Safety Systems News

The IMO will open its seventh Regional Presence Office (RPO), in Suva, Fiji, after IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, and Fiji Minister for Transport, Ro Filipe Tuisawau, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 18.The Regional Presence Office will support the maritime needs and priorities of countries in the Pacific Islands region, aligning IMO actions with national and regional development policies, while providing advice on key maritime issues such as training, safety and security, legislation and marine environment.

Shipowner Naftomar Shipping announced an order for four very large ammonia carriers, to be built by South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean (formerly known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) for scheduled delivery from 2026. With a capacity of 93,000 m3, the ships are among the world’s largest ammonia carriers ordered to date.The Bureau Veritas (BV) classed ships will be fitted with a ME-LGIP LPG dual-fuel engine, ready to be converted to use ammonia as fuel when the MAN ES ammonia engine retrofit kit is made available.

Bureau Veritas (BV) has launched its first classification Rules for hydrogen-fueled ships (NR678) to support the safe development of hydrogen propulsion in the maritime sector.The rules outline technical requirements for the safe bunkering, storage, preparation, distribution, and use of hydrogen as fuel for power generation on board. Monitoring and control systems are also covered, addressing specific safety challenges relating to the transport and use of hydrogen on ships, such as high flammability…

Corvus Energy, a company providing zero-emission solutions for the maritime industry, said Monday it had won a contract with Hvide Sande Shipyard in Denmark to supply a complete hydrogen fuel cell system for the training vessel “MS Skulebas.” "This marks a historic milestone for Corvus Energy," Corvus Energy said."The 35-meter fishing and training vessel has the latest technology and commercial fishing systems installed and sets an example of innovation and cooperation within the maritime and education sectors.

The Indian Register of Shipping has released its Rules for Construction and Classification of Indian Naval Ships – 2023.The 2023 version of IRS Naval Rules incorporates the latest IMO/IACS requirements as well as rule requirements for military design features. In addition, it includes rule-related requirements for the technological advancements currently being incorporated in designs of naval ships, covering materials, structures, propulsion and other engineering systems, integrated…

A fishing vessel has been converted to operate as a Jones Act compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV) in the U.S. offshore wind industry.Hornblower Marine announced it converted the former fishing vessel Nice Day Too for New Bedford, Mass. based Coast Line Transfers.The 59-foot-long Capt. Les Eldridge, which was originally constructed on the Gulf Coast, underwent extensive bow conversion and other vessel upgrades at Hornblower Marine’s Bridgeport, Conn. facility to provide necessary cargo and passenger loading space required to safely serve offshore wind platforms…

Electric vehicles are crisscrossing the globe to reach their eager buyers, but the battery technology involved in the zero- emission automobiles is exposing under-prepared maritime shippers to the risk of hard-to-control fires, industry, insurance, and emergency response officials said.That risk has been put under the spotlight by the burning car carrier [Freemantle Highway] drifting off the Dutch coast. The Dutch coastguard said the fire's cause was unknown, but Dutch broadcaster…

MAN Energy Solutions has announced the successful first running of a test engine on ammonia at its Research Centre Copenhagen (RCC). The company reports that the successful combustion was performed on a MAN B&W two-stroke 4T50ME-X type and produced positive results with particularly promising data regarding pilot-oil amount and combustion stability.Gunnar Stiesch, Chief Technical Officer, MAN Energy Solutions, said, “This marks a major milestone on our road to developing a full-scale two-stroke ammonia marine engine.

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) has issued an expression of interest (EOI) calling for proposals to design and promote the use of fully electric harbor craft in Singapore, it said in a statement on Tuesday.The EOI document is a further step towards MPA's rule that all new harbor craft operating in its waters to be fully electric, or run on biofuels or net-zero fuels from 2030. The final aim is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.Proposals have to be submitted before midnight on Sept.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has issued an Expression of Interest inviting interested parties to submit proposals to design and promote the adoption of full-electric harbour craft in Singapore.The Ministry of Transport announced this year that the harbour craft, pleasure craft and tug boat sectors would be required to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in line with Singapore’s national net zero ambitions. To support this goal, operators with new harbour craft plans should inform the MPA about their plans from January 2027, so that the designs can be adjusted if required.

The oxygen supply of the missing Titan submersible is expected to run out today around 10am GMT, or 8pm AEST.A frantic search continues for the Titan and its five occupants, with sonar buoys having recorded “banging” noises in the search area on Tuesday and Wednesday.With the vessel’s fate yet to be determined, the general public is asking questions about the safety of such touristic endeavours.The contextThe context in which the Titan has disappeared is disturbing. Reports have come out detailing court documents from a 2018 case that show OceanGate…

Survitec has announced a new interactive safety management solution it hopes will substantially improve onboard safety.The Safety Management and Rapid Response Technology Interface (SMARR-TI) uses a graphical monitoring interface to integrate fire detection and fire suppression systems within one system.SMARR-TI, which Survitec developed in cooperation with Turkish shipyard Tersan and Norway’s Havila Voyages, is already in operation on a pair of 15,500gt passenger ships.SMARR-TI…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced it has delivered a new ocean cruise ship for shipowner Viking from its shipyard in Ancona.The newly built Viking Saturn will be placed in the small cruise ship segment. Like its sister ships, Viking Saturn is about 47,800 tons, 465 cabins with accommodation for 930 passengers.According to Fincantieri, the “Viking Saturn”, the tenth of this class, has been designed by experienced naval architects and engineers, including an interior design team of Los Angeles-based Rottet Studios and London-based SMC Design…

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…

T. Parker Host (HOST) announced it has appointed Jarred Adams as its new director of health, safety and environment (HSE). Adams is a native of the New Orleans region and brings with him more than a decade of experience developing standardized safety systems and programs to strengthen workplace safety.Adams will oversee the company’s workplace safety programs, ensure proper employee training and manage compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. He joins the team during HOST’s 100-year anniversary and will be based at Avondale Global Gateway…

Mobile Cable Positioning Devices can quickly accommodate vessels of many sizes and shapes, making shore power available almost immediately, a boon to the industry’s ambitious decarbonization goalsOne of the keys to reaching Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) target of net-zero carbon cruising globally by 2050 is switching from diesel burning engines to shoreside electricity while in port. Although the technology can significantly reduce emissions to address climate change and improve air quality…

UK-based marine electrical engineering company MJR Power and Automation on Tuesday announced the successful harbor trials of its platform-mounted automated offshore power and charging system.The offshore power and charging system is designed to convert energy delivered directly from the offshore wind farm, and enable all heavy hybrid and electric crew transfer vessels and other offshore support vessels to connect and get powered by electricity generated directly by offshore wind…

A Liberian-flagged containership operated by MSC Shipmanagement Ltd (MSC) has been banned from Australian ports for 90 days over a long list of safety failures and deficiencies, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.AMSA said it issued a refusal of access direction notice to the MSC Kymea II following months of sub-standard performance from the ship’s operator, including critical maintenance issues.The agency's inspection of the vessel found 21 deficiencies in total, including a defective free fall lifeboat steering system, defective fire safety systems, dangerously-stored flammable materials, and multiple wasted or missing…

Norway-based Alma Clean Power announced its design of a 1 MW ammonia fueled marine solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system received approval in principle (AIP) from classification society DNV.The SOFC system design has been evaluated for compliance with DNV class rules and IMO guidelines for fuel cell installations. The AIP is granted for a containerized module that includes safety systems to handle ammonia as fuel.“We’re excited that our design has received approval according to the highest standards in the maritime industry.

ABS and HD Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to continue working together on marine autonomy projects. Building on shared efforts to expand the development of autonomous navigation technology into critical vessel machinery and safety systems, the organizations met again at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to finalize the agreement covering four areas:Artificial Intelligence-based Autonomous Machinery Health Management Function (HiCBM)Artificial…

Some 1,000 vessels have been impacted by a cyber attack on DNV's ship malmanagement and operations software, the classification society has confirmed.DNV said it shut down ShipManager’s IT servers in response to a ransomware attack that hit the software on January 7. The marine fleet management solution supports management of vessels and fleets in technical, operational and compliance aspects, including maintenance and repair, procurement, safety systems and data analytics.The software's onboard…

The most important of all international maritime safety conventions is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The first version was adopted at a conference in London in 1914. The catalyst for this conference was the sinking of the Titanic on her first voyage in April 1912, which cost the lives of more than 1,500 passengers. This was the beginning of the journey that put in place a regulatory framework to protect those who work and travel by sea.Whilst the sinking of the Titanic was not fire-related…

Five people were injured and hundreds more evacuated after a fire broke out aboard a ferry traveling from Manhattan to Staten Island on Thursday evening, officials said.The Sandy Ground, one of the Staten Island Ferry's newly commissioned Ollis-class vessels, was carrying 868 passengers and 16 crew members when the engine room fire started shortly after 5 p.m., FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Frank Leeb said during a press conference.First responders from the FDNY and NYPD, as well as commercial tugs and other passenger vessels…