Tag: communication onboard

On 27 November 2016, the Maltese registered cargo vessel 'Sider Capri' and the Italian flagged ro-ro vessel 'Grande Anversa' collided in the Çanakkale Strait’s Traffic Separation Scheme, both sustaining structural damages. The safety investigation by MSIU found that a close quarter situation developed to a point that a collision became inevitable.

While manoeuvring along a river channel, a tanker contacted the jetty, due to lack of control being exercised in the navigation of the vessel. The UK P&I Club provided a description of what happened and important lessons learned to prevent similar cases in the future.

IOActive, Inc. released a new advisory documenting critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities affecting Stratos Global's AmosConnect communication shipboard platform, which is used by thousands of ships globally. Responding to this claim, Inmarsat, mother company of Stratos Global, confirmed that AC8 is no longer in service,  noting that its central server no longer accepts connections from AmosConnect 8 email clients, therefore the software is not applicable.

UK MCA issued amended guidance note to provide information about the changes made the Radio Regulations , which entered into force on January 1st, 2017 highlighting that the agency does not require the replacement of marine radio equipment installed and used on board. Therefore, it is operators' responsibility to consider, based upon the area of operation, whether an update or replacement of the on-board radio equipment is necessary.

UK Coastguard received a call about a man reporting to be lost at sea and to have lost power and radio communications. On the occasion, UK Coastguard advises how essential it is to have the correct and most suitable communications equipment when setting out to sea, especially in extreme weather conditions.

In the latest issue of its Safety Digest, UK MAIB presents a collision of a tug with its towing vessel, due to wrong judgement and poor communication. The report provides a description of what happened and important lessons learned to prevent similar accidents in the future.

In 2016, the Shipowners Club has experienced a high volume of claims during mooring and unmooring operations, which mainly arose from inadequate supervision, communication failure, and mooring equipment failure.

In a bid to stop the exploitation of Indian sailors in the UAE waters, the Indian government has established a new center, the Directorate General of Shipping Communication Centre, aiming to receive the grievances and issues of stranded seafarers. 

Ronald Spithout, President, Inmarsat Maritime outlines his company’s efforts for enhancing safety at sea and discloses information about Inmarsat’s new services and improvements. Mr. Spithout highlights his company commitment to cyber safety and security and reveals that Inmarsat is about to launch a new system addressing cybercrime before the end of 2017.

Recent inquiries by US Coast Guard Marine Inspectors indicated that a large number of vessel operators and ship masters continue to rely on outdated high seas communications frequencies when communicating with the US Coast Guard.