MV SUNLIGHT-BEY was a ro-ro cargo vessel converted into a 6056 GT livestock carrier, flying the flag of Lebanon. The vessel called at Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain) port on May 28th 2008. She had been reported by the pilot due to problems with the propeller. After the PSC carried out on the same day, she was detained with 25 deficiencies, out of which 6 were considered as detainable deficiencies.
The following article was initially published in SAFETY4SEA by Apostolos Belokas Managing Editor of SAFETY4SEA. In an effort to enhance fatigue management IMO has amended the “fitness for duty – hours of rest” requirements to provide watch keepers on-board ships with increased rest periods on the latest STCW Amendments in line with the ILO MLC. Despite the fact that over the last few years STCW latest amendments are in place and ILO MLC is being implemented as of 20 August 2013 a number of problems are being experienced.
This investigation report refers to the collision of the Greek registered tanker Saetta and the Marshall Islands’ registered tanker Conger when completing a ship to ship (STS) transfer operation off Southwold, Suffolk on 10 August 2009. Saetta’s starboard lifeboat and davit were damaged. Conger was undamaged and there were no injuries and no pollution.
During a Class survey of a tanker, several cracks were found in the deck structure in the midship area, at the connection between the deck longitudinals and the deck openings (access and Butterworth hatches).
In the morning of October 8, 2008 the Liberian tank ship “CARIB VISION”, a former oil tanker and now a miscellaneous tanker carrying molasses, was boarded in Three-Rivers Canada, to perform a Port State Control inspection. The ship hadn’t been inspected under Paris MOU within the past 7 years and was not a regular trader to Canada. She was on her first of two scheduled voyages between Puerto Rico and Three-Rivers. During the first part of the inspection in the master’s office, only minor non-conformities were noted but the master showed evident signs of agitation. As the inspection progressed, tension was building to a point that the attending PSCO requested assistance from the district office. The inspection started out as an initial inspection but ended up in a detention as major deficiencies were revealed.
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is used worldwide in order to track shipping vessels. Researchers from a computer security company Trend Micro found that the system can be hacked using cheap radio equipment, making fake vessels to appear, real ones to disappear, and to issue false emergency alerts.
On a monthly basis the Officer of the Watch Blog publishes a report regarding maritime piracy incidents. The report focuses mainly on vessels of the Merchant Navy (Bulk Carrier, Chemical Tankers, Containerships etc). Up until the date this report is being published the figures of maritime piracy related incidents worldwide, according to IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, are as follows:
The above figures were last updated on 22 October 2013. A PDF version of this post is also available by clicking the following link in order to download OOW Piracy Monthly Report for September 2013. The PDF version of this report can be also found in the OOW profile in Scribd by clicking HERE.
The accident of this investigation report took place on Saturday, April 15, 2006, when the Hong Kong–registered container ship New Delhi Express, with a master, 2 pilots, 21 crewmembers, and 3 non-crewmember guests (relatives of crewmembers) on board, ran aground in the Kill Van Kull waterway in New York Harbor. The New Delhi Express and two of the three tugs assisting it were damaged in the accident. Luckily, no one was injured, and no water pollution resulted from the accident.
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Officer of the Watch 