Safety News

Sunil Krishnakumar, Senior Technical Manager at the International Chamber of Shipping, provides his key insights on the newly released Engine Room Procedures Guide, Second Edition, by ICS.The shipping industry has embarked on a transformative journey, actively working towards a sustainable future and a safer environment. With a strong commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the industry is actively seeking the uptake and safe use of new low-GHG technologies and alternatives…

The evolving environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda is a roadmap for thriving amidst challenges and securing sustainable success, says The International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO) on publishing its first ESG Review.Kostas Gkonis, INTERCARGO Secretary General advised that a forward-looking attitude is certainly required when addressing key aspects shaping the future of maritime operations and the dry bulk shipping sector more particularly. “Dry bulk shipping should embrace the ESG agenda as a catalyst for innovation…

A pilot maneuvering a vessel too close to a bank, before a turn on the Cooper River led to the collapse of a 300-foot section of pier at Joint Base Charleston’s Naval Weapons Station in South Carolina, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.The 600-foot-long tanker Bow Triumph—owned by Goldex Fortune Ltd. and operated by Odfjell Management AS— struck Naval Weapons Station Pier B while transiting the Joint Base Charleston Channel on Sept. 5, 2022, A Charleston Branch Pilots Association pilot was navigating the vessel, which sustained significant damage to the bow.

Matson Navigation Company’s new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered containerships will feature a comprehensive range of integrated technologies from Kongsberg Maritime to optimize energy use and reduce emissions.The Norwegian company announced Tuesday that it will supply hybrid electrical systems, controlled and operated by its Energy Management System, for a series of three 3,600 TEU vessels that are being built by Philly Shipyard for the U.S.-based shipowner. The Kongsberg Maritime scope of supply includes a Shaft Generator System…

H2SITE’s AMMONIA to H2POWER technology for ammonia cracking onboard has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyd’s Register (LR).The technology is an onboard containerized solution that produces fuel-cell-quality hydrogen using ammonia. This hydrogen can then be used by hydrogen fuel cells that can contribute to the vessel’s electrical power, or the hydrogen could be consumed directly in an internal combustion engine.Ammonia cracking is gaining momentum as a potential hydrogen…

The IMO's Legal Committee met in person for its 111th session at IMO Headquarters in London from April 22 to 26 April 2024, and finalized guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing crimes.These are to be applied where seafarers may be detained in a jurisdiction other than that of the seafarers' nationality on suspicion of committing crimes during the course of their employment on board a ship.The objective is to ensure that seafarers are treated fairly during any investigation and detention by public authorities…

AST Networks, provider of land and maritime communication technology and remote connectivity solutions, announced it has acquired Reygar Ltd, provider of fully integrated performance monitoring and control solutions for crewed and uncrewed vessels.“With the acquisition of Reygar, AST Networks is poised to deliver even greater value to our customers.” said Gregory Darling, Founder and Chairman of AST Networks. “Reygar’s expertise in vessel performance monitoring perfectly complements our existing suite of IoT (IRAMS) and network solutions…

A ship under the management of Wallem Group rescued a man who had been adrift in the Java Sea for two days last week after he had jumped from a fishing vessel, reportedly in preference to continuing to work without pay.The man was picked up by Angleviken as the LR2 tanker approached anchorage at Balongan, Indonesia on 20th April, after Capt. Bhanu Kundi sighted a floating object approx. 20 degrees port, at approx. 2.5 nm ahead of the vessel and distance from nearest land approx. 12 nm from the ship at 12.30 local time.

Approximately one month has passed since the Singaporean-flagged container vessel M/V Dali allided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The bridge, which connects Hawkins Point and Dundalk, Maryland, collapsed into the lower Patapsco River, bringing all maritime traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore to a standstill.The Unified Command offers its reflection on the response efforts underway:During the incident involving the Dali, eight road crew workers, who were on break from repairing potholes, were present on the bridge when it collapsed.

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has published its 2023 IACS Annual Review which includes a broad range of articles highlighting IACS’ work in 2023, with a strong emphasis on the significant advancements made in alternative fuels.This includes the development of a new Unified Requirement on the release of ammonia from ammonia fuelled vessels, and the newly established Safe Digital Transformation Panel that focuses on the safety implications of increasingly digitised ships…

Today’s evolving maritime security risks pose all-too-familiar threats to international shipping, and as just one of the many causes of fatigue, they add to the cognitive burden already faced by watchkeepers. But Groke Technologies can boost safety onboard, says co-founder and CEO Juha Rokka.Life at sea is already physically and mentally demanding. Crewing levels are tight, work hours are long and irregular, watchkeepers are required to perform administrative tasks while on the bridge…

Cobham Satcom and China TranTech Technologies have signed a contract which includes the largest delivery of SAILOR XTR Ku VSAT antennas to the Chinese market so far, supported by an extensive training and global service program.China TranTech is a subsidiary of China Transport Telecommunication Information Group Company Limited (CTTIC) and the only maritime satellite safety communication provider in China.SAILOR 1000 XTR Ku antennas deliver dependable, high-speed connectivity that vessel crews need to optimize remote marine operations at sea.

A company’s lack of requirements for crew to regularly check below-deck compartments led to undetected flooding and the eventual capsizing of a dredging vessel last year on the Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.Wood Resources' owned and operated non-propelled dredging vessel WB Wood capsized on the early morning of Jan. 16, 2023, during dredging operations. Before the capsizing, the dredge had been in the same location for nine days, pumping sand from the riverbed to a pit on the west bank.

His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands will open the Seven Oceans Simulator center (SOSc) of MARIN, the Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.The opening program takes place in the Shallow Water Basin, one of MARIN's test facilities for ship models. Experts from the maritime research institute, the NL Coast Guard, Search &  Rescue Institution KNRM and maritime service providers talk about shipping safety, about working in increasingly busy seas and about involving the crew in the design of new ships.

Shipping must engage with the decarbonization realities that lie ahead by changing the way it crafts maritime legislation to reflect its place in the interconnected, interdependent world economy, says Eero Lehtovaara, Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, ABB Marine & Ports.ABB Marine & Ports Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs, Eero Lehtovaara has carved out an unusual - and possibly unique - role in the maritime industry over recent years, as a ‘stakeholder’ simultaneously mindful of the perspectives of owners…

China is providing moorage for a U.S.-sanctioned Russian cargo ship implicated in North Korean arms transfers to Russia, according to satellite images obtained by Reuters, as U.S. concerns grow over Beijing's support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank said the Russian vessel Angara, which since August 2023 has moved to Russian ports thousands of containers believed to contain North Korean munitions, has been anchored at a Chinese…

ABB has been selected by Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) to supply a comprehensive grid-to-propeller solution for the new double-ended, hybrid-electric ferry that will provide essential services between the town of Lincolnville and the island community of Islesboro in the United States.ABB’s scope of supply covers the hybrid-electric propulsion and energy storage system. ABB’s Onboard DC Grid power distribution system will ensure optimal use of energy sources, while…

The tail rotor of an Agusta A109 struck a handrail while landing on a bulk carrier as the pilot did not detect the obstacle, and the ship’s crew were using an older version of the vessel’s helicopter operations checklist, reports the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).An ATSB investigation report details that the A109E helicopter was conducting marine pilot transfer operations to the bulk carrier Tai Keystone, which was about 240 km north-east of Mackay, Queensland, on December 6…

US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) have finalized updated regulations for renewable energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. The final rule increases certainty and reduces the costs associated with the deployment of offshore wind projects by modernizing regulations, streamlining overly complex processes and removing unnecessary ones…

ClassNK has released a new tool, WAve Climate Data Aggregation for Ships (WACDAS), for calculating the route correction factors essential for ensuring the safety of container lashing and supporting container stacking optimization.The move follows ClassNK’s release of its Guidelines for Container Stowage and Securing Arrangements (Edition 3.0) last year. WACDAS enables the easy calculation of route correction factors necessary for utilizing the approved lashing software compatible…

On April 19th, 2024, Muddy Water Dredging, LP, held the christening ceremony of its Marlin Class dredge at the Port of New Orleans. The event was attended by many esteemed business leaders, media personnel, and distinguished dignitaries. "We are happy to unveil the Vaneta Marie dredge. After many hours of collaboration between Muddy Water and DSC what we have before us is a dredge that was crafted with precision and ingenuity," said Michael Kerns, President, and CEO of Muddy Water.

Simulation-based training has its whole-of-ship/whole-of-team scenarios, but zooming in, the industry is now working on more specific targets.We have a close relationship with technology, evidenced by, for example, the phones we are estimated to unlock around 50-80 times a day. It has changed us. Half the people surveyed in a 2022 King’s College London study said that they feel like their attention span is shorter than it used to be. They are wrong, though, if they think that the average attention span of adults today is just eight seconds, one second less than goldfish.

ABS Wavesight has appointed software and digital technology leader Staci Satterwhite to serve as Chief Operating Officer (COO), a new role for the maritime software as a service (SaaS) affiliate of ABS.Most recently serving as the COO of Khoros, a Vista private equity portfolio company, Satterwhite has extensive and diverse global experience helping develop and transform software and digital solutions.As COO, Satterwhite is responsible for leading product development and further enhancing customer interactions and experiences.