Uk Maritime Coastguard Agency News

Salvage operations continue on board the cargo vessel MV Kaami after it ran aground in the Minches in March in northwest Scotland.A HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter winched all of the eight-person crew to safety from the cargo vessel which ran aground in adverse weather conditions in the early hours on March 23.The vessel, which made contact with the Coastguard and reported taking on water, remains on hard ground at Sgeir Graidach rock and is being monitored by the U.K.'s…

Senior officials from the newly established Kenya Coast Guard Services are undergoing training on coast guard functions at a national workshop in Mombasa, Kenya (24-28 June), said a press note from International Maritime Organization(IMO).The UN body said that fifteen participants are taking part in the training, which is using scenario development methodology and plenary discussions to highlight issues, identify insights and develop deeper understanding of effective ways to meet coastguard functions – with a view to enhancing maritime security in Kenya.The training is organized by the United Kingdom and IMO, under the auspices of the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct.It is supported by a joint team from the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA)…

Breaking down gender stereotypes in the maritime industry is not just important in its own right, it is also beneficial for the industry as a whole.That was one of the key messages to emerge from a special event held at International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters in London, on International Labour Day (May 1), said the UN body.In a year when IMO is highlighting its efforts to empower women in the maritime community, a panel discussion among five high level female maritime professionals and an invited audience of IMO delegates and other maritime representatives explored issues around female representation in a traditionally male-dominated industry.Sakura Kuma (Executive Director of the Port of Yokohama)…

The captain of a Dutch cargo ship that ran aground at Rathlin Island has been fined £1,000 ($1,300) at Armagh Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to failing to keep a proper look out. Ship’s captain Aleksandr Iakovtsov of the MV Ruyter pleaded guilty to charges brought by the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). He was charged under the Merchant Shipping Distress Signals and Prevention of Collision Regulations 1996 and also of failing to safely navigate his ship and causing serious damage to the ship (in breach of section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995).

The UK’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) is modernising the way the UK Ship Register operates and a number of new initiatives are in the works that could help the red ensign become more commercial and internationally competitive, says a report from UK Chamber of Shipping. The MCA is considering increasing the fee structure for the UK Ship Register to above 2016 levels, attendees heard at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Maritime and Ports on Monday. The registry is working to improve the response time for enquiries to one working day, while for complex issues it will take three working days, the meeting heard. Increasing ship registry fees would match the higher levels of service being offered, the MCA said. The register also plans to roll out a package fee option in April 2018.

Following the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s more than two-year-long investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal loss of the yacht Cheeki Rafiki in May 2014, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided to bring charges against Douglas Innes and Stormforce Coaching Limited. Four sailors were killed after the 40-foot yacht lost its keel more than 700 miles from Nova Scotia while en route from the U.K. from Antigua. “We have authorized the charging of Douglas Innes with four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and Douglas Innes and Stormforce Coaching Limited with one charge contrary to section 100 Merchant Shipping Act 1995,” said Ian Harris, from the CPS Wessex.

The Hanjin Louisiana, one of the containerships caught up in the collapse of the South Korean shipping company Hanjin, has finally docked in Singapore after several weeks of uncertainty at sea. Among those onboard the containership were four Scottish cadets, who disembarked in Singapore on September 28 for flights back home to the U.K., BBC reports. The four trainee officers studying at the City of Glasgow College – Ruaridh Hanna, David Gorniak, Graeme Deacon and Gavin McPhail – were among an estimated 2…

Severe weather has caused semi-submersible drilling rig Transocean Winner to break free from tow and run aground off the western isles of Scotland, the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. There are no personnel on board the rig and there is no risk to life, MCA said. There is 280mt of diesel on board. The tug Alp Forward encountered severe weather west of the Isle of Lewis while towing the Transocean Winner, and remained connected to the rig overnight on Sunday but was unable to make headway with the tow. The MCA’s Emergency Towing Vessel Herakles was deployed from Orkney on Sunday night to assist. Early Monday morning, the tow line parted, and due to the severe weather conditions it was not possible to reconnect.

The Irish Coast Guard coordinated a successful Marine Search and Rescue demonstration on Saturday 16th July. The exercise in Moville Co Donegal involved some of Ireland’s principal Search and Rescue resources. Participants included Donegal based volunteer Coast Guard units, the Sligo based Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter, Naval ship LÉ Orla,  Air Corps Casa, RNLI’s new Shannon Class All Weather Lifeboat, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, UK Maritime Coastguard Agency, Irish Water Safety, Mountain Rescue Ireland and the Civil Defence. The event included a series of water based safety demonstrations: “Prevention and adherence to basic safety is the key element in minimising loss of life at sea and on our waterways”, concluded SARs Manager Gerard O’Flynn.

Plans to ensure there is a full maritime survey and inspection team covering the whole U.K., will see more remote working and a slight change to where some of the marine offices are based. The U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency has undertaken a review of the way it carries out its surveys and inspections and recently consulted on the locations of its marine offices. It has also, with its staff, reviewed the way the organization of those offices is structured. As a result of both consultations, changes have been made to the original proposals including keeping two offices open that were originally marked for closure and identifying a senior experienced marine surveyor who will have over-arching responsibility for the River Thames.

A commercial diver has pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court to a fraud offence in excess of £46,000 following a two year investigation by the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). The diver, Vincent Woolsgrove of Ramsgate, Kent, reported finding five cannons during the summer 2007, two from the wreck of the warship, London, and three in international waters off the coast of Kent. The cannons recovered from the warship were both very rare bronze Peter Gill and commonwealth cannons.

Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, has been named as the UK’s new shipping minister. As Shipping Minister, he will have responsibility for completing the Maritime Growth Study. Earlier he was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport on Tuesday, but his specific duties within the department have been announced this week. He replaces John Hayes MP, who has held the position since July 2014 and has been moved to the Home Office. Goodwill will have responsibility for completing the ongoing review of the nation’s shipping industry and its international competitiveness, being conducted by the UK’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency, says a statement of the ministry. Goodwill has some previous experience in a transport capacity.

The Norwegian Maritime Authority (Sjøfartsdirektoratet)  granted approval to the CAE Oslo training center to conduct Bridge Resource Management (BRM) and Engine Resource Management (ERM) training. The training courses are designed to address human behaviour and attitudes which can lead to human error on the bridge as well as in control and engine rooms. This approval allows CAE to train engineers and deck officers separately or on a combined course (vessel team).The approval meets the Standards of Training…

Andrew Sheen has been appointed by the Irish Continental Group (ICG) to the position of Managing Director of its Irish Ferries division. Sheen will assume his new role with effect from the beginning of April, reporting to ICG’s CEO, Eamonn Rothwell. Operations Director since 2012, Sheen has been involved in shipping for over 26 years, 10 of them with Irish Ferries - first as a sea-going Chief Engineer and, since 2010, in shore-based operations roles. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineers…

Thames Coastguard is coordinating a search after a yacht was in collision with a dredger approximately 1 mile off Felixstowe on the east coast of England. One person on board the yacht was pulled to safety, however another person is unaccounted for at this time, informs the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency. The Felixstowe Coastguard Rescue Team, three lifeboats - two from Harwich, one from Walton - two pilot boats, a dive boat, the search and rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham along with a number of other vessels in the area are currently involved in the search. In a later update the MCA added that the the man who was rescued from the water has now been taken to hospital to be checked over. The other person on board the yacht - a woman - is still unaccounted for.

“The Human Element,” produced by KVH Media Group under the TRAININGlink brand, is a finalist in the “Safety at Sea” category of the Seatrade Awards. KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) is pleased to announce that its 2013 film “The Human Element” has been selected as a finalist for the “Safety at Sea” category in the prestigious Seatrade Awards. Established in 1989, the Seatrade Awards recognize those in the shipping industry who have demonstrated innovative solutions for safe…

Six crew members and a passenger have been airlifted to hospital after a fire on board the DFDS ferry 'MS King Seaways', while en route from North Shields to Amsterdam, approximately 30 miles off Flamborough Head on the north east coast of England. The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency inform that the Humber Coastguard was contacted  by the MS King Seaways, which had 946 passengers and 127 crew on board. They reported that they had a fire in one of the passenger accommodation blocks, but it had been brought under control and was now out.

The 'Donald Duckling' was detained by the UK's Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) this week after an inspection revealed a long list of safety concerns, and will not be allowed to leave the Port of Tyne until mechanical and safety issues are resolved, reports the 'Shields Gazette'. Maritime inspectors cited by the 'Shields Gazette' considered that standards on board the Donald Duckling were some of the worst they had ever encountered. Crew members on the Panamanian-registered…

Aimed at everyone in the shipping industry, the Guide explains the fundamental aspects of human behaviour – 'The Human Element'. Based on a wide range of consultations with maritime organisations, the guide was produced by organisational psychologists gs partnership ltd, for consortium partners UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency, BP Shipping,Teekay Marine Services, and the Standard P&I Club. Aimed at everyone in the shipping industry, the Guide explains the fundamental aspects of human behaviour, which together constitute what the commercial maritime sector calls "the human element".

UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency report Yarmouth Coastguard's response to recent WSV's in distress. Windcat 9 issued a VHF DSC Mayday offshore from Humber and reported that they were taking in water. Yarmouth Coastguard requested the launch of Humber and Cleethorpes RNLI lifeboats and the rescue helicopter from RAF Leconfield. Due to concern that the vessel could be sinking the 15 crew abandoned to another vessel. The rescue helicopter transferred two pumps on board the vessel and lifeboat crew were able to control the ingress of water and towed the vessel to Grimsby. In a separate incident Yarmouth Coastguard requested the launch of Wells and Cromer RNLI lifeboats to the vessel Island Panther following a collision with a tower while working at the wind farm off Sheringham.

Oxberry Risk Maritime continues to expand its maritime security and anti-piracy services. Oxberry Risk Maritime believes that identification and management of risk is a vital aspect of modern maritime business. Dynamic growth in an ever expanding market requires dynamic solutions to meet and exceed expectations. Oxberry Risk Maritime is responding to the demands of maritime and shipping sector organisations through the delivery of comprehensive maritime security and anti-piracy…

Hyde Marine, Inc., a leading marine environmental equipment supplier has won a contract for a Hyde Guardian ballast water treatment system from the CSC Chongqing Dongfeng Shipbuilding Corporation. The system will be delivered to the shipyard in early 2010 and installed on a 368 TEU Container ship for US owner, Tropical Shipping with ship delivery scheduled for early 2011. The 250 m3/hr Hyde Guardian system was chosen by the shipyard based on its IMO type approval, competitive pricing, compact and modular design, low power demand, and its demonstrated effectiveness and reliability. The system is fully automatic and will be integrated into the ship’s ballast control system.

At a hearing yesterday in Folkestone Magistrates Court, the owner of a coaster pleaded guilty to three Merchant Shipping safety offences following a collision with the East Goodwin Light Vessel on 27th February 2007. The Antigua and Barbuda registered coaster, Jerome H, was on passage from Dagenham in Essex to Belfast in Northern Ireland. In the early hours of the 27th February 2007, the vessel struck the East Goodwin Light Vessel. The collision seriously damaged the light vessel which had to be removed from station for repairs. The Jerome H continued on to Belfast. Investigations showed that the Mate was alone on the bridge. He had been doing paperwork on an aft facing desk in the moments leading up to the collision.