82):• the safe transport of plastic pellets by sea• best practices for cutting black carbon emissions from ships operating in or near the Arctic• reducing risks of use and carriage…

25 Feb 2024

IMO Finalizes Arctic Pollution Prevention Guideline Drafts

Source: IMO

The IMO Pollution Prevention and Response Sub-Committee PPR 11 was held February 19-23, and agreement was reached on guidance for the prevention of pollution in the Arctic marine environment.The guidance will now be presented to the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).Lloyd’s Register reports the following was agreed at PPR 11:• Draft guidance on best practice for goal-based control measures to reduce the impact on the Arctic of black carbon emissions from international shipping (expected to be approved at MEPC 82…

02 Feb 2024

ICS Publishes Flag State Performance Table

© Paulrommer / Adobe Stock

A new table published by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) indicates continuing positive performance by the vast majority of the maritime industry's flag states.Merchant ships are required to register under a flag state, which determines the vessel's nationality and gives jurisdiction under which to operate. Flag states have the authority and responsibility to enforce regulations over vessels registered under their flag, including those relating to inspection, certification…

18 Jan 2024

Diesel and Engine Oil Removed from Sunken Tug in California

(Photo: Levi Read / U.S. Coast Guard)

Petroleum product and hazardous material have been removed from a 1940s era military tugboat that sunk in California, the U.S. Coast Guard said.A Unified Command and its contractors completed lightering efforts from the tug Mazapeta, Wednesday.The Mazapeta sunk September 4, 2023, in Little Potato Slough within the San Joaquin Delta, northwest of Stockton, with approximately 1,600 gallons of diesel and engine oil reported to be onboard at the time of the incident.Quantification of recovered product is ongoing…

10 Jan 2024

Salvors to Remove Fuel from Sunken Tug in California

Crews work to place and maintain sorbent boom around the Tug Mazapeta on September 7, 2023. Image credit: California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention & Response.

Salvors are set to begin removing fuel from a 1940s era military tugboat that sunk in California last year, the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Mazapeta sunk September 4, 2023, in Little Potato Slough within the San Joaquin Delta, northwest of Stockton, Calif. with approximately 1,600 gallons of diesel and engine oil were reported onboard at the time of the incident.To date approximately 593 gallons of petroleum product have been recovered from inside the containment boom area, which surrounds the sunken tug.

09 Jan 2024

Indian Register of Shipping Announces New Managing Director

Source: IRS

With the rapid expansion of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), P.K. Mishra, previously Head of Operations, has been promoted to Joint Managing Director, effective January 1, 2024.Joining as a Surveyor with IRS in 1998, Mishra rose through the ranks to become Chief Surveyor in 2023. With close to 25 years of experience in IRS and the industry handling key responsibilities, he has been an integral part of the organisation. Throughout his time in IRS, Mishra has consistently demonstrated leadership…

07 Jan 2024

2023 Coast Guard Engineer of the Year Named

Source: US Coast Guard

Lt. Lena “Lexie” Royster, a mechanical engineer in the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center, in Washington, has been selected as the 2023 Coast Guard Engineer of the Year.The Coast Guard Engineer of the Year Award recognizes Coast Guard active duty and civilian engineers for their accomplishments and achievements. The award’s selection panel considers many factors including engineering accomplishments, awards, honors and educational achievements.“I am extremely thankful for the opportunities the Coast Guard has given me,” said Royster.

26 Dec 2023

Maritime Innovation: Fostering Creativity and Working to Make Bright Ideas Work

© Yellow Boat / Adobe Stock

This is the dawning of the age of AI and Big Data, huge agglomerations of new and transformative energy; almost self-generating, always strengthening and pulling at the reins, seeking to break free and run, a prospect both exciting and terrifying. That image can imply a human is holding the reins. How quaint: these days, AI itself may be holding the reins.In a review of innovation in 2023 – across any industrial or economic sector, not just maritime – AI looms large, a game-changer equivalent to IBM’s programming advances in the 1940s.

15 Dec 2023

MOL First Shipping Company to Issue 'Blue Bonds'

An examples of potential uses of the bonds’ proceeds include Wind Hunter, the ultimate zero emission ship. Image courtesy MOL

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. has decided to issue “blue bonds” through a public offering in Japan’s domestic market in January 2024, reportedly the world’s first blue bonds in the shipping industry, which refer to the guidance provided by the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) and other organizations.The Blue Bond Framework developed for the issuance of the bonds will ensure that all uses of the bonds’ proceeds will contribute to a sustainable blue economy, and the bonds received the highest rating of “Blue1(F)” from the Japan Credit Rating Agency, Ltd.

13 Dec 2023

NYK, JERA, Resonac to Study Supplying Ammonia as Fuel to Vessels

NYK is conducting research and development of a tugboat equipped with a domestic ammonia-fueled engine (A-Tug) together with other partner companies. Image courtesy NYK

NYK, JERA Co., Inc. and Resonac Holdings Corporation signed an agreement to jointly study the supply of ammonia as fuel to ships.As part of the Green Innovation Fund Project of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), NYK is conducting research and development of a tugboat equipped with a domestic ammonia-fueled engine (A-Tug) together with other partner companies. As part of this initiative, in conjunction with the completion of the A-Tug scheduled for next June…

12 Dec 2023

US Issues Sweeping Sanctions Targeting Russia Over Ukraine War

© Alexey Bakharev / Adobe Stock

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as it targets Russia's sanctions evasion, future energy capabilities, banks and its metals and mining sector.The U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities in Washington's latest action attempting to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the war in…

07 Dec 2023

US Research Advances on Alternative to Bomb-grade Uranium in Navy Vessels

The world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN) 78 and the USNS Laramie (T-AO-203) conduct a refueling-at-sea in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 11, 2023. (Photo: Jackson Adkins  / U.S. Navy)

U.S. research is advancing on the potential to change fuel for nuclear reactors on Navy submarines and aircraft carriers from bomb-grade uranium to a safer option, documents showed Wednesday, even as the program's funding is at risk in Congress.In order to lower proliferation risks of keeping stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, the U.S. government has been exploring since 2018 how to use low-enriched fuel that cannot be used as fissile material in weapons.The U.S. research…

12 Nov 2023

NYK Roundtable Highlights Ship-to-Shore Communications

Source: NYK

On October 23, NYK held its annual roundtable discussion on current conditions and issues on board vessels, highlighting the role of communications in ship safety.The meeting was held at the NYK head office in Tokyo in a hybrid format and attended by more than 150 participants, including three captains and three chief engineers on leave, the captain and chief engineer on board the car carrier Iris Leader, the captain aboard the crude oil tanker Tensho, 22 executive officers, and…

24 Oct 2023

NTSB Urges USCG to Remove Subchapter K Exemptions for Fire Safety

The U.S. Coast Guard and other supporting agencies work to extinguish a fire on board Spirit of Norfolk in June 8, 2022. (Photo: Edward Wargo / U.S. Coast Guard)

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended Tuesday that engine-room fire detection and fixed fire extinguishing systems be installed in small passenger vessels previously exempted from U.S. Coast Guard regulations in Subchapter K.The NTSB issued the recommendations after investigating an engine room fire aboard the Spirit of Norfolk during a sightseeing cruise near Naval Station Norfolk, Viriginia, on June 7, 2022, with 108 people on board. The fire was too large for the crew to fight, and the passengers and crew were evacuated to other vessels.

22 Oct 2023

Fire Breaks Out on Scrap Barge in New Jersey

Commercial salvage excavators work to overhaul scrap metal that caught fire aboard a barge in the Newark Harbor on Oct. 22 2023. Coast Guard pollution responders supervise the operation to limit the opportunity of pollution entering the water. (Photo courtesy of Ken's Marine)

A fire has broken out aboard a scrap barge in Jersey City, N.J., the U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday.The agency said its watchstanders at USCG Sector New York received an initial call of a fire aboard a scrap metal barge moored at Sims Metal;s recycling facility in Jersey City at 11:30 a.m.A Coast Guard Station New York response boat crew, along with Sector New York prevention and response teams, joined multiple area agencies, including the Jersey City Fire Department, two New…

27 Sep 2023

World Maritime Day 2023 Theme Highlights Marine Environment Protection

Source: IMO

The IMO’s commitment to the preservation of the marine environment is being highlighted on World Maritime Day, September 28, 2023, with the theme "MARPOL at 50 – Our commitment goes on."This year sees the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the primary global treaty for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from intentional, operational or accidental causes.IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim notes that achievements have already made in regulating to protect ocean health…

05 Sep 2023

ClassNK Amends Rules for Seawater-lubricated Shafts

(Image: Thordon Bearings)

Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has joined the major classification societies to amend its rules relating to the inspection of seawater-lubricated propeller shaft systems.The amendment means that ships with open seawater-lubricated propeller shafts that are built to ClassNK rules are subject to the same 15-year shaft withdrawal inspection periods as oil-lubricated shafts and sterntubes, subject to monitoring criteria.The announcement brings ClassNK’s requirements in line with those of other large class societies…

26 Sep 2023

Samsung Heavy Industries Acquires Shipbuilding Industry First ISO Certifications

The ISO Annual Meeting 2023, hosted by Standards Australia, highlighted the pivotal role that International Standards play in meeting global needs and accelerating progress towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Samsung Heavy Industries has acquired the International Organization for Standardization's 'Compliance Management System (ISO 37301)' and 'Anti-Corruption Management System (ISO 37001)' certification from Lloyd's Register (LRQA), claiming a first in the shipbuilding industry.ISO 37301 and 37001 are international certifications that are awarded by strictly evaluating the systematic management of a company's compliance management and anti-corruption management system. Samsung Heavy Industries has been internationally recognized for operating a compliance policy…

25 Sep 2023

AI Unlocks RIB Safety & Efficiency Gains

(Photo: Hefring Marine)

Facing rising costs, an Icelandic tour operator is using technology powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance safety and slash insurance premiums for its fleet of high-speed rigid inflatable boats (RIB).Reykjavík-based Whale Safari runs tourist RIBs for whale and bird watching excursions in Iceland. From an insurer’s standpoint, the endeavor—which sees vessels that seat up to 12 passengers achieving high speeds and g-force wave impacts—is inherently risky. To make matters worse for companies like Whale Safari…

16 Aug 2023

To Fight Sexual Assault and Harassment, Vessel Owners and Operators Must Comply with Heightened Reporting Requirements

© NAN / Adobe Stock

In response to increased awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) in the maritime industry — and following a widely reported account by a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadet of sexual assault aboard a U.S.-flagged ship during her Sea Year training — Congress enacted into law the Safer Seas Act (SSA) in December 2022.Intended as a direct effort to prevent and punish SASH, the SSA, among other provisions:Requires the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to revoke the license…

06 Sep 2023

UK Insurers Join Cargo Safety Initiative

Source: Lloyd's Register

Safetytech Accelerator, a non-profit established by Lloyd’s Register, has confirmed that UK maritime insurers, the UK P&I Club and TT Club, have signed up for its Cargo Fire & Loss Innovation Initiative (CFLII).The Initiative, launched in February 2023, is a multi-year collaborative technology acceleration program focused on reducing cargo fires and loss in maritime and its impact. It is already supported by anchor partners COSCO Shipping Lines, Evergreen Line, HMM, Lloyd’s Register…