The US Coast Guard issued an alert for mariners and ports in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico due to gale force winds, and then responded to a distress call from a ro-ro cargo ship that was reportedly taking on water.
The Bombay High Court allowed an under-arrest passenger vessel to leave its anchor in Mumbai port and move temporarily to safe waters due to cyclone Nisarga.
Transport Malta MSIU issued an investigation report on the sinking of the fishing vessel Zaira in Marsascala Bay, resulting in death of two fishermen, on 4 May 2019. The investigation highlighted that the vessel sank after flooding of compartments and loss of stability.
The National Transportation Safety Board recently presented its preliminary findings concerning the sinking of the DUKW amphibious passenger boat Stretch Duck 7. In fact, NTSB held a virtual meeting on 28 April in which discussed the matter at hand.
UK MAIB issued its 2020 Safety Digest, discussing about a passenger ferry which lost control due to weather conditions, as the master was unaware of an alternative quay and the local environmental conditions.
The US NTSB issued an investigation report on the contact of towing vessel Rivers Wilson and its tow with Norfolk Southern Railway Bridge on the Tombigbee River, in March 2019. The investigation stressed issues associated with poor judgement in high current conditions.
Heavy weather at sea is a deadly serious and always relevant safety issue, as inappropriate manipulations in such conditions may lead to damage of a vessel, threatening the cargo, the environment or, even worse, human life.
On Firday 14 February, the “MV Caledonian Isles” ferry vessel owned by the CalMac Ferries, faced rough weather conditions as it was struggling to berth at the Ardrossan harbor. Namely its crewmembers had to deal and operate under the storm Dennis’ high winds.
Following the rough weather conditions of the Storm Ciara in the UK and Ireland, Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) crewmembers faced strong winds during their rescue operation upon a fishing boat that was stranded without power, on Sunday 9 February in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Netherlands Coastguard reported that a number of containers fell off a Handy containership in stormy seas 43 kilometers north of Ameland, one of the Dutch West Frisian Islands, on February 11. The container ship had some trouble sailing due to the heavy weather conditions, which led to some containers falling into the sea.
