Watertight doors are crucial for reducing ship vulnerability in cases of flooding, as witnessed from the time of the Titanic to today. Due to re-occurring deficiencies during surveys, and accidents leading to injuries and fatalities, GARD and DNVGL have joined forces to launch an awareness campaign on watertight doors For the major accident scenarios of…
The Cruise Passenger Protection Act (CPPA) was introduced last week in the US, aiming to strengthen passenger safety on cruise ships. The CPPA would build on the passenger safety measures signed into law in the 2010 Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act (CVSSA). The bill strengthens crime reporting and video surveillance requirements, improves medical standards,…
The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released the first safety Digest, containing twenty five cases it has investigated in recent times. This Safety Digest draws the attention of the marine community to some of the lessons arising from investigations into recent accidents and incidents. It contains information which has been determined up to…
Over the past 10 years the maritime industry has observed an unacceptably high number of accidents with lifeboats in which crew were injured, sometimes fatally, whilst participating in lifeboat drills and/or inspections. The IMO has been working to introduce measures to reduce the likelihood and severity of such incidents, and the main publications seeking to achieve…
Seafarers ignore onboard Safety Management Systems. This latest edition of the Safety Digest contains insightful information in 25 articles which are examples of poor risk awareness demonstrated by the crews of vessels from the merchant, fishing and recreational sectors. The document highlights the disconnect that sometimes occurs between a company’s official safety culture and the actual operation…
Lifeboats, though designed with a view to saving you from trouble at sea, are not infallible. Nothing is. Of course, they do their job and they do it well, but this is not to say that they cannot themselves be involved in an accident. Thankfully, the vast majority of accidents on lifeboat occur during drills,…
This safety alert reminds vessel owners and operators to periodically validate the proper operation of their vessel’s Voyage Data Recorder (VDR). Annual certifications performed by equipment technicians in accordance with international Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirements may not be enough to ensure your best interests are met. Initial system testing may also be…
