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 10th of April marks 18 years since the fire onboard the Italian passenger ferry ‘Moby Prince’, Italy’s worst merchant marine disaster since the end of World War II. The incident, resulting in death of all but one person onboard, highlighted how miscommunication in emergency situations can be disastrous.
During the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Cyprus Conference, Capt. VS Parani, HSSEQ Manager, Oceanic Marine Management Limited, discussed how heuristics can be used for better decisions onboard ships, stressing that seafarers make several high-stakes decisions every day- not all end well, given that there are on average 100 total ship losses and 1000 fatalities every year, mostly attributed to human error.
DP World will start its first hyperloop project in India. During 2018, DP World collaborated with Virgin Hyperloop One to create a cargo transporter. Now, the first project destination will take place in India. However, it is not yet known when the project will start. Hyperloop is a futuristic mode of passenger and freight transportation in which a pod-like vehicle is propelled through a near-vacuum steel tube.
While talking at the first SAFET4SEA Conference in Singapore, Mr. David Foo, Director (Port Systems), MPA Singapore, revealed that human element remains a major concern for safety and he provided an update on the ongoing efforts to address the human element, as well as share new initiatives and ideas on how MPA seeks to address the issue.
IMO MSC 100 completed its milestone 100th session on 7 December. MSC 100 had a busy agenda encompassing maritime autonomous surface ships, fatigue guidance for seafarers, polar shipping, goal-based standards and of course the 2020 sulphur cap.
The sinking of the container ship ‘El Faro’ in October 2015, claiming the title of one of the biggest marine tragedies in the recent history of US, was largely attributed to the Captain’s wrong assessment of the conditions. Anastasios Chrysikopoulos, Chief Officer at Maran Dry Management Inc. analyzed the Captain’s actions which identified human error as the key lesson to be learned from the El Faro loss.
Capt. Khan, who is particularly passionate about the topics of seafarer safety and wellness, is excited to work for Wallem, an organization which supports seafarers to perform every voyage safely and efficiently without losing focus on their wellbeing.
During his presentation at the last SAFETY4SEA Conference in Athens, Capt. Yves Vandenborn, Director of Loss Prevention, The Standard Club, noted that seafarer resilience can be improved through enhanced training regimes focused on realism, putting emphasis on additional experience.
Rolls-Royce and Intel revealed plans for collaboration on designs for sophisticated intelligent shipping systems to make commercial shipping safer. With a focus on safety, new ships will have systems with the same technology found in smart cities, autonomous cars and drones.
