(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On 16 April 1947, in the port of Texas City, Texas, the freighter GRANDCAMP, with a cargo of ammonium nitrate, small arms ammunition, machinery, and sisal twine, caught fire. The fire quickly spread to the nearby freighter HIGH FLYER, loaded with ammonium nitrate and sulphur. When the two ships exploded, it largely flattened…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) Failure to comply with company procedures regarding entry into enclosed spaces can be fatal. This key shipboard operation sadly continues to cause injury and take lives every year, and in the following we briefly deal with the hazards, regulations and procedures involved in entering enclosed spaces. The most frequent hazards when entering an enclosed space…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) RMS Titanic – A passenger ocean liner and, at the time, the world’s largest ship. On 14 April 1912, on her maiden voyage, she struck an iceberg, buckling part of her hull and causing her to sink in the early hours of 15 April. 706 of her 2,224 passengers and crew survived. Her loss was the catalyst for…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The causes of losing containers overboard are numerous and often complex, though very often basic operational errors are a factor. The consequences of container loss should justify time, cost and effort by ship owners and operators in reviewing and improving preventative measures. GARD P&I club has put together a fine article which tackles this issue. …
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On 6 April 1969, the steamship Union Faith, operating with a local pilot, was upbound on the Mississippi River at New Orleans. The towboat Warren J. Doucet was downbound with three tank barges, each holding about 9,000 barrels of crude oil. A second towboat was made up to the port quarter of the face barge.…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) The temperature controlled cargo supply chain can present operational challenges for all stakeholders, these cargoes being amongst the more sensitive transported. Through analysis of claims experience from UK P&I Club and TT Club there are a number of common errors and misconceptions which can result in deterioration or total loss of the cargo, as…
(http://www.MaritimeCyprus.com) On the world stage, the grounding of the supertanker TORREY CANYON on Pollard’s Rock in the Seven Stones reef between Cornwall and the Scilly Isles is more significant than the 1989 EXXON VALDEZ oil spill. The TORREY CANYON was one of the first tankers large enough (120,000 tons capacity) to be designated a supertanker. It…
