IMarEST issued a survey on a number of issues surrounding the adoption of remote and autonomous technology in shipping. The report shows it is very likely that the adoption will proceed on a sector by sector basis, but it is still unclear as to the justifications for the business case for each of these sectors in terms of full adoption.
Capt. Kinsey, who is one of the lead authors of the ‘Safety & Shipping Review’ by Allianz, notes that although there is a significant improvement in terms of maritime safety, there is still need to address the ‘culture of risk taking’ in the industry.
MOL in cooperation with MES-S, the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and Akishima Laboratories announced that on July 25, their demonstration project regarding the safety of vessels’ auto berthing and un-berthing was selected for Japan’s 2018 autonomous vessel demonstration project.
Transport Malta’s MSIU issued an investigation report on the grounding of the Maltese registered container ship ‘Kea Trader’ in the Pacific ocean. In a first of its kind situation, the six-months-old ship, owned by Lomar Shipping, ran aground on 12 July 2017 and remains on site until today.
There is a lot talk about ‘human element’ in the maritime industry; the human element, which lies at the heart of shipping, is blamed for the majority of the accidents. In this regard, the industry has taken significant steps to address human factor issues and UK MCA’s Deadly Dozen is one of them.
Andrew Russ, Marine Surveyor at Standard P&I Club, addresses the issue of human element and fatigue in shipping. Mr. Russ reflects on research and measures that aim to resolve this issue, as the human element is a major contributor to accidents in the shipping industry.
In an exclusive interview with SAFETY4SEA, Mrs. Julia Anastasiou, Crew Director at OSM Maritime Group, discusses the existing and future manning and training challenges, highlighting that industry needs equality which refers not only to bridging the gender gap but also the nationality and religion gap.
Capt. Yves Vandenborn, Director of Loss Prevention at the Standard P&I Club, addresses the ISM Code. 20 years after the Code came into effect in 1998, Mr. Vandenborn examines the course of it and what needs to be done in order to become more effective.
21st of June marks ten years after the deadly capsizing of the ferry ‘Princess of the Stars’ off Romblon, at the height of Typhoon Fengshen. Resulting from a fatal combination of heavy weather and human error and causing over 800 fatalities, the accident is considered as a significant part of Philippines heavy legacy of maritime disasters.
Studies say that the 90% of all accidents at sea are caused by the human factor. There is hope that autonomy can bring a drop in the number of collisions and groundings, particularly when it comes to navigation-related ones. But, what’s the percentage of accidents prevented by humans?
