Ppe News

France set out a new energy law after years of wrangling on Thursday which slashes its wind and solar power targets and drops a mandate for state-run firm EDF to shutter nuclear plants."We need to stop our internal family squabbling. We need both nuclear and renewables," finance minister Roland Lescure told reporters.The law, to be pushed through by decree on Friday after almost three years of bitter disagreement among lawmakers, also reverses a previous legal mandate to shut 14 reactors.That was a 2017 campaign promise of President Emmanuel Macron…

As maritime industries accelerate toward electrification, the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) has issued a warning: lithium-ion batteries—the same technology powering the global shift to hybrid and all-electric vessels—pose a unique and evolving threat when things go wrong. The April 2025 white paper, Lithium Battery Fire Hazards in the Maritime Environment, lays out the risks, firefighting challenges, and post-incident dangers associated with lithium battery fires at sea…

Falls overboard remain the leading cause of fatalities in the U.S. tugboat, towboat, and barge industry, a sobering reality that the American Waterways Operators (AWO) has been working to reverse for decades. Now, with the release of its comprehensive Falls Overboard Prevention Report, AWO and its partner are charting a data-driven path to help reduce this risk.The report, produced under the Coast Guard–AWO Safety Partnership, builds on decades of collaboration between regulators and industry leaders…

ClassNK has released the “Guidelines for Safety Operation for Ammonia-Fueled Vessels” to ensure safe operation on board ammonia-fueled vessels.The introduction of alternative fuel vessels is approaching 40% of the total on an order basis and is expected to increase further in the future, and alternative fuels such as ammonia have unique risks that conventional heavy oil fuels do not.The guidelines give top priority to protecting the safety of seafarers and cover matters to be kept in mind in daily operations…

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has launched the first Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) immersion suit in the world designed for women working in offshore wind energy, using guidance on diversity and inclusivity from industry leaders Ørsted, Siemens and Vestas.The VIKING YouSafe Cyclone suit joins a growing portfolio of VIKING PPE whose fit and features reflect the safety needs of female seafarers, pilots and technicians in the marine and offshore industries.The most recent UK Government…

Whether it’s an unsafe working condition, an equipment failure, or a concern about a colleague’s competency, mariners must feel empowered to voice concerns without fear of retribution. For all the training you invest in, nothing is more important than a mariner using their intuition and instincts, refined over a lifetime at sea, to recognize and act on potential dangers.One way the industry has encouraged this is through Near Miss Reporting, a process meant to catch safety hazards before they turn into incidents.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued its report on the deaths of three stevedores in a cargo hold access space on board the bulk carrier Berge Mawson.On the morning of 27 June 2022, three unconscious stevedores were found in a cargo hold access space on the Isle of Man registered bulk carrier Berge Mawson at Bunyu Island Anchorage, Indonesia. Despite prompt medical attention all three men died.Berge Mawson was loading coal from barges using a floating crane. During a pause in loading due to heavy rain, all hatches were closed.

Shipowners and operators of EU vessels must take steps to ensure that all new firefighting suits on board comply with changes to European regulations, which enter into force in June 2025, according to urgent advice from VIKING Life-Saving Equipment.Viking recommends fleet managers undertake a full risk assessment of their firefighting suits to verify compliance with requirements applying under MED regulations (EU) 2024/1975. These are in addition to provisions in effect since August 2024 - that all new firefighting suits must be tested to EN469:2020 standards.From June 2025…

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has published guidelines on safety standards for class surveyors work, Rec. 184.Highlights of the guidelines include:Comprehensive Risk Management: The document provides guidance for surveyors to exercise appropriate risk assessment and situational awareness prior to commencing work for prevention of accidents, near-misses, injury or ill health.Increased Focus on Collaboration: IACS encourages surveyors to share…

Onshore Power Supply (OPS), commonly referred to as “cold ironing” or shore power, is expected to play a critical role in reducing pollution and achieving global decarbonisation targets, so International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has published recommendation, Rec. 182, a comprehensive framework to support the effective adoption of OPS systems.This recommendation provides detailed guidance for ship designers, builders, operators and owners on integrating OPS systems into both newbuilds and retrofits…

It’s already possible to have smart decision support on the bridge: With Furuno’s technology, live video imagery of the front view from the vessel has navigation information superimposed on it including heading, AIS data, radar target tracking, object identification, route waypoint and chart information.SEA.AI’s bridge support system can identify larger vessels not fitted with AIS up to a range of 7.5 kilometers (nearly five miles), smaller vessels up to 3 kilometers (nearly 2…

Lloyd’s Register’s (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub has conducted risk assessment workshops which indicate that a comprehensive overhaul of seafarer training is required as the industry transitions to zero and near zero GHG emission fuels.A report has been produced as a result of the workshops by the Maritime Just Transition Task Force (MJTTF), in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register’s Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Ocean Stewardship Coalition.

As the adoption of propane-powered equipment in ports continues to grow, implementing proper safety measures becomes more crucial.Supply chain professionals throughout the country rely on cargo handling equipment (CHE) to keep containers, trailers, and other materials on the move. With rapidly changing conditions in a port, it’s important to keep operators abreast of important safety considerations when working with equipment like forklifts and port tractors.Propane offers a clean…

The maritime industry accounts for more than 90% of global trade and employs over 3 million people in the United States, and like other modes of transportation, our industry encounters unique risks. Waterfront workers are exposed to various hazards such as heavy machinery, hazardous substances, extreme weather and long hours. If not properly managed, these hazards can result in serious injuries, illnesses and even fatalities. That is why ensuring the safety of waterfront workers is a top priority for all of us who work in the maritime industry.

If you think the human element is the only cause of enclosed space deaths, think again.Enclosed space incidents are cited as the largest cause of on-duty fatalities in commercial shipping. The risks can’t simply be engineered out, but there’s a powerful coalition wanting action nonetheless.There’s a tendency to blame failure to follow procedures, they say. Investigations seldom focus on the practicality of those procedures or the influence of the operating environment and vessel design, they say.

A joint study into ammonia safety onboard ships undertaken by the Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS), has found that a range of mitigation methods, from ship design to crew training and operations, are required to keep toxicity risks to crew within published tolerable limits.‘Recommendations for Design and Operation of Ammonia-Fuelled Vessels based on Multi-disciplinary Risk Analysis' presents a study of the effectiveness of risk mitigation measures in three ammonia-fueled vessels – a container ship…

Is the “old” way of generating maritime training content about to be disrupted? Are we witnessing the beginning of a sea change in the creation of training content and potentially in how trainees interact with that content?In the previous edition of Training Tips for Ships, we introduced ChatGPT and discussed its potential uses and limitations in a maritime training capacity. In fact, as was revealed near the end, most of that article was written by ChatGPT itself - providing evidence of its ability to generate content.

When Samrat Hossain first started cutting up old ships weighing thousands of tonnes in a southeast Bangladesh shipbreaking yard a decade ago, all he would wear was a cap or a helmet.But these days, the 27-year-old spends nearly an hour each day before work putting on his protective gear, which includes special masks, gloves, boots, and a suit."A lot has changed in the last 10 years. Before, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) was not a factor. But today we are not allowed to work without it…

Crew services specialist Boers has launched seafarer vaccination programs at German and Belgian ports, as shipping executives warn of onboard COVID-19 outbreaks because mariners are not getting vaccines quick enough.Seafarers arriving at ports in Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge can get one-shot COVID-19 jabs through Boers’ scheme, which is being launched to protect key workers in the shipping industry.The Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine will be available free of charge until further notice to all mariners of any nationality arriving in Belgium for crew changes.

China's imports grew at their fastest pace in 10 years in May, fueled by surging demand for raw materials, although export growth slowed more than expected amid disruptions caused by COVID-19 cases at the country's major southern ports.While a brisk recovery in developed markets has bolstered demand for Chinese products, a global semiconductor shortage, higher raw material and freight costs, logistics bottlenecks and a strengthening yuan have dimmed the outlook for the world's largest exporting nation.China's exports in dollar terms in May grew 27.9% from a year earlier…

Only three weeks after launching, a relief fund established to help seafarers and the families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic has collected $530,000 in pledges to date, nearly $400,000 of which has already been allocated to help those worst affected.The Seafarers International Relief Fund (SIRF), set up by seafarer welfare charities and the wider shipping industry, said the first three SIRF grants were enabled through The Seafarers’ Charity’s agile and established grant making processes and will provide funds to three seafarer charities…

Seafarers' lack of access to vaccinations is placing shipping in a "legal minefield", while leaving global supply chains vulnerable, warns the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).The organization is planning to circulate a legal document to the global shipping community later this week highlighting its concerns following reports that some states may require crews to be vaccinated in order to enter their portsComplicating matters even further, it's expected developing nations will not achieve mass immunization until 2024…

Hornblower Cruises and Events announced Monday it will restart its Washington D.C. passenger vessel operations, including dinner cruises and water taxi service.Water taxi service will resume starting Friday, March 19, and dining experience offerings with brunch, lunch and dinner cruises will return beginning Saturday, March 27.The company said cruises have been adapted to ensure heightened cleanliness and to maintain social distance, which includes reduced passenger numbers and the wearing of face coverings on board.