High water on the US Mississippi river keeps on reducing shipping traffic, in light of the flood warning still in effect for river areas north of St Louis, Missouri, limiting the size of tows in New Orleans, Louisiana and making the discharge conditions of import vessels difficult, reports ICIS author, Lane Kelley.
The Philippines Supreme Court has reopened the case against an official of Sulpicio Lines over the 2008 sinking of its ferry Princess of the Stars. The Supreme Court reversed a Court of Appeals dismissal against Edgar Go, Sulpicio Lines’ first vice president and team leader of its crisis management committee.
The USCG eliminated, on March 7, the traffic located along a specific area of the Houston Ship Channel, after severe weather conditions halted cleanup operations that were being conducted because of the petrochemical fire and the chemical spill of the previous month.
In its newly published Safety Digest, UK MAIB focuses on a passenger ferry that was attempting to moor on a berth with a strong groundswell in strong winds when, without warning, one of its mooring line bollards was ripped from the deck. The ferry had to be taken out of service for several days to facilitate repairs to its deck plating and a roller fairlead. Nobody was injured.
In its latest Safety Digest, the UK MAIB shared an incident concerning a general cargo that because of excessive wind conditions, it collided with another vessel, which collided with another vessel, causing all vessels to sustain damages. Yet, no injuries were reported.
In its Monthly Safety Scenario for April, the Swedish Club describes a case of cargo damage caused by water ingress due to a crack on the hatch coaming. The incident resulted in several days of delay for the ship to get the wet cargo off the vessel, while most of the cargo was refused by the buyer.
The consequences from climate change can greatly affect oil rigs and the offshore industry in general. Namely, increased wind speeds are able to put dozens of floating oil rigs in danger. What is more, a potential disruption in the operation of a rig can cost companies millions. What is more, meteorologists have now become a kind of high priests for finance, addressing uncertainty and advancing risk-related profits.
DNV GL has called on wind industry stakeholders to join a new Joint Industry Project to mutually develop a new guideline to alleviate wind turbine structures from the impacts of cyclones and earthquakes. The ACE Joint Industry Project aims to bring more transparency and reduce uncertainty in the design of offshore wind turbines.
Australian mining operations have suffered some disruption after two cyclones hit the country over the weekend, mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP Group and Fortescue Metals informed. Meanwhile, key iron ore ports remained closed, but Pilbara Ports Authority said it has re-opened the Ports of Hedland and Ashburton on 26 March.
The luxury cruise ship ‘Viking Sky’ arrived at the port of Molde on Norway’s west coast Sunday, after narrowly escaping disaster when its engines failed during a storm in the Norwegian sea. A total of 1,400 passengers and crew were onboard at that time.
