Marine Safety Centre News

Chinese cruise ship "Ocean Dream" , anchored off Laem Chanang port in Sri Racha for over a year, sank into the sea today, raising fear by Thai environmental authorities that it could cause pollution in the sea. Ocean Dream capsized on Saturday while anchored around 2 miles off Laem Chabang port located in Sri Racha on Thailand’s east coast. Local news reports the vessel had been abandoned by the owners for over a year. Local fisherman saw the vessel was taking on water, the authorities at Marine Department’s Marine Safety Centre were then contacted. Authorities immediately coordinated with the Chinese owner to stabilise the vessel back to its position, and were working out a plan to have it fixed soon.

Headhunter, specialists in plumbing and sanitation for the luxury yacht and commercial marine industries, has received eight certificates of approval for new models in its Tidal Wave HMX sewage treatment plants, the first to be approved according to the new, more stringent performance standard set by the United Nations International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) adopted the new resolution MEPC 159(55) in 2006, though the implementation date was set for 1 January, 2010. In response, the United States Coast Guard issued Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular Number (NVIC)1-09 , which laid the procedural framework for the Marine Safety Centre to evaluate manufacturers of sewage treatment systems ccording to the new standards.