Dutch Chief Mate Sentenced for Fatal Collision
Gerardus Chapel, the chief mate at the helm of the dredger that collided with a sailing yacht at the entrance to the River Orwell in Suffolk last summer, has received a six-month sentence. On June 8, 2014, Shoreway, a 98-meter, 5,000-metric-ton dredger owned by Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster NV, collided with a Moody 31 sailing yacht Orca at the entrance to the River Orwell in Suffolk. The Shoreway had just finished dredging in Felixstowe and was going out to sea to dump the spoils when it left the deep water channel into an area frequented by pleasure vessels. In the area was the Orca, owned by Peter and Bernadine Ingram, who were out for a day’s sailing in their yacht that they had owned for several years. Also on board the Orca were the Ingram’s two pet collie dogs.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency Travels to Ft. Lauderdale
The U.K. government’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency visited Fort Lauderdale during the first week of April, undertaking the oral examinations required in order to attain a U.K. MCA Certificate of Competence. The MCA’s Chief Examiner and Head of Seafarer Services and Ship Registration, Captain Roger Towner, conducted the examinations himself. Oral exams are required by the MCA in addition to completion of all of the MCA training courses. They can last up to two hours during which time the examiner can ask the candidate anything that is on the syllabus. “The candidates worked extremely hard, several having rushed from their busy lives aboard yachts, straight into the classroom for oral preparation”, said Jim Cartlidge IYT’s Head of Training.
UK Ship Register’s Largest Container Ship
The UK ship register has officially welcomed CMA CGM Andromeda on to the UK Ship Register this weekend, when she docked at Southampton. The vessel is the largest Container ship on the UK register at 131,332 GT, 11,356 TEU. Overall she is the second largest vessel on the Register with the Queen Mary 2 being the largest at 148,528 GT. CMA CGM Andromeda, owned by CMA CGM, 3rd worldwide shipping group, is also the world's first containership to be equipped with the "Fast Oil Recovery System" designed to help prevent marine pollution. She was built in by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co Ltd, Ulsan, South Korea and delivered on 18th March 2009. The UK Ship Register has 1,557 vessels and GT now stands at 16,482,171.
