Safety Management News

Jennifer Carpenter joined The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry, in August 1990 and became its president and CEO in January 2020. She highlights some of the greatest focus areas for the 80-year-old trade group—simultaneously looking at both the present day and the road ahead.The towboat, tug and barge industry is in a period of rapid evolution. How is AWO—now in its 80th year…

A new report offers safety recommendations for ship owners and port authorities seeking to establish green shipping corridors.As the shipping industry continues to make progress toward its decarbonization goals, a number of green shipping corridors are being being set up as maritime routes that help to enable the use of low- and zero-emission lifecycle fuels such as methanol, ammonia and hydrogen, as well as other green technologies. To date, more than 30 green shipping corridors…

Classification society ABS announced it has awarded ECOLOG, a mid-stream Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS) service provider, with an industry first ISM Document of Compliance for the operation of liquified CO2 carriers on behalf of the Bermuda flag administration.ABS audited ECOLOG to verify compliance with the International Safety Management Code.ECOLOG plans to build and own CO2 terminals and a carrier fleet to service the emerging CCUS sector, connecting hard to abate emitters with cost competitive sequestration sites and carbon utilization facilities.“Carbon capture…

Because there are so many different kinds of passenger vessels, the critical topic of passenger safety can sometimes appear as a set of niche topics, each one just distantly connected to another. After all, passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean face safety issues that are much different than a commuter going from Jersey City to Manhattan or a tourist crossing from the Mukilteo, Wash. ferry terminal to Whidbey Island or a family on a fishing vessel in Miami.Importantly, though, for passenger vessel operators, a commitment to safety is not siloed.

The Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Ulsan Port Authority have announced a world first with the completion of a ship-to-ship (STS) bunkering of green methanol to the 16,000 TEU container ship Ane Maersk at Ulsan Port, South Korea.The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries established the relevant institutional foundation, including the ‘Guidelines for Approval of Self-Safety Management Plan for Methanol Supply’ and accumulated know-how through two methanol supply demonstrations…

A fishing vessel mate not maintaining a proper lookout and conducting maintenance on critical equipment while underway led to the collision of a containership and fishing vessel, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vessels was estimated at $6.25 million.On October 28, 2022, while the containership MSC Rita was transiting southbound in the Atlantic Ocean, the fishing vessel Tremont was transiting north-northeast in the same area.

NYK Group’s Hokuyo Kaiun has received certifications from ClassNK for the safety management system (SMS) of its crew transport vessel (CTV) for the offshore wind industry.The certifications, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, were obtained by combining the experience of Hokuyo Kaiun, which operates and manages the CTV Rera As for the Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind farm in Hokkaido Prefecture, with the knowledge of NYK.This certification will enable Hokuyo Kaiun, which mainly operates towing vessels in Japan…

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending new notification alarms and procedures for potential incursions on pipelines and a change to an anchorage off the California coast following a crude oil release in 2021 caused by ship anchors damaging an underwater pipeline.NTSB investigators determined that the oil leak, which began on October 1, 2021, in San Pedro Bay, resulted from an anchor strike on the pipeline that occurred eight months earlier, when anchors…

Swire Projects, the projects and heavy lift shipping arm of Swire Shipping, has officially launched a dedicated semi liner service connecting East Asia with the West Coast of North America.Previously offered on an ad hoc basis, the service will provide enhanced cargo connectivity and support the growing demand for reliable breakbulk and project cargo transportation into the West Coast and a gateway to the interior of the Continent avoiding the need to route cargo via the Panama Canal.Swire Projects' semi liner service connects the base ports of Qingdao and Taicang in China and ports en route…

A fire on board a multi-purpose vessel chartered by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) while transiting the Southern Ocean highlights the risks and challenges of operating in harsh, remote conditions.On April 5, 2021, the 145 meter MPV Everest was en route from Antarctica to Hobart with 37 crew and 72 Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) staff on board when a fire broke out in its port engine room.The fire was contained and eventually extinguished using the engine room water mist fixed fire-extinguishing system after about 2.5 hours…

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has issued its third ban from Australian waters to a Briese Heavylift GmbH & Co ship this year.AMSA issued the 90-day ban to the Antigua & Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship BBC Jade, after inspectors in Port Alma found 57 tons of explosive substances had been incorrectly stowed on board the vessel during transit.The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code outlines the minimum international standards for the maritime transport of dangerous goods…

On October 23, NYK held its annual roundtable discussion on current conditions and issues on board vessels, highlighting the role of communications in ship safety.The meeting was held at the NYK head office in Tokyo in a hybrid format and attended by more than 150 participants, including three captains and three chief engineers on leave, the captain and chief engineer on board the car carrier Iris Leader, the captain aboard the crude oil tanker Tensho, 22 executive officers, and…

Four years after the fire aboard the Conception dive boat claimed 34 lives, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) renewed its call for the U.S. Coast Guard to require safety management systems (SMS) for passenger vessels. The recommendation, which the NTSB reissued following its investigation of the September 2, 2019, fire aboard the Conception, remains open.NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy sent a letter to the Coast Guard Commandant today emphasizing the need to issue the…

On August 17, NYK received ISO9001:20151 certification from ClassNK for its activities to promote the safe operation of its crew transfer vessel (CTV) in the offshore wind industry.In addition to the safety management system (SMS) set up by the ship-management company, NYK will implement NAV90004 activities that promote safe navigation based on NYK’s own safety standard, NAV9000, which has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to achieve an even higher level of quality control and safer navigation.

In response to increased awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) in the maritime industry — and following a widely reported account by a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadet of sexual assault aboard a U.S.-flagged ship during her Sea Year training — Congress enacted into law the Safer Seas Act (SSA) in December 2022.Intended as a direct effort to prevent and punish SASH, the SSA, among other provisions:Requires the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to revoke the license…

An Antigua Barbuda-flagged general cargo ship has been banned from Australian waters over serious safety deficiencies. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it issued a 180-day ban on the Briese Heavylift GmbH & Co vessel BBC Pearl as the agency works to crack down on unsafe and unseaworthy vessels.after inspectors found multiple failures of the safety management system as well as a defective emergency generator and defective fire dampers during a port State control…

It's nearly 45 years since the tragedy on the ANCO Duke where seven crew died at the bottom of the tank they were cleaning. “I was working on chemical tankers then. All the crew felt this terrible loss of life and took on tank entries with a heightened safety focus,” says Captain Dave Watkins, Deputy Director of the confidential near-miss reporting service CHIRP Maritime. Since then, enclosed space deaths still occur, although not in the number they did.Watkins has years of experience on chemical and VLCC tankers as an officer and master…

In the maritime industry, seafarer safety and professionalism are critical to ensuring smooth operations and minimizing risks. As technical advancements continue to reshape every industry including ours, large language models like ChatGPT and Bard have the potential to directly assist seafarers in performing their duties more safely and professionally. So, how can a seafarer leverage these tools to enhance their onboard performance? Let’s look at some examples.One example is in providing instant, human-readable access to regulations and guidelines.

The confidential and impartial incident and near-miss reporting scheme CHIRP Maritime has released its analysis of maritime reports received between April 2022 and March 2023.A key outcome of the analysis of reported incidents was the identification of inadequate leadership and supervision as a contributing factor. Adam Parnell, Director Maritime, said: “This analysis identifies the key causal factors of safety incidents reported to CHIRP Maritime over the past year. These include inadequate leadership or supervision…

Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Line has concluded a time charter contract with Shimizu Corporation for two crew transfer vessels (CTV) for an offshore wind farm at Ishikari Bay New Port. "This marks the MOL Group’s first entry into the CTV business. In addition, one of the CTVs, The KAZEHAYA, owned by MOL, is the first CTV in Japan managed and operated under International Safety Management (ISM) Code, which is the international standard of ship safety management system, certified by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK )," MOL said.MOL Group company MOL Coastal Shipping, Ltd.

New in-depth analysis from the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA)’s industry vessel inspection programmes, eCMID and eMISW, reveals ongoing concerns around technical inspections, the controlled entry into confined spaces, cyber security, as well as defects to life-saving appliances.IMCA eCMID System Annual Report 2022/23 analysed the 1,539 reports on vessel inspections undertaken and uploaded to the eCMID database between April 2022 and April 2023, finding common themes of concern.Of the 761 eCMID inspections…

Survitec has announced a new interactive safety management solution it hopes will substantially improve onboard safety.The Safety Management and Rapid Response Technology Interface (SMARR-TI) uses a graphical monitoring interface to integrate fire detection and fire suppression systems within one system.SMARR-TI, which Survitec developed in cooperation with Turkish shipyard Tersan and Norway’s Havila Voyages, is already in operation on a pair of 15,500gt passenger ships.SMARR-TI…

While people in all generations measured themselves against eternal factors—fellow employees, family, their industry, etc.—Generation Z is fixated on measuring themselves against the world as seen through social media. Coaching them will help them begin to turn inward and measure success against their own goals. One of the keys to retaining your Gen Z workers will be in positively coaching them.Coaching should provide positive feedback about employee contributions. At the same time…