University Of La Coruna News

Breakwater's Effectiveness Proved by Research Institute

Experts are professionals who are curious and never stop learning. To better understand how breakwaters function and to perfect their products, SF Marina's team collaborates with professional research institutes throughout the world. Recent testing of their new SF Type 600 floating breakwater confirmed the predicted wave attenuation was correct. "Nothing is straightforward about the physics of waves," said SF Marina CEO Lars Gunnar Odhe. "Through research and extensive testing…

Human Factor is Key to Safety

Parliament's Temporary Committee on Safety at Sea was told that the EU's response to recent maritime disasters had missed the key point - the human factor. Eduardo Chagas, of the Maritime Transport Section of the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), explained that the prime causes of tanker casualties were not structural but human. Grounding and collisions accounted for almost 50% of incidents, whereas only around 11% were related to hull failure. According to Chagas, human conditions in the maritime sector should be taken more seriously, especially in EU legislation. Flags of convenience and false certificates for merchant navy officers were the issues that most needed to be tackled.