Safety News

Unique among the nation’s armed services, the Coast Guard’s missions include national defense, law enforcement, natural disaster incident management, recreational boating safety and environmental protection. This diversity of mission scope presents opportunities for the Coast Guard at the strategic, operational and tactical levels as the service works to make their efforts as effective and efficient as possible.Contributing to the service’s overall execution effort is the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), based in New London, Connecticut.

South Korean shipbuilders Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) have gained Approval in Principal (AiP) for the application of the “solvent free 1 coating system” for ballast water tanks from both the Korean Register of Shipping (KR) and the Liberian Registry.The eco-friendly (solvent free) 1 coating system has been verified for excellent coating quality when compared to the traditional double coating system and has passed quality standards for alternative…

Korean Register (KR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) to conduct a joint study on “Ship Cyber Security Network Construction and Design Safety Evaluation” at the Marine Engineering Research Center of SHI.Under the MOU, the two organizations have agreed to evaluate the construction and design safety of cyber security networks applicable to new ships. In addition, they will jointly study technologies that can respond to cyber threats faced by ships…

Quonset Point, Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers has secured its second long-term O&M Crew Transfer Vessel contract in the U.S.Under the contract Atlantic Wind Transfers will provide offshore marine support services for the Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbines to be installed for the first offshore wind project in U.S. federal waters. The project is being developed by Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Energy. Atlantic Wind Transfers was selected by Dominion Energy through a competitive bid process.

Buckley McAllister, President of McAllister Towing & Transportation, weighs in on the coronavirus pandemic and its impacts on the maritime sector.McAllister Towing & Transportation is a long and storied organization based in New York, the original U.S. COVID-19 hot spot that has been transformed from the city that never sleeps into a surreal ghost town. Describe the view from your perspective.All McAllister administrative personnel who can work from home are doing so. Luckily, most office personnel do most of their work online, so the need for actual visits to the office are infrequent.

The technology group Wärtsilä has completed replacement of the Ship Analytics simulator solution at the United States Coast Guard Academy’s Ship Control and Navigation Training System (SCANTS) facility. The original simulator system was installed at the Academy in the 1990s, and the replacement work was carried out primarily by, and in partnership with, NavSim Services, Inc., the prime contractor. The upgrade was accomplished in two stages to accommodate the operational training schedule of the Academy…

Ship assessors are resorting to virtual inspections of oil tankers to keep vessels afloat, as the coronavirus pandemic makes physical visits to check for seaworthiness tougher and a slump in fuel demand increases the need for ships as storage.Oil tankers require rigorous inspections twice a year to reduce the risk of oil spills or mechanical collapse with polluting cargoes onboard.But the global pandemic has disrupted international trade, leaving merchant seafarers stuck on ships…

Surgical masks and other items have been found washing up onto Australian beaches Tuesday after the Singapore-flagged APL England lost at least 40 containers overboard in heavy seas off the coast of Sydney.The medical supplies have been found on shores between Magenta Beach and The Entrance, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which said the locations and contents are consistent with its debris drift models and items listed on the ship’s cargo manifest.

Tanker operator AET has taken delivery of Eagle Petrolina shuttle tanker which will be used to offload oil from Petrobras' offshore oil platforms in Brazil.The Eagle Petrolina, built by South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries, is the first of four Suezmax Dynamic Positioning (DP2) Shuttle Tankers purposed built for long-term charter to Petrobras.The two companies entered into a long-term charter for the four shuttle tankers in May 2018.The Eagled Petrolina was delivered to AET on May 22…

A Singapore-flagged containership lost at least 40 containers overboard in heavy seas off the coast of Sydney, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.Just after 6:10 a.m. Sunday, the APL England experienced a temporary loss of propulsion and began rolling heavily, causing container stacks to collapse and several containers to fall overboard in about 2,000 meters water depth, about 73 kilometres south east of Sydney.The ship's power was restored within a few minutes…

Maritime safety intelligence firm Dryad has cited reports according to which the containership Maersk Regensburg was illegally boarded by one individual at the Banana Anchorage 3nm from shore in Congo.According to Dryad's report on Monday, the duty crew on deck spotted the intruder on board removing lashing from a deck. The alarm was raised, and the crew mustered. The intruder fled the vessel in a small boat with an outboard motor, Dryad said."Vessel search conducted and no other abnormalities noted. One container had one lashing bar removed.

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is underway for the first time since being sidelined by an onboard coronavirus outbreak that infected hundreds of sailors and led to the firing of the ship's commander.Theodore Roosevelt was in the Asia-Pacific region when a number of its sailors began falling ill with COVID-19, forcing the aircraft carrier to eventually dock in Guam on March 27. One sailor who was infected died, and more than 1,110 out of the roughly 4…

Several companies within Japan's NYK Group have partnered to test the remote navigation of a tugboat in Tokyo Bay.The tugboat, operated by NYK's Shin-Nippon Kaiyosha Corporation, was equipped with a manned remotely controlled system and put to the test by NYK and its group companies MTI Co. Ltd., Keihin Dock Co. Ltd., and Japan Marine Science Inc. (JMS).During the trials, the tug was operated remotely from an operation center in the city of Nishinomiya, approximately 400 kilometers away.

ABS has published the ABS Guide to Wind-assisted Propulsion System Installation, providing class safety standards when installing wind-assisted systems.The classification society said its new guide is applicable to both Flettner rotors and wing sails, including both rigid and soft sails. These wind-assisted propulsion technologies have been gaining attention as operators seek new ways to reduce fuel costs as well as their environmental footprint.“Wind-assisted propulsion systems…

There is a 75% chance of near- or below-normal tropical cyclone activity during the Central Pacific hurricane season this year, according to NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, divisions of the National Weather Service.The outlook also indicates a 25% chance of an above-normal season.For the season as a whole, two to six tropical cyclones are predicted for the Central Pacific hurricane region. This number includes tropical depressions, named storms and hurricanes.

Venezuela's military will escort Iranian tankers bringing fuel to the gasoline-starved country as soon as they enter its exclusive economic zone, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Wednesday.His comments came after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said the shipment should "alarm" Latin America. Both OPEC members are U.S. adversaries whose oil industries are under U.S. sanctions. Trump administration officials say Washington is considering a response to the shipment.The tankers - Fortune…

The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said it will initiate an investigation into whether ballast water regulations proposed by the Government of Canada discriminate against U.S. flag vessel operators in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.The FMC commissioners voted unanimously to accept a petition filed by trade group the Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA) asking the commision to perform the investigation and examine the detriment and harm to the U.S. flag fleet resulting…

Job candidates looking to be employed by one of the United States' largest shipbuilders will be able to interview for a job without having to leave their cars.America’s largest military shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Wednesday that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula, Miss. will host a "drive-in hiring event" due to coronavirus restrictions. On Friday, May 22, from 9 a.m. until noon, potential hirees will have the opportunity to…

The Iranian navy will maintain regular missions in the Gulf, the ISNA news agency reported on Wednesday, a day after the United States warned mariners there to stay away from U.S. warships.“The naval units of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will continue their regular missions in accordance with professional principles as in the past,” ISNA quoted an unnamed military official as saying.The U.S. warning to mariners followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass U.S. Navy vessels.The Bahrain-based U.S.

In an alert that appeared aimed squarely at Iran, the U.S. Navy issued a warning on Tuesday to mariners in the Gulf to stay 100 meters away from U.S. warships or risk being “interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures.”The notice to mariners, which was first reported by Reuters, follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass Navy vessels."Armed vessels approaching within 100 meters of a U.S. naval vessel may be interpreted as a threat," according to the text of the notice.A U.S.

Royal Caribbean's Silversea Cruises says it is preparing to take delivery of its newest ship, Silver Origin, following a unique set of COVID-19-related challenges overcome by the shipbuilder and innovative sea trials that included world-first remote operations.The new 100-passenger ultra-luxury cruise ship was built by Dutch shipyard De Hoop, which completed construction despite setbacks brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.Silver Origin was still under construction on March 15…

Five people were injured earlier this month while working on the Seaway Heavy Lifting's Seaway Strashnov installation vessel on the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm project in the UK.This was confirmed to Offshore Engineer by innogy, the operator of the offshore wind development."An investigation is being carried out into the cause of an accident which happened overnight on Friday 8 May, involving five people who were working on the Seaway Strashnov for Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm…

Geraldton-based Dave Perham, an operator from Australia’s Western Rock Lobster fishery, has taken delivery of a new lobster boat from Dongara Marine designed to have much lower fuel consumption than comparable vessels.Completed in late April 2020, some 12 months after contracts were signed, Force of Nature is a 22.4-meter Southerly Designs monohull which, like other recent Dongara Marine fishing and pilot boat newbuilds, combines an aluminum hull with a composite superstructure.The new boat is an upgrade from Perham’s current vessel…