OOW FOCUS – Officer of the Watch

Damage to Steering Gear

March 15, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

A vessel had reported steering failure at sea and was boarded by port state control upon arrival. The steering gear was inspected without any findings and the vessel was allowed to proceed. The class was not informed. Whilst sailing half ahead on a river, the rudder suddenly blocked in a position nearly hard to starboard. The vessel touched the riverbank and stopped. All parts of the steering gear (machinery and bridge) were inspected by the crew and found in order. The captain and the pilot decided to continue the voyage, however, the problem reoccurred and the vessel ran aground again!

Company Pleads Guilty to Breaches of the ISM Code

March 14, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

On the 19 June 2012, a Port State Control Inspector from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) boarded a Panama registered vessel at Portland. During his inspection the Inspector noted that access was being made into the vessel’s ballast tanks without proper procedures being in place. The Master was issued with a Prohibition Notice requiring entries be made in the correct manner in accordance with the Code of Safe Working Practices.

500 Bcf Gas Resource Offshore Tallaganda in Western Australia

March 14, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

On late January Tap Oil Limited announced its gross volumetric recoverable gas resource estimate for the WA-351-P portion of the Tallaganda structure. Tap’s studies indicate approximately 500 Bcf (Billion Cubic Feet) of gas in the WA-351-P portion of the Tallaganda structure

Facilitation Payments During PSC Inspections

March 13, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

At the Tokyo MoU’s Port State Control Committee meeting held in Singapore during late January, INTERTANKO put over the growing concern from Members that facilitation payments are becoming more commonplace during ship inspections.

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Filed Under: OOW FOCUS Tagged With: Commercial, Facilitation Payments, INTERTANKO, PSC, PSCO, ship inspections

Maersk Ships Get New Bulbous Bow

March 12, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

Ten Maersk ships are getting a new bulbous bow in order to make them more fuel efficient. The change is intended to improve the performance of the vessels significantly, with fuel costs reduced by approximately 8% in the current slow-steaming environment. The vessels were too expensive to use, since they were designed for high speed. If they were retrofitted, however, Seago Line were interested in taking five vessels.

Near Loss of Emergency Power

March 8, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The vessel went aground and damaged the hull, which resulted in water ingress. Partial flooding of the engine room caused shut down of the main generators and as a consequence the emergency generator started automatically. After about 45 minutes it was noted that the emergency generator engine was overheating, leading to a risk of emergency power supply failure.

Explosion on Tanker Harbour Crystal Southwest of Cape Espichel

March 7, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

The ship was adrift 13 miles southwest of Cape Espichel with 8000 tons tons of naphtha, a petroleum derivative. The ship had a crew of 18 on board. The explosion occurred at 8:12 a.m. for reasons still unknown in the area of the bow of the ship. One Filipino was missing since. At 8:34 a.m., the Centre for Maritime Search and Rescue (MRCC Lisbon) was alerted.

Oil Potential Offshore Northern Ireland

March 7, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

During late January a report from Providence Resources revealed significant oil potential in the area in the Rathlin Basin offshore northern Ireland. Providence’s report was based on Full Tensor Gradiometry (FTG) and magnetic airborne survey carried out by Bell Geospace. Initial processing of these data revealed the presence of five FTG anomalies which were deemed prospective for hydrocarbon exploration.

Banks Taking Possession of Vessels

March 6, 2013 by Officer of the Watch Leave a Comment

According to shipping experts banks are set to take tougher action against distressed shipowners this year, leading to a rise in loan foreclosures and lenders taking possession of vessels and all this at a time where the euro-zone crisis is still on the forefront along with considerable economic uncertainty.

Bulk Carrier and Cargo Ship Collide in the Straits of Singapore

March 5, 2013 by Officer of the Watch 1 Comment

A Vietnamese-registered cargo vessel damaged one of its hatches after it collided with another vessel in the waters off Singapore on Saturday. The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore said the collision occurred about 3.4 kilometres south of Sisters Islands.