The Royal Navy has taken the unusual step of responding to media speculation by issuing a detailed statement on the damage to HMS Prince of Wales. One of the two largest ships of the fleet and only having recently been placed into service, the carrier suffered an embarrassing failure as she departed for what was being called a “landmark mission” in cooperation with the Americans.
Speaking in a videotaped statement, Rear Admiral Steve Moorhouse said, “Our focus has been on understanding the nature and extent of the damage and the safety of her crew. We will repair her and get her back on operations, protecting the nation and our allies, as soon as possible.”
HMS Prince of Wales departed Portsmouth on Saturday, August 27, for what was to be a nearly four-month program to sail to the United States for joint training exercises and a visit to the Caribbean. Observers noted as she departed that she seemed to only be showing a wake on the portside leading to rampant comments of a problem with possibly the starboard propeller.
Shortly after sailing, the carrier anchored with the Royal Navy admitting there had been an “issue” after her departure. She was later moved to a more sheltered position while a survey was ongoing.
“Royal Navy divers inspected the starboard shaft and adjacent areas,” says the Rear Admiral. “We can confirm there is significant damage to the shaft and the propeller and some superficial damage to the rudder. There is no damage to the rest of the ship.”
The initial assessment of the carrier also shows an “extremely unusual fault,” in the starboard shaft. The coupling that joins the final two sections of the shaft has failed.
According to the reports, the Royal Navy is currently trying to stabilize the situation before they can return the vessel to Portsmouth. They are also investigating repair alternatives, but are admitting that it is likely the Prince of Wales will need to dry dock to undertake repairs. No estimates were offered on how long it might take to complete the repairs.
In an effort to save the mission, the Royal Navy reports that they have reassigned HMS Queen Elizabeth to undertake a portion of the training exercise with the United States. The first carrier of the class is due to stand in for her younger sister ship departing this week for the United States. However, she will return to Europe earlier than planned to undertake her fall exercises which were scheduled for the Mediterranean.
So far, the Royal Navy has not offered any explanations as to how the damage occurred to the Prince of Wales. It is just the latest in a series of high-profile failures of the multi-billion-dollar carrier. Commissioned in December 2019, she spent most of 2020 and 2021 sidelined with a series of problems. Finally, in October 2021, the Royal Navy declared that she was fully operational and would be fully ready for frontline deployment by 2023.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/hms-prince-of-wales-has-significant-damage-likely-requiring-dry-dock
Methanol is continuing to gain momentum as a leading option for the shipping industry to address decarbonization. Already adopted by an emerging group of shipping lines, two of China’s leading shipping companies are joining the effort focusing on methanol for their future fuel choice.
During a meeting discussing the industry’s energy transition, the chairmen of China Merchants and COSCO Shipping Bulk announced that their companies will focus on Methanol marine fuel as their primary area of research in the future. CMES chairman Xie Chunlin and Gu Jinsong, Chairman of COSCO Shipping Bulk made the comments in a meeting held in late August according to the Methanol Institute, during which the two reviewed the cooperation between their companies and exchanged views on the shipping industry’s low-carbon transformation.
The news that the Chinese companies plan to focus on methanol follows previously reported efforts by COSCO to develop shipping using the alternative fuel source. COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation and Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) reported in February that they had received design approval for China’s first domestic methanol dual-fuel VLCC. The design calls for a 310,000 dwt VLCCs equipped with two methanol fuel tanks with a total of 10,000 m³, which would give the vessel range of 2,3000 nautical miles.
Previously, several government ministries have referenced low carbon and renewable methanol development from green hydrogen and methanol-fueled vessels as key enablers for the country’s policies to decarbonize the shipping industry noted Kai Zhao, Chief China Representative for The Methanol Institute. “That places methanol at an entry point on the transition curve where two leading Chinese companies can reduce GHG emissions and achieve carbon neutrality in the longer term.”
The Methanol Institute welcomed the comments made by the chairmen of China Merchants Energy Shipping and COSCO Shipping Bulk supporting methanol noting it is part of a growing trend for the alternative fuel. The attention coming from the China Merchants Group they noted is especially encouraging as the company is the second largest among non-financial shipowners worldwide with its fleet and pending newbuild orders totaling 315 ships equivalent to 44.6m dwt. COSCO Shipping Bulk operates a fleet comprising some 400 bulk carriers, equivalent to nearly 40m dwt.
“China is already a leader in production of renewable energy and the shift towards methanol long term is in step with its decarbonization ambitions,” says Chris Chatterton, Chief Operating Officer, The Methanol Institute. “The shipping industry can’t wait for fuels that may be decades away from approval and availability; shipowners need a place to start in making carbon savings and Methanol can provide that transition now.”
They noted that in the past year that Maersk, CMA-CGM, and X-Press feeders each placed orders or increased their commitments for methanol newbuild vessels. Companies including Waterfront Shipping, Stena/Proman, NYK, and MOL have also built methanol carriers that use a segregated portion of the cargo as fuel.
With more bulk shipowners exploring methanol as fuel, the Institute also highlights that this year has seen methanol/dual-fuel designs for bulk carriers and tankers coming to market. Main engine makers report full order books for new units and increasing interest in retrofits and conversions of existing engines.
According to data from DNV’s Alternative Fuel Insight, today less than one percent of the worldwide shipping fleet operates on methanol. They report that there are currently 62 ships either in operation or on order that use methanol out of a worldwide fleet of nearly 6,800 ships. Methanol is currently used mostly by oil and chemical tankers although the new orders came from container shipping.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/cosco-and-china-merchants-exploring-methanol-fueled-ships
The ship recycling market could be set for a revival in the coming days and weeks, as more dry bulk vintage tonnage could be sold for demolition. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Clarkson Platou Hellas said that “with China implementing new lockdown regulations, the dry freight market was sent into further negative spins and therefore, we may now see more vintage dry units circulated into the market. A capesize bulker achieved a very impressive number this week, as per the sale listed below, with a good quantity of bunkers RoB. However, there are rumours the buyer may attempt to fix on a short trade, despite the poor sentiment in the dry sector, which could then justify the premium paid. If the sale is aimed towards a resale into Bangladesh and the hope of the Government once again allowing larger L/C’s to be opened (from the current limit of USD 3.0 mill), then unfortunately information obtained from Bangladesh towards the latter part of the week will not aide the Buyers resale structure.
Source: Clarkson Platou (Hellas) ltd
The shipbroker added that “information became apparent that new taxations may come be implemented as the Government aim to set reasonable prices of nine products, including flour, edible oil, lentils, sugar, rice, flour, coarse flour, cement and rods, within the next 15 days in an effort to bring stability to the country’s economy. There are even discussions of lawsuits being filed against anyone disregarding the designated prices. Pakistan is currently undergoing horrific flooding from the monsoon rains and the industry is really at a standstill for the time being. Our thoughts and prayers go to those currently suffering from these tragic floods. With the country still suffering from their currency woes, and the current flooding, little activity is expected for the foreseeable future”, Clarkson Platou Hellas concluded.
Meanwhile, GMS (www.gmsinc.net), the world’s leading cash buyer of ships, said in its latest weekly report, that “activity and availability of sales candidates seem to be finally starting to increase as we enter the month of September and the fourth (and final) quarter of the year. Dry bulk (and particularly Capesize bulker) rates have declined noticeably of late, and this is seeing an increasing number of enquiries on dry units starting to come forth for a potential sale for recycling. This increase couldn’t have come at a better time as local demand for tonnage has been gradually ramping up again, after an extremely quiet summer / flooded monsoon. Of course, after the collapse of the Sri Lankan economy earlier this year, difficulties persist in the sub-continent markets as both Pakistan and Bangladesh have been teetering perilously close to the brink as well”.
Source: GMS,Inc
According to GMS, “Pakistan has been beset by catastrophic flooding over the past week, with thousands of people losing their lives and millions displaced. In fact, some international media have been reporting that nearly one-third of the country is currently underwater. As such, calls for urgent humanitarian aid have reached the international community this week, with the situation becoming increasingly dire. Bangladesh is still struggling with L/Cs with any transaction valued at over USD 2 – USD 3 million needing Central bank approval, which is ensuring that most large LDT / higher value candidates are being diverted to competing markets and even the lower placed India, as Cash Buyers and Ship Owners both do not want to run the risk of getting stuck there, especially when levels have already fallen so much. India remains the most resilient market and is now becoming the go to destination (albeit at lower prices) for shipowners wishing to get their vessels delivered comparatively hassle and headache free, be it at a lower price. Finally, the Turkish market remains marginally changed from last week, as import steel and the Turkish Lira both report decreases during the week, all while local sentiments remain in the doldrums”, GMS concluded.
Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide
The shipping industry has long known about the dangers of parametric rolling with researchers working to expand the understanding of the phenomenon that has increasingly become linked with damage to containers and car carriers. Now a Danish company that manufactures a broad range of sensors reports it has developed and tested a system on containerships that can alert crews to the danger or even automatically adjust a ship’s course before it begins the rolling phenomenon.
The hull forms of modern containerships and car carriers are believed to make them especially susceptible to parametric rolling. In the worst cases, during a series of uncontrollable movements, ships have reported that they heel up to 46 degrees in a very short time. Investigators have long believed that these incidents, which often come up quickly and without warning have contributed to container stack collapse and the loss of containers overboard such as the recent incidents with the ONE Apus, APL England, and several Maersk ships.
A current three-year study being undertaken by the container shipping sector has already identified that parametric rolling in following seas is especially hazardous for container vessels. The project is conducting testing and measurements to further identify the causes and how they can be addressed but so far has largely only been able to provide mariners with a few warnings and general instructions.
Danish company, Kjærulf Pedersen, which manufactures and develops sensors for measuring temperature, humidity, CO2, and O2, now reports it has developed a sensor system that can recognize the tendencies that lead to parametric rolling and send a message to the ship’s control system so the
system and crew have time to change course.
“Parametric roll can occur in just eight wave cycles, each lasting four to five seconds, and from roll to roll, the heeling may be doubled. It is impossible to detect, because it goes very quickly, and the situation is incredibly dangerous for everyone,” says Ole Egelykke-Milandt, sales engineer and project manager at Kjærulf Pedersen.
On the other hand, Egelykke-Milandt notes that it only requires that the course be changed slightly for the ship’s movements to slow down again.
The company’s system is based on three sensors, placed at the bow, amidship, and stern. All the ship’s movements are monitored in real-time up to 100 times a second. The system compares the observations with data on the ship’s speed, acceleration, and direction. The sensors detect if the movements are approaching a state that can become uncontrollable, and notifies the ship’s control system so that the course can be changed and the uncontrollable tilts are avoided.
Since January, the system has been installed on four large container ships that sail between China and the US, and the company reports its tests with Maersk have shown that the system is successful in recognizing the warning signs for parametric rolling. Kjærulf Pedersen reports that the system is now being implemented on the shipping company’s container fleet.
“In the long term, the plan is for data from the ships to flow into a central location so that all the shipping company’s ships can have use of the collected data. In this way, we get an algorithm that gets better and better at predicting dangerous situations, thus increasing safety significantly,” says Egelykke-Milandt.
The large amount of data from the sensors will also be used for other improvements such as weight distribution and the ship’s trim in the water.
Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/sensor-company-builds-system-to-warn-of-parametric-rolling-danger
With some shipping now on the move again out of Ukraine, the northern Black Sea has been designated a Warlike Operations Area for merchant vessels. Sarah Robinson looks at what this means for seafarer safety and how trade unions are involved in providing protection for their members
When people embark on a career in the Merchant Navy, they’re probably not expecting to see military action, but this in fact a persistent safety problem for civilian seafarers around the world.
We might think of the cargoships in the Second World War supply convoys, or the ferries and cruiseships requisitioned as troop carriers (with their usual crews) for the Falklands conflict.
But many Merchant Navy seafarers who find themselves in danger from conflict aren’t engaged in official ‘war work’, but find themselves in a dangerous situation as they go about their usual activities. For example, in the Telegraph we have told the stories of Nautilus International members whose civilian tankers came under fire in the Persian/Arabian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war, and others whose vessels became marooned in the Great Bitter Lake off the Suez Canal as a result of the Six-Day War.
Ukraine: the latest maritime war zone
This year, Merchant Navy seafarers from all over the world have been asked to go through a war zone on an urgent humanitarian mission to bring crops out of Ukraine and on to the countries who rely on this food, which includes wheat, other cereals, and sunflower seeds for cooking oil.
Famously known as ‘the breadbasket of Europe’, Ukraine under normal circumstances is one of the top three grain exporters in the world, but since the Russian invasion in February 2022 has struggled to get its harvests out of mined and blockaded Black Sea ports.
Hopes were not high that this problem would be overcome, but after many false dawns, the involvement of Turkey eventually brought both Ukraine and Russia to the table in Istanbul to sign a United Nations agreement on 27 July – establishing the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Aiming to keep seafarers safe
The Black Sea Grain Initiative specifically allows for significant volumes of commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny. Ukrainian vessels guide the cargoships into the international waters of the Black Sea, avoiding mined areas. The vessels then proceed towards the Bosphorus Strait along an agreed corridor. Both the Russian and Ukrainian sides have agreed to withhold attacks on any of the commercial vessels or ports engaged in the initiative to transport vital grain.
For the merchant seafarers on the cargoships, their safety is in the hands of a new UN Joint Coordination Centre, which monitors implementation of the 27 July agreement. It is hosted in Istanbul and includes representatives from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.
Ships heading to and from the Ukrainian ports are being inspected by teams organised by the Joint Coordination Centre to ensure they are only carrying the agreed food cargoes and not soldiers, weapons or ammunition.
Who are the Merchant Navy seafarers on the grain ships?
Initial reports suggested that maritime employers were struggling to find crew members willing to take part in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and until recently Ukrainian nationals were not usually allowed to leave the country because of military conscription. However, permission has now been given for Ukrainian seafarers to travel for work, and recruitment from other nations seems to have improved, judging by the daily shipping movements being reported by the UN Joint Coordination Centre.
Inevitably for the shipping industry, some of these vessels will be crewed by seafarers from developing countries who are not in a financial position to turn down work and are not supported by a trade union.
However, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) – of which Nautilus is an affiliate – has ensured that some 9,500 vessels and 170,000 seafarers worldwide are covered by Warlike Operations Area agreements instigated by unions. These are either national agreements (of which more below) or international agreements negotiated between the ITF and shipowners at the International Bargaining Forum (IBF).
‘While specific terms of each agreement differ depending on the nature of the risk involved, in general they allow for seafarers to disembark before a vessel enters the affected area,’ says Nautilus head of professional and technical David Appleton. ‘They may also place obligations on companies to underwrite any insurance policies that may be rendered invalid by entering into the area and, in certain instances, agree additional payments for seafarers whilst they are in the area.’
Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson has been regularly involved with negotiations at the IBF, where Warlike Operations Area agreements for the Northern Black Sea Region, the Sea of Azov and All Ports in Ukraine were added in March 2022.
He stresses how important it is that seafarers around the world join a union, particularly one affiliated with the ITF: ‘This is a powerful example of how unions work together internationally to secure protection for their members and help seafarers globally, and we will continue to be part of the movement to uplift everyone in the industry to decent and safe work onboard.’
Enhanced war zone protection for Nautilus members
Nautilus members in the UK and Netherlands are covered by national warlike operations agreements that go beyond the IBF terms.
In the UK, the process of drafting and renewing agreements is done through the Warlike Operations Area Committee (WOAC), at which terms are agreed directly between the maritime unions Nautilus and RMT and the UK Chamber of Shipping. There is a similar process in the Netherlands where Nautilus negotiates agreements with the Dutch shipowner bodies VWH, NEMEA, Neptune and Spliethoff.
The UK WOAC agreement for Ukraine applies to all vessels operated by companies in membership of the UK Chamber of Shipping. It expands on the IBF minimum in a number of ways – for example, by declaring a broader Warlike Operations Area that covers ‘all Ukrainian, Russian and International Waters north of 44°North in the Black Sea.’
The Netherlands war zone agreement for Ukraine applies to Dutch-flagged vessels and is broadly equivalent to the UK WOAC agreement.
‘Both the British and Dutch agreements reflect the importance of regular dialogue between unions and employers,’ says Mr Appleton. ‘We are not currently aware of any Nautilus members on vessels involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, but members with any concerns about operating in a warlike or high risk area should contact us and we will be able to advise them of their rights, whether those fall under the national agreements in the UK and Netherlands or they relate to the IBF agreement.’
Nautilus International played a prominent part in UK Maritime Safety Week 2022. Taking place from 4-8 July with support from the UK Department for Transport, the focus this year was on safety best practice. Jon Parkin and Rob Coston report
A 2021 study of seafarers published in the British Medical Journal found that, over a four-year period, 6.31 out of every 1,000 seafarers were affected by occupational injuries and diseases. The study’s conclusion – that ‘workers at sea have high mortality, injuries and illnesses and work in a hazardous environment compared to ashore workers’ – will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever found themselves in a maritime workplace.
This year’s Maritime Safety Week aimed to do something about the grim statistics by bringing together a range of organisations to share knowledge and learn from each other, from government bodies to maritime employers, charities and membership bodies – including Nautilus of course.
Nautilus speaks at safety week
Port Skills and Safety (PSS), the UK’s professional ports health and safety membership organisation, scheduled its annual conference to be part of Maritime Safety Week on 5 July – with panels and speeches from members of the maritime community. Representatives from the Department for Transport and the British Ports Association were present, and UK maritime minister Robert Courts MP said that safety should be at the core of the country’s maritime strategy alongside education/upskilling and the government’s objectives as laid out in the Maritime 2050 strategy.
Nautilus was represented by general secretary Mark Dickinson, who took the opportunity to stress the importance of proper training and investment into the maritime workforce in order to ensure safe practices.
Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson
In his speech he also talked about the need for communication between unions and employers, so that maritime workers have a secure channel of communication to share safety issues they have identified. This point was echoed during the week by UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Sarah Treseder, who agreed that good safety practice can only be achieved if shipowners, the MCA and unions work together and share information openly,
‘Our industry, while strategically vital, remains hazardous,’ Mr Dickinson told attendees. ‘Workplace injuries are all too common and sometimes tragically lives are lost. We must commend Port Skills & Safety for its work in bringing together unions, employers and safety experts to tackle these issues. Only through constructive dialogue between stakeholders can we ensure our ports are safer workplaces for our people.
‘Our maritime professionals must be given the opportunity to train and learn new skills, so they can be active participants in the future of the maritime industry, an industry they already know, and many will have worked in for their entire lives. Investing in our workforce so more seafarers can transition from sea to shore and vice versa, that allows for all workers to upskill and reskill, is in all our interests.’
The dangers of fatigue
During his speech, Mr Dickinson also flagged up an issue of note: who should be allowed to carry out lashing on containerships?
‘Lashing by seafarers creates another safety issue. Nautilus believes that this should be carried out by trained stevedores, not overworked and fatigued seafarers. Cargo work, lashing and unlashing, is dockers’ work.’
Lashings by seafarers creates another safety issue. Image: Danny Cornelissen
Shortly after the speech, a Dutch court ruled in favour of unions including Nautilus International over a collective bargaining agreement clause around the lashing of vessels. The clause, which applies in all ports worldwide and came into force on 1 January 2020, stipulates that lashing must be done by qualified dock workers. If dock workers are not available, then seafarers may only lash on a voluntary basis and in return for additional pay. Nautilus’s Netherlands branch and other trade unions had brought the case after employers, shipowners and charterers refused to comply, but the court has now ordered them to comply in the port of Rotterdam and elsewhere or face hefty fines.
This is an important victory in the greater struggle against seafarer fatigue – which is dangerous as it increases the risk of accidents, as well as being detrimental to mental health.
However, this is a multi-front war. There are, of course, the traditional causes of fatigue – for example, the ever-increasing crew workload which was identified as a serious risk in the latest Seafarers Happiness Index report from the Mission to Seafarers. There are also new issues such as the proliferation of ‘safety’ paperwork, which some commentators believe can get in the way of actually improving the situation by creating extra work and a tick-box .
Nautilus has long identified overwork and low-cost crewing models as unsustainable and a threat to safety, and can present credible research to back up its case.
The Telegraph has previously covered the Culture of Adjustment report from World Maritime University (WMU), released in 2020, which found widespread malpractices in the recording of work and rest hours with a culture of adjustment – both on and off ship – normalising fatigue among seafarers that could lead to serious casualties, loss of life and environmental damage
Following on from this, WMU is expanding the scope by launching a new survey of seafarers covering crewing levels plus work and rest hours, developed in cooperation with IFSMA, the Nautical Institute, IMarEST and ISWAN and tying in with conversations at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Any Nautilus International members that have worked on a commercial ship after 1 February 1997 are encouraged to take part by visiting the WMU survey. The survey should take around 20 minutes to complete and all responses are confidential. The quantitative data that will be collected about seafarers’ practices regarding work and rest will be used to strengthen ongoing research, with the ultimate aim of enhance provisions on seafarers’ work and rest hours.
Mental health still a key concern
Maritime Safety Week was focused on the practical aspects of safety onboard, but outside of the event itself, charities, employers, unions and governments are continuing to work on the issue of seafarer mental health.
Earlier this year, the UK government collaborated with the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) in launching a £2.4 million investment in seafarer training, wellbeing and support – something that maritime minister Robert Courts tied to the government’s post-Covid-19 Maritime Recovery Route Map, since the pandemic put a significant strain on seafarers and drew public attention to the fact that even in ‘normal’ times crew are often expected to endure mental strain.
Mental health in focus. Image: Getty Images
Maritime charities are now able to apply for a share of this funding to create projects that benefit seafarer wellbeing. MNWB chief executive officer Stuart Rivers welcomed the move: ‘This significant investment in the maritime charity sector is both timely and extremely welcome. The maritime charities sector has been supporting seafarers through multiple crises over the past two years, despite the difficult fundraising conditions. The Department for Transport’s funding will provide a real boost to seafarers’ welfare and enable improvements in skills and diversity for the wider sector.’
MAIB involvement
As the UK body which is responsible for investigating maritime incidents, the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) was keen to communicate key messages during Maritime Safety Week.
‘Maritime Safety Week 2022 an important moment when the marine industry comes together to focus on how we can collectively continue to improve safety across the sector,’ said MAIB chief inspector Andrew Moll. For that reason, the MAIB took the week as an opportunity to write about current key safety topics: the dangers of work onboard fishing vessels; mooring deck safety; pilot ladders; and CO2 fire extinguishing system blockages that could prevent seafarers from extinguishing an engine room blaze.
During the year, the branch raised 1,530 reports of marine accidents and commenced 22 investigations, 14 of which involved loss of life. This represented a significant increase on previous years – with 1,217 reports in 2020 and 1,090 in 2019, for example – which the MAIB attributes to a rise in leisure craft and small commercial craft notifications and its industry request to report sub-standard pilot ladders.
Pilot ladder safety essential. Getty Images
MAIB inspector of marine accidents Bill Evans said that the 200 reports received by MAIB regarding pilot ladders show that even though serious accidents have been rare, ‘the potential for injury and even loss of life clearly exists.’
Mr Evans added: ‘Marine pilots play a critical role in the safe operation of any harbour, where they guide almost every vessel in and out of the port. However, while the size and technological complexity of ships has increased, marine pilots still embark and disembark moving vessels by using a rope pilot ladder. The pilot transfer is a hazardous operation, so it is absolutely essential that these ladders are correctly rigged and their use properly supervised by the crew.’
During Maritime Safety Week, the MAIB also highlighted incidents where seafarers have been struck by mooring lines, sometimes resulting in serious injury or death. Sadly, such incidents continue to occur. Crew should therefore make sure the right equipment is used and kept in good condition.
Planning – including risk assessments, control measures and ensuring there are neither too few nor too many crew to conduct the operation – is important when trying to conduct mooring deck operations safely. Areas where mooring deck operations take place need to be kept tidy, and mooring lines should be closely monitored on all berths.
As with all dangerous operations, crew communication is of the utmost importance when working on mooring decks, because it has the potential to be extremely hazardous if people are not able to interact clearly.
A more positive outlook?
Seafarers may be relieved to hear, however, that there are some signs that a greater emphasis on safety in recent years has improved matters and undoubtably saved lives.
According to Allianz’s Shipping and Safety Review, the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year in the early 1990s but now this has dropped to between 50 and 75 per year, despite a significant growth in the number of vessels. Annual shipping losses have declined by 57% since 2012, while 2021 represents a significant improvement on the rolling 10-year loss average – something that Allianz attributes to ‘the increased focus on safety measures over time, such as regulation, improved ship design and technology and risk management advances’.
This is good news for seafarers as well as shipping companies. When the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) released its Annual Overview of Marine Casualties and Incidents 2021, it found a reduction of 18% in the total number of casualties compared with 2019 plus a reduction in the number of lives lost by 48% and the number of injured persons by 36% – an incredibly positive finding given the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the shipping industry. This continued an ongoing positive trend since 2014.
As with the MAIB’s advice, EMSA’s report highlights for seafarers the most common causes of injury and death. Fishing vessels remain the most dangerous. The main causes of death were vessel collisions and slipping/falls (nearly 10% of which involved someone going overboard). It also shows when to be most vigilant: from 2014 to 2020, the departure phase was the safest segment of a voyage and the en route portion the most unsafe, but 41% of casualties occurred in port areas.
However, while many of the threats to life and limb onboard are traditional ones, seafarers will need to remain vigilant. In the 2022 Emsafe report, also from EMSA, researchers identified a number of growing issues that will require different solutions, including fire safety on ferries plus the carriage of battery-powered vehicles on ships, the increased use of potentially hazardous alternative bunker fuels and the novel risks of automation.
More than 560 dockworkers at the Port of Liverpool, one of Britain’s largest container ports, will go on strike from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3 over pay, the Unite union said on Friday, adding to a summer of industrial unrest caused by soaring inflation.
“Workers across the country are sick to death of being told to take a hit on their wages and living standards,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said in a statement.
“MDHC needs to think again, table a reasonable offer and fulfil its previous pay promises,” she added, referring to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company.
The planned Liverpool strike follows an eight-day walkout last month by workers at Felixstowe, Britain’s largest container port, which clogged supply lines but fell short of causing widespread disruption in an industry already facing supply chain issues.
The strike will “severely disrupt” shipping and road transport in Liverpool and surrounding areas, Unite said.
The workers, comprising port operatives and maintenance engineers, are striking over a 7% pay offer they say amounts to an effective “pay cut” with inflation reaching double digits. They also say MDHC has failed to honor a 2021 pay deal.
MDHC parent Peel Ports said it had offered a pay package of 8.3% on top of a 4.5% pay increase last year and other improvements to shifts, sick pay and pensions.
“Our pay offer is well above the national average and represents a sustainable position for the business, taking into account stagnation in the container market, worldwide economic pressures, the conflict in Ukraine and global shipping disruption,” Peel Ports Chief Operating Officer David Huck said in a statement.
Oil has washed up on three of Gibraltar’s beaches thus far in the week since the OS 35 bulk carrier collided with the Adam LNG gas carrier, and came to rest on the seabed off Catalan Bay.
Concern remains about the ship breaking up, with salvors working round the clock to remove fuel and strip the vessel of its contents with an eye on potential bad weather coming soon.
“It is important that salvage teams take advantage of every available minute of the good weather for this and thereby avoid as much contamination as possible if the weather turns,” an update from the local government stated. The weather for the coming week around Gibraltar looks benign.
The ship is now surrounded by two booms. The secondary boom is proving effective at containing most of the sheen that escapes the first boom, the government stated, adding that some seepage from the secondary boom is inevitable.
The busy Mediterranean port has been closed for the last week as all resources are devoted to the stricken bulk carrier. Significant damage has been found to the starboard side of the OS 35 including a gash amidship below the waterline about 10 m by 4 m.
A full-scale investigation into the accident is now underway.
The Tuvalu-flagged, 35,363 dwt OS 35, loaded with steel bars, is owned by Greece’s Oldstone Management.
Oman Ship Management, which operates the Adam LNG gas carrier, which was hit by the bulk carrier, while at anchor, said its ship has now been inspected by class and a diving company, who confirmed the structural integrity of the vessel and its seaworthiness. The allision by the OS 35 caused only minor damage to the bulbous bow of the LNG carrier. This morning the gas carrier remains moored in Gibraltar, likely awaiting repairs.
Super yacht 007 with 5 passengers on board sank in Kolona Bay, Kythnos island, Greece, Aegean sea, on Sep 2. Yacht rested portside on bottom with half of hull remaining above waterline. What happened and why yacht sank, is yet unknown. 5 people on board were rescued.
Super yacht 007, GT 400, length 49 meters, built 2006, flag UK, guests 10, crew 5.
PIRIOU has just signed a new contract with TOWT for the construction of a second 81m cargo sailboat, sistership of the first ordered in early 2022.
The delivery of the first vessel is scheduled for the end of 2023, in Concarneau, while that of the second is scheduled for the spring of 2024. In the coming weeks, the construction of the first unit will begin on the PIRIOU site in Giurgiu (Romania) for a arrival of the ship in Concarneau next summer for outfitting. The construction of the second will also begin in a few months.
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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
