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The Bulletin News

07 Nov 2023

California Boat Captain Guilty of 'Seaman's manslaughter' in Fire Deaths of 34 People

The fire-stricken Conception shortly before it sank off Santa Cruz Island in September 2019. All 33 passengers and one of six crewmembers died of smoke inhalation after they were trapped in the berthing area while a fire raged on the deck above. (Photo: Ventura County Fire Department)

The captain of a dive boat that caught fire and sank off the California coast in 2019, killing 34 people on board in one of the state's deadliest maritime disasters, was found guilty on Monday of a federal charge of seaman's manslaughter.Jerry Boylan, 70, was convicted by a U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles on a single charged count of "misconduct or neglect of a ship officer" under a federal homicide statute dating from steamboat accidents in the early 1800s.The felony conviction…

17 Sep 2023

RIB Operators Warned After Spinal Injury

source: MAIB

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a safety bulletin for owners and operators of small commercial passenger vessels urging the review of operations, risk assessments and pre-departure briefings in line with current guidance to ensure passenger safety.Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Andrew Moll OBE, said: “Passenger excursions on RIBs should be a pleasurable experience. This safety bulletin, prompted by a serious spinal injury to a passenger on a sea safari…

24 Aug 2023

MAIB Warns on Liferafts After Failure

Source: MAIB

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a safety bulletin following the engine room flooding and foundering of the stern trawler Piedras (FD 528) which led to the failure of a liferaft to inflate. A second liferaft was successfully launched, and the crew were rescued.Both liferafts exhibited deficiencies that raised servicing and certification concerns and are likely to have contributed to the failure, says MAIB. The port liferaft was never recovered, but inspection of the starboard liferaft found that it had not been correctly serviced since manufacture in March 2007…

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…

25 May 2023

US Coast Guard Ready to Move New Anti-SASH Policy

(Credit: Deven Leigh Ellis / U.S. Navy)

In May, the U.S. Coast Guard will start a strengthened and pointedly direct anti-SASH campaign that will extend across the maritime industry. SASH is an acronym for sexual assault/sexual harassment, and this new effort adds muscle to Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB Number: 1-23) "Reporting Sexual Misconduct on U.S. Vessels" released in February. The new bulletin supersedes a previous one from late 2021.USCG personnel will be very deliberate in making sure that all maritime operators are aware of MSIB 1-23. The core message: report all sexual misconduct and harassment.

13 Apr 2023

US Coast Guard Announces Fire Safety Campaign for Small Passenger Vessels

Photo of Conception’s burned hull at dawn on Sept. 2, 2019, prior to sinking.
(Credit: Ventura County Fire Department)

The US Coast Guard has published Marine Safety Information Bulletin 05-23, Fire Safety on Small Passenger Vessels and announced a concentrated inspection campaign.The Bulletin encourages owners and operators to do a self-assessment of the fire safety of their vessels and provides a checklist evaluating fire safety and emergency preparedness on board.MSIB 05-23 also announces that the concentrated inspection campaign, which will focus on fire safety aboard small passenger vessels…

11 Apr 2023

US Coast Guard Warns on Vessels Wind Turbine Parts

© Phuc / Adobe Stock

The US Coast Guard Inspections and Compliance Directorate has released Marine Safety Information Bulletin 04-23 to advise mariners that an increasing number of break-bulk and retrofitted bulk carriers are arriving in the U.S. carrying wind turbine parts stowed in a manner that substantially limits visibility from the navigation bridge.In many cases, the vessels have been temporarily exempted from compliance with SOLAS 1974 Chapter V, Regulation 22, by their flag administration…

03 Oct 2022

Lithium-ion Batteries: Fire Risks and Loss Prevention Measures in Shipping

Copyright JustSuper/AdobeStock

About the Author: Captain Rahul Khanna is Global Head of Marine Risk Consulting at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty. A marine professional with 26 years of experience within the Shipping and Maritime industry, Captain Khanna served more than 14 years on board merchant ships in all ranks, including Master of large oil tankers trading worldwide. Although shipping losses have more than halved over the past decade fires on board vessels remain among the biggest safety issues for the maritime industry.

18 May 2022

Valenciaport Notes that War, Inflation, Shortages Hamper Spanish Export Activity

Photo courtesy Valenciaport

Between January and April, the number of containers full of cargo (export) fell by 12.72% and those unloaded (import) increased by 6.96%The geopolitical situation, the war in Ukraine, the increase in the cost of energy and the shortage of raw materials are weighing down export activity. Foreign trade in all sectors such as vehicles (-7.68%), agri-foodstuffs (-15.79%), construction materials (-10.55%) and chemical products (-18.14%) fellOn the other hand, domestic demand is growing in most of the sectors that enter through the Valencian docks.

13 Sep 2021

Another Storm Barrels Toward US Gulf Coast

(Image: NOAA)

The Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana was bracing on Monday for the arrival of Tropical Storm Nicholas, which was expected to batter the region with life-threatening storm surge, flash flooding and gusty winds.The storm, carrying winds of 60 mph (97 kph), was moving erratically as it headed northward about 140 miles (225 km) south of the southern coast of Texas, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a Monday morning bulletin. It was forecast to move ashore along the southern or central coast of Texas late on Monday afternoon or evening.The National Weather Service issued storm surge…

27 Aug 2020

Port of Houston Reopens as Hurricane Closure Lifted

(File photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard)

The Port of Houston, the United States' largest energy export port, began reopening to commercial shipping on Thursday after a day-long closure due to Hurricane Laura, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Ports along the Texas and Louisiana coasts were closed as the Category 4 hurricane churned up the Gulf of Mexico and went ashore in Cameron, Louisiana, early Thursday. The storm brought hurricane winds and high seas to the region.The Port of Houston, a major import and export hub for fuel, chemicals and consumer goods, closed on Wednesday.

18 Jun 2020

US Warns of Pirates in Southern Gulf of Mexico

© Mosto / Adobe Stock

The U.S. government on Wednesday issued a warning about the threat posed by pirates to boats and oil installations in the southern Gulf of Mexico, in the latest sign of concern about ongoing security challenges facing Mexico."Armed criminal groups have been known to target and rob commercial vessels, oil platforms, and offshore supply vessels in the Bay of Campeche area in the southern Gulf of Mexico," the U.S. State Department said in an updated travel advisory.The overall risk level for Mexico remained the same in the bulletin…

10 Apr 2020

Coronavirus: Cargo Loss Prevention Measures

© Suriyapong / Adobe Stock

The pandemic has brought about sudden changes for cargo transportation, impacting shippers and transport companies around the world and potentially increasing the risk environment, particularly for high-value and temperature-sensitive goods. In a new risk bulletin AGCS highlights steps for cargo owners to consider when developing contingency plans.While in most cases initial government directives have established cargo transportation as an essential activity, permitted during any quarantine period…

28 Jan 2020

Phishing Penetration Test Measures Crew Vigilance

© Igor Kardasov / Adobe Stock

GTMaritime is now offering a penetration testing service free of charge which allows customers to evaluate the ability of their personnel to identify phishing attacksShipping companies choosing GTMailPlus and other solutions from the GTMaritime portfolio are employing best-in-class technology to prevent the vast majority of phishing attempts from ever reaching crew. But threats are continually evolving: hackers are constantly trying to come up with new ruses to outwit software-based protections…

31 Jul 2019

Coast Guard sets Port Condition WHISKEY

Photo: NOAA

The Coast Guard Captain of the Port set port condition Whiskey for Hawaii County, Tuesday afternoon.Commercial ports in Hawaii County are Hilo Harbor and Kawaihae Harbor of the Big Island.During Port heavy weather condition WHISKEY, gale force winds 39 mph are predicted to arrive within 72 hours. Both ports currently remain open to all commercial and recreational traffic.The public is reminded of these important safety messages:When hurricane or tropical storm force winds are present stay off the water. The Coast Guard’s search and rescue capabilities degrade as storm conditions strengthen.

14 Jul 2019

Maritime Cyber Alert

© Oleksii/Adobe Stock

For some years now, the maritime sector has experienced breaches of various computer and information technology (IT) systems. Primarily, these breaches have been collateral damage. The maritime sector has almost never been the intended target. That does not mean that the damage has been minor. In June 2017, A.P. Moller-Maersk suffered a major cyber-attack. The malware had been designed by Russian hackers to disrupt the Ukrainian power sector. Once released, though, it proved to be indiscriminate, infecting IT systems worldwide that had not been kept up to date. In the case of A.P.

10 Jul 2019

Special Weather Bulletin for Gulf Region

Invest 92-L, which may become Tropical Storm Barry by Thursday, is becoming better organized this morning as satellite imagery and surface weather observations indicate that a circulation seems to be developing over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico.In addition, it appears that the deeper thunderstorm activity is occurring offshore and it appears that Invest 92-L is located further south than what many of the model guidance members have indicated in their forecasts.

26 Mar 2019

USCG: Limited Opening of San Jac River Announced

The port of Houston Refining complex (CREDIT: AdobeStock / © Irina K

The USCG Captain of the Port has updated vessel traffic coordination directives. Facility cargo operations as of March 25, 2019 include Limited Opening of the San Jacinto River during Daylight Hours and Resumption of Cargo Operations.This MSIB is issued in regard to vessel traffic and facility cargo operations as a result of the chemical fire at ITC Deer Park in the Upper Houston Ship Channel (HSC).As of March 25th, 2019, the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port (COTP) has opened the San Jacinto River to allow for vessel traffic during daylight hours only.

12 Mar 2019

USCG – BWMS compliance date extensions

The US Coast Guard issued a bulletin stating that it has reconsidered its previous interpretation of ‘next scheduled drydocking’ with respect to ballast water management system (BWMS) compliance dates. Due to drydock slippage, the Coast Guard has determined that existing extensions with a compliance date stipulated as the ‘first scheduled drydock after (date)’ will not be affected by circumstances such as drydocking for emergency purposes or to install an exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber) that did not involve a statutory out-of-the-water survey. (3/11/19) [http://mariners.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2019/03/11/3-11-2019-ballast-water-compliance-date-extensions-next-scheduled-drydock/].(Source: Bryant's Maritime News)

08 Feb 2019

Int'l Ice Patrol Resumes Operations for 2019 Season

file Image: CREDIT AdobeStock / © ggw

The Coast Guard International Ice Patrol announced it has commenced operations for the 2019 ice season as of Feb. 5, 2019 and will resume production of the North American Ice Service (NAIS) daily iceberg warning products from its operations center in New London, Connecticut.The International Ice Patrol generates the iceberg warnings from February through August, when icebergs pose the greatest threat to transatlantic shipping. The Canadian Ice Service generates the iceberg warning products for the remainder of the year.

24 Dec 2018

BIMCO Pushes for Shipdex

The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) and MAN Energy Solutions hosted a conference for software suppliers delivering Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) to expand the use of Shipdex.Shipdex is the standard protocol for exchanging technical data - such as manuals – electronically between supplier and ships directly, cutting the need for huge stacks of - often outdated - paper manuals.“Honestly, we would have liked to see more suppliers for the conference. It was well received by the participants, and will result in new users, but we would like a much wider adoption of the protocol. The industry needs to standardise to reap the benefits of digitalisation…

11 Dec 2018

NTSB Issues Report on Passenger Vessel Casualty

(This graphic depicts a simplified diagram of the cooling water system aboard the small passenger vessel Island Lady. The NTSB’s investigation of the Jan. 14, 2018, fire aboard the vessel revealed that the failure of the port engine’s raw-water pump led to overheating of the engine and exhaust tubing, which led to the fire. Diagram by NTSB)

Insufficient Maintenance Program, Lack of Guidance Led to Passenger Vessel Fire. The National Transportation Safety Board determined during a public meeting held Tuesday that an insufficient preventative maintenance program and lack of guidance for responding to engine high-temperature conditions, led to the Jan. 14, 2018, fire aboard the small passenger vessel Island Lady, in the waters of the Pithlachascotee River, near Port Ritchey, Florida.The Island Lady was a 72-foot-long passenger vessel operated by Tropical Breeze Casino Cruz…

02 Nov 2018

U.S. Coast Guard Clarifies U.S. Citizenship Requirement for U.S. Flag Vessels

File Image: AdobeStock / © xmentoys

Rules regarding 'Employment of Non-U.S. Credentialed Personnel On board Certain U.S.-Documented Vessels' defined.An analysis of recent arrival notifications has revealed several cases of U.S.-documented vessels calling on U.S. ports with non-U.S. credentialed personnel in lieu of U.S. citizens. The intent of this MSIB is to provide information and guidance regarding the provisions for employment of non-U.S. credentialed personnel on board certain U.S. documented vessels. Please…