Video By Fishermen Says “Wear A Lifejacket”

 lifejacket, maritime safety news, publications, video  No Responses »
Mar 022013
 
A still from Lifejacket:

A still from Lifejacket: A Fisherman’s Friend

Two Bridlington fishermen have made a short film to encourage their fellow fishermen to wear lifejackets whilst at sea. The two minute film, entitled “Lifejacket: a fisherman’s friend” is available on Youtube and may be watched below.

The decision to make the film came after a panel of experts* concluded that 26 fishermen could still be alive today had they been wearing a lifejacket when they were involved in an incident at sea (2007-11 figures). The Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG), were so alarmed by the new statistic that they put the idea of a short film forward to fishermen Dylan Silverwood and Christopher Stewart. They then made the film, with some help from FISG members. Continue reading »

Publications of Note: Norway’s PSA Remembers Piper Alpha

 Accident, Offshore, publications  No Responses »
Feb 272013
 
Photo: Seconds from Disaster

167 workers died when Piper Alpha exploded on 6 July 1988: Photo: Seconds from Disaster

Norway’s Petroleum Safety Authority looks at the 25 anniversary of the Piper Alpha tragedy this year in the latest issue of its annual Status and Signals publication.  In all its gruesomeness, Piper Alpha contributed insights and an understanding of risk to the international industry.

The publication also takes a closer look at other accidents and near misses which have contributed to a better grasp of safety – from the 1977 Ekofisk Bravo blowout to the Gullfaks C well incident in 2010.

Says PSA: “The primary reason for focusing on the most serious incidents is the PSA’s belief in the value of learning and experience transfer. Although it can be painful to revisit major accidents and critical incidents, such a review can help to reduce the risk of experiencing new ones”.

Meanwhile, Lord Cullen is to be keynote speaker at the Oil & Gas UK  safety conference to be held in the summer to mark the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster.

Piper 25, a three-day event to be held at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre from 18 to 20 June 2013 and principally sponsored by Talisman Sinopec Energy UK Limited, will bring together people from across the global oil and gas industry to reflect on the lessons learnt from the tragedy, review how far offshore safety has evolved since and to reinforce industry commitment to continuous improvement.

Safety Status and Signals

Piper Alpha Conference

2008 Documentary

Corrosion Dropped Thomson Majesty Lifeboat – Malta

 Accident, Accident Investigation, Cruise ship, davit-launched, lifeboat, lifeboat accidents, lifeboat safety, safety alert, Safety Alerts, seafarer fatalities  No Responses »
Feb 272013
 
Forward Davit Arm Showing Parted Wire

Forward Davit Arm Showing Parted Wire. Photo: Maritime Safety Investigation Unit

Malta’s Maritime Safety Investigation Unit has issued a safety alert following the discovery of significant corrosion on inner strands of a fall wire involved in the falling of of a lifeboat on 10 February 2013. Five seafarers died in the incident which occurred aboard Thomson Majesty while berthed alongside in Santa Crux de La Palma.

Says the safety alert: ” The wire rope had parted approximately where it rested over the topmost sheave, when the davit was in a stowed position.

“The fore and aft davit’s falls were replaced on 22 August 2010 and the next scheduled replacement was August 2014.
 ”The launching appliance had been dynamically tested in May 2012.
“Initial results of the tests carried out on the parted ends of the wire indicate significant corrosion damage to the inner strands of the wire”. Continue reading »

Pirate Queen Grounding – Defective Nav Light, Defective Procedures

 Accident, Accident Investigation, Accident report, Ferry, grounding  No Responses »
Feb 232013
 
Roonagh Pier.

Roonagh Pier.

Eire’s Marine Casualty Investigation Board says that failure of the leading lights at Roonagh Pier were the main cause of the grounding of the passenger ferry Pirate Queen but further investigations revealed serious weaknesses in the navigational procedures and practices on the company vessels. There appeared to be an over reliance on visual aids to
navigation and a neglect to practice and use the electronic aids on board.

On the evening of 20th December 2011 the inter island passenger ferry Pirate Queen grounded on rocks at the entrance to Roonagh Pier, Co. Mayo. The vessel was refloated shortly afterwards and although not holed, it had sustained severe structural damage. Two of the passengers were taken off the ferry whilst she was on the rocks and transferred to the pier by a rigid inflatable boat. One passenger sustained injuries during the incident. Continue reading »

Is Your Bridge Prepared For Bad Weather?

 Accident, Accident Investigation, Accident report, Safety Alerts, safety flash, seafarer fatalities, weather  No Responses »
Feb 232013
 

The third officer on CCNI Guayas was less lucky.

Heavy weather does not have to be extreme to lead to injuries on the bridge – it’s enough to lack handrails and have improperly stowed equipment. The latest example comes from Marine Safety Forum, MSF, in a safety alert.

Recently on a vessel it was reported that a crewman had taken a fall in the bridge during heavy weather. He suffered only minor injuries.
The incident occurred whilst on sea passage as the vessel was in the process of altering course, the weather although heavy could not be described as extreme and the vessel would have encountered similar conditions on a regular basis. Continue reading »

EUNAVFOR Grabs Nine – “Somali Piracy Has Not Gone Away”

 maritime safety news  No Responses »
Feb 232013
 
Two skiffs attempt to escape

Two skiffs attempt to escape

On 19 February HNLMS De Ruyter stopped the activities of a group of suspected pirates approximately 200 nautical miles north east of Eyl off the coast of Somalia. Nine suspected pirates were apprehended and taken on board the De Ruyter for further investigations.

The Dutch frigate that is deployed with the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta, was tasked this morning to find a suspect pirate group that was reported by a Panama flagged merchant vessel off the coast of Somalia. The helicopter of De Ruyter located two high powered skiffs. As the helicopter approached, material was seen being thrown overboard and the two skiffs split up in an attempt to escape. The first skiff was stopped in the water by the helicopter and boarding teams of the Dutch frigate. The second skiff was located by the Spanish EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA), which kept it under continuous surveillance until it was stopped in the water by the helicopter from the EU Naval Force flagship ESPS Mendez Nunez. Continue reading »

Did Wet Stuff Sink Harita Bauxite?

 Accident, capsize  No Responses »
Feb 202013
 
Liquefied lateritic nickel ore - the discolouration on the bulkhead tells the story

Liquefied lateritic nickel ore – the discolouration on the bulkhead tells the story. Photo UK P&I Club

While a full investigation will take some time to complete, if it ever is completed and released, the sinking of the Harita Bauxite off Cape Bolinao, North West Luzon, Philippines bear many of the familiar signatures of a liquefaction casualty. Her cargo of 47,450mt nickel ore from Indonesia bound for China, the speed of her sinking and the high level of casualties have characterised the loss of several vessels in the same area over the past few years.

The Panama-registered, 1983-built handymax ship sank on the evening of 17 February after suffering engine failure, and heavy rolling in rough weather. Although ten crew were rescued by a passing ship, 14 crew remain unaccounted for. One fatality has been so far reported. Continue reading »

Beware Counterfeit Charts – UKHO

 Chart, Safety Alerts  No Responses »
Feb 192013
 
On the left, a counterfeit product and on the right, an official Admiralty publication.

On the left, a counterfeit product and on the right, an official Admiralty publication.

Counterfeits are everywhere. The UK Hydrographic Office, UKHO, has issued a warning that fake Admiralty charts are in circulation which, because they are not official publications, do not meet carriage requirements of the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (see Chapter V, Regulations 2.2 and 19.2.1.4 of the Convention). Likewise their carriage may not satisfy the requirements of (and may be contrary to) the local laws of Flag State Authorities and Port State Controls.

Says UKHO: “Counterfeit products have not undergone the rigorous checking procedures which take place for official products and they cannot be trusted in the same way. Their use may increase the safety risk to vessels, crews and cargoes”. Continue reading »

Exploding Batteries – Watch That Charge

 fire/explosion, Safety Alerts  No Responses »
Feb 162013
 
One charger too many?

One charger too many?

Check your battery charging setup if you want to avoid unpleasant surprises is the message in a safety alert issued by Marine Safety Forum. In this case two chargers were at work simultaneously, evaporating electrolyte and leading to an explosion.

As part of his weekly routine, the Engineer was carrying out planned maintenance of emergency generator. When the Engineer started the generator, he heard a loud bang from the battery container.

He stopped the process and investigated the noise which was when he discovered that one of the starter batteries had fragmented with the top of the battery detaching from body.

The battery was safely removed and switched over to hydraulic starting mode. Continue reading »

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