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Safety Management Systems News

26 Feb 2024

Many Different Vessels but One Goal – Passenger Safety

© Olivier / Adobe Stock

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

04 Jan 2024

Collision Between Containership and Fishing Vessel Caused by Failure to Keep Watch

Tremont bow awash during the abandonment as seen from the Atlantis. (Source:
Lance Wills, courtesy NTSB)

A fishing vessel mate not maintaining a proper lookout and conducting maintenance on critical equipment while underway led to the collision of a containership and fishing vessel, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vessels was estimated at $6.25 million.On October 28, 2022, while the containership MSC Rita was transiting southbound in the Atlantic Ocean, the fishing vessel Tremont was transiting north-northeast in the same area.

19 Dec 2023

NTSB Recommends Pipeline Operators Implement Safety Management Systems

Six segments of damaged pipeline that were removed for replacement. The leak site, circled in red, was observed on the segment shown wrapped in a tarp. (Photo: NTSB)

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending new notification alarms and procedures for potential incursions on pipelines and a change to an anchorage off the California coast following a crude oil release in 2021 caused by ship anchors damaging an underwater pipeline.NTSB investigators determined that the oil leak, which began on October 1, 2021, in San Pedro Bay, resulted from an anchor strike on the pipeline that occurred eight months earlier, when anchors…

31 Aug 2023

NTSB Renews Call for US Coast Guard to Strengthen Passenger Vessel Safety

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)

Four years after the fire aboard the Conception dive boat claimed 34 lives, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) renewed its call for the U.S. Coast Guard to require safety management systems (SMS) for passenger vessels. The recommendation, which the NTSB reissued following its investigation of the September 2, 2019, fire aboard the Conception, remains open.NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy sent a letter to the Coast Guard Commandant today emphasizing the need to issue the…

23 Jun 2023

Maritime Safety - Enclosed Space Safety

Exploring case studies, play-through scenarios and gaming techniques can all be effective in testing the application of knowledge.
Photo courtesy Ocean Technologies Group

It's nearly 45 years since the tragedy on the ANCO Duke where seven crew died at the bottom of the tank they were cleaning. “I was working on chemical tankers then. All the crew felt this terrible loss of life and took on tank entries with a heightened safety focus,” says Captain Dave Watkins, Deputy Director of the confidential near-miss reporting service CHIRP Maritime. Since then, enclosed space deaths still occur, although not in the number they did.Watkins has years of experience on chemical and VLCC tankers as an officer and master…

27 Apr 2023

Ladder Accident Attributed to Weak Safety Culture

Source: TAIC

The New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has released its report on the injury of a crew member during ladder operations on the container ship Moana Chief, citing weak safety culture on the part of the vessel’s operator.The incident occurred in the Port of Auckland on December 10, 2021 when the container ship Moana Chief was preparing to leave port. The crew had started to retrieve its telescopic accommodation ladder for stowing. A crew member’s leg was…

30 Mar 2023

BV Introduces Cyber Health Check Tool

Source: BV

Bureau Veritas (BV) has launched a new Cyber Health Analysis Report Tool (CHART) to help shipowners understand their ships’ digital architecture (OT/IT), specific vulnerabilities and level of preparedness to potential cyber threats.The aim of the tool is to enable a comprehensive technical assessment of a vessel’s cyber resilience at specific moments throughout its lifetime, responding to the need to constantly review, maintain and update systems in the face of evolving cyber threats.The tool provides a comprehensive audit of the vessel’s equipment…

27 Dec 2022

Training Gen Z in the Marine Industry

(Photo: Pat Folan)

Gen Z is looking for a place to fit in the workplace. They are looking for a way to enhance their story while they are making a difference in the world. And you are looking for someone to fill a position. How does your need dovetail with their needs?Before we get into the training aspect, it is worth understanding who you are going to be training. What are your company’s core values? Are the people that you are hiring in line with them?What are core values? They are the beliefs and principles that drive your business.

16 May 2022

EMBARC: Changing Course - from Coarse to Enlightened

Midshipmen from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, fix the ship's position using a sextant aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65). (Photo: Deven Leigh Ellis / U.S. Navy)

“Until every employee, and every midshipman, and cadet, and every trainee trusts the system and until all allegations are handled properly, abuse will continue to occur, it will continue to go unreported, and people will continue to suffer alone—and that is simply intolerable,” said Lucinda Lessley, Acting Maritime Administrator, presenting at the Connecticut Maritime Association Shipping Expo and Conference, in February.On March 30, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) released…

10 Mar 2022

ClassNK Inks MOU with PowerX on Power ARK Project

Rendering of the PowerX Power ARK. Image courtesy PowerX

ClassNK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PowerX, Inc. (PowerX) for a collaboration on the development of the Power Transfer Vessel (Power ARK).PowerX is carrying out a project of the first model of the Power ARK series, which is designed for transferring renewable energy in Japanʼs coastal waters, and this project is in the design and development stage towards a demonstration experiment and full-scale operation in 2025.The first model of the Power ARK series, “Power…

04 Nov 2021

Maritime Cybersecurity: Prepare, Detect and Respond

© pinkeyes / Adobe Stock

At a time when the world has become more aware than ever before about the vital importance of the world’s ocean shipping fleet, which carried supplies, merchandise and much needed personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increased risk from a different threat, cyberattacks, presents a set of new challenges. According to Israeli cybersecurity specialist Naval Dome, since February 2020, there has been a 400% increase in attempted hacks on the maritime realm…

11 Aug 2021

Cyber Security Threats Challenge International Shipping Industry

© joyt / Adobe Stock

The crippling ransomware attack against the Colonial oil pipeline in the U.S. in May 2021 should be a wake up call for the maritime industry. As a critical part of the global supply chain, the shipping industry could become an attractive target for cyber criminals and politically motivated attacks. Marine insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty explores these challenges in its latest Safety & Shipping Review 2021.The 9,000km long Colonial Pipeline, which connects some 30 oil refineries and nearly 300 fuel distribution terminals…

07 May 2021

Choose Wisely: A Deep Dive into Domestic Passenger Vessels SMS Proposed Rulemaking

A fire aboard the 75-foot dive boat Conception killed all 33 passengers and one of the vessel’s six crew members in September 2019. (Photo: Ventura County Fire Department)

On January 15, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for Safety Management System (SMS) requirements in the domestic passenger vessel industry (Docket No. USCG-2020-0123). This requirement will have the largest implications on the domestic passenger vessel industry since the revisions of 46 CFR Subchapter T & K in the mid-90s. However, the question remains, is it necessary?Over the last three decades, the effectiveness and need for…

21 Apr 2021

Atlantic Wind Transfers Pursuing Integrated Management System Certification

The offshore wind farm support vessels of Atlantic Wind Transfers, Atlantic Pioneer and Atlantic Endeavor, pictured together. (Photo: AWT)

Rhode Island-based owner and operator of crew transfer vessels (CTV) Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) has engaged classification society DNV for the company’s integrated Management System Certification as it seeks to scale up in the U.S. offshore wind industry. The company is working with DNV in pursuing international Safety Management Systems (SMS) certification and ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certification.As the U.S. offshore wind industry expands, the country's first Jones…

26 Feb 2021

Master Convicted Over Passenger Death

The master of a Sydney Harbor passenger vessel has pleaded guilty and been convicted of one count of unreasonably placing the safety of another person at risk in the Downing Centre Local Court on Monday, 22 February 2021.On behalf of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions laid charges against Paul Arthur Titze, master of the Lady Rose, for failing to comply with his general safety duties under the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012.AMSA investigated the operation of the vessel following an incident in February 2019 involving a 39-year-old woman who was found dead in a bathroom on Lady Rose during a cruise.

01 Feb 2021

Passenger Vessel Operators Looking Forward

(Photo: All American Marine)

As we take a breath and collectively step into 2021, I’m choosing to be optimistic and focus on the opportunities ahead. Trust me, that’s not easy to say. Even as we are still experiencing a global pandemic which has devastated both the health and financial safety of our families, friends, employees, businesses, and communities. We may be down, but I say don’t lose hope.Stronger togetherAs President of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) and President of my family’s business…

15 Dec 2020

ABB Marine & Ports Opens Cyber Security Lab

ABB Marine & Ports’ cyber security lab will support shipping companies at all stages of digitalization (Image: ABB)

ABB Marine & Ports has opened a new shipping cyber security laboratory ahead of stricter maritime cyber security rules due to enter force on January 1, 2021.In line with the guidelines set out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the new laboratory features hardware and software systems developed to help shipowners and operators combat the maritime industry’s growing cyber security risks, ABB said. Customers are now being invited for virtual demonstrations of the laboratory’s systems and capabilities.With the rise of smarter…

20 Nov 2020

In Focus: Talking Workboat Safety with AWO's Brian Bailey

Brian Bailey (Photo: AWO)

Brian Bailey, Director of Safety and Environmental Stewardship for the American Waterways Operators (AWO), was recently named a 2020 Rising Star of Safety by the National Safety Council (NSC), a nonprofit public service organization promoting health and safety in the U.S. Marine News spoke with Bailey about workboat safety and the AWO’s mission to protect industry workers, assets and the environment.Please tell us a bit about yourself and your role at AWO.I’ve been with The American Waterways Operators as its Director of Safety & Environmental Stewardship since 2016…

12 Jun 2020

COVID-19 & the US Workboat Market: Business Continuity, Not Business as Usual

In today’s environment, the overarching challenge for the American tugboat, towboat and barge industry is to continue transporting the vital commodities that help keep our nation’s economy moving during a highly uncertain time, while taking all necessary measures to ensure the health and safety of our workforce as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve – in other words, to ensure business continuity, while recognizing we are not, nor can we be, going about business as usual.

28 Apr 2020

Willis Towers Watson Launches New Cyber Insurance, CyNav for Ship Owners

© Gorodenkoff/AdobeStock

Willis Towers Watson unveiled a new type of cyber insurance product for shipowners that redesigns standard cyber policies to better navigate the risks for ship operators in the digital era.The solution, CyNav, addresses cyber threats in the broadest sense, including losses that occur from cyber-related business interruptions, even when the cyber events originate with third party IT service providers.CyNav’s primary focus is to support the continuity of maritime businesses and…

10 Mar 2020

DCSA Releases Cyber-Security Guide

The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), a non-profit group of nine major ocean freight carriers, has rolled out its cyber security guidance to prepare shipowners and vessels for the International Maritime Organization’s pending cyber security mandate.The best practices outlined by DCSA provide all shipping companies with a common language and a manageable, task-based approach for meeting the IMO’s January 2021 implementation timeframe, DCSA said in a statement.IMO’s Resolution MSC.428(98) on Maritime Cyber Risk Management in Safety Management Systems was adopted in 2017 to ensure that vessels’ cyber risks are appropriately…

16 Jul 2020

Maritime Training amid COVID-19

(Photo: Hornblower)

Good maritime training provides much more than the certifications, licenses and documentation needed to qualify for the job. It goes beyond preparing crews to carry out onboard functions safely and efficiently day in and day out. Well-trained mariners have the skills and knowledge to handle almost anything thrown their way – even when confronting the unexpected. But what happens when the unexpected is a pandemic?COVID-19’s effects on industries across the world have been widespread and diverse, forcing businesses to adjust to an entirely new set of global circumstances.

25 Aug 2020

Smart Management is Needed as Wave of Digitalization Transforms Maritime

As the shipping industry undergoes major transformation, with operations becomingly increasingly automated, maritime companies need to consider more than just efficiency and safety when it comes to operations. The current global situation has resulted in a growing demand for crew communication, for both work and social purposes, alongside the ongoing need for optimization. All of this causes higher levels of traffic on maritime networks, forcing shipping operators to place an…