Warning for negligence of first principles It is a sad fact that virtually every new advance in navigation has brought with it a number of accidents which have been contributed to by inappropriate use of the new equipment, usually because of the neglect of first principles.The term "radar assisted collision" became well-known in the early days of commercial radar and in more recent years, the facility of inter-ship VHF, automated radar plotting aids and sophisticated integrated navigation systems involving computers have all contributed to expensive mistakes, often because of either complacency or inadequate training in the new equipment, which have permitted bad habits to form! The emergence of the Automated Identification System is, without doubt, a great advance, but here too, there is some evidence that its availability to provide useful information on the "other ship" can, like other equipment, lead to complacency. It is also a fact that while it may be a mandatory fixture aboard larger vessels, there are many small leisure and fishing craft which are not so fitted. A fatal accident in the North Sea last year, recently the subject of a report by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch, provides a salutary warning on the...

Three Filipino seafarers have excelled in the global shipping industry during the International Diplomatic Conference of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in Manila last week. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) awarded three Filipino seafarers who have excelled in the global shipping industry during the International Diplomatic Conference of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in Manila last week.According to DOLE news, the historic event marked the first time The Outstanding Filipino Seafarers Awards (TOFSA) were conferred.The awarding ceremonies were held as the Philippines hosted IMO proceedings, which will pave the way for new and updated global standards for seafaring in the 21st century.Labor Chief Marianito D Roque emphasized that TOFSA honors all Filipino seafarers by recognizing particular seamen who have served as models through their outstanding skills, competence, and qualities, contributing to the growth and development of the Philippine maritime industry.Roque congratulated the first TOFSA awardees: Demosthenes C Quiñones, Master Mariner Abelardo M Pacheco, and Master Mariner Ricardo M Salunar.Filipino seafarers have consistently demonstrated competency and proficiency in the international maritime sector and for this reason, the Philippines has become the largest and most viable source of shipping crew around the world and the most professional, reputable, adaptable, and...

Offshore Technology Conference Severn Trent De Nora, a leading provider of electrolytic seawater disinfection systems, will showcase its line of water and wastewater treatment systems at theOffshore Technology Conference to be held May 2-5, 2011, at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas.The following products will be featured during the conference: The OMNIPURETM Series 55 marine sewage treatment system utilizes a unique electrolytic treatment process combined with electrocoagulation to provide safe and effective treatment of black and gray water.The certified treatment process provides wastewater effluent quality well below MEPC.159(55) requirements while eliminating the need to handle waste solids from raw, untreated influent.Along with a unique solids management system that removes concentrated solids automatically, in situ, the light-weight systems feature a small footprint and are easy to install and maintain. With an individual unit capacity ranging up to 17,280 gal/day (65 m3/day), OMNIPURE 55 systems can be combined for increased capacity.The systems have Bureau Veritas certification and USCG certification to IMO Resolution MEPC.159(55). A scale model of the OMNIPURE Series 55 will be at the booth for technology demonstrations.The SANILEC?electrochlorination system generates hypochlorite from seawater and has demonstrated reliable, economic and low-maintenance operation in installations throughout the world.When injected into the cooling water...

Advanced emissions monitoring of large ships calling at EU ports could help save owners and operators of large ships up to €9 million/year, according to a new study published by sustainable transport group T&E. These savings would come from lower operational costs of using automated systems such as fuel flow meters or continuous emissions monitoring, which are already used by many of the world's largest shipping companies. Transport & Environment(T&E) has issued a new study entitlted as '' Economic impacts of MRV of fuel and emissions in maritime transport'' to estimate the potential fuel saving and therefore lower emissions costs by the MRV implementation. In June 2013, the European Commission issued a strategy to address GHG emissions from maritime transport. The strategy consists of three consecutive steps: 1. Monitoring, reporting and verification of CO2 emissions from large ships using EU ports. 2. Greenhouse gas reduction targets for the maritime transport sector. 3. Further measures, including MBMs For the first step, the Commission issued a legislative proposal to establish an EU system for monitoring, reporting and verifying (MRV) of CO2 emissions from large ships using EU ports. Ships would thereby be obliged to monitor four parameters on a voyage basis, namely fuel consumption, distance travelled, time spent at sea,...

MSC.88 outcome MSC.1/Circ.1387 Please find here below the following useful informationIMO Revised Guidelines for the Approval of Fixed Water-Based Local Application Fire-Fighting Systems for use in Category a Machinery Spaces (MSC/CIRC.913)

Fall to 1.99 by the end of the year from 2.03 in 2010 Container shortages, which are soon expected to emerge in the market, will continue beyond 2011 due to a lag in container manufacturing to match the growth in slot capacity, according to maritime industry expert Alphaliner in its latest industry analysis.The box-inventory-to-vessel capacity ratio will fall to 1.99 by the end of the year from 2.03 in 2010, said Alphaliner, marking the lowest level on record in comparison with the 2.99 containers per slot in 2000.Source: Transportweekly

Watchkeeping at Anchor

Offshore structure was build by MAERSK contractor

Violating Pollution Prevention Act United States Attorney George E.B. Holding announced that in federal court, May 3, Vaja Sikharulidze, a citizen of Georgia, pled guilty before United States District Judge James C. Dever, III to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, in violation of Title 33, United States Code, Sections 1901, et. seq. A Criminal Information was filed on April 23.Sikharulidze, 59, was the Chief Engineer of the Motor Tanker Chem Faros, a 21,145 gross-ton ocean-going cargo ship. The ship was operated by Cooperative Success Maritime SA and regularly transported cargo between various ports in Asia and the United States, to include Morehead City, N.C.Consistent with requirements in the APPS regulations, a vessel other than an oil tanker, must maintain a record known as an Oil Record Book in which transfer and disposal of all oil-contaminated waste and the discharge overboard and disposal otherwise of such waste, must be fully and accurately recorded by the person in charge of the operations. Oil-contaminated bilge waste can be discharged overboard if it is processed through on-board pollution prevention equipment known as the Oily Water Separator, which is used to separate the water from the oil and other wastes, and the...

Marking the World Oceans Day on June 8 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called on all governments and peoples to play their part to ensure that the world's oceans are protected for future generations, warning that they face major threats in the years ahead.Ban, in a statement issued to mark World Oceans Day, outlined what he called "many severe challenges related to oceans."World Oceans Day, which falls on Wednesday, is being celebrated around the world. ' "These range from depleted fishery resources, the impacts of climate change and the deterioration of the marine environment to maritime safety and security, labor conditions for seafarers and the increasingly important issue of migration by sea," he said."All activities and policies related to oceans and the marine environment need to acknowledge and incorporate the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic," he said. "Only then can we achieve the development objectives set by the international community.""I urge governments and all sectors of society to embrace our individual and collective responsibility to protect the marine environment and manage its resources in a sustainable manner for present and future generations," he said.The world's oceans, which account for about 70 percent of the Earth's...